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

I know of one person that went thru the expense of rebarelling an abolt...He spent 700 dollars putting on a gain twist barrel in 300 win mag. It would be my absolute last choice for a custom

I built my 280 AI on a Left Hand 700 and used a Number 2 Douglas SS Barrel bedded in a Bansner Stock. It is one of my favorite hunting rifles. My load today in this rifle is the Barnes 145 GR LRX bullet with H4831SC. My rifle will group the Barnes bullet 1/2 inch or better. The 280 AI vel is right in the middle between the standard 280 Rem and the 7mm Mag. Well worth the trouble to have one built.

I had two of them. One was a CRF Model 70 (not a pre-64) that I had rebarreled and the other was a six-lug Wby Mk V in 280 that I had rechambered. I let both go down the road, but this was before factory cases were available.

As I get older, I keep thinking that I should just have one rifle that will do for most everything that I hunt. I have been thinking seriously about getting another another .280 AI. Maybe after I get the 7 MSM built...

Or, if you can hold out for a while, the Kimber Hunter in 280AI will be available shortly.

The best thing about the 280 Ack is that you can use max loads from the standard 280 without destroying your brass. You will gain about 100 fps over the standard 280 in most rifles with same barrel length and while not pushing the pressure to red line.

There's a 280AI in every Mashburn fire form load.

I was going to say the same. Those FF loads are very accurate for me as well. 140's running nearly 3200 with a 65 grain charge of 4350.. easy day

Mine is built on a Rem 700 action with a 24" Pac Nor #3 contour, 1:8 twist.

I really do love the 280ai, but to be honest there is no "one thing" that makes it stand out. It's all the little things added up that makes this the perfect cartridge for me. I'm loading 168 grain bullets, been working on both the Berger VLD Hunting, and Barns LRX,

I will say however, in practical hunting terms, it doesn't really do anything a 270 or 30-06 won't do. They are all capable of taking any elk on the mountain. It's just that the 280ai can do it with more style 😎

I knew I should have stopped in Townsend last week and straightened you out on the glory that is the .280

The 280 is one of the better of the AI cartridges because you can buy formed brass. One of the things I don't like about the AI type rounds is that you have to load and pay for the same ammo twice. I get that you can hunt with loads to fire form, but nobody does that...we all load up some fire form loads, go out to the range and burn them up {putting wear and tear on the barrel} and then come home and do it all over again to get the full power formed brass loads we intend to use. It just seems like double the cost and wear on the rifle by the time you get the brass you want to load and then work up some loads in that to hunt with. With that in mind, get a cut rifled barrel...about the time you get enough fire formed cases you will have a barrel that is broke in and stopped coppering.
I have two of each 280's and 30-06's. All I can say is it's a good thing the 280AI and 30-06AI are not barrel burners. I would probably like them more if I had a set of hydraulic forming dies for each one of them. I like that I don't have to trim the brass, but I really don't shoot them that much...{an AR that I didn't have to trim for would be an accomplishment} In all honesty, yes I do like the rounds...but if I had to pay someone else to barrel and chamber them I would own something else.

No need at all to use bullets to fireform from 280 Rem. The blank load method will produce a 98% formed case, with sharp shoulders. And it's simple to build a PVC trap to use indoors, which makes it no more than a dull thud.

Yes, can't you use COW to fire form 280AI?

Yep, and 12-18 grains of powder such as unique or universal clays.

Still have to watch barrel temp, but compressed air or a fan helps speed it up

My point being...it has to be quicker and cheaper to just buy the Nosler brass. Wasting bullets is half the problem, time is the more expensive half. One other question, I cant get "sharp" shoulders with full power fire form loads and a real bullet...how does a blank do it with what has to be way less pressure????



COW to firearm 280.....Now who can argue with that????
Going to go out on a limb here and guess you meant to type "fire form" instead of "firearm".....but can you please explain "COW"??????
Again, regardless of whatever "COW" actually means, just getting the Nosler brass has to be the better route.

I can't say as I really agree with that. The AIs I have experienced would shoot the pre-fireformed ammo more than accurately enough for hunting purposes. If you don't want to do that, well, that is your prerogative, I guess. But I don't look at it as paying for the ammo twice. A standard 280 round will kill anything an AI will kill. And like you said, sometimes it aids in breaking in a barrel anyway. Or you can fireform without bullets.

I don't think it is a big deal to fireform 50-100 rounds. For big game hunting rifles, that only get shot at game and to check zero on occasion, etc., that is the brass I personally would feel I needed.

But, different strokes for different folks. We all know what we like, and that is all that really matters......

Cream of Wheat....

I guess if I did build a 280 AI, I prolly would go with the Nosler brass. As you say, why not? It is there and a luxury most AIs do not have....

284 is a nice bullet size for any game and there are more than a few great bullets available.

The improved 06 case has enough capacity to push all of those bullets to substantial velocity. It is a fine and well balanced cartridge.

I don't have any need to burn more powder than the 280/AI burns.

I never saw having to shoot more as a detriment. That's like saying I have too much money or am having too much sex, it just doesn't compute.

Interesting comments - style points. A buddy recently shot a mule deer with my .280 Rem (built on a Mauser) - knocked it down with one shot. He walked up to the deer just before it expired and the deer said: "that .280 sure has made this a quick death. If you had gone through the added trouble and expense needed to make it a .280ai, my death would be no quicker, but I could have gone out in more style".