Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters 280/280AI Pros/Cons?

Picked up a stainless .284, 5R barrel blank from the classifieds a few weeks ago and after debating between 7-08, 7 RSAUM & 280/280AI decided to go with the 280/280AI. Not sure which chambering I want to go with.

What are some of your thoughts and experiences?

Thanks Deans

If reloading is part of your hobby, Ackley.

AI if you reload. beware though that Nosler 280AI brass doesn't chamber in some minimum-chamber barrels (you'll need to FF from 280 brass)

What is the primary purpose of the rifle?

What's the barrel length, action, weight etc.

If you have not had an "AI" yet then what the heck!

The .280 is not popular, nor is the original 7X64.

The .260 and 7mm RM are popular and brass is easier to find.

Go Ackley ! Just make sure you tell your smith you want to use nosler brass !

Had a six-lug Wby Mk. V in .280 with a 24" barrel and had it opened up to .280 AI. Gained about 120-130 fps with 120 BTs and right around 100 fps with 140s. As you would expect, accuracy stayed the same. My wife had a Model 70 Fwt with a 22" barrel that got within 50-60 fps of the AI with the same bullet weights using loads published in the Nosler manual.

I would like to have another .280 AI someday, but it's not at the top of my want list.

I have a standard .280 and with a 22" tube and manage to hit 3k with 140 TTSXs. It keeps dropping animals near and far with no drama at all.

I'm not opposed to AIs of course, but that particular set-up doesn't leave me wanting for much. I'd be more inclined to go AI, but the various nuances of brass compatibility I keep reading about spooks me a little.

Best of luck with whatever you decide.

DC

If you are considering the AI because you want more performance, thaqt is not the way to get it, at least not meaningfully more performance. If you want more performance than the 280 provides, chamber for a magnum caliber. I always wanted a 7mm RUM myself.

Regarding issues with Nosler AI brass, would the alleged issues go away by just resizing the new brass before loading?

What Big Redhead said. Most of the extra zip from the .280 AI is due to running at higher pressures than the standard .280, 65,000 psi versus 60,000. If you're going to handload, that extra 5000 psi is easy to provide--or even more, if you're that sort of handloader.

Now, if trimming brass on big game cartridges makes you really weary, then the AI might be worth it.

I recently had an AI made for no good reason other than I wanted one, the performance gains are minimal (percentage wise) and of no consequence in actual hunting use. (slow typer, as mentioned above before I could complete my post)

However, I learned a lot about annealing, fire forming, and head space measurement that previously I had understood in theory but had not done in practice. I have been making standard caliber ammo successfully for 30 plus years.

It was a worthwhile experience for me.

In my personal situation, maximum resizing with STD die and STD shellholder still wouldn't allow them to chamber. Having already spent the $$ on 100 Nosler cases, I needed to grind down a shellholder, resize them, then throw the shellholder away.

FF 280 brass for me from here on out!

Or you could just buy a .270, but what's the fun of that? Isn't the joy of being a rifle loony mean wrestling with expensive rifles that don't act exactly like we'd hoped--and then posting on the Campfire for advice on exorcising the demons?

true....but getting those cases sized enough to FF was a real PITA

TFF, but oh so true..............



MM

Just have your smith chamber for nosler brass and forget about all of the sizing and fireforming issues !!

I always wondered why Nosler 280 AI brass seemed soft and Nosler 280 Rem Brass didn't.

The 280 AI is a tidal wave in a tin cup if there ever was one. But try not to mention that here.

If the shortest distance between two points is a straight line, then buy a 7 mm magnum instead of a 26 inch barreled 280 AI rifle. But we like being rifle loonies!

Chamber the rifle for the Saami Spec Nosler 280 AI brass has some advantages!

1. You can use already formed nosler brass!

2. You can buy off the shelf 280 AI ammo and the headspace is correct because any and all shelf ammo will be Saami Spec!

3. You can still fireform any 280 ammo or brass!

4. It will eliminate any confusion when ordering dies as you simply state your chamber is Saami Spec. All die companies know what Saami spec is however a non Saami Spec 280 AI chamber could be any spec....who really knows?

Shod

I've never bothered buying the Nosler 280 Ackley brass as it just seems to be more expense than it's worth. Can't really comment on the "softness" of the Norma brass as it seems to last as long as any other brand and I tend to run my loads at full tilt. I haven't used my 06 Lapua brass for my 280 Ackley yet, but if it's like all the other Lapua brass I've used it will most likely last forever.