Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles .280AI brass ?

Nosler .280AI brass aside what is your favorite brass for your .280AI?

.280 Rem
30-06 Springfield

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Rem. 280 has always fireformed well, and lasted great.

Win. is generally all nickel, so haven't messed with that much, but most reports say it does work fine.

Lately, I have gone with once fired Nosler 280 AI. Saves a heck of a lot of time, as well as expense for fireforming powder, primers, etc.

Although with the blank load I used, I got pretty much 99% formation of the Rem. brass with blank loads, and even set up a firing chamber to do it indoors.

Never did 30-06. I know the neck issues are easily overcome, but I'd rather not have a totally different headstamp.

Why not just buy factory 280's and shoot them in it?

Again, another expense and step just to get brass to fit the chamber. Generally, most that buy AI guns don't intend to shoot factory ammo.

It would certainly work, but an awful expensive way to get formed brass. Nosler new 280 AI brass would be cheaper.

If you are looking to shoot .280AI cheaper, buy a .270

Forming brass for a SAAMI round with available brass is silly.

The Nosler (Norma) .280 AI brass is also better than the cases I've seen from some U.S. manufacturers lately.

When I had my rifle chambered I got lucky on discontinued Rem. nickle .280 brass. They were about a third of the price of standard brass cases. I wanted to be able to tell it from .270 brass at a glance. The case has the highest capacity of any brass I've checked and even if it doesn't last as long with 500 cases it will probably out last the barrel.

Only cases I have lost is when I get torch happy annealing them before fire forming. If starting over I would go Nosler chamber and brass.

Brand new Remington brass wasn't annealed well enough to fireform?

Probably is I just succumbed to the myths about nickle brass and gun loonyism. Next batch I'll try it without the scented candle and definitely no more torching it without indicator paint.

I ran a batch of factory Federal premium Nickel stuff through my 25-06 Improved. No problems at all.

After reading a post by Mule Deere, I looked into the cost of loading new brass to fire form it. Turns out I can buy factory ammo and fire form it in my gun for cheaper than I can buy brass and load them myself.

Of course, there is no factory 25-06 AI brass for sale that I am aware of.

No doubt that's true of .25-06 ammo, but a search of .280 ammo on the Internet (which often lists prices a little lower than in stores) didn't find any for less than about $30 per 20, around $1.50 per round. Nosler .280 AI brass runs about the same price per piece, but you don't have to fireform it--and as mentioned earlier, it's very good brass.

I don't mind fireforming improved brass in smaller cartridges, because it can be easily done while shooting gophers or prairie dogs. But as I've become older I'm not much for blasting away with a .25-06 or .280 for, say, 100 rounds in an hour or two--especially if I don't have to!

Lapua '06 cases wouldn't be a bad way to roll . . . about a buck a piece.

Geeze, I wonder why 280 rounds would be so much more expensive than 25-06 rounds? Scratch that, to my knowledge I have never even seen it at a store. Makes sense.

I would be nice to have 25-06 AI brass available.

When I got my Kimber 280 Ackley this Feb I picked up 250 rounds of Nosler 280AI brass and then backordered another 250 rounds from Midway. Sat in backorder status for months and was not available from other on-line suppliers or Nosler.

Finally found a box of 50 more Nosler AI brass on a shelf when I was on a trip so I picked that up as well.

In July I cancelled the backorder and picked up 100 rounds of Nosler 280 Remington brass and 100 rounds of Hornady 280 Remington brass and fire formed them.

Because the Nosler 280 Ackley SAAMI chamber is very slightly shorter than the original P.O. Ackley 280 AI wildcat chamber, I was getting a good "crush fit" and did not have to worry about creating a false shoulder or seat into the lands. Both the Nosler and Hornady 280 Rem brass fire formed very well with sharp shoulders/no web stretch using standard 280 Remington loads.

I now have my 500 cases and will not worry about brass for quite a while.

Barstooler