Ok heres the deal... I just recently bought a Howa 1500 30/06 AI for real cheap. I was wondering what all the "AI" is and what all is done to make it that way. I researched on the net some but didnt find out much.(have limited access to net at wrk).

I was also curious can u still shoot a 30/06 Springfeild thru it accuratly. Cause from what little i've heard..., The AI brass is fire formed from a reg '06 cartridge, They just blow the shoulders or somethin out. So ya basically dont know much and would like a lil info on this gun b4 i dump and money into it...

Ohh... and Thanks for any help yall

The AI case is a standard 06 case fired in an AI chamber to be formed with a 40' shoulder and less taper on the body, giving approximately 10% more case volume. Do you handload? If not then you'll need to start because there are no factory loads available for the 06 AI.

As far as whether or not your gun will shoot 06 ammo accurately only your gun will be able to make that decision. If you bought this and intend to only run 06 ammo through it I'd have to say you wasted your money, now if you handload then that's a different story.

To get the most out of any AI you will need to reload but regular 30-06 ammo can be used. Your 30-06 AI should get you really close to 300Win Mag velocity.

Some smaller, ammo production shops will load 30-06 AI rounds. For example, Stars and Stripes ammo. Speak to Clint.

Make sure it is a 40 degree AI, some AI's are 35 and some could be even different then that. But yea, fire form loads can be accurate. If you don't handload, I would take it to a smith and set the barrel back and rechamber to a standard 30/06...

Thanks guys... Yeah i dont handload so good thing gun was cheap. Well looks like i will sell it or trade it... and thanks again guys

Yeah if your not going to reload it I would sell it. But if you do you can fire form all your cases using standard 30-06 ammo. It's really a waste of money unless you have lots of it. It does give you an extra percentage of power but you'd be better off just buying a 300win mag or WSM instead. Or go back to the original 30-06 I believe it's a proven cartridge.