25-35 Ackley Improved

[FortyRodRay]

Friends and neighbors,

Would there be anyone in this noble group that might have some experience building and shooting the 25-35 AI?

Warmest regards,

FFR

 

[Clark]

The 25-35 AI holds 28% more powder than 25-35, and gets 7% more veloity.
That may be 2850 fps instead of 2650 fps with 100 gr bullet.
You can tell yourself that there is then 1000 foot pounds out to 350 yards instead of 250 yards, but that is not what is going to happen.

The difference will be small, and the cost of reamer and dies as well the hasle of fire forming will never be worth it, unless you are obsessed.

I have bought an 1885 Win to convert and I have bought the 25-25 dies.
I looked at the Ackley and talked to two guys who owned both the 25-35 AND the 25-35AI. Both told me they like the 25-35 better.

 

[44AMP]

Ackley Improved

cartridges get the most out of your rifle, in terms of velocity. But you pay for it. Special dies, fire forming brass, etc. If a slight gain in performance is worth the hassle, go ahead. A plus is that one can usually fire factory ammo as well (which also fire forms the case).

Today, if you want a significant performance increase, you are better off going to a different cartridge. Also be aware that a "custom" chamber can actually lower the market value of the rifle. Now a days, only a handful of folks want the exotics.

I wouldn't pass on a nice rifle because it was Ackley Improved, but I wouldn't go out of my way to find one either. They belong to an earlier era of rifle smithing, one where choices were much more limited, especially in ammo performance.

On the other hand, it does give you a semi custom rifle, one that not very many people are going to have. And today, not many people even know about. A good friend had an Ackley Improved .257 Roberts. It was a fine rifle. But while close, it wasn't a .25-06.