Anyone with .243 Ackley Improved experience?

Just bought a Kleinguenther/Voere K15 chambered in .243 AI. I have a lot of regular 243 dies and such and wonder if I can use a regular die for just neck sizing (doesn't look like it)? I was told I can just shoot it with brass simply sized back to .243 Winchester. I know Ackley's idea was to be able to shoot the parent factory round without issue but I think fire forming to AI and sizing back to Winchester is just going to kill a lot of brass.

Meanwhile I'll keep my eyes open for some AI dies.

Too nice of a rifle to not run properly.

Might check with CH4D for proper dies, you might have to send in a few fired cases to make sure the new dies will work with your rifle.

Another idea that may work (may not either) is to get a Redding bushing die for the .243, then see if you can modify the shoulder section of the bushing.

Robert

I shoot one alot. A rebarreled 700 with Krieger barrel, shilen match 3 oz trigger, and H-S Precision stock. I would recommend buying AI dies. While you shoot 243 brass with the bullet jambed into the rifling to form the brass, I can't imagine resizing one back to 243 Winchester. I think that would be a brass killer. Plus you loose the advantages of the AI. On a 70 grain Balistic Tip I get about 200+ fps in the AI. But most important, the brass lasts longer and will not stretch much and will not need trimming very often.

You may be able to ...in a backhanded way , Partial Neck Size 243 AI with your standard 243 Win. dies by backing the sizing die out of the press and then slowly running the 243 Win. AI fired case into the sizing die , and then screwing the die down , until the neck is sized down as much as will be allowed but before the shoulder is touched or set back or before the body is sized very much .

Back in the 60's - 70's , this was taught as "Partial Sizing"... when you wanted to neck size but you didn't have a special neck sizing die ... you could usually get the Partial Sized neck sized enought to hold a bullet without setting the shoulder back ... old school or poor man's way of neck sizing ... when you don't have a neck sizing die !
I used a lot on a 303 British Enfield No.4 MKI rifle with a "generous" chamber .
Gary

Best to buy a new AI die set and do not bother with any other Mickey Mouse idea. Eventually you will need to bump the shoulder back a tad when the bolt starts to tighten up and it will do so.
By the way, in a true Ackley chamber, you can fire form a factory loaded cartridge in an Ackley chamber, without standing on your head or spinning around twice.... It is part of the actual Ackley design to always be able to fire factory in a pinch.
I have a couple of AI rifles, just no 243 AI. Mine will not size an AI back without major change to the brass. The only point that is the same is the shoulder neck joint, the rest expands, body and shoulder.

I have a 243 ackley i ise a lee collet neck sizer die set and bought a redding body die when they were on sale at midway cheapest way out. Just get the regular lee 243 collet die set it only sizes the neck and your improved case will go back in without setting the shoulder back.

Ask a question, never to return...strange!

Have an Ackley Improved but mine is in 257AI. Brass, gets neck sized only and until and if cases get snug I just bump them a little but never resize back to original Roberts. My rifle is the pre-64 model 70 with match grade everything to the action.

My apologies, I was in a hurry this morning and after reading my post I realized it didn’t make a whole lot of sense. The Lee collet neck die will only neck size either the fireformed case or a standard 243 Winchester case you can also use the seater die that comes in the set to seat bullets in your fireformed cases. I purchased the redding body die to bump the shoulder back after the cases are fully fireformed. You will NOT be able to resize your fireformed cases with a regular 243 Winchester full length die or a standard neck die. Well you could but why? You’re back at square 1 if you do and you are probably going to lose some cases along the way, not to mention having to anneal every time; yuck
You can also use the collet die to set your neck tension, the few sets I have, the rod that the collet squeezes the neck down around have all been a little on the large side for my brass and desired neck tension, you can remove this rod measure carefully, chuck it up in a drill and with a little fine sandpaper and patience turn the rod down to desired diameter, sort of a poor mans bushing die if you will. (You can get spare rods from lee, dont ask me how I know) This is not a Mickey Mouse trick it works and it makes your ammunition as accurate as your rifle is capable of. I have several a kley improved chambers currently 223,2 22-250’s,243,244,280,and 30-06 the only one I have a bonafide die set for is the 244 its a standard redding fl set and I use a neck expander die to set neck tension.
By the way Sooner Ed is right seat bullets into the lands at least .020” on NEW or not fireformed brass,the reason why is not every piece of brass is the same you may feel a “crush fit” on one out of 100 from the same box. Seating into the lands is extra insurance to hold your case head against the bolt face upon firing thereby preventing case head seperation and as high as brass is nowadays everything you can do to save brass and get another firing out of it helps.
Good luck! Hope it shoots good for you

Interesting trick wl620. I use bushing dies such as Forester, Redding, or Wilson arbor press dies. Never tried the collet dies. Good to know they work well.