7mm - 08 Ackley Improved information Blog!

[Brad Y]

Use the opportunity to work a fire forming load for club shoots. Fire forming loads can be every bit as accurate as match loads, just a whisker slower. Or get whiddens to make you a hydraulic forming die.

[plumbs7]

Hi all , today I prepped 3 off 7-08 case to fireform and to foul the barrel for Gundy Opm on Saturday. I don't want to waste good 168's and 180's to just throw money done the drain . So I stopped into my local gun shop and picked up a box of 7 mm 100 gr varminters for $48.00.
Got home and checked that they would still be near the lands when seated , all good ! I thought since I was just fouling the barrel I would chuck in 30 gr of 2209. Went out and fired them and then looked down the barrel and there was a lot of unburnt powder left in the barrel! Not good !
Does anyone have quick load and do us a huge favour and run a load I have in mind. I have heaps of 2207 ! Would about 30 gr with a 100 gr pill work just as a pre match fouler / fireforming load ?

Kind regards Graham Sells.

You could try 41 grains of 2206H or 42 grains of 2208. It is a really bad idea to use very light loads of slow burning powders such a 2209 for any purpose. This is a very risky practice, rifles have been blown up doing this!! these blow ups while rare are vey catastrophic & are caused by detonation.
Keith H.

Thanks Keith for the heads up! Here I thought I was being gentle on my gear. As I was just shooting them into my backstop! Cheers!

[Quick]

Fireform loads should be near max of what the base cartridge is. Look in the latest ADI manual for what the min and max charge for thise bullets are.

[Norm]

I just sort my projectiles into batches. When I do this I always get a few that are out of specification to the rest.
These are what I use for fire forming and fouling my barrel with normal loads. I don't like making things any more complicated than they need to be.

[plumbs7]

Brad , I've wandered about those hydronic dies? How have they performed ? Are they up to ur expectations?

Would be great maybe even starting another thread on them? Regards Graham.
Ps thanks for all ur input . Hope I haven't stuffed my Bart barrel!

[Brad Y]

I'm happy with mine mate. I can hydro form 7mm shehane cases quite well- would hazard a guess at about 98% formed and good enough for normal firing. Some guys from the UK did the experiment on another forum about it and was getting vertical that was good enough to win club shoots on the first firing. I figure these days with the dollar dropping that projectiles around 70c or soon to be, powder, primer and such, a few minutes and some water with the hydro dies saves a bit of coin and case life with the problematic 284 cases. I will be doing my first firing with 168's as I have more of them than 180's and pressure wise might be better anyway.

I bought my die back when the dollar was a little better and the only tricks I've done is put some thread tape to get a bit better seal and replace the o rings for better quality ones too.

All whiddens need is your reamer print and your sorted. It took about a month from order to delivery but they do them in batches so that may vary.

[plumbs7]

Stupid question, how do they work . I know hydro gives a little away?

[williada]

Graham see link and watch video: http://www.whiddengunworks.com/products ... -form-die/

You can make your own in the lathe from an old barrel stub or if you have the chamber reamer you can ream a bit of round bar etc. I have used a similar device Herb McRorie made me 30 years ago to knock out Berdan primers from military brass. I screwed the stub into a big nut, which allowed the primer to pop out under pressure, filled up the case with water and then used an old head bolt from a vehicle as the piston to strike with a hammer. The beauty of the head bolt it was hard with a broad head was flat on top and the hammer didn't slide off. This is the same principle at work but forming a case.

Of course if you made one for case forming, you would not allow the primer to pop out through a hole in the nut. If you made your own, it would save pounding a die in a press. Don't like that idea, that is smacking something made of cast iron (the press) and water lying around to rust things.

A dedicated system could be controlled to give uniform hits like a quartz crushing battery if you so desired. Or you could set it up in a press.

Brad's right about the cost of fire forming but more so with preserving precious case life.

[plumbs7]

Thanks David , something to think about as fireforming can be a little annoying . Regards Graham.

[Quick]

Fireforming is easy. Use the loads in club shoots.

