Are you trying different seating depths? My experience with ABLRs (and other high-BC bullets) is they often shoot more accurately with seated somewhat deeper.
Thanks. I had them just off the lands - normal practice for me. I'll try seating them deeper. I have had little (almost zero) experience with ABLR's or other low drag bullets except with my 7mm RM, which liked the 168's. I had not tried the 175's in the 7mm since I expected that the factory 7mm would not stabilize them - but I will try them too.
I had not worked with the 280AI fast twist rifle before except with some "standard" hunting bullets. It shot them fine. I bought several boxes of both 168's and 175's ABLR's. With the first trial with those bullets I was disappointed! Thus the question.
I could have shot my 32 Special with cast bullets and iron sights better than that. I thought there had to be something wrong with the scope or something else, then some of my fire forming loads shot into one hole. Therefore it was those loads.
Where I live the winds are often high. I will often see coyotes at long ranges - 500 yards plus. There is a lot of slews, ponds, and lakes around here and coyotes some years are plentiful. I built this rifle for those long ranges. (It is not because of a lack of varmint rifles). I'm thinking with these heavy bullets there should be little pelt damage, especially at those ranges.
I live in the North East corner of South Dakota which oddly enough, the lowest point in elevation in the state is only about 10 miles away - 1,043 feet above sea level.. The low elevation and the high humidity here, I felt those ABLR'S would require a fast twist.
If I can't get the 280AI to shoot as well as the 7mm RM with these bullets (or other low drag bullets) it will be for sale as this is what I consider a specialty rifle. That 7mm RM is maybe 2 pounds lighter due to barrel diameter.
