Originally Posted by GuyM
A buddy of mine wants a nice hunting rifle, for deer, elk & black bear "out west." He's got the cash for a nice rifle, and has been asking me about the .280 AI. I have no experience with that cartridge, but have heard good things about it. Perhaps you could educate me a bit?

He's not (yet) a handloader. Is Nosler the only source of loaded ammo for the .280 AI?

Is there more than one version of it, and will a rifle from say, Cooper, digest ammo from Nosler?

He's looking to get near 7mm Rem mag performance, without the blast & recoil of the magnum. Not a big guy, not a young guy, but a pretty doggone good shot. He's moving away from a .300 Win mag he's been using. Looking at rifles from both Cooper & Nosler, and also considering having a custom rifle built. He handled my .30-06 700 CDL very well recently.

Any other problems he should be aware of?

Thanks, Guy


I just got my 280 AI back from the smith. I had it build heavier specifically for LR shooting. That being said, I compared my expected loads to my 30/06 loads and they are basically the same animal.

I'm a looney in my early 30's as well. That's why I chose the 280AI. If I was not, I'd go 30/06 and be set for anything. 30/06 is more than capable for just about any type of hunting the average guy will do. AT 500 yards, the 10 MPH drift difference is 2 inches. Energy is within 50 FPE and velocity is 100 FPS or so.

Also, to put it into perspective, I set a rifle up and gave it to my brother in law. I chose 7mm-08 for the ease/convenience.