Im New and looking for advice

Well I made it to the store today unfortunately not as good as I thought, I only found one powder they had that I was looking which was H4831SC and for primers they didn't have anything worth it for Large Rifle but I ended up with Magnum Large Rifle CCI 250's will those work for what I'm looking for?
 
Skeeter4890 said:
Well I made it to the store today unfortunately not as good as I thought, I only found one powder they had that I was looking which was H4831SC and for primers they didn't have anything worth it for Large Rifle but I ended up with Magnum Large Rifle CCI 250's will those work for what I'm looking for?
Click to expand...
Yes, they will work.
One thing I forgot to mention and this is based on conversations with a couple of the guides I've hunted with. The ABLR had only been out for a year or two and I asked the guides if any of their clients had used that bullet. They did say that they worked good way out yonder and one felt the game should be out at least 150 yards or more with most going with 200 yards or more. They all felt they were way too destrutive at ranges under 200 yards. I can't say if they're right or wrong as I haven't used them on game I did choose the 150 gr. ABLR as a possibility in my 7x57 Mauser but haven't gotten any acceptable groups with that bullet. You might want to keep that in mind. I'd try a 160 gr. AccuBond in my .280 if I could find some.
Paul B.
 
Last edited:
Skeeter...
Welcome to the world of reloading. Nothing more gratifying in the shooting world than making your own ammo.
Shotgun to metallic, handgun or long gun...
Few things hobby related can match the euphoria achieved when loading your own ammunition.

That all said, and I don't mean to be Debby Downer but being new to the hobby allow me a few words you need to adhere to and have them become principles in your hobby.
Safe, safe, safe...be safe!!
I can't stress this enough.
READ, READ, AND READ SOME MORE

Anyone can slap together powder, primers and bullets and make it go bang. Even achieve "some" accuracy.

If you want the tightest of groups/accuracy possible that your rifle and you can get...
that begins with you, the reloader.
Consistency and attention to detail is the key. The prep work and being meticulous.

The more consistent you are the more consistent your ammo will perform.
Words like exact and sure should be a theme you reload by.
Organization...as in how many firings your cases have in them and keeping track of that.
You can have the greatest primer powder combo but if you're using cases with varying lengths then you're not seeing the best results possible. Make sure your experimental load is with cases of the exact length.

Your powder charge..
If you're trying to hit 54.2 (example) grains then you want every charge to be 54.2 grains. Not 54, not 54.5, but 54.2 EXACT.

You don't have to be as meticulous as a competitive BR shooter but little things like I mentioned above will help you in determining if a particular load combo is bad, good or great.
Just try and load the same exact round each and every round.

DO NOT DISREGARD PUBLISHED DATA.....mfg's spend a lot of money with engineers and equipment to give you safe reloading data.
There used to be a lot of chatter from the "Billy Bob" types that say whatever the book says you can go over that by a few grains.
DO NOT DO THAT!
If you've never heard that expression, great! If you HAVE heard that DO NOT do it.
SAFETY...that word?
Be SAFE!

Pressure signs....
You need to read up on pressure signs.
A sticky bolt.
When you fire a round with too much pressure your bolt will become really difficult to open. Might feel impossible to open.

Crater marks on your primer. After firing and the bolt opens normal make sure to look at the primer. Crater marks indicates too much pressure.
There are tons of image examples on the inTRAnet of a cratered primer.

What kind of equipment do you have? It's not about brand X vs brand y but do you have everything you need or will need?

There are many rekoaders on this forum with decades experience. If you run into any issues just ask.

Be safe and enjoy this new to you but highly addictive hobby.
Good luck.
 
You've gotten some excellent advice on reloading and also the 280 AI, lots of great people here willing to help out. There's a good chance you'll find some good loads with the components you have already. Maybe I missed it but what kind of rifle is your 280 AI?
 
300WSM said:
Skeeter...
Welcome to the world of reloading. Nothing more gratifying in the shooting world than making your own ammo.
Shotgun to metallic, handgun or long gun...
Few things hobby related can match the euphoria achieved when loading your own ammunition.

That all said, and I don't mean to be Debby Downer but being new to the hobby allow me a few words you need to adhere to and have them become principles in your hobby.
Safe, safe, safe...be safe!!
I can't stress this enough.
READ, READ, AND READ SOME MORE

Anyone can slap together powder, primers and bullets and make it go bang. Even achieve "some" accuracy.

If you want the tightest of groups/accuracy possible that your rifle and you can get...
that begins with you, the reloader.
Consistency and attention to detail is the key. The prep work and being meticulous.

The more consistent you are the more consistent your ammo will perform.
Words like exact and sure should be a theme you reload by.
Organization...as in how many firings your cases have in them and keeping track of that.
You can have the greatest primer powder combo but if you're using cases with varying lengths then you're not seeing the best results possible. Make sure your experimental load is with cases of the exact length.

