P.O. Ackley

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A .243 Winchester (right) beside the Ackley Improved version; note the reduced case taper and sharper shoulder angle typical of the Ackley Improved cartridges
A .243 Winchester (right) beside the Ackley Improved version; note the reduced case taper and sharper shoulder angle typical of the Ackley Improved cartridges

P. O. Ackley was a prolific gunsmith, author, columnist, and wildcat cartridge developer. The Ackley Improved family of wildcat cartridges are designed to be easily made by rechambering existing firearms, and fireforming the ammunition to decrease body taper and increase shoulder angle, resulting in a higher case capacity. Ackley improved not only standard cartridges, but also other popular wildcats, and was the first to create a .17 caliber (4.5mm) centerfire cartridge.[1]

Contents

[edit] Biography

Ackley began gunsmithing full time in Oregon in 1936, but was interrupted by World War II. In 1945, he established a new shop in Trinidad, Colorado, and soon became one of the largest custom gunmakers in the United States. He was also on the staff of the magazines Guns&Ammo and Shooting Times, and was an instructor at the Trinidad State Junior College from 1946 to 1951, where he did much experimentation in the field of firearms.[2]

[edit] Wildcats and Ackley Improved cartridges

The following is a list of Ackley cartridges, both "Improved" versions (requiring only fireforming) and more complex versions involving case length reductions or caliber changes. In addition to being easy to form, firearms chambered for the "Improved" cartridges could fire standard factory loaded ammunition as well, allowing a shooter to use commonly available ammunition if the wildcat loads weren't available.[3][4]

  • .17 Ackley Hornet, a .22 Ackley Hornet necked down to .17 caliber (4.5mm)
  • .17 Ackley Bee, a .218 Improved Bee necked down to .17 caliber (4.5mm)
  • .22 Ackley Improved Hornet, an improved .22 Hornet
  • .218 Ackley Improved Bee, and improved .218 Bee
  • .22/.30-30 Ackley Improved, a .30-30 Ackley Improved necked down to .22 caliber (5.56mm)
  • .223 Ackley Improved, an improved .223 Remington[5]
  • .228 Ackley Magnum, made by shortening and necking down .308 Winchester or .30-06 Springfield brass; the .228 caliber (5.8mm) bullets are hard to find, but provide far greater weight than .223 caliber bullets, up to 100 grains (6.5g)
  • 6mm/.30-30 Improved, a .30-30 Ackley Improved necked down to 6mm (.243)
  • .243 Ackely Improved, an improved .243 Winchester
  • .25 Ackley Krag, a .30-40 Krag necked down to .25 caliber (6.2mm)
  • .25 Ackley Krag Short, a slightly shortened .25 Ackley Krag
  • .250-3000 Ackley Improved, an improved .250-3000 Savage
  • .257 Ackley Improved, an improved .257 Roberts
  • .30-30 Ackley Improved, an improved .30-30 Winchester
  • .30-06 Ackley Improved, an improved .30-06 Springfield
  • .30 Ackley Magnum No. 1 and No. 2 short, based on the Holland & Holland belted magnum, the No. 2 version designed to fit in standard length actions (.30-06 class)
  • .35 Ackley Magnum No. 1 and No. 2 short, based on the .30 Ackley Magnum cases; there is also an Improved version of the No. 2.
  • .475 Ackley Magnum, based on a .375 H&H Magnum necked up to .475 (12mm)

[edit] Other research

Ackley was not just a wildcatter, he was a researcher as well, often testing firearms to destruction in the search for information. He also produced a number of experimental cartridges, not intended to be practical, but rather to test the limits of firearms. One of these experimental cartridges was the .22 Eargesplitten Loudenboomer. This humorously named cartridge was developed by Ackley for Bob Hutton of Guns & Ammo magazine, and was intended solely to exceed 5,000 ft/s (1,500 m/s) muzzle velocity. Ackley's loads only managed 4,600 ft/s (1,400 m/s), firing a 50-grain (3.2 g) bullet. Based on a .378 Weatherby Magnum case, the case is impractically overpowered for the bore diameter, and so the cartridge remains a curiosity.[6] Another humorous round, the .17 Flintstone Super Eyebunger, based on the .22-250 necked down to .17 caliber, has been used by Australian gunsmith Bill Hambly-Clark, Jr. to achieve velocities of 4,798 ft/s (1,462 m/s) out of a 52-inch (1,300 mm) barreled gun.[4]

[edit] References

  1. ^ Dave Moreton (May 1968). ".17-Caliber Ultra Bomb!". Guns & Ammo. 
  2. ^ P. O. Ackley. Handbook for Shooters & Reloaders. Plaza Publishing. ISBN 9992948817. 
  3. ^ Wildcat cartridges. ReloadBench.com.
  4. ^ a b Frank C. Barnes, ed. Stan Skinner. Cartridges of the World, 10th Ed.. Krause Publications. ISBN 0-87349-605-1. 
  5. ^ Dave Anderson (April 2003). Pumping up the .223: experiments with a self-loading .223 Ackley Improved. Guns Magazine. Retrieved on 2008-06-10.
  6. ^ Ackley, P.O. [1962] (1927). Handbook for Shooters & Reloaders, 12th Printing, vol I, Salt Lake City, Utah: Plaza Publishing, 442. ISBN 978-9992948811.