OK all, I know these are very close in all applications, especially if they both have 24" and with magic powders like R26. I am looking for a possible build. I currently have a 280 rem and its a take driver, but I'm looking for a lighter rifle and a little more barrel. I could fireform all my 280 brass if I went the AI route. Most of my local smiths have the AI reamers and do not have the regular 280. If I bought a reamer by cost goes up. I hear bad things about renting reamers, have friends that rented reamers and things went badly. My focus is a 160-170 weight bullet, and possibly the 150 on occasion. And maybe I leave well enough alone and pack the weight and keep what I have. What are you all shooting and how do like it. If you would please give me your thoughts. thanks
280 Rem or 280 Ackley?
- Thread starter rmarshall
- Start date
- Nov 4, 2004
- 25,208
- 8,517
I have a 700 custom built 280AI with a Hart #5 24" 1:9 twist that is a tack driver. Shooting 150 gr ABLR at 3100 fps. My wife has a Nosler M48 Heritage in 280AI. She shoots the 140 gr BT at 3150 fps and we'll under MOA.
The 280 Remington is a fantastic round when properly loaded. The 280AI is better offering higher velocity and longer case life.
JD338
The 280 Remington is a fantastic round when properly loaded. The 280AI is better offering higher velocity and longer case life.
JD338
HAWKEYESATX
Handloader
- Aug 15, 2016
- 1,805
- 64
I guess it all depends on what you intend to do with the cartridge?
Are you going to just be hunting with it, or long distance target shooting?
Or will you be using it for both, hunting and long distance target shooting?
If you're going to be just hunting, then I say go with the regular .280 cartridge. You're only going to miss out on 50-100 fps at the most from using a .280 AI.
Now, if just long distance target shooting, go with the .280 AI.
If just hunting, between the 2, most game animals are taken within 250 yds. You certainly don't need the extra 50 - 100 fps, and any game animal isn't going to know the difference anyways. If you feel you need just a little more oomph, you can load a .280 up to .270 Win pressures, and still be as accurate, and be even closer in fps to a .280 AI.
The reason people go for the .280 AI is because they think it can get the 7mm bullets going as fast as a 7mm Rem Mag. But that's by handloading.
Plus, when handloaded, the 7mm Rem Mag still beats the .280 AI more.
My suggestion, if you want more velocity, go with a 7mm Mag.
With the .280 Rem, you can do everything a .270 can, and with heavier bullets.
Hope this helps a little.
Hawk
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Are you going to just be hunting with it, or long distance target shooting?
Or will you be using it for both, hunting and long distance target shooting?
If you're going to be just hunting, then I say go with the regular .280 cartridge. You're only going to miss out on 50-100 fps at the most from using a .280 AI.
Now, if just long distance target shooting, go with the .280 AI.
If just hunting, between the 2, most game animals are taken within 250 yds. You certainly don't need the extra 50 - 100 fps, and any game animal isn't going to know the difference anyways. If you feel you need just a little more oomph, you can load a .280 up to .270 Win pressures, and still be as accurate, and be even closer in fps to a .280 AI.
The reason people go for the .280 AI is because they think it can get the 7mm bullets going as fast as a 7mm Rem Mag. But that's by handloading.
Plus, when handloaded, the 7mm Rem Mag still beats the .280 AI more.
My suggestion, if you want more velocity, go with a 7mm Mag.
With the .280 Rem, you can do everything a .270 can, and with heavier bullets.
Hope this helps a little.
Hawk
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Ridgerunner665
Handloader
- Oct 28, 2008
- 2,516
- 298
This will be the first time I've said this out loud....
I do sometimes wish I had gotten a 7mm Rem Mag instead of the 280 Ackley.
My 280 Ackley is an awesome rifle, no doubt about it, but I've had some headaches finding brass even before the current situation with reloading components.
Peterson is now offering what appears to be excellent quality 280 Ackley brass...I have some of it, but haven't loaded any of it yet.
Nosler brass has been all over the place, great one batch and pure junk the next, I'm afraid to buy any more of it.
There is no wrong answer really... both flavors of 280 are great rounds.
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I do sometimes wish I had gotten a 7mm Rem Mag instead of the 280 Ackley.
My 280 Ackley is an awesome rifle, no doubt about it, but I've had some headaches finding brass even before the current situation with reloading components.
Peterson is now offering what appears to be excellent quality 280 Ackley brass...I have some of it, but haven't loaded any of it yet.