Your powder charge..
If you're trying to hit 54.2 (example) grains then you want every charge to be 54.2 grains. Not 54, not 54.5, but 54.2 EXACT.

You don't have to be as meticulous as a competitive BR shooter but little things like I mentioned above will help you in determining if a particular load combo is bad, good or great.
Just try and load the same exact round each and every round.

DO NOT DISREGARD PUBLISHED DATA.....mfg's spend a lot of money with engineers and equipment to give you safe reloading data.
There used to be a lot of chatter from the "Billy Bob" types that say whatever the book says you can go over that by a few grains.
DO NOT DO THAT!
If you've never heard that expression, great! If you HAVE heard that DO NOT do it.
SAFETY...that word?
Be SAFE!

Pressure signs....
You need to read up on pressure signs.
A sticky bolt.
When you fire a round with too much pressure your bolt will become really difficult to open. Might feel impossible to open.

Crater marks on your primer. After firing and the bolt opens normal make sure to look at the primer. Crater marks indicates too much pressure.
There are tons of image examples on the inTRAnet of a cratered primer.

What kind of equipment do you have? It's not about brand X vs brand y but do you have everything you need or will need?

There are many rekoaders on this forum with decades experience. If you run into any issues just ask.

Be safe and enjoy this new to you but highly addictive hobby.
Good luck.
Click to expand...
Thank you I appreciate all of the advice, I have had all of the equipment since last Christmas so I have been reading and researching since then to learn as much as possible now it's just about getting hands on with all of the learning I've done and get it figured out! Thanks again!
 
gerry said:
You've gotten some excellent advice on reloading and also the 280 AI, lots of great people here willing to help out. There's a good chance you'll find some good loads with the components you have already. Maybe I missed it but what kind of rifle is your 280 AI?
Click to expand...
Hey Gerry I appreciate it i actually have a custom rifle that I got built by Pierce Engineering in Lansing Michigan, it has their lightweight Shadow action and a Mullerworks cut rifled barrel and an AG composite carbon fiber stock shot some factory Nosler 140 accubonds through it and the biggest group was around half MOA but I know that was me because the first group I shot were all touching each other
 
In regards safety, as noted; believe the book particularly with newer cartridges. It is dangerous to try and turn a 30/06 into a 300 winchester velocity wise. Actually it’s dumb and as a 14 year old I survived that fools errand. Be content with the top end list velocity’s if you get there safely. If you want more go out and buy a rifle/cartridge designed to do so. Great excuse to buy another rifle.
I don’t own one for reasons I can’t explain but a 280 AI is not in my safe. I probably have never purchased one because it is such a complete package i would likely have to sell all the rest of them. My opinion it is the most underrated cartridge out there. Good luck have fun, be safe.
 
I will add that it's best to have 2-3 reloading manuals for cross reference. Any load data one gets from friends, internet, forums, etc. should always be crossed referenced with your own reloading manuals.
The 280 AI is based off the 280 Remington so you can safely fire form cases with 280 Remington ammunition. Also the Max 280 Remington load data is considered starting loads for the 280 AI.

JD338
 
Watch Raven Rocks for a sale on Norma bullets near Thanksgiving.
I have shot both Oryx which is bonded and deadly and the Tipstrikes that knock the deer down quickly.

You'll likely get the Tipstrikes for a good price he has a lot in stock.

I have shot deer with the 170 grain Tipstrike 30/06 on deer and they don't go far just don't hit any shoulders as the bullet expands extremely fast.

I have shot the Norma 156 Grain Oryx out of my 7MM mag and they do a number on deer as well. This bullet can easily go thru both shoulders of a deer but they will also do quite a bit of damage of you try that shot. This bullet will double in size and hold above 80% its weight. Very good bullet and likely on sale in a couple weeks and they come in a box of 100.
 
JD338 said:
I will add that it's best to have 2-3 reloading manuals for cross reference. Any load data one gets from friends, internet, forums, etc. should always be crossed referenced with your own reloading manuals.


JD338
Click to expand...
I second, third and 4th this.
VERY IMPORTANT!!

The inTRAnet makes life easier but nothing beats hard copy manuals.

It's a hobby you don't want to assume anything and what if wi-fi goes down and cell reception isn't the best.

You don't have to keep buying manuals every time a new one's published but simply get a few of the latest offerings and unless you purchase a caliber that isn't in there you'll be good to go for a very long time.

I'd recommend the latest offerings from Lyman, Nosler and Hornady.
They also offer some nice stories (Nosler) and very informative tips and cautions (Lyman).

One final note...

KEEP WRITTEN RECORDS OF YOUR LOADS. Not just a favorite load but EVERY LOAD you create.

It's not just about recording accurate loads but also documenting a load that gave you too much pressure so it isn't repeated in the future.

This as example works good...
reloaddatalog.jpg

Good luck and be safe
 
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