First post here. This looks like the right category to post it in. I have a .270 Ackley magnum that was handed down. There isn't allot of reloading info on it. I was told on another forum that the speer manual #4 of wildcats has it listed in it. The case is made by cutting back the Remington 7mm mag, full length sizing, and fire-forming.Anybody shoot this round still? From the information I've see so far its a little behind the Weatherby and about the same as the .270 wsm with a little less efficient case.
Thanks
Brian

Man this made it to the third page with out a response. My other option, and I am seriously considering do this now, is to ream out the chamber for the .270 Weatherby. The Weatherby is about .130-.150" longer than the Ackley and should clean up. There is plenty of reloading data for the Weatherby as well as Several factory loads on the market. Its already got a 26 or 27 inch douglas heavy sporting barrel so I didn't want to change it out.
Brian

Hi Brian,

Welcome to the forum. I looked at your 270 Ackley Magnum in my Speer #4 and it's a nice wildcat. Since it always was a wildcat there is no reason to panic on it but just to use it as it is.

Your correct that it's a little shorter overall and to the shoulder than a 270 Weatherby so that cartridge will not go in the chamber the way that it is. Since the .270 Weatherby itself is an oddball and not found often there is not much sense going that way.

In fact the Weatherby ammunition is typically overloaded and only can be used in freebored chambers.

Your Ackley .270 Magnum is in fact a better design than the Weatherby. Since the very popular 7 mm Rem Mag case is just .050" longer overall and just a little bit longer to the shoulder it's a natural to just size them down and trim them to length. Don't oversize them by the way. You have a good chance to get the case to fit the chamber just right by setting the headspace while you adjust the FL die a little at a time and keep trying the case in the chamber by closing the bolt and feeling that you are headspacing on the shoulder.

I would rather have that cartridge than a Weatherby anyway. It' looks like a neat extreme range coyote rifle. I hope it shoots well.

Before I fired it I would slug the barrel to check the groove and bore diameters. Then I would make up a couple of loads using 270 Winchester data but a powder no slower burning than 4895. Don't use 270 Win or WSM data for slow burning powders as too little of slow burning powders may cause SEE.

Once you confirm that it's safe with light loads of 4895, 3031 or 4064 get back to us on what the water capacity of the case is.

A internal program will help. The Speer Manual calls for 67 grs of 4831 with a 130 gr bullet and that seems too hot for starters. Get all the data you can before you fire it. From what I see I would start with 64 grs of 4831 and the 130 gr bullet if everything measures out and tests as I suggested. But who knows what that chamber really is until I see it. For all I know Ackley made a short 270 magnum.

Go slow and get back to us on it's capacity.

[ 03-05-2003, 19:52: Message edited by: Savage99 ]

Hi Brian,
What is your barrel length and what bullet are you thinking about shooting? The .270 Ackley Magnum is in AccuLoad, so I can run some data for you to see what kind of powders would be optimum for your rifle and what kind of velocities you can expect.
Regards,
HockeyPuck

Brian,

There should be data for your Ackley in Volume 1 of P.O. Ackleys handbook. My brother in law has a custom in that chambering that Parker made for his grandad. It has been his go to Mule deer rifle for as long as I can remember, its a great cartridge. He let me vaporize a prarie dog with it once and he almost didnt get it back..

I can ask what he uses in his loads if youd like but he wont know what velocities hes getting.

Hockey Puck,

I just ran Calculoader for the 270 Ackley magnum and it's loads are about ten grains less than the Ackley book or the loads in Speer #4! For 4350 and 4831.

Wow, thanks guys. My grandfather had this rifle built on an FN commercial 98 action back in the 60's. I have the Hollywood dies for it too. I've reloaded some of his old brass as well as fireformed a batch from trimmed 7mm Remington mag. He past away back in 89 and I just got the rifle 2 years ago, so I don't have any of his pet loads on file. I believe I have the info from the speer #4 photocopied from the gun shop I go to. Thats why I began to look for more info. The powder charges seem to be all over the map. I believe the water capacity is 74 grains.
IMR 4350 is what I started with and noticed a tight bolt with my 130grain slugs and some other pressure signs. I have just backed off a couple grains from what was listed. This is kind of dumb but I figured out the ratio for IMR 7828 in the 7mm case to what it was for IMR 4350 and then applied that to what the 4350 load given in the speer for the ackley mag. It worked out fine just makes for a little pucker factor at the range.
As far as the .270 Weatherby goes I have read about the free bore and that may be a problem unless the the smith can cut it into the chamber after reaming for the new case. If I can get the reload data for the .270 ackley mag that would be greatly appreciated. Tonight I'll take it out and measure the length of the barrel.
Thanks again,
Brian

Ackleys book has a couple of loads listed for it but they look hot and most of them use 4350 which is a little quick burning but not really a bad choice.

Just make up your own loading data. We all should do it anyway as every book says to work up for every cartridge! This is a good time to think about getting or borrowing a chronograph also.

Don't even think about the 270 Weatherby any more. You have a better cartridge now. That cartridge is just right for maximum results in the .270 bore and best of all you can form brass from the 7 mm Rem Mag and get it to fit the chamber just right. To do the same with the 7 mm Rem Mag itself requires a lot of trimming on the 300 Win Mag case. As you know the chamber drawings for belted cases have a sloppy fit on the chamber dimension so they all weaken the web on the first shot. Not so with your Ackley Magnum. Remember that the 270 Ackley was chosen OVER the 270 Weatherby by your relative! Smart man.

There is freeware on the web using the Powley formula to caluculate loads using IMR powders and the water capacity of the case.

One is found here in the archives the last time I looked as "LoadBase"

I have others on my computer that are freeware also. I will look for the URL's to them.

I just ran a load for your cartridge with LoadBase using 74 grs of water, a COL of 3.5" and an 130 gr bullet at 1.2" long and it suggests 63.6 grs of IMR 4831 at 3124 fps with 44999 psi.

I don't know what I am doing wrong with my Calculoader program but it's showing less 4831. In fact the suggested load is so light as to risk SEE from the little that I know about this situation.

So far it seems that 7828 or 4831 are the correct powders.

What loads have you fired and what are the pressure signs?

By the way the Wolfe publication "Wildcat Cartridges" does not have loads for the 270 Ackley Magnum.

Ok, I checked the rifle out last night and the barrel length is 26". The case dimensions I have are a copy from the ackely vol 1., and list it's water capacity at 74.07 grains.The over all case length max is 3.240. I am very interested in your load calculations for IMR 7828 with the 130 spitzer boatail. I never popped any primers or anything but I did get a pretty tight bolt to extract the shot case. I would think the ideal way to reload the already formed brass would be neck sizing but I have had to set the shoulder back a hair in order to get a smooth bolt when closing on a new case. Doesn't that mean that I am stretching the case after the shot. Thanks again for the responses, I look foward to getting this rifle rolling again.
Brian

The internal program that I have right here shows loads that seem too light to me. Thus I am uncomfortable passing this information along.

I have another program that I will look for to double check out IMR 7828 for you.

Information that I read shows the 7 MM SAUM to have a capacity of 73 grains of water. That could be a guideline for you.

The case web stretching that I mention happens from the first firing with factory belted cases in SAMMI chambers. Your chamber is tight for the 7 mm Rem Mag case and unless you size it back too much you will be ahead of the rest of us.

That cartridge is a lucky one in that respect.

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Brian,

Check your personal messages here in your profile.

[ 03-08-2003, 06:58: Message edited by: Savage99 ]