Charley,

I knew PO Ackley personally. I went to his shop a few times and spent days there talking with him. We also talked on the telephone, and wrote back and forth. I really liked him, he had great stories, and all my time with him was enjoyable!! I also was heavily into wildcats, so he was great to be around and talk with.

I still have a LH 700 Rem. action with a 26" PO Ackley bbl. chambered in 240 Wby.. I built it to have as a long range wolf and coyote rifle. I even won a few matches with it, entering in the "belted magnum" class. I also shot blk tailed deer with it, in the temporate rain forest along the coast of Alaska.

Ackley once told me he much prefered to hire women to build his bbls, as they would do there job with out questioning it, or him. Men on the other hand, were always trying to tell him how it "should" be done!!!!

You should have heard his thoughts on Elmer Keith, who he knew personally!!! Keith worked for him a bit.

Anyway, you are right though, he was set up to get the MAX a person could get out of a round!! Many times he used 31" bbls ect.. on his test guns!! All that leads up to as you have said, he had a very friendly chrono.....

Drilling Man

DM, certainly no slur intended on Mr. Ackley. I'm only 49, a bit late for ever knowing the man. All my information has come from talking with gunsmiths that knew him, and some of his interviews and writing. I'm just a hobby gunsmith, and know my limits. Mr. Ackley knew more than I ever will about rifles, actions, and barrel work.
The only AI cartridge I ever considered was the .250 AI. That is one AI that does show a definate increase above factory at the same pressure levels. Maybe the .30.30 AI as well, but I don't think most modern cartridges benfit much from improving...those two dinosaurs reach back to the dark ages of smokeless cartridges.