I have a 30 year old (or more) Model 700 ADL here in .270 win.
The barrel is just about shot out and I am thinking of having the action blueprinted/trued and rebarreled to a different caliber. I was thinking of a 25-'06 or 270 AI.
A gentlemen over at LRH suggested a 25-'06 AI. Don't know why I din't think of that myself.
Anyone here have any experience with the 25-'06 Ackley Improved?
Any suggestions for a barrel type/manufacturer?

I want a gun that I can use to punch holes in paper and pdogs at 500-600 yards+. Assuming I can learn to shoot effectively at those ranges, it would nice if the gun could go out further as my shooting skills progress.

Matt, not to argue with your acquaintance at LRH, but the issue is not so much the cartridge but the quality of bullets, this in the context of "500-600 yds" or more if you get better? First off I don't think you'll find really good bullets for the 1/4 bore, at least not in that context. Now it pains me to say that because I like the caliber, but if you want to work at that range give a thought to the 6.5-.284 or 6.5-06 if you prefer. Along with quality bullets you need to use ones that have high BC's. There are of course a multitude of options in larger bores as well. JMO

If you want a different slant try http://www.wildcatshooting.com/forum/

Some around here have heard me say it before, "If I could only have one rifle (God forbid) it would be a 25-06!" Varmints to deer and big deer at that!! HOWEVER!!!!! You've got a Long Action and using it to attach a 6mmRemington barrel to allows the use of the 105 and 107 Match bullets and be able to seat them where they need to be to be touching or 10-15, 1000ths off the lands. Get yourself a quality barrel with 1/10 or 1/9 twist and you'd have a decent paper puncher and a long range(500-600 isn't that long) varmint buster! Just another thought added! The 6.5-284 option is also a heckuva choice. Bullets for the 6's and 6.5's offer a little more selection than the 25's. I still love the 25-06 but there are more available choices if you want to look around. GHD

Thanks for the replys guys.
Digital Dan, you are right on the money about bullet selection. A very important point and one I hadn't given enough consideration to.
I hadn't really considered a 6.5 but after doing some reading I am seriously impressed.
2 things jumped out at me.
1) Is the 6.5-284 a barrel burner? Some info I found says it is.
2) It's interesting that Ackley got better performance from the standard 6.5-'06 than he did from his 'improved' cartridge. Of course he didn't have access to the slow burning powders that we do today. This one has really got my interest, and even if there isn't a big performance increase with the improved version I would still lean that way just for the longer case life.

You guys sure have given me plenty to think about. I have a lot of research to do. That's all right though, don't have the money yet anyways.

Oh and thanks for the link Digital Dan.

I too would recommend the 6.5x.284. I have two of them, one is up to about 900 rounds and still shooting 4-7" five shot groups in calm weather at 1000 yards. So, I haven't seen just how much of a "barrel burner" it is yet. Both of my barrels are 1-9" twist Lilja's.

I realize you have a long action, but another caliber I'd give a lot of consideration to is the 6 BR or one of it's improved versions. With a 1-8" twist, 28-30" barrel, they're incredibly accurate, even to 1000 yards in calm conditions. If you do a lot of shooting, this caliber would save some money in powder vs. some of the larger calibers already mentioned above. Just more food for thought.

check www.6mmbr.com for more info.

-Rick

Both Berger and Fowler make high BC 115 grain bullets in .257 cal. I'm getting a Kostyshyn barrel in 1-9.5 twist in .257 for my old FN and plan to shoot the heavier bullets in it. I've looked around and don't feel there is any shortage of long range high quality, high BC bullets in .257 caliber. I'm going with the .25/06 "normal" chamber myself. I'm first going to try the 115 Nosler BT bullets. Now the 6.5 do have a higher BC due to the traditionally very fast twist of that caliber but the velocity is modest seems to me when you load those long 140 gr bullets. I'll go for the slighty lower BC/higher velocity as I'm not going to be shooting over 500 yards in the field. At a rifle range where the yardage is known and where the drop can be compensated for I think the heavy bullet 6.5 has a real advantage over the .257, but in the hunting field I think the reverse is true. FNMauser

I crossed this bridge with a 30/06 in a Rem 700 and I settled on a 6mm Rem with a 1 in 7 twist with a PacNor barrel, in a heavy magnum contour ( like for a 458 Mag, not quite as thick as a varmint barrel, so it is still large and stiff but more mobile). With the 105 grain A Maxes, the 107 grain Sierra and some of my favorite, the 105 and 115 grain Bergers, you easily have rifle that is a 600 yd shooter and very accurate.

I don't know what the pressure may be or not be, but I have found a very accurate load with the 115 grain Bergers as my long range target load ( 600 to 1000 yds) and that is with 46 grains of RL 19 for an MV of 3250 fps. The cases have been loaded 10 times plus with this load so pressures must be fine.

The bullet is seated out to max magazine length in the 700 Long Action. I had the gunsmith make the barrel capable of taking that combo.

I also am fond of the 87 grain Hornady HP for a long range rockchuck or prairie dog load also. I like this combo enough, I am going to redo a Winchester Model 70 with the same set up.

I also replaced that Remington stock that got beat up over the years with a Boyd's laminate stock for $65.00.

Cheers and good shooting
seafire