Who hunts with a 280AI and why? I’m a huge 270 fan, insert gay joke here, but am tempted by the better bullets and all that the 280AI offers. I’m not really a long range guy at all but wouldn’t mind have the higher bc bullets and extra velocity just in case one day I am. Right now I think getting a 280AI for me would be more of “keeping up with the Jones’s” than anything practical for my typical under 300yd hunting. That being said I’m a rifle looney and will listen to any good arguments. Platform will probably be a Kimber.
Good thing you’re a rifle looney (not a bad thing, BTW), because for the average hunter/shooter there really isn’t much of a difference between the .270 Win and a .280 Rem or .280AI when it comes to bullet selection, especially for use inside 300 yards.
If high B.C. is the quest, why not go with a WTC 198g .30 FLP with a B.C. around .846? (There are some other pretty good options for .30, too.)
If more common bullets are the measure, Midwayusa currently lists 91 options in .277" and 106 in .284”. Hardly a dearth of options for the .277 fans.
If long range is really the goal, why not get a short-fat instead of a long-skinny?
When I built my 6.5-06AI, it was with the specific goal of having a rifle capable of shooting supersonic out to at least 1200 yards. Bullet weight helps keep recoil down to very comfortable levels – low enough my daughters love to shoot it. Bullets are available with B.C. values around .7, although I stick with the 130g Scirocco II (B.C. .571), which beats the Sciroccos in both .277” and .284”. [Edited to add] Another parameter in my choice of cartridge was the action I had on hand for the build - an Interarms Mark X with .30-06 length, bolt face and follower. [End edit]
If recoil and loading cost are no issue, why not go for the looney ring and get a .338, .375 or .50?
More important than cartridge is finding a rifle you like.
