6.5x55 Ack. Imp. dies?

[1000yardstare]

Am looking at a new Tikka Lite synthetic/stainless in 6.5 Swede. Have lined up a gunsmith with a good rep in Toronto who will rechamber to 6.5x55 AI if I buy the reamer from Pacific.

Two questions:
1) will the velocity gain be worth the effort and expense?

2) can`t see reloading dies for the 6.5x55 AI on any web site or catalog; RCBS, Hornady, Sinclair. Does anyone have a lead on the dies or is my `smith making a sizing die with the reamer?

 

[MATSUBOB]

You will have to have a sizing and seating die made. You cannot use the chamber die to make a sizing die, you have to order a die reamer from Pacific that is undersized from the chamber die. Talk to Dave Kiff at Pacific.

 

[gaintwist]

I have the full package :

Manson 6.5x55 AI reamer
Full Length resize, Lee neck size, Wilson seat
Lapua brass

email me if you are interested
-lige

highwall@gmail.com

 

[acloco]

Redding has all of the dies available.

 

[1000yardstare]

Thanks for the feedback, guys. Appreciate it.

Looking at the 'Custom Dies' section on the Redding web site, they say that there are hundreds of die sets not listed in their die charts. So looks like a call to Redding to ask about 6.5x55 AI dies.

 

[1000yardstare]

Sinclair tells me that Redding 6.5x55 AI dies are not kept in stock. They are a special order under Custom Dies.

 

[flatlander]

The biggest advantage the 6.5x55 AI has over a std. 6.5x55 appears to me to be that it won't require case trimming as often, if at all. Mine gives me about 50-60fps more velocity than a std. 6.5x55. Not exactly an apples-to-apples comparison, since the std 6.5 is in a 1:8 Krieger, and the AI is in a 1:8.5 Bartlein, but both are 30' bbls., and both are on custom actions.

 

[Montana_ed]

If you haven't called Redding yet, I bought some 6.5x55 improved dies off the shelf. They are "custom" but they try and keep a few on the shelf. They told me that Graf usually buys them so if they are out try Graf. My 6.5x55 improved was rechambered from a .260 barrel for my TC Encore.

 

[1000yardstare]

Montana_Ed, thanks for the info. What velocity gain did you get with the AI?

I have been working up loads in the 6.5 Tikka for a couple of weeks and am impressed with the quality and accuracy of the rifle. Beautiful trigger right out of the box. Never touched it.

Now I have to make up my mind whether the expense and effort of rechambering to the AI is justified by the potential results. I am a big believer in the philosophy of "If it ain`t broke, don`t fix it".

 

[Montana_ed]

1000yardstare,

I haven't got the chrono out yet but I hope to be close to 3000 - 3050 with 140 grn matchking and either n160 or reloader 22. I just got the round worked up in time for antelope season in Wyoming and was using 48gr r22 and the 140gr gameking, the antelope didn't like it at all.

The Tikka is a great gun.. I had an older model in 300 win mag and it was a tack driver and it's trigger was awesome. I just got tired of the recoil after 30 years of shooting the 300 win mags. I tried a muzzle brake and got tired of killing my and my hunting buddies ears so after much research and discussion with Mike Bellm he set me up and I love the cartridge. We were going to go with the 6.5x55 Arch Improved...44 deg shoulders, but dies were only available custom made. Redding had the 40 deg improved in stock so it won.

I think winter is here now so the chrono may have to wait until spring. :-(

 

[Hengehold]

Dennis,
What velocity and barrel life did you have with the 142s in your 30 inch barrels?

Thanks,
Trevor

 

[flatlander]

Trevor,
I lost all the previous chrono data I had when the hard drive on my old desktop crashed last August. What little I've chrono'd since then has mainly been with fireform loads, and most of that's been out of a 28" Brux that I used on a new 6.5x55AI build I completed just a couple of months ago. But if memory serves, I was getting 2970fps or thereabouts out of the 30" Bartlein on the BAT 3LL.

Hard to say what barrel life will be, as I probably don't have 200rds. through the BAT yet, and only 157rds. logged through the Brux so far.

 

[flatlander]

As far as dies for the 6.5x55AI go, I had Lonnie Hummel at Hornady make a custom FL sizer - had to send three fired cases & a copy of my reamer print, but the resulting die does a very nice job.

For a seater, since I already had a Forster Ultra Mic seater for the std. 6.5x55, I got a 6.5mm blank seater sleeve from Forster, then used my AI finisher reamer on it. At the time, I still had a std. 6.5x55 bbl. for my Nesika, and wanted to keep the std. seater available. Since then, I've set that bbl. back a thread and used the AI reamer on it.

 

[Hengehold]

wow, 2970 fps with the AI is pretty good. What velocity did you get with the standard 6.5x55?

 

[Killim]

As stated by others before me, I would contact Redding. When I built my 30-350 Rem Mag some 30 years ago, I sent fire formed cases to Redding and they manufactured a set of dies for my particular chamber. Many of my cases have been reloaded 10 times or more with no failure and only minimal stretching requiring trimming. Plus their delivery time and cost blew the other die makers out of the water. Just MHO of course!

 

[Bobthenailer]

Here's some interesting reading on the Ackley chamberings.

http://www.shootersforum.com/wildcat-cartridges/5813-article-posted-precision-shooting-website-about-ackley-improved-cartridges.html

I am getting 2900+ fps with 123grn MK out of a 24", 9T. Never cryno'd the regural swede just went and built an Ackley.

 

[flatlander]

Trevor,
As I said, I lost all my chrono data in the hard drive crash. But I'm pretty certain that most of the 139-142gr. loads I used in the std. chamber were running at 2910-2915fps. I used N160 in Lapua cases, and either F210M or CCI BR2s.

For all I know, I could've gotten more velocity out of the std. Swede, but 1000yd accuracy was outstanding at that level, and those loads weren't particularly hard on brass. Bolt lift was smooth & easy, but this was in a Nesika K action w/o ejector. I'd never try to run the Swede that warm out of a surplus military action.