Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Long Range Hunting 280ai Bullet Choices

I'm gathering up the parts for a 280ai project and starting to turn my attention towards specific bullets. My intent is something that can launch some of the heavier 7mm options... I already have 175gr berger elite hunters and 175gr eld-x's on the bench, but 180gr scenars have my attention as well. Anyone care to compare/contrast and just basically chew the fat on bullets in this class at 280ai speeds? Deer to elk, 0-600 yards. I didn't want to hijack the 180 eld-m thread. Thanks all.

I think you can find happiness with those three choices , what style rifle are you planning on building ?

Mine has shot some 1'' groups at 300 yards , R-700 ADL [1985] ,broughton 5c 28'' 4.1 magnum sporter , hs precision , zeiss conquest 6.5x20-50 , rifle basix trigger , built by Nathan Dagley , Center , N.D. . His first 280AI build nearly ten years ago .

Mine loves Berger 180 Hybrids/H-1000/Nosler brass/CCI-200 and they knock the crap out of ferel pigs , neck shots at 200 yards -> eye popping performance . 162 amax/sst/bthp match all have shot and killed great .
Great hunting cartridge , good luck on your build !!

I've had great luck with the 168 ABLR in mine!

ol mike - is that the 180 hybrid match? My Defiance Rebel will ship in the next week or so, Bartlein 2b 22" 1:8, Manners eh6, probably throw an SS 3-9 on top.

Aviator - what can you share regarding on-game performance? I would guess you can get around 2900 fps or so?

My favorites have been.

150 sceaners
160 nosler AB
162 ELDX
150 nosler BT.

With the ELD getting favoritism.

180 scenars are perfect at 280 Ackley speed.

160 AB’s

160 Partitions and 162 ELD-X get the nod in my 280AI's, with the 162 being favored in 3 of the 4.

My go to elk and deer rifles ( I have two)are chambered in .280AI and I have killed more than just a few animals with them. I have mostly used the 160gr NP with great results. However, I have used the 150gr. NBT some on deer (to 400yards)and to hammer steel out to 700yds. and I like it a lot. It has been very accurate out of both my rifles. Another bullet I like is the plain old Hornady 162gr.BTSP. I should point out that I've not killed any deer or elk much past 400yards., so my knowledge about range performance on game is limited.

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Hybrid Target pn# 28407.

Cool specs defiance , bartlein [8tw] , manners , ss , i'd like to see a picture when finished .

Any reason you picked the hybrid over the vldh? I seem to recall someone saying the match bullets actually have thicker jackets but don't quote me.

It'll be another 5 months before all the parts come in but I'll post up some pics for sure.

I'll give them a shot. Have you shot any game with them?

160 grain Nosler Partitions!

cast10K ,

I liked that the Hybrid wasn't picky about seating depth and Broz owner of longrangeonly.com website said their LR performance was great , open good and plow through a lot of meat . Quick kills on elk from the 7mag .

60-80lb. neck shot eater size pigs @ 200ish yards to feeder leaves a golfball size exit , HEAVY blood loss and not even a wiggle . Thawing out one of the last packs this afternoon , have to decide how I'm going to cook it tomorrow .

Mine loves the 150 gn LRAB and 60.5 gns of reliader 26.

I killed a lot of stuff with the 168 Berger. I think that cartridge shines with the heavier 160 & up bullets. Buddy of mine swears by the 180’s.

avonac - thanks for the response. I really am interested in the heavier options as stated... probably should have titled the thread 'heavy 7mm bullets for long range'. Not that you can't go long with 150's, but I'm really looking to compare performance on game with the various 168-180 grain high bc offerings. What can I expect from the 168? What kind of shot placement... can you shoot shoulders? I understand lung shots are preferred. Tell me more please. Thanks.

Me too, over 62.7 RE-26, Nosler brass WLRMs, 3000 fps-mv and groups look PDG for an old phart.

KMA, recoil is fine and this is MY GUN until I croak.

To be perfectly honest, I can't imagine a lot a 160 class bullet in .284 wouldn't plow through quiet nicley on most North American big game.

I only hunted with the Bergers. That being said I will high shoulder a deer whenever possible. I never thought twice about those shots with the 280AI. I can only imagine an Accubond or Partition penetrating better.

I have killed a couple antelope and a muley with the 180 ELD M so far this year. My wife also killed a muley buck with it. MV of 2930. I’m not impressed at all. After the season I will be switching. Everything has died but there is absolutely no blood trail really after the shot. My wife’s buck ran 50 yards or so and I couldn’t find a speck of blood. If I was elk hunting I would switch right now. Bergers have always done more damage then I like but at least we’ve always gotten a blood trail if they don’t drop in their tracks.

Regards, Branden

Sounds like a great receipe!
BTW, good to see you back, Dewey.

Deer do not walk off with the 160g Sierra BTSP, old school bullet, expands and penetrates with a LOT Of expansion inside and a blood trail that a blind man could follow...if they went anywhere.

MV is 2950-3000 fps with a max load of IMR 7828 and fed 215.

Family has killed at least 300 deer with this combo since the mid 80's with the liberal limits here in the South, all cousins shoot it. 2950-3000 fps is the magic number for DRT results.

The 160g Sierra BTSP is like a national treasure in how it kills, 280 AI and 7 Mag. Strong loads with 280 in tough brass, bolt gun, max load of IMR 7285 is 2900+ fps, a load right out of teh Black Nosler loading manual's most accurate powder for their 160g loads, worked with Sierra Also.

Running deer when you hunt in a jungle does not work out well at times, especially at dark.

I would imagine the ELD-X might work better as it is so similar to an amax or SST but I have not put them to the test yet.

140 Federal trophy Bonded, a better bearclaw, like a tipped partition.

Mine likes 150gr Nosler LONG tange Accubonds with some IMR 4350 running around 3000fps

My 280AI is cooking with the 160 Partition and that same load. With the exception of the primer. I'm using Fed Gold Medal mag match. 7828 is turning in some sweet results as well. The 140TTSX over rl26 is humming as well. Whitetail poison.

I've never shot an animal with any of them, but it seems to me that the 162 ELD's have a better BC for their weight than the 175's. In the Nosler long range Accubond line, the 168 actually does have a higher BC than the 175 according to Litz's tests. The Berger 175 doesn't beat a 162 or 168 by much, either. If it were me, I'd probably start with either the 162 Hornady or 168 Nosler, or move to a 180 Berger or Hornady if I wanted more BC. The 180 Scenar actually has a lower BC than the 162 Hornady and 168 Nosler, according to Litz.

Although I'm definitely not an authority on how any of those bullets perform on animals...