Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles 280 Ackley Improved

Let's hear about your fav 280 Ack loads!

Full load of IMR-7828, 215M, 160gr Sierra BTHP Gameking.Rick.

IMR 4831, WLR, 140 NBT's. Very accurate in mine.

140gr Nosler accubond, Nosler case, Fed 210 primer and VV N165, you'll have to try pretty hard to beat the speed and accuracy!

62 RL19 140g NBT & Hornady IBs

140 gr. ttsx over imr4350, kinda mild at 3110 fps.

I`m with Ackleyfan on this one.......

140gr Accubond over H4831 in mine, or, 120gr BT over H4350.

Me too. When I had a 280 AI this load was very good in my gun.

Ackleyfan,
Did you use Nosler 280 AI brass to start or FF?

M700 blue printed Hart #5 Flutted and pillar bedded in a LSS stock. Chambered in 280 AI. Load is 160 gr AB, 60.0 grs RL 22, Nosler case and Federal GM215M primer. MV 3019 fps.

140 gr AB at 3240 fps

JD338

Nice shooting JD

Yes I used Nosler 280AI brass to start!

I'm glad Tim in TN agrees with me since he's the one that gave me the load!

Nosler Brass, 140 grain TSX, Federal 210 Primers, and IMR 4831. Wicked accurate and consistent.

Nosler Brass, 140 grain VLD, Federal 210 primers, and RL22. Also very good.

Ackleyfan,

What is your velocity with this load?

JD338

My velocity was 3202 with a 24" barrel.

Same load.

I was getting just over 3170 but I was 1gr under Tim's max load,I believe he was getting right at 3200!

Thanks Ackleyfan. I dropped back to 63.0 grs to get longer case life. My 24" Hart barrel is getting 3180 fps.

JD338

I`m just glad I can pass on something this usefull. Thats a great load, and brass life at 63.5 gr is like forever. I hope many try it and find it as good to them as it was to me. I wanted to use Winchester cases, but the only 280 from them is nickel plated. I got to thinking and the 270 Winchester shares the same case length as the 280. I bought a 30 caliber tapered expander from Redding necked the 270 up to 30 caliber, then back to 280 headspaced in the AI chamber with a crush fit. Really turned out nice brass.

Mine was a 24" Hart also!

I have a 700 action blue printed, Hart 24" Flutted #5 barrel,Tubb recoil lug, and pillar bedded into a LSS stock. The scope shown is a Vari X III 2.5-8x36mm with M1 dials. I just mounted a VX-3 3.5-20x40mm CDS dial.

It also shoots the 120 gr BT well...

JD338

Very nice...it doesn't get much better!

JD338, Thinking of doing another 280AI like similar to yours. Any idea of the weight?

I'd like to play. My favorite load is 160gr. Nosler Partition and 60grs. of IMR7828 in Winchester cases and Winchester primers. In my 24" Kreiger I get 2950fps or so with great accuracy. I've killed a number of bull elk with that combo. The last was in October, a 340 class animal. The load also kills deer and antelope too. In September I killed my best to date antelope, a one shot DRT. with the load as well. Also, I have found the 160gr. Sierra will shoot to the same POI to 400yds or so.

rc82bttb

My rifle as pictured weighs 9.0 lbs.

JD338

Cool!

How are you fellas loadin your cases to form? I realize many of you are starting with 280AI brass but I've got 200 pieces of remmy brass to use. Thanks

Kaleb,
I buy bulk Remington Core-Lokt 140gr and use a max charge of IMR-4895 in Remington or Nosler .280Rem brass to fireform. For a while I just used Federal Classic 140gr Sierra Pro-Hunter loads because I got some super cheap. Now I'm trying some Nosler .280 Improved brass because I got it on sale.

I'm hesitant to list a favorite load because the rifle tends to shoot it's best groups when fireforming which makes me want to puke. The Federal loads fireform at anything between 2832fps and 2868fps and shoot in the .4s; proven yet again this weekend. Nosler seconds 140gr BTs over a max load of IMR4895 will shoot in the .3s but I have never chronographed them.

As for real loads I have had good results with RE22 and 140gr BT's. Second best is RE19 and 120gr BT's. Charges vary depending on brass but I always use Federal GM215M or CCI BR2 primers.

Anybody have a recommendation using 140AB's and RE 17?

Re: Fed Classic ammo, their accuracy has proven itself time and again in a number of guns and loadings. I'm sure they're out there, but I have yet to find a gun that can't shoot the ol' Blue Box stuff.

140 NAB, 63.3 grn VV N165, fed 210m, reworked ww brass. Not only did the load come from Tim, but also the rifle. Cant imagine anyone wanting for more in the 280AI. 3200+ and consistant itty bitty groups. 19 whitetails, a bobcat, and 2 yotes are the only ones I know of that dont like that deadly combination.

Looks familiar. Almost a twin to the 280AI I had

Kaleb, when I'm fire forming I use a starting load of H4893 and 150gr. Remington bullets from the Nosler book for the standard .280. I use them for off hand shooting practice. I use the Remington bullets because I've got a thousand or so I bought cheap some years ago.

Did you mean H4895 or H4831?

JD338

Hey, nice thread guys!

Thanks.

JD, nice rifle! What's the weight on it?

WOW, I need to edit my posts better. I meant H4895. Sorry about that. Light loads of H4831 can be dangerous, especially in larger cases.

The rifle ready to go weighs 9 lbs even. I just changed to a VX-3 3.5-10x40mm with CDS so it might off by a scosh.

JD338

Thx!

Mine shoot this one the same way. One hole if I could hold it. Been real close several times. 140 Accubonds over 64 grains rl22 and fed 215 and nosler brass.

140 grn berger n 60grn rl17 n 210 primer
leaves at just a shade over 3300

62g RL22, nosler AI brass and 150 TTSX's (3050 fps) have worked great for me.

I did this with my .280 RCBS, and bought a .30 caliber expanding rod from Lee and used it in my Lee Universal Decapper. Lee has a good taper on the expanding rod and it worked great. miles

I shot a bit with my newly built 280 AI this weekend. I worked up to the max listed charges on Nosler's web site.

Chronograph was slightly higher than I expected by around 40-50 FPS.

Bullet was the 140 Nosler BT.

2 groups of 3 each with the following loads went an average of all loads .575"

60.0 of IMR4831 3200

64.0 RL22. This load showed some signs of pressure and I would reduce it a 1 or 1&1/2 grains if I was going to use it. 3257

64.5 IMR7828 3214.

I did shoot a 223 load that I have chronographed quite a few times and it also reflected about a 40 FPS increase.

Maybe it was lighting over the graph?

With my 22.5" Rock I expected 3150 to 3200.

I did chronograph a load earlier of 64.5 of IMR7828 with 139 Hornady flat base bullets for 3150 exactly.

All this to say that the load data on the Nosler site is pretty spot on at least for those particular loads, in this particular gun, on this particular day, over this 1 chronograph.

I borrowed from JD338 & went w/ 63 gr RL-22 & 145 Speer BTSP or 140 TTSX. Haven't chronoed.

My Montana shoots tiny little groups with 120 TTSX over 59.5 grains of R-17 backed .050" off the lands.
POI is identical with 140 grain accubonds over 60.0 grains IMR 4831 and they shoot really well too.

I have long pondered a Kimber Montana with that very load and a 3.5-10x40 scope would possibly be about the best all-around elk rifle a guy could put together.