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Anyone here have any experience with the Shilen .243 AI barrels? I'd like to get a barrel chambered in this cartridge, but I'm not sure what neck diameter I should go with. Shilen lists .270 and .266 neck diameters for their barrels. Any advice would be appreciated.
Do you reload? And do you want to "turn necks". Some questions to ask yourself, and some research needed to help decide? Jim
Yeah, I reload. Jim, do you run a .243 AI? I've talked with two guys I know who have experience with this caliber and one feels like it's worth it, and the other doesn't. I may end up just getting a 26-inch .243 barrel. I just don't know if it would be worth it to get the Ackley chambering.
I would get a 6mm Remington or 243 wssm before doing an AI, but that is just me, if you are looking for speed. I had a 25-06 AI. It was incredibly fast, but not more accurate than the standard and seemed to be a lot of extra work with fire forming. And, pushing the hot loads I could the brass really seemed to require major effort to resize. It just wasn't for me. Most people say the brass requires less trimming, but I never reached that point and returned to a standard 25-06. I have a 243 wssm shilen barrel that is just fast and accurate as can be.
Go the 243AI and don't look back. It can do everything the 243 and 6mm Rem can do, and the improved shoulder with practically eliminate trimming the brass.
There is really no downside to going to an Improved chamber. I fireform my brass with my chosen load that I run in the formed brass and POA is nearly identical. Accuracy has no noticeable decline while fireforming. I form all my brass while popping pdogs when I'm out that way or in the fields calling coyotes.
As to the Shilen barrel I cannot speak as mine is a rechambered SS Fluted factory Savage Varmint barrel. I would say Shilen will be a very safe bet and you will be happy with, and as said above in regards to neck dia., that depends on whether you like turning necks or not.
2nd that.243ai is great rd and accurate,
Ive had several ackleys and I have yet to do anything but neck size.
I have the Shilen 26" 1:8 243 AI barrel. Huge improvement over my Model 12 SS fluted factory barrel. I did not order a custom and my barrel does not require neck turning. I load 95gr berger VLD's with 41gr of H100V powder in new brass and then go to 105gr VLD's after being once fired so I can beef up the charge a little. I am using regular CCI large rifle primers.. I still have a lot of the 95gr bergers to shoot so do not have the 105gr load fully developed. In my rifle the 105 load is more fussy about seating depth, whereas the 95gr load was shooting 0.5moa or better at Sami length. Either of those loads will put down a coyote in 1 step.. Have not missed since stepping up to my 243, and none running off after being hit either.
I have a 27" Shilen 1-8" .243AI w/.270 neck. The outside neck turning only has to be done once.
My load development centered on the 95gr. BT as this is my pronghorn rifle. It is 7 for 7, all one-shot kills at ranges from 200yds. to 350yds.
Go for it.
George
Thanks, guys. I think I'll start looking for a used rifle for this build or get a stainless action from NSS.