Nosler brass has been all over the place, great one batch and pure junk the next, I'm afraid to buy any more of it.
There is no wrong answer really... both flavors of 280 are great rounds.
Sent from my SM-G986U using Tapatalk
HodgemanAK
Beginner
- Oct 23, 2020
- 240
- 220
One thing to remember- the 280AI will shoot regular 280REM ammo. A design feature of nearly all of the Ackley Improved rounds is to shoot their source cartridge.
There's not much advantage to buying a regular 280 since the 280AI will fire both.
There's not much advantage to buying a regular 280 since the 280AI will fire both.
- Nov 4, 2004
- 25,208
- 8,517
+1HodgemanAK":1cvponnt said:
JD338
The 280 AI, gives you 200 fps , and 300 more ft pounds of energy out to 500 yards, than does the standard 280. They both weigh the same, can carry 4 rounds in the magazine, but one gives you a little more. I call my AI a light 7mm mag, as it's performance is slightly less than that of the 7mm Mag. The question I have for you is, WHY NOT with the AI, you get more for the same dollar. It's a win, win.
Either or in my book. Loaded to the same pressures they’re within 100 FPS of one another. Sometimes the chamber, barrel and burn rate of powder mean more than the tiny bit of extra capacity the Improved offers. Either way, id probably use Lapua brass for either cartridge just to get the best life I could along with straight brass to start with.
If he has the reamer and you don’t mind doing a bit of fire forming than I’d say go for it.
If he has the reamer and you don’t mind doing a bit of fire forming than I’d say go for it.
6mm Remington
Ammo Smith
- Feb 27, 2006
- 5,240
- 522
I owned and hunted with a loved a 280 Remington I had. Shot my largest 6 point bull with it! I now have a custom 280AI that I also love. Used it on my grizzly bear 1 1/2 years ago in Alaska. I'm leaning AI.
6mm Remington
Ammo Smith
- Feb 27, 2006
- 5,240
- 522
I owned and hunted with a loved a 280 Remington I had. Shot my largest 6 point bull with it! I now have a custom 280AI that I also love. Used it on my grizzly bear 1 1/2 years ago in Alaska. I'm leaning AI.
I own a RMR in the 280AI and it is my go to rifle :wink:. It has a 26" Krieger SSM barrel in a 1-9" and I shoot 150gr. ABLRs out of her using RL22 it is both quick and very accurate.
I am about to change bullets to 140gr. ABs as I use my 35 Whelen for Elk & Moose so I want to try a little lighter bullet in my AI.
Blessings,
Dan
I am about to change bullets to 140gr. ABs as I use my 35 Whelen for Elk & Moose so I want to try a little lighter bullet in my AI.
Blessings,
Dan
I really don't think you could go wrong.
Would restocking the existing rifle help on the weight side of things? I know it wouldn't add barrel length, but it might be a cheap compromise solution...
I have two 280 Rems and a 280 AI.
The 280 AI is a Kimber 84L classic with 24" barrel and it is nice and light. If the rifle was offered in 280 Rem I would have gone that route and maintained commonality of brass. The rifle shoots very well and I was looking at a 280 AI Kimber Montanna but opted towards a Sauer 100 in 6.5 creedmoor due to its cheaper price and heftier threading on the barrel... I got a silencer so the threaded barrel was a large concern.
The 280 Rems I have are a Howa 1500 with a Douglas 24" barrel and Weatherby Mark V with a 24" barrel.
I don't notice much of a difference between the 280 Rems and the 280 AI. Case life is better with the 280 AI - using a Lee Collet die and a body die the 280 AI tends to get about 6-7 loads before the necks lose tension. The 280 Rem brass tends to lose neck tension after about 4-5 loads. Beyond that I'm not seeing much of an actual difference between them, but I do load the 280 Rems to about the same pressure as the AI.
The 280 AI / Kimber magazine and throat are short though so I can't seat bullets out. The 280 Rem throats and magazines are long, so when reloading I actually get about the same velocity between them using 160 grain Accubonds. Honestly the Weatherby using RL-22 on some days might beat the Kimber using H4831sc by a few fps.
I normally reload 160 grain Accubonds, 154 / 162 SST and 175 grain Nosler Partitions. I have 150 grain Swift Siroccos that just won't work in the 280 AI due to the magazine / throat limitations - I haven't gotten around to trying them in the 280 Rems.
