I'm having the barrel set back in my (dad's) 30-06 Mauser (as discussed at length in here previously), and I was thinking that I might have it re-reamed to 30-06 AI.

any reason NOT to do this???

IIRC you can fire-form brass to fit it, and the extra ~100fps in velocity would be nice when loading heavier bullets.

anyone have any input?

Why are you setting the barrel back?

None! Go for it.

HELL NO
use rel22 if you want another 100FPS ..

setback and rechamber to a tight match 30-06 and enjoy the ease of the near perfect north american caliber.

going AI means hassle from now till you sell it ..

If you want more than 30-06, make it a 300 winmag,,, but don't do a half measure, with a double helping of PITA.

Save your money and shoot it as a normal '06. I'd have the 'smith recut the crown as long as it's in the shop though. Are you having the action trued as well?

I might note that I'm handloading anyway... so there isn't that much incremental cost.

barrel is being set back for excessive headspace, rifle will never be sold, its an heirloom. the AI is a small change that wouldn't be too tough to adapt to, IMO. hence the consideration.

and yes, the crown is being re-done as well, it could be better.

Since you have excessive headspace with the 06 then you must set back for an AI. To do it right you would need to set back with correct headspace. I know there are many done without setback but that doesn't make it the right way to do it.

I've played with the various AIs have my own string of wildcats based on an imprived shoulder forward 280 case. That said I wouldn't spend the time making a 30-06AI. That is just me.

My first choice would be a nice new tight chambered 30-06. If I wanted more power then open the bolt to a magnum.

If I wanted to play with a wildcat then I sure wouldn't stop with the AI. Look at the 300 Howell from AHR. They have the dies, brass and can do your chamber with no set back. Another option is the Hawk version. The hawk has a littel less cpacity and higher priced dies & brass last time I checked.

The only fly I can see is if you pass it on to one of your kids who is not a reloader.....?

You are spending the money to setback & rechamber anyway, if you want an AI, this is the time to do it. You can even use the same 06 dies to reload, just neck size. There is little downside except for resale & you aren't worried about that anyway. I would go for it, but then I have more oddball rifles than std. chambers anyway.

Bad idea, especially for an heirloom that you'd like to keep in the family. A non-reloading grandchild will sell it in heartbeat for less than it would be worth as a standard '06 while you would be out the cost of the AI reloading dies and the brass you may ruin in the blowout process.

Not to mention the fact that the deer doesn't really care about the extra 100 fps....
Regards, Joe

DH,
perhaps you didn't hear me .. use rel22 if you want a super 30-06 .. you generally get 1/4 of the percentage increase in capacity as an increase in velocity AT THE SAME PRESSURE. you MIGHT get 10% more capacity, which means 2.5% increase in velocity ... if you had a 3000fps load, you get 75FPS ... bigdeal ... but now its a wildcat that will have other issues... and, oh, pressure is THERE in the AI rounds, it just shows up at a higher level ...

but, its your money, i just have the opinion that its wasteful to do the chamber, dies, etc etc etc when theres nothing wrong with a 3006

and no, you can NOT use your (unmodified) 30-06 dies to necksize, as the shoulder angle, diameter, and taper are different ... you'll defeat the entire purpose

quote:

Originally posted by stillbeeman:
The only fly I can see is if you pass it on to one of your kids who is not a reloader.....?

My first reaction is: screw the little "non-reloading" SOB. After all, if you reload and your offspring don't take up the hobby, they most likely won't be into shooting either.

On the other hand, after giving it some thought, why not load up some "heirloom" ammo to keep with the rifle for when it is passed on? 06 brass is cheap and you could use cases that have been loaded several times and are about to be discarded. 200 rounds loaded with cor-locts would be cheap and would be a lifetime supply for most non reloaders.

Just the same, I would leave it an standard 06.

i'd leave it plain ole' '06.....
before you worry too much about a rechamber, have you or your 'smith figured why it had excessive headspace?, or was it just sloppy armory conversion? if the lugs are setting back, a barell setback and rechamber won't stop it... it'll be back.

The sharper shoulder of the AI has the reputation of giving you less case stretching than with the long slope of the original .30-06. That would be MY reason for doing it.

Will it feed well? That might be an issue if it didn't.

DO IT - it's not everyone that has an AI.

But then rechambering it in .308 Win has advantages too.

Go ahead, convert the most common and available caliber in the world for maybe 100 fps gain in velocity to a weirdo case that everyone will say in the future: "Why in the hell did that fool do that?" The game will never know the difference in 100 fps. Besides, new powders are being developed all the time that will wring more velocity from the standard '06 case. One of my reloading manuals actually noted a drop in velocity when they tested the '06AI. Stay away from that dog!

What does 100fps do for you? Nothing that you shoot will know the difference.

Brass life? What's the difference between 20 reloads and 30 reloads? It's not like 30.06 cases are made of gold. Are you going to be shooting that gun so much that you're wearing out large volumes of brass?

quote:

Brass life? What's the difference between 20 reloads and 30 reloads? It's not like 30.06 cases are made of gold. Are you going to be shooting that gun so much that you're wearing out large volumes of brass?

I've loaded my own blown out design as well as AIs for 30 years. I've never be able to claim any extra case life by the time you toss in forming. Since most AIs are loaded so hot the primer pocket gives up before the brass. You do save a triming becasue the case gets shorter to begin with during forming.

quote:

I was thinking that I might have it re-reamed to 30-06 AI. any reason NOT to do this???

Yeah...lots, pretty well covered above. Even P.O. himself would say don't bother.

IMHO, fire-forming brass is a pain in the arse.

I don't see any reason you shouldn't do it, if you want to.

There is nothing in particular inherently wrong with the .30-'06-AI cartridge that I and my friends who have owned them have experienced.

They are no harder to load for than standard '06 cartridges. They are no more fire-formed than any standard '06 case if proper chamber headspacing is done by the gunsmith to start with. First shot does the job with each piece of brass in either the standard or the AI round...causing it to exactly fit that particular rifle's chamber.

It is entirely practical to shoot off-the-shelf factory rounds in the AI if you run out of your handloaded ammo somewhere. You probably won't even need to sight-in any differently if you find yourself forced to use factory '06 ammo at any distance closer than 250 yards (with the same weight/make of bullet).

And even if the animal(s) don't note the 100 fps difference in velocity and any resulting increase in kinetic energy of the AI version, the additional bit of both won't be a BAD thing to have at hand.

In my experience, which includes personal ownership and use of several AIs over the years, no such rechambering has ever required modification of the action rails of my guns. So the action is essentially unaltered as well, in case you ever want to use it for some other chambering based on the '06 case.

There may not be any great pressing need for, or humongous benefit from such a re-reaming, but I really don't see any down side either...other than a possible reduction in re-sale value to those who don't understand the slightly increased flexibility of such an option.

If you plan to keep the gun, any value drop doesn't matter anyway.

And, it being your gun for YOUR enjoyment not someone else's, if having it might add to your interest in, use of, or enjoyment of the rifle, I say, SURE, GO FOR IT!

What the Hell, a life with no experiments and no adventures is more like just an existance than a life, anyway.

Best wishes,

AC