Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles 280 AI......I want one. Tell me all about it.

Guess I should have bumped up my post count on this forum a few thousand before engaging. I know some of the players from other forums, I know exactly who I'm up against.

Yeah, but the 129 has MORE than the 140, which makes it BETTER!?!?!

Nice.

Once I got past chuckling at RBO's claims, I liked elkhunternm's reply because the 30:06 seems like one good response.

Let's put it all into some practical form. We're looking at a big/mature bull elk 350 to 450 yards away and a stiff breeze is blowing across the view. Here sits a .280ai all loaded and sighted in with with whatever is the "optimum" load mentioned earlier. Next to it is a 30:06 accompanied by your choice of 150 gr. bullet loads, 165 gr. bullet loads and 200 gr. (or even 220 gr.) bullet loads - and sighted in accordingly.

I think that the smart hunter/shooter is going to take the shot with the "best" available rifle for that realistic situation, and the other sure looks "better" than that .280ai and its "optimum" load.

Maybe you didn't love hearing about that, but did try to answer the request.

There's a lot of people with lots of posts on this forum in over their heads too. You'll fit right in....

Have a look at 16bores drop/drift/energy chart on page 9 of this thread. Pick your load?

Not really. I left about 75 fps on the table for both loads, and that is keeping pressure within SAAMI standards for both, which means the .280AI load is pushing about 5000k psi higher pressure than the 7-08! Given equal rifles, we should really be operating at like pressure to give an "apples to apples" comparison. But the pressure differential aside, both loads could get another ~75 fps if using max, redline charges of the optimal powder in each. But the sad news for you, is that if we bumped both loads another 75 fps, the 162AM retains more of that additional speed at the 500 meter line than the 140TTSX does, widening the gap even further in the 162's favour. Sadly, all things AREN'T equal at the 500 meter line when the .280AI is pushing a 140TTSX and the 7-08 a 162AM, and the 7-08 wins in every aspect, including reliable expansion on impact. Now if you were to have the light bulb flicker on for a second, and compare both chamberings in like barrel lengths, at like pressure, using like bullets, then yeah you're going to gain a little performance, at every distance, for the extra premium in recoil, noise, and powder that you pay. But when you fail to mention the bullet you're using while singing the praises of one chambering over all others, guys who know better just chuckle to themselves.



First of all, we've been talking about 500 meters because you mentioned 500 and 600 yards with your mighty .280AI and 140TTSX. Now let me quote you...



You can try to backpedal at this point, but it ain't gonna work. Fact is, you're still in the rifle infancy stage where you see chamberings as the "end all, be all." You'll eventually realize that bullets matter a whole lot more than the brass vessel they're launched out of. Hopefully our little performance comparison demonstrating the 7-08/162AM outpacing the .280AI/140TTSX at 500 meters has opened your eyes to that fact.

All that is not to say that the 7-08/162 is superior to the .280AI/140 in every situation and in every way. In fact, for shooting large critters at 300 yards or less I'd take the 140TTSX over the 162AM every time, in either launching platform. But when you start suggesting that the 7-08 is best suited to hunting big game under 300 yards and that your .280AI/140TTSX is the quintessential, idealistic combination out to 500 or 600 yards, well I just can't let that slide.

Jordan, all things being equal means ALL things, all things being equal between the 7-08 and the 280ai, the 280ai wins with about 4ft lbs more recoil, but still under the proverbial 20ft lbs mark.

Both rifles shoot the same projectiles, its the charge that sets them apart. I haven't looked too much into the 7saum but with only a grain or two difference between it and the ackley, I imagine it would be getting pretty close to the maximum recoil range where shooting gets a little uncomfortable. My only question would be on brass and barrel life, granted for a hunting rifle that wouldn't be much of a worry, provided you don't need to do any load development.

With a choice between a 7-08, a 280ai, and a 7stw to go hunting with, I'd pick the 280ai every time, the 7saum sounds almost like the ballistic twin to the 280ai only in a short fat case.

The 7 Saum is about as gay as the 270 but will make do until you can save up your lunch money to afford a 30-06.

