John,

My experience has been that while both bullets, the 286 Partition and 250 AB (and the older 250 BT) are excellent performers on game, I prefer the 286.

In my rifle. I did not find a big advantage of the 250 over the 286. When loaded to the velocities that proved most accurate in my favorite 9,3x62, there just wasn't enough of a difference for me to want to use the 250. I just ran some numbers using Hornady's calculator and find that their results pretty much confirm my findings at the bench. The 286 has a BC of .482 and launched at 2450 fps and sighted at 150 yds it is -3" at 200 and -7.9" at 250. While the 250s with a BC of .494 launched at 2550 fps and sighted at 150 yds hit 2.6" low at 200 and 7.1" low at 250. This is about the limit I prefer to shoot at with this rifle. FWIW, at 450 yds the 250 AB enjoys a 5" advantage over the 286. If I anticipate having to shoot at between 250 to 450 yds, I'll take another rifle, one I feel is better suited to longer range shooting, one a bit heavier that settles down better. My 9,3x62 weighs 7.5 lbs scoped and I prefer it settings where it is carried more than slung. Another reason that I prefer the 286 is that ,while generally the 250 would do all I needed, it is nice to have a heavier load in case I get the opportunity to hunt something larger on short notice. For those whose rifles give acceptable accuracy and higher velocities, the 250's may be a better choice.

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If I feel the need for more velocity, I'll simply grab my 9,3x64, it shoots both the 250's and 286's at considerably higher velocities. Or my 338-06 which, when loaded with 250s give the same drop at 450 as does the 9,3 250. It is a 9 lb rifle and easy as pie to shoot at long distances.

One of the advantages of the 250 is less perceived recoil. Several of my customers cited this as their primary reason for selecting the 250 over t he 286. Since they felt both bullets were more than adequate, they opted for the one they felt kicked less. Not a bad reason in my opinion.