Accuracy International 223 conversion working

This is awesome. Great work, I don’t suppose you are going to do a magnum bolt face
So we run short mags and PRC in the AT and AX308’s???
Actually yes, that’s been thought of, just this weekend I picked up a 30cal barrel that’ll be used for testing 300wsm. 6.5prc is longer, might have issues out of a short mag unless you handload. Even then the 6.5prc does nothing a 6.5creed can’t do in a 27” barrel under handloads.
 
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if he actually gets the 223 and a short mag, ill sell a kidney ill be buying so many barrels
223 is working great, no issues, having a couple testers being sent out to ensure longevity of springs are what I want.

Short mag should start rolling out with the first rounds being fired hopefully in a couple of weeks.
 
Not talkin about you but the moment I talked about 223 the first response was, what about 224Valk. Then I mentioned 224Valk and had someone ask what about 6.5prc.

Overall this has taken well more then I imagined to get it worked out. 223 is final phase of tweaks for bolt head. Testers are gonna run it to see flaws or issues. 300wsm is an idea that’ll hopefully get up and going, but mags are gonna be the issue. I don’t want to design a mag system, that’s more then I’d like to handle. Gonna toy with what mags are available to see where this goes, but 223 is where most of my time is being invested. Next is machining of bolt head in higher volumes and sources other parts for the 223.
 
For us varmint guys I am betting that .20 Practical will work also. An AX308 with .20 Practical, .223 Rem, 6.5CM and .308 Win, this would be a neat Short Action System for fixed position.

Take My Money
Ya the 20-223 is a cool little wildcat. The other I liked is 6-223, but my all time favorite is 223AI, you can get those bullets really fast.

Once I’m happy with how everything is I’ll recut this barrel once it’s worn into a 223AI.
 
Damn for lefties only being 10% of the world y’all sure are vocal.

Lefty is still not in the works.

On another note, it really is fun just picking up a can of 223 ammo for cheap then blasting away. Ran 120rds of ammo today super slow & as fast as I could rack the bolt. Not a single flaw or issue. Bolt looks good, extractor & ejector are doing well. Checked all 6 lugs and everything is perfect so hardening is good.
 
How bout AXMC owners? Any thoughts about us?
I’m almost positive but haven’t measured the heads are really similar. At least everything ejects in the correct side.

Next I would need to see that a mag snaps in, and if the mag adapter would cause any issues with feeding the tiny 223.

If anyone has an AXMC & AX if they could snap me a pic of the bolts to see how similar they are and if stuff can line up. I use to have an AXMC but sold cause I couldn’t get barrel blanks fast enough.

Does anyone know if their AXMC will feed 6BR well ? Reason I ask is cause of length of BR is similar to 223. If BR has issues, 223 might.
 
The bad part is I would need an AXMC for testing
I know 308 bolt bodies are hard to come by, which would cause other delays.

The mag adapter shouldn't cause you any special issues, it simply seats the magazine nice and centered of the slightly larger hole.

If you get around to seriously working on it for the AXMC, let me know, I'm over in DFW and have the 308 bolt body
 
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The mag adapter shouldn't cause you any special issues, it simply seats the magazine nice and centered of the slightly larger hole.

If you get around to seriously working on it for the AXMC, let me know, I'm over in DFW and have the 308 bolt body
It’s further away from the barrel, maybe causing it to hit the breech ring, maybe, or allowing the round to fall to the side with the bigger tenon. That bigger tenon is definitely going to be an issue, now the round has to go higher to get in chamber. I don’t recall if 308 mags sit lower in the AXMC adapter then an AX, if they do that would pose another issue. This is all off memory, but I won’t say it’s not possible, we get really bored at the shop ?.
 
Damn for lefties only being 10% of the world y’all sure are vocal.

Lefty is still not in the works.

On another note, it really is fun just picking up a can of 223 ammo for cheap then blasting away. Ran 120rds of ammo today super slow & as fast as I could rack the bolt. Not a single flaw or issue. Bolt looks good, extractor & ejector are doing well. Checked all 6 lugs and everything is perfect so hardening is good.


We're the top 10%. If you get the lefty pattern down early, you can scale it for other calibers.
 
We're the top 10%. If you get the lefty pattern down early, you can scale it for other calibers.
It’s a little harder then just cutting the bolt face, feeding, ejection, and extraction timing all come into play.
Then like I mentioned with AXMC, I don’t have a tester so trial & error phase would take longer.

