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View Full Version : Forming .30 Ackley #1 Short Magnum



W.R.Buchanan
07-03-2015, 07:39 PM
HI guys I am trying to form.30 Ackley #1 Short Magnum cases from new .300 H&H brass.

I was under the impression that all you had to do was stuff them into a F/L sizing die and they would magically come out ready to trim to length and then fire form,,, done.

This is not the case!

I have tried two of them, the first simply stuffing it into the F/L Die using multiple pushes and lots of lube. This resulted in the shoulder being formed and then collapsing the case below the shoulder as it was trying to be pushed back.

The second one I cut the neck off and got closer but eventually the same thing happened.

I called Huntington's and talked to the guy who was nice and told me I probably needed to squeeze the shoulder down in steps. He said he thought that Sinclair made a die to do this and it was kind of a universal die that had steps turned into it.

I am wondering if any one here has experience making a stepped die like this and can offer some insight as to what it needs to look like. I can make it if I understand how it works, but right now I have no clue what I'm doing.

Randy

Mk42gunner
07-04-2015, 12:53 AM
I found some stuff from loaddata.com here: http://www.loaddata.com/members/search_detail.cfm?MetallicID=6560


.30 Ackley Short Magnum No. 1 (P.O. Ackley Data) Reloading Data Warning! Notes: Standard twist: 10". This is one of the shortest if not the shortest .30 Magnum Wildcat cartridges. It is the same as the .270 or 7mm Ackley Magnums except for neck diameter. .30-06 barrels cannot be rechambered for this No. 1 Short .30 Magnum without setting the barrel back one thread. This prevents the accidental firing of .30-06 cartridges. One forming and trimming die is necessary to form cases from .300 Magnum brass. Cases are fire formed and a good stiff load is best for the fireforming step. (Handbook for Shooters & Reloaders/Vol. 1 - P.O. Ackley, 1962) NOTE: USE THIS DATA WITH EXTREME CAUTION



I looked for about an hour tonight, my googlefoo evidently isn't working too well; (that or I get easily distracted). I can't find a dimensioned drawing for the #1 cartridge, the only things I found suggest that you may as well use a more readily available case than the .300 H&H since it will end up shorter than a .30-06.

It sounds like this is a short version of the .308 Norma or .30-.338. Have you tried chambering a 7mm Remington case? Sure would be simpler to just bump the shoulder back a few thousandths and expand the neck.

Robert

W.R.Buchanan
07-04-2015, 06:51 PM
Robert: I have the drawing and it is in the Cartridge Conversion book I have. The cartridge is a shorter version of the .308 Norma but it's about .060 shorter and finishes at 2.482 or about the same length as a .30-06. This makes bumping the shoulder back a problem as you can't really bump one back .060 in fact only a few thou is all you can go before the case starts to bulge below the shoulder.

Going to talk to Fred Huntington next week and find out exactly what needs to happen but I'm pretty sure it is going to involve tapering the case further back below the shoulder of the .300H&H so that when it is shoved into the .30 Ackley die it can form the sharper shoulder without physically having to move it to the rear. Kind of like forming it in place so to speak.

I will either have to modify an existing die or make something else that will do the job.

Randy

taco650
07-07-2015, 06:51 AM
Did you anneal the brass before forming?

This round sounds like a 7x61 Sharp & Hart that was necked up and blown out to 30.

EDG
07-07-2015, 11:28 AM
Your standard die is not supporting the case walls of the skinny .300 H&H brass.

You can probably use a .350 Rem Mag FL die to push the shoulder back. A second die could be made by cutting off a 8mm Rem Mag FL die

300 Win mag brass would probably work without the buckling problem since it will be supported by the die.

The step dies are often just short stubby dies that only have a shallow body diameter and the shoulder angle with a neck diameter.

You might make them in your shop or make them as a set of funnel bushings for a single die.

The main thing is to use 3 or 4 diameter steps to push the shoulder back to its final position. Each diameter should push the shoulder back to about .005 longer than where you want it to finish. Then the last die can push the last .005 for the complete shoulder.

bearcove
07-20-2015, 11:06 PM
Yeah the 350 RM FL would work as a step. I have one if you need one. Rod