257 Roberts to 257 Roberts Ackley Improved.
There are 3 257 Roberts AI chambers, first there is the 257 Roberts AI chamber cut in a new barrel, if the new barrel is said to be short chambered, determiner 'how short'.
The 257 Roberts AI has a longer neck than the 257 Roberts meaning the neck shoulder juncture on the AI version is further back than the standard Roberts. By design this difference allows standard 257 Roberts to be fired in the Ackley Improved chamber, when chambered the standard 257 Roberts case neck shoulder juncture is sized (head spaces), when fired the rest of the shoulder and case body is sized/formed and the person pulling the trigger becomes a case former, or is that a fire former?
Then there is the person that knows the difference between the two chambers and understand by advancing the reamer all of the original chamber can be removed and be replaced with a chamber that is longer from the bolt face to the shoulder of the chamber, by as much as .020 thousands, depending on the receiver design, methods and techniques change when forming cases, remember Hatcher became a fire former by accident, With the longer chamber fire forming is not recommended. At this point the shooter must become a case former first and a fire former second, I have the 257 Roberts AI reamer and dies, with the feeler gage I can form the shoulder distance from the head of the case head in thousands anywhere I choose to place it, meaning I form first then fire, after firing my cases become once fired cases.
Then there is the 'set the barrel back' that involves a lathe, barrel vise, action wrench, and someone to operate all that equipment.
Everything listed above is relative to the 30/06 Ackley Improved, I have the tools, lathes, reamers and dies and more than one 30/06, so I chambered one to 30 Gibbs, the reamer removes all of the original chamber, the shoulder is moved moved forward .207 thousands, in my opinion that leave the neck too short, by design, their design, the neck is shortened to .127, I say too short because others say the 300 Win Mag neck length is short at .264 plus a little or - a little.
Anyhow, chambers that benefit the most by going to the Ackley Improved is the 257 Roberts, 30 H&H, 30-40 Krag, 303 British, back to receivers, not a good ideal to use the 30/40 Krag or the 303 British Enfield. For the 303 British chamber the P14 is a better choicer.
F. Guffey