I kinda wanted to do a poll on how many AI owners where AT/AX, AXMC, AT/AX Left & AXMC left just out of curiosity. Then maybe ask for poll options on bolt faces, 223 fam, 224Valk fam, 300WSM fam, to see what direction to go in.
Can a poll be added mid thread or would it need its own ?
 
It’s a little harder then just cutting the bolt face, feeding, ejection, and extraction timing all come into play.
Then like I mentioned with AXMC, I don’t have a tester so trial & error phase would take longer.

I kinda wanted to do a poll on how many AI owners where AT/AX, AXMC, AT/AX Left & AXMC left just out of curiosity. Then maybe ask for poll options on bolt faces, 223 fam, 224Valk fam, 300WSM fam, to see what direction to go in.
Can a poll be added mid thread or would it need its own ?

300wsm bolt face, I’d bet money would be your next more popular project
 
224V has better factory ammo offerings
For sure for an actual match round. But for overall usage I think it’s almost a wash between PRC/ShortMag Vs Valk

Other then Valk what others use the .422 bolt face, 6.8SPC, 30remington ? I’m sure a few others, but I can’t see that many more in a precision rifle.

223 bolt is the most versatile as a trainer or overall high volume calibers in my opinion.
 
I’m sure 223 is more popular to shoot then 224. Given the choice, I don’t know which I would pick. I can see the advantages of both.

I think the point of this was to be able to use cheap .223 training ammo as well as the very common military .223 ammo.

In an AI bolt gun if you were going to worry about .224V you might just save the trouble and shoot something like 6CM instead and not bother with needing a special bolt / magazine and all that stuff.
 
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I think the point of this was to be able to use cheap .223 training ammo as well as the very common military .223 ammo.

In an AI bolt gun if you were going to worry about .224V you might just save the trouble and shoot something like 6CM instead and not bother with needing a special bolt / magazine and all that stuff.
Having a great training caliber would be ideal and probably most beneficial. Having a caliber that I can shoot all day with regular ammo just to pull the trigger...priceless. The longevity of the smaller stuff is beneficial as well. Similar to 308 lifespan but cheaper. I’m sure if you hotrod a 223, life diminishes but it can’t be at the speed of 6creed or the others.
I also like the idea that 223 can be used in “tactical” matches. 224V puts you in open and it’s not ideal when up against the fast 6 & 6.5’s. I could be wrong but not many are winning or choosing 224V over lots of the other calibers. Maybe it’s still new, but a 223 handloaded Can get real close or similar speeds with the same bullets, for cheaper.
For me a big factor is cost when I shoot, wether it’s on the range or at a match. Granted at a match I will definitely spend more, but honestly I cringe at shooting 100rds of 6BRA in one casual afternoon. But shooting 100rds of XM193 is way easier on the pocketbook.
 
Performed a test this weekend, the ease of dropping in a kit into another rifle. It was last minute but had to be done to make sure this kit could be sent across the world.

Had a really good buddy and fantastic shooter take this kit last minute to the Foxtrot match in Pearsall, Tx. Rifle fed flawlessly during the match. That video of my gunsmith running the bolt fast is no match for Larry. On a stage Larry had to light up the bolt, during that ultra fast firing he had a spent case fall on the mag, quick tilt of the rifle cleared and he continued, not sure if it caught a finger or was just a fluke but it happened. Other then that all match it ran flawless. Still gonna tweak the ejection just a tad to ensure that won’t happen. Here are 2 videos of it at the match. He was using MDT mags, still testing different mags to see what runs best & longevity.



 
It was a last minute thing, he went with ammo from another rifle, no dope, zeroed in the morning and only hoped it ran.

Super happy with the results.

No kidding? That was the first match I’ve attended & when he initially said he was shooting .223 I thought he was joking. Then I saw a loaded mag & realized he was serious. I wouldn’t have guessed that ammo was loaded for another gun. He shot well, - especially for a .223. I was shooting a 308 & at one point I was holding at times 2 MIL. The wind blowing pretty good around noon.
 
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No kidding? That was the first match I’ve attended & when he initially said he was shooting .223 I thought he was joking. Then I saw a loaded mag & realized he was serious. I wouldn’t have guessed that ammonia was loaded for another gun. He shot well, - especially for a .223. I was shooting a 308 & at one point I was holding at times 2 MIL. The wind blowing pretty good around noon.
Larry is great with 223, but that ammo came from his other rifle, no load development just grabbed it and headed to the match. I’ve shot it in the Sotex matches with 223, wind really beats it up good. Currently having a big thunderstorm so I broke out the Kestrel to capture winds, 43mph gust would be brutal. Luckily for us it’s usually only 20-25mph ?.
 
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