The Howa 1500 usually gets feed factory Remington 150 grain Core-Lokt or Federal 140 grain Trophy Bonded Tips and its accuracy is such that I usually don't spend much time reloading for it. I have a decent load with 175 grain Nosler Partions and IMR 4831 though.
P.S. I use the same bullet seaters and neck sizer (Lee Collet Die) across the line. Body dies / FL sizing dies are different, otherwise you are pretty good to go with your existing dies.
Would restocking the existing rifle help on the weight side of things? I know it wouldn't add barrel length, but it might be a cheap compromise solution...
I have two 280 Rems and a 280 AI.
The 280 AI is a Kimber 84L classic with 24" barrel and it is nice and light. If the rifle was offered in 280 Rem I would have gone that route and maintained commonality of brass. The rifle shoots very well and I was looking at a 280 AI Kimber Montanna but opted towards a Sauer 100 in 6.5 creedmoor due to its cheaper price and heftier threading on the barrel... I got a silencer so the threaded barrel was a large concern.
The 280 Rems I have are a Howa 1500 with a Douglas 24" barrel and Weatherby Mark V with a 24" barrel.
I don't notice much of a difference between the 280 Rems and the 280 AI. Case life is better with the 280 AI - using a Lee Collet die and a body die the 280 AI tends to get about 6-7 loads before the necks lose tension. The 280 Rem brass tends to lose neck tension after about 4-5 loads. Beyond that I'm not seeing much of an actual difference between them, but I do load the 280 Rems to about the same pressure as the AI.
The 280 AI / Kimber magazine and throat are short though so I can't seat bullets out. The 280 Rem throats and magazines are long, so when reloading I actually get about the same velocity between them using 160 grain Accubonds. Honestly the Weatherby using RL-22 on some days might beat the Kimber using H4831sc by a few fps.
I normally reload 160 grain Accubonds, 154 / 162 SST and 175 grain Nosler Partitions. I have 150 grain Swift Siroccos that just won't work in the 280 AI due to the magazine / throat limitations - I haven't gotten around to trying them in the 280 Rems.
The Howa 1500 usually gets feed factory Remington 150 grain Core-Lokt or Federal 140 grain Trophy Bonded Tips and its accuracy is such that I usually don't spend much time reloading for it. I have a decent load with 175 grain Nosler Partions and IMR 4831 though.
P.S. I use the same bullet seaters and neck sizer (Lee Collet Die) across the line. Body dies / FL sizing dies are different, otherwise you are pretty good to go with your existing dies.
- Thread starter
- #14
Thanks guys! appreciate the responses, I'm still on the fence on what to do, my current setup is a Ruger Hawkeye, It will shoot 1/2 MOA, but I'm not super fond of the weight, the action is not smooth, I guess I'm used to my tikkas. Is there a lighter stock option that won't break the bank?
rmarshall":1sktwenv said:
The Mark II / Hawkey's seem to be really accurate, mine in 270 win sure was, and yes they aren't the smoothest action or the lightest girl at the dance. But that rigidity gives them a leg up on less rigid / tupperware stocked guns...
I'm pretty sure you have some options, last I checked the Hawkeye and Mark II used the same stock. What I'm not sure is if the weight savings will be worth it - due to how beefy the action is. Additionally, you don't want to go too light on the stock, as you can get too much flex slung up or shooting off of bipods.
https://www.hogueinc.com/stocks/ruger/m ... n/standard - These I think run about 2lbs per the Brownells website and are about $110-180 depending on options. https://www.midsouthshooterssupply.com/ ... -bed-stock vs. https://www.midsouthshooterssupply.com/ ... -bed-stock
https://www.bellandcarlson.com/index.cf ... ry_id=1157 - run about $250 at different vendors.
Ebay and gunbroker should have some offerings as well. For example:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Ruger-M77-Mark ... SwVNZgEgwz
1100 Remington Man
Handloader
- May 1, 2007
- 1,164
- 323
I would go .280 Rem.
filmjunkie4ever
Handloader
- May 4, 2011
- 1,935
- 1,246
I’ve shot both, but own neither. And I’ve never hunted with either cartridge but have hunted a ton with the .30-06, .270 and .25-06 cartridges in both Oregon and Idaho.
I think it’s a win-win either way; that being said I would go with the standard .280 in a heartbeat.
Things being what they are, standard (easier to find brass for etc.) cartridges are going to always make the most sense.
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I think it’s a win-win either way; that being said I would go with the standard .280 in a heartbeat.
Things being what they are, standard (easier to find brass for etc.) cartridges are going to always make the most sense.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
