I currently have both 280AI and a 284 Win. The 280 AI is an H-S Precision Series 2000 SPL and the 284 is an F-Open 21# Match rifle. When I was young and dumb, I had a 284 Win Model 88 that I found in a hardware store in Upstate NY. Not realizing what the 284 would become and not liking the Model 88 trigger, I traded it for a 7mm Rem Mag. Over the years, I had several straight 280 Rem rifles and have always been a 7mm advocate.
The 284 is the dominant F-Open cartridge, proving itself in mid range and long range competition. My F-Open 284 Win chamber is throated for the Berger 180 Hybrid. On the lands, COAL is 3.275", quite a distance from SAMMI 2.800" for the Model 88 box magazine. At COAL the 180 Hybrid base is at the base of the neck. Quickload tells me that I can get 56.5 grs of H4831SC in the case at SAMMI max and get 2950 fps out of the 32" Kreiger 1.200" barrel. I believe that most F-OPEN shooters are using a node around 2850 fps. The only problem that you run into is ejecting loaded rounds from a medium length action. The whole message is, Yes, a 284 belongs in a long action with a chamber throated for the bullets of interest. I have often considered building a 284 hunting rifle on a Sako AV action, long throated.
However, I found a lightly used H-S Precision 2000 SPL in 280AI. H-S series 2000 are my first choice in a hunting rifle. They are not the lightest but they incorporate a Model 70 3-position safety along with excellent triggers. Their stock profiles are most pleasing in my hand. H-S rifles ship with a Certificate of Conformance to prove the 1/2 MOA precision guarantee. The CofC for my 280 AI uses a 150 Nosler BT over 60.5 grains of H4831SC for a speed over the Oehler of 3025 fps. When I got the rifle, I started at the specified COAL of 3.385" and did a load workup from 57 grains and hit the peak of precision at 60.5 grains. The Nosler reloading manual specifies a max COAL of 3.330' and the accuracy load of 60.5 grs of H4831SC as max. The beauty of the H-S 2000 rifle is a magazine box length of 3.750". Plenty long enough for the chamber throat in this 280 AI. The only problem that I have had with this rifle is the Swarovski Z5 3.5x18x44 going belly-up just before deer season last year. I swapped it out for a Sightron to check the rifle and sent it back for repair. That Swarovski only had 40 rounds on it when it croaked. Repairs took about 6 weeks.
Both of these cartridges were on my bucket list of cartridges to play with. I don't see me changing roles for either of them.
