8MM-'06 Ackley Improved

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I've just acquired a Mauser marked 8mm-'06 Ack. Imp. I also just got RCBS used die set marked 8mm-'06 Imp. with letter "k" marked on top of die. I read there are up to 4 different types of "improved" 8mm-06. Would these dies be for Ackley or something else?
What will be my maximum overall cartridge length obtained in a Mauser magazine? What powder works best? I have 175, 185 & 200 grain bullets for reloading this round.
Thanks,
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charliemeyer007

One of my favorite rifles as a kid was an 8mm-06. Easily in the 10 of the most accurate rifles I ever played with. My favorite load was Lyman 323470 on top of IMR 3031 25 grains. Running bunnies at 100 yards, the first rifle I remember shooting birds out of the air with. Hard cast, gas checked, full of 50/50 alox/beeswax.

Never had dies for it. Just used 8mm CH dies that I still have.

Favorite jacketed bullet was a Match Grade Norma 196 gr soft nose on top of a full case of H-4831 and a CCI large rifle primer. Cases were made from 59 National Match. I bet I still have some somewhere.

Back in the mid 80's I shot a lot of Speer seconds. I would show up at their outlet store twice a year and buy all they had in stock of stuff I could shoot. I couldn't see any real difference in my graded seconds.

One would hope your dies are correct for your rifle but it wouldn't surprise me if they weren't. FL a case to compare to a chamber cast is how you will find the answer.

I set bullets by candle soot. Sharpie black is too thin.

MIKE WISKEY

"What will be my maximum overall cartridge length obtained in a Mauser magazine?"...............standard mauser magazine is 3.3" inside, this can (may have been) lenghtened some.

Mobuck

I think the correct answer here is: get a GOOD chamber cast made and then decide a SAFE way of loading some ammo.
You have an excellent opportunity to mess up some things (including your face) if you proceed willy-nilly into this process.

pip5255

with a good bolt action rifle I chamber a fired or new case to insure fit then I take the case and seat the bullet I'm using close to where it should go in the case and then place in chamber and slowly close bolt so the bullet seats itself after the bolt closes, pull it out and measure for overall lenght, that is your maximum overal lenght for that rifle.
powders are more preference, I try many loads until I find the load the gun likes best and that is my prefered load from there out as long as components are available.

nononsense

ENBLOC,

quote:I've just acquired a Mauser marked 8mm-'06 Ack. Imp.

Which Mauser since it makes a difference as to what the magazine length will be.

quote: I read there are up to 4 different types of "improved" 8mm-06.

I can think of a couple:

8mm-06 Ackley Improved

8mm-06 Gibbs

3200 Hawk (8mm-06 improved)

quote:Would these dies be for Ackley or something else?

How would we know this except by comparing a chamber cast with the cast from the die?

quote:What will be my maximum overall cartridge length obtained in a Mauser magazine?

It depends on the model, year and country of manufacture since there have been over 13 MILLION Mauser manufactured.

quote: What powder works best?

We have to have answers to the above questions first.

Cast the chamber.

Cast the die.

Measure very carefully and compare the two.

One suggestion below will obtain the overall length of a loaded cartridge in the chamber or chamber length but that has nothing to do with the magazine length. In fact, many chamber length cartridges will NOT fit in modern fixed magazines because the primary manufacturers of the rifles intentionally cut the chamber long to control pressure. Some older examples from Remington rifles are cut in such a manner that the bullet cannot touch the lands without falling out of the neck of the case first.

While this can often hurt accuracy, accuracy will not suffer if the chamber is cut true and concentric to the rifle bore. I know this flies in the face of what most benchrest shooters believe but it's true. Besides, Berger Bullets often suggest jumping a bullet even when it's one of the high priced Match Hybrid bullets because they do not perform as good if they are jammed into the lands.

Best.

pip5255

http://www.loaddata.com/Cartridge/8mm-06-8mm-06-Ackley-Improved/5447

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The Mauser I just acquired is a Czech VZ-24 with a stepped Military barrel; pristine 8mm bore that has been chambered to 8mm-06 Ackley Improved. The RCBS dies are marked 8mm-06 IMP. I already have an 8mm-06 standard die set. With the Ackley chamber I can load the regular 8mm-06 and upon firing that cartridge case will fire-form to the Ackley Improved chamber. Ackley designed his "improved cartridges" so that the parent cartridge case could be chambered & fired with a bit less fps. downrange. Also I've watched some videos where cases are fire-formed to the Ackley chamber by use of Unique, or Bullseye using toilet paper/cream of wheat. To see if I have a match I'd fire form a cartridge case to the Ackley chamber by either method above. Full length re-size a .30-'06 commercial case in the RBCS 8mm-06 IMP. sizer die and see what comes out and then compare by sight & calipers... The parent case to this particular Ackley Improved is still a wildcat. It's an Ackley Improved wildcat.

Mobuck

"Ackley designed his "improved cartridges" so that the parent cartridge case could be chambered & fired with a bit less fps. downrange."

There may be (and often is) some variance between "designed" and "produced" so be certain you have a positive headspace control mechanism in your forming loads.