300-600...got friends with 900+ yd DRT Elk kills with their 270 WSM, but they'll be crawling back wringing their hands and crying when their supply of 165gr Matrix Magic Bullets dry up.

But until that happens that's the Magnum Force!

Cant seem to get RBO to answer this question.

What do you want to know bob? Have I killed animals with magnum rifles?

Yes, I have killed animals with magnum rifles, when the bullet hits its mark they die. The only magnum rifles I didn't mind shooting for any amount of time finished off around 10-11lbs, which isn't my idea of an ideal hunting rifle.

8# McSwirly'ed R700 7RM with 162's @ 3,000fps is a pussy cat.

But I missed the part where you mentioned your 280AI load.

I'm trying to figure out how you know there is no advantage to (say) a 300 or 338 magnum on a 500 yard elk vs a 270 or 280. I know a few folks who would disagree with you. I'm wondering if you've killed enough of them with those cartridges (or at least seen it done) and dug through enough elk carcasses to know the difference?

The obvious advantage to a magnum chambering is that it holds more powder, so can move heavier bullets to higher velocity than the standard chamberings with less capacity. f you think that's not an advantage, i disagree.

The limiting factor in the recoil issue is "you",and has nothing to do with the advantages offered by the bigger case.You need to find your limitations and live with them,it doesn't change the facts that the bigger case does offer advantages.

10-11 pounds isn't an ideal hunting rifle weight. But that's a rifle you inflict on yourself. If your 7mm or 300 magnum weighs 10-11 pounds it's your fault and no one else's.

None of this, however, elevates a 280AI to the ideal or perfect all around BG cartridge. That's just your own opinion and nothing more.

It wouldn't make my top 5 for a bunch of reasons.

I tend to think that for every rifle/chambering, there are choice loads that are right at the sweet spot of performance and nothing is "King" across the board.

"Performance" being subjective....

120 TTSX in a 7RM is a loser in my opinion compared to 110 TTSX in a 270. 162's in that same 7 RM are stellar.

Soooooo much schit overlaps and is insignificant that it's true value is purely campfire fodder.

Suns out, guns out, rock out with your cock out......

Hells Bells,my .300 Wby weighs 8 3/4 lbs that is with a Leupold 3.5x10. My 7mm Dakota weighs a hair over 9 lbs and it has a Leupold 4.5x14.

Unless his rifles have barrels that are varmint contour I don't see how they can weigh 10-11 lbs.

The two heaviest rifle I own are a .460 Wby (11 lbs) and a .375 RUM (10 lbs.)

Couple things,

I never said that a magnum rifle wouldn't have an advantage at killing animals, I said that with its added recoil it can make the hunter develop a flinch, in turn making them less accurate. A good shot with a lighter cartridge is beter than a bad shot with a big gun. I have owned several magnum rifles and I'll tell you that spending a day on the bench with a light weight magnum developing loads isn't my idea of a good time.

The magnums I didn't mind shooting a few dozen round through were the ones that weighed 10-11 pounds finished, more geared towards bench work, with that weight they spent little time in the woods.

Obviously all this is and ever was, was my opinion, and it still is my opinion that the 280ai is quite possibly the best all round North American big game hunting cartridge. I know you and a few others have taken offense to my opinion, however none of you have suggested a better alternative, but rather tear up my opinion. My opinion is what the OP was asking to hear about, I gave reasons why I like the 280a and told him what I think about iti, after that most all I've read is a bunch of guys crying over my opinion.

You say it doesn't make your top five for a number of reasons, do you care to tell me the bunch of reasons, then tell me the 5 that top it?

You have an accumark that weighs 8-3/4lbs with a scope on it??? Did you swap out the hydrogen with helium? You gotta give me your secret of how you get a rifle that weighs 8-3/4lb out of the box to weigh 8-3/4lbs with a scope, ammo, and a sling on it? There is only two ways that could happen, magic being one of them.

Dang, I was wrong, I am smart enough to say which cartridge is best. All it takes is looking up the one with the most case capacity in any given bore size, and the .50 BMG is king of the hill.




Yes, except for the fact that recoil affects everyone, at some point.

Lol....I do get a kick out of guys chanting about one bore dia being better than another and they don't even load the bullets that do make it "better".