P.O.Ackly Pocket manual

Texas by God posted a booklet entitled "Pocket Manual for Shooters and Reloaders" in the pay-it forward section which I claimed. I got it in the mail today and the first chapter deals with actions suitable for the basis of a custom-built rifle. The first action he mentioned (at length) was the Mauser. This really woke me up, as I am a fan of the Mauser, both as a mil-surplus, and as a foundation for a custom- built rifle.

As I read more into the book, I am liking this book more and more. It has a wealth of information starting with the introduction.

You may wonder why I posted this in this section of the forum, but this book has a wealth of information about reloading.

I believe that a good reloading manual is the FIRST TOOL that any reloader should obtain. Second is probably to join this forum. There is so much information here that a person could literally learn reloading from what people have shared here.

This particular booklet was first published in 1964, but so far as I have read, it has a lot of information still pertinent to today.

I wish to give "Texas" a big thank-you as this is going to be a really handy reference. I've been reloading for many years and in this book, I have already learned (maybe re-learned) some very important procedures that are not covered in the standard manuals.

This is appearing to be a really good tool on my bench.

Have the book along with his Volume 1 and Volume 2 reloading guides. Ackley was a genius and visionary. All he wrote is worth reading.

That was a nice PIF. I saw it but not until after you claimed it (you snooze you lose). Cornell Publications offers a reprint of the book at a reasonable price (though you can't beat free).

I was and still am a fan of P.O. Ackley. That said use caution with his load data. He printed stuff people sent him and some of it is way, way over the red line. Check it against some data that has been tested by labs.

I knew P. O. but that did not mean I would load his data on his higher recommended loads without starting low and working my way up to the higher listed loads. It does not matter the source (Hodgdon, Lyman, etc. manuals) or some other source, I always do this. Parker was a better gunsmith than ballistician but he understood ballistics, he just did not have access to modern equipment that is readily available in today’s world. Also, what is safe in one rifle may not be in another. James

He blew up guns for his research, seems to me he had plenty of data for his reloading. I've used his data for years never blew up a gun! Sound development to me practical experience seems relevant to true reloading data. I shoot 338/06 AI, 257 Bob AI and 8mm/06 AI. Never had a problem.

P.O.'s book was my first loading manual. It is still on my shelf. I learned early that PO would push the envelope and always started low. Some of his loads were scary!

My Martini Cadet in 17 Ackley Bee was made by P.O. himself :)

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Originally Posted by skeettx

My Martini Cadet in 17 Ackley Bee was made by P.O. himself :)

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I am absolutely green with envy, both for the delightful little rifle and its maker. ;)

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Originally Posted by Char-Gar

I was and still am a fan of P.O. Ackley. That said use caution with his load data. He printed stuff people sent him and some of it is way, way over the red line. Check it against some data that has been tested by labs.

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I have had the two volume set plus the pocket manual since '69. Indeed use caution with a lot of the load data. Compare it with other manuals of the same '60s and '70s. If the loads in the Ackley books seem high it probably is because they are.

As I stated, P.O. is the reason I did what I did. I could not find anything about him stressing small ring Mausers or Carcanos.

Ackley was definitely a sage and an important part of the history of our hobby, but like said above, be weary of any and all old loading data. Check and then re-check against the great data we have today.

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Originally Posted by copperlake

As I stated, P.O. is the reason I did what I did. I could not find anything about him stressing small ring Mausers or Carcanos.

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I have quite a few carcani and small ring mausers and they are some tough actions, definitely not weak, however it's hard to beat a M98 mauser action for a custom build.

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Originally Posted by Shawlerbrook

Ackley was definitely a sage and an important part of the history of our hobby, but like said above, be weary of any and all old loading data. Check and then re-check against the great data we have today.

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I can agree, especially with "4831" the old surplus hodgdon 4831 is a slot slower than todays IMR 4831. I'm not sure where H4831 is on that scale though.