[Brad Y]

Exactly, it's not something I would do in a big match, unless it's proven to be good. Otherwise it's good enough to shoot 3-4 details at club level. Gets it done over a couple of weekends.

[plumbs7]

Yep Brad and Quick , I guess that's the strategy . Gundy wrap up with the 7-08s . http://www.nraa.com.au/goondiwindi-bord ... 5-results/
First up , I'm missing f standard a little but throughly enjoying being in F open with some of the best shots around which is a privilege to be around those guys! I only shot the Saturday as Father's Day was today!
Footsore did well with his barrel warmer and came third with a 89.5 ?? On the Friday .
I'm still having vertical problems and lost 3 points in the first 600m and 1 point in the second 600 m .
It's in two parts one is shoulder pressure which is also my shoulder coming over the butt stock and putting downward pressure much like cheek pressure . I cought myself out doing it and the result in the second 600 m and found that from time to time after a shot I would come up over the buttstock with my shoulder . However I corrected that in both 500 m shoots for both possibles.

The other part and please if there is any wisdom please speak up. Is the first shoot of the day. Barrel was fouled but it was cold! About 11 deg c.
I've found with these high bc bullets compared to 155's is they seem to be very sensitive to velocity change . I used experiance this in standard but it wasn't as pronounced .

Anyway , the 600 m was shot first . First sighter a low 5 , ok corrected it. Second sighter , in the 6 ring " one on!". Great I thought conditions were good for a 60 and it may happen ! Second record 12'oclock five . What ! Must be me and shoulder pressure , cold shooter! Ok same shot was sent again and back with the same result! Crap! Ok adjust down .1 mil and return a 6 and then a run of x's . Shot 10 was going to be another x but was sent high due to my shoulder going over the top and sent it high . That shot cost me a third in daily agg!

Theory and please jump in ! Is the barrel is a huge hunk of steel and the bore is a fly speck larger thus giving about 2765 fps to shoot low . After the second shot just like a car engine the barrel is up to temp and the bore smaller thus creating more pressure and back up to 2790 fps and stayed there till the day warmed up. In the second detail the rounds warmed up even though I had them in the sun on the first detail. But with the warmer day was pushing the 180's at about 2820 fps ( via Jbm Ballistics ).
But after that rifle behaved well and was competitive .
Yep just some teething problems to work out . But on the whole a cartridge that's worth a look at . It burns less powder and it feels like a normal f standard .308 in recoil with a 10 kg rifle .
Regards Graham.

[Brad Y]

Graham- after getting involved in lots of thinking about things, and being often guilty of overthinking simple problem solutions, Im wondering if the barrel was still "clean" before the shoot? Ive done similar to that before, shot two sighters, adjusted after the first and the second wasnt quite in. So thinking adjusting again might be risky I held up. Pop goes a high 5. Held back down for 9 X's. The problem wasnt scope or load or anything. It was the fact the barrel took a few more shots than I thought to settle after being cleaned- even though I gave it two shots at the farm early that morning thinking that would do it. You can probably re test this by shooting with the same number of rounds down it and repeating a few times to see if your sighters and first shot or two are out of the group or if works fine so you can go back to a dud reload, gun handling, unseen conditions and complex tuning issues.

As to shouldering/handling problems I had the same issue with my last stock and was actually diagnosed on the range by Quick above. When I had it worked out it held great elevation. The key could be taking adding weight to the butt or taking a saw to the stock and shortening a little, but you would want to get someone to analyze your shooting rather than taking it literally straight from someone who has never met you!

[plumbs7]

Hi Brad , I'm sure I'll meet u in person one day and I do value ur opinion and ur a good cook too I hear !
Umm yeah the barrel may have been too clean ! Not enough carbon to build pressure . Have to spend more time with it . I'll keep working at it ! Thanks heaps! Graham.

[Quick]

Graham,

Maybe see if your scopes to far forward, that could cause you to lean over the rifle and put that pressure down with your shoulder. Set the rifle up at home like you would on range and play around with different positions until you are really comfy, then get someone to take a photo so you can see if you can spot any issues.