Fire forming is the part of AI I try to avoid. I guess I got turned off to it when I was building and shooting Ackley Magnums. It was a 2 or sometimes 3 step fireform that often split the shoulder and ruined the brass. You could not shoot the parent round and make the case. You couldnt even shoot the parent round unless your rifle had a very strong extractor.
Definitely cant argue against a .270 Win. Its only problem is its not in any way "unusual".
I have no experience with Ackley Magnums.
I do have considerable experience with .257 R AI and some with 30-06 AI.
So long as you begin with virgin brass and hae some method of keeping the brass against the breech face,the fire form process is trouble free.I've never had a case fail.I actually use an AI headspace "Go" gauge,and quit cutting while I can still just feel the gauge. Ackley designed the AI to fireform headspacing at the juncture of the neck and the shoulder. That works fine for me,too. Only don't try forcing a CRF claw extractor to snap over the rim,single loading! I helped a friend build another 257 AI .He made that mistake,then asked me about head separations when fire forming!
I have not formed 280 AI. I would assume that if you ran 30-06 brass through a 280 AI sizing die you would create a .024 on the diameter slight step,or a trace of shoulder to hold the case head aganst the breech.
With just a little careful setting of the die,fireforming should be a snap,IMO.But,like I said,I have not actually done exactly that.
If you were using 280 brass,the old classic 175 gr round nose bullets could be seated long to engage the lands.You could even use a light crimp.
I was quite successful long seating the old 117 gr round nose .257 bullets for my .257 AI.
I also noticed the bullet boxes were dusty from sitting on the shelf a long time,which opened the door for a little price negotiation.
Reading this thread,I notice you seem to have a lot of experience with a variety of cartridges ….I read a lot ff "Been there,done that" with 30-416 R,and 3 or4 65.5 284;s etc. I'm not going to go back throughthe posts to make an inventory..
But you certainly do not seem to be a newbie who needs some help.
I'm not sure what the motivation for the thread or the rifle build is.
For myself,if a factory round will perfectly fill the bill,its rather a plus to not fiddle around.
OK,I DO have a 375 Taylor and a 30-338 along with my 257 AI.. I understand the fun. If we were still building sporters on Milsurps,IMO,the 8x57 case is under utilized in the Mauser mag length.I've thought about making a rifle with a 30 or 338 bore using a 8x57 AI case. I'm sure it would be a fine hunting rifle. But I can think of no really good reason to do it.
But I also reached the point where I noticed I did not have a single,straight up 30-06 or .308 bolt hunting rifle.
But I did have a pristine 98-09 Argentine bare action (not a complete rifle),one last Garret-Accralyte stock blank (quality,foam core glass and Kevlar, M-70 fwt pattern. I went to school with the man who made them.),and a commercial full 30-06 length steelhinged floorplate bottom metal on hand. I even had one commercial 98 scope bolt left. I scrounged up a Gentry M-70 type side swing safety, a Lothar Walther barrel and some Warne steel weaver pattern bases. Oh,and a Timney trigger.
Yup. A plain biscuits and gravy 30-06 hunting rifle.And its going to gt a 6x42 fixed power Leupold,with a standard duplex.. I may add CDS knobs
Just a plain old hunting rifle. Thing is,I'm 67. I just don't do 8000 ft snow covered side hill meat packing through blowdons and doghair anymore.
Mostly out of consideration for the folks who would feel compelled to pack my body out of the woods.(Myself,I'd be OK with feeding the coyotes).
I think you have a lot of good options,and you and I look at things a little different.
Which is OK.
I think my 10 yr old Grandson can look forward to inheriting a darn nice 30-06. Likely no one else he knows will have such a nice rifle.
The barrel on my 257 AI has over 20 yrs on it. I might fix him up with a 6.5 AAR. A Warren Page creation. Its in Ackley's book. its a 6.5 -257 AI .
That ought to corrupt my Grandson.....Or,maybe just a straight up 257 Roberts would be just fine.
