I want to "Improve" another of my 6.5x55's (I have one already, done with a 243 AI reamer) and I have a preference for the Bob Jourdan Ackley Improved version, but the information I can find is very confusing

One version tells me it has a long neck and a short body....



....a reamer drawing from another supplier says it has the same shoulder diameter as the Ackley version...



...from what I have read, the Bob Jourdan version has a .465 Dia. shoulder with the same neck as the standard and Ackley version ( to aid fireforming from factory rounds)

PLEASE, correct me if I'm wrong!!

Roger

P.S. if anyone has one of these reamers ( and/or an 8mm Gibbs reamer ) that they would be willing to lend to me here in Australia, it would be very helpful

I really shouldn't comment here as I am as guilty as you are about doing a redundent project for the sake of fun even though we are over-egging the custard. I would venture to say that what is available right now in a standard AI is perfectly acceptable + I can't think of any improvements that you can make to improve performance would justify the cost.

I apologise if my original post was unclear.....what I am looking for is the correct dimensional information on the 6.5x55 BJAI cartridge....

The pics and drawings available online all appear to be different.

Roger

I helped Bob design the "BJ" AI when I was with Clymer, 25+ years ago. It's nothing more than a "standard" AI version of the 6.5x55, tightened up a bit to suit his brass and specific bullet. Like the "std" AI, its chamber will accept a factory round and fireform safely to the AI configuration.

He wrote about in in Precision Shooting and lots of folks picked up on it.

Dave Manson

OK, so what difference, if any, is there between a "Std" Ackley improved ( even though he never actually made one ) and a Bob Jourdan improved 6.5X55 ??
Does the "BJ" version have a bigger/ longer/ shorter body or neck?.....is it more freebore....what are the actual differences? Everyone seems to rave about the "BJAI", but is it actually that much different to what Ackley would have done?

Roger

The two reamer/chamber prints are ours and nicely show the difference between std AI and Jordan AI. Base diameter and neck diameter are where the two differ.

Your other print, of course, is of the MAX cartridge, and should be slightly smaller/ shorter than the chamber prints. Remember, this is a non-standardized wildcat, so make sure your reamer maker and die maker reference the same specs.

good advice right there.
I know of 5 different versions of the 7X57 AI cartridge.
and i had a rifle chambered for a 6th more like the ICL cartridges [Parker called the flying burrito's for some reason] that had no body taper a little more case body diameter and the standard neck length.

damn near ripped my press off the bench trying to resize the first case in a ''standard'' Ackley die, which fit my actual Ackley chambered rifle.


last time I'm gonna say 'naaah I don't need a size die too, I got one already'.