243AI re-barrel

[Duramaximos]

Hi folks,

I'm in the final stages of rebarreling my 243Win in favour of 243AI.
Just a quick question for some of you more experienced builders out there: can/should a person use a new 243 Win casing to head space a new 243AI barrel? I'm under the impression that you should use a set of head space guages to accomplish this task.

Thank you.

[tchardy1972]

You really only need the one gauge. I use the go gauge and put a piece of packing tape on the back of it. the tape is .002" thick so this leaves good tight headspace. A new case is not a good way to do it the go-gauge is cheap ($35). The hard part is a bbl vise which I had to buy, I had no luck trying to build one.

[ACKLEY ABE]

I believe a 243 "no-go" becomes the "go" gauge in an A.I. You could confirm that by dimensions. I've heard tchardy's method is valid as well.

[6.5x47 lapua]

there is no other way to do it safely but order a -.004 go gauge.you can put electricians tape on this for no go but are far better to order a go gauge for your no go if you are not used to this process.i find i generally have to set the bbl back at least 2 revolutions to completely recut factory chambers to min saami.

[David Henry]

Mr Galloway is correct, the Ackley chambers are shorter and require a barrel set back in order to properly cut the new chamber. Brass cases are no substitute for headspace guages. David.

[Duramaximos]

Thanks everyone.

My smith wants me to provide several brass so I have to trust that he is doing this properly...afterall he came highly recommended on this forum.

I don't know for sure if he is using guages, but after your comments I hope so. Apparently he wants to ensure the brass will load with a slight "crush fit" so the web won't be unnecessarily streched during the fireforming process.

So....I'm considering Win, Federal, and Rem brass because they are readily available at WSS. Is one clearly better than the others? Federal seems to get slightly better reviews, and Win brass is noted as being brittle so maybe not the best choice for fire forming....???

Thank you.

[Leeper]

Because of the requirement for a slight "crush" when fireforming, I see no problem with the use of a new case as a gauge when building an AI. One can then chamber .004 short on the case and be assured of a crush fit. Chambering to a -.004 gauge, while technically correct, can result in some head clearance with some brass.
Since the AI case is very little different from the parent case this time, all commercial brass should work well. Winchester will usually handle higher pressures than either of the others. Leeper

[Duramaximos]

Thanks leeper.

I went to WSS with the intention of buying Winchester, but in typical WSS fashion, they were out of stock. It seems like everytime I'm there they don't have what I need.

Not only were they out of stock in the Win brass, but no Remington or Federal either. I ended-up taking a box of Hornady brass. It was a little more money, but hopefully the quality is there.

Thanks everyone.