Ackleys, Just for fun

[Mhinagoya]

I am asked about this occasionally and thought I would post a side by side picture of 22-250 and Swift Ackleys. The 22-250 Ackley is fairly common. The Swift, not so much.

The 22-250 Ackley is so close in case volume to the original 220 Swift that it is safe to use 220 Swift loading data. You don't gain much volume doing the Ackley version of the Swift, but case life is improved enormously. I was trimming cases every other firing with my last Swift. Now that it has a 40 degree shoulder, that nonsense has ended and it behaves as it should. Yes, I did pick up some velocity but with a Swift, that's just bragging rights. It is already pretty fast. I've seen 4,475 fps with 45 grain bullets and that wasn't a hot load. I see no reason I can't break 4k with 55 grain bullets but that is for a future project.

Bill.

 

[nortac]

Very interesting. I always wanted an Ackley "something", but never had a real candidate for that conversion or a custom gun to shoot it out of. Maybe someday....

 

[Mhinagoya]

Very interesting. I always wanted an Ackley "something", but never had a real candidate for that conversion or a custom gun to shoot it out of. Maybe someday....

I'm not certain I could explain why I did it. The 22-250 has an eight twist barrel, so 60-70 grain bullets can be done. When Benchmark built the Swift, I had them install a 1:14 twist barrel. It's 28" long too. That's why I believe 4k to be possible with a 55 grain bullet. Actually, it should be easy. I just haven't tried it yet.
Shot a coyote some years back with a 40 grain pill out of a Swift and I was running it wide open throttle (3 reloads to a case then the primer pockets got loose). I can't describe what happened in polite company as the coyote was only a couple hundred yards out.

These are just toys. Expensive toys to be sure, but toys nonetheless. That's reason enough to own a wildcat. I also have a 22-6mm with an eight twist barrel. There is no point in shooting bullets lighter than 60 grains because they probably won't get to the target.
If you really want one, the most reasonable route is a Savage action with a Shilen or Criterion barrel. You will need reloading tools, a GO gauge, an action wrench and a nut wrench, but that's about it. Plan on having feeding problems. Most guys just use them as single shots.

I don't own a 'nice' factory rifle (other than the 375 H&H). Everything has been re barreled, re stocked, re vamped in some way and bears no resemblance to its roots. These are time wasters for me and I absolutely love them.

Nobody looks at my guns and says "Wow, haven't seen one of those in years". They usually say "What the he** is that?".

I keep thinking about gun shows. A Remington 783 in 223 would make up in to a real nice 17-223 or a 204 VarTarg once you notched the front receiver ring and ordered an indexable recoil lug from PT&G..

 

[Ad Astra]

Loved reading P.O. Ackley's column- it was the back page- in Shooting Times.

He was one far-out old man, learning, pushing limits always.

Well done, sir.

AA