A_S_S_2015_04

20 | SPORTING SHOOTER _ APRIL 2015

How Much Are They
Really Improved?

Q

I was thinking about
getting my .257 Roberts
rechambered to the Ackley
Improved version, but after
reading what you wrote about
your standard Roberts with
a long throat I'm wondering
whether this would be
worthwhile? I'd very much
appreciate your opinion
about this. How do you rate
the 6mm Ackley Improved
over the .257 Ackley?

• Jim Jones

A

I had my first .257 Ackley
Improved (AI) back in the
late 1950s and later also used a
257AI necked down to 6mm for
a number of years. Since then
I have owned and used a good
many of the various improved
cartridges and soon learned
that unless one loaded to

higher pressure than factory

and SAAMI specs it simply

wasn’t possible to get much

more velocity out of an

improved cartridge no matter

how much some writers

claimed they could. I discussed

this with Les Bowman and

Fred Huntington many years

ago. Both men had.

Improved rifles and like myself

went back to using the standard

.257 case. I had my rifle

long-throated which allowed

me to load it up a bit to get

about the same velocity as the

.257 AI without all the work of

fireforming factory loads and

losing some velocity during the

process. The greatest advantage

of the .257 over the 6mm is the

larger diameter bullet and its

heavier weight. No doubt that

it’s better than the 100gn 6mm

for deer-sized animals, and I've

taken a good many with both.

But the 6mm has an edge over

the .257 in velocity, giving

a flatter trajectory and range,

making it a better varmint/deer

rifle as a good 100gn

controlled-expansion bullet is

effective enough for most

cervus species. I like my.

Ruger Hawkeye with the 100gn

Barnes or 110gn AccuBond

even for red stag that may

weigh 180kgs dressed. My

advice: get your .257 long-

throated, and you'll never regret

it. I seldom use improved

cartridges any more. When

I need more power I go to the

next larger cartridges that will

do the job.

Remington Classic 7x

Q

I recently bought

a Remington Model 700

Classic in 7x57mm Mauser

from the estate of a deceased

lawyer. It was secondhand, but

his widow told me that he

bought it back in 1982 and

never had time to use it much

as he was always busy and

owned a number of other

hunting rifles. I've shot the

rifle with Geco 165gn factory

ammo and it consistently

shoots from 1.70 to 2 MoA for

three shot groups. I thought it

would do a lot better with

handloads but it didn't. Have

Since then

I have owned

and used a

good many

improved

cartridges.”

Few hunters are lucky enough to get a bet ter bull tahr than this one Nick

bagged with a 130gn Speer from his BSA .284.

ASK THE

GUN EDITOR TECHNICAL ADVICE FROM THE GURU – BY NICK HARVEY

Let ters containing questions for answering by Nick Harvey must be accompanied by a stamped self-addressed envelope.
Mail your let ters to: The Technical Editor, 3 Reef Street, Hill End, NSW 2850.

LETTER OF THE MONTH

Q

I’ve been given a Ruger

M77 Mk 1 in.

Winchester. It belonged to

my cousin who only used it

a few time son deer before

standing it away and

forgetting it. The rifle came

with a Leupold 2-7x scope

and 40 rounds of 150gn

factory ammo and 60 once-

fired cases. I sighted the rifle

in with the factory ammo, and

found it wouldn’t shoot worth

a damn, so I pulled all the

bullets, dumped them and the

powder and saved the cases

for reloading. I seem to

remember you had a.

years ago and rated it pretty

highly, so I’d appreciate any

information you can give me

about it. What is the best

powder to use? A good load

for ferals and deer?

• Errol King

A

I had a BSA Royal rifle

with 600mm MAB barrel

in .284 Winchester that

I liked a lot. It accounted for

a lot of game including a

record class 346mm tahr

which had a score of 45-1/

SCI, a massive 12-point red

stag and big buck mule deer.

I found the attributes of the

.284 most impressive. It fits in

a short action which makes for

a handier rifle without having

a short barrel. The cartridge

has a sharp 35 degree shoulder

which enhances powder

combustion, and virtually the

same case capacity as the.

Remington which it rivals for

performance. My BSA was

originally a 7x57 and the

magazine was long enough for

my reloads to have an overall

cartridge length of 76mm. If

your Ruger allows this, you

are home and hosed. The top

performing powder was

undoubtedly slow burning

AR2209. My favourite loads for

deer were: 56gn of AR

with the 140gn Sierra for a neat

3000fps; the same charge

drove the 140gn Barnes X at

2960fps. For ferals I liked the

130gn Speer and 58g of

AR2209 at 3163fps. That’s the

load I used for tahr. If I wanted

to use a heavier bullet, 55gn of

AR2209 pushed the 150gn

Core-Lokt at 2910fps; and

60gn of Re- 22 gave the 154gn

Hornady 2900fps, while 59gn

of the same powder with the

160gn Sierra BT got 2831fps.

In my book, the .284 is

a magnificent short-action

round for a lightweight

mountain rifle. For that

purpose it has no peer. I’d

love to see Kimber revive it

in their new Adirondack.

The .284 Winchester

Ain’t No Slouch