Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Mule Deer.....starting load for. 280AI

John,

What starting load would you recomend

Reloader 26 and 160 grn bullets

I'm thinking he won't recommend a load with RL-26 in the 280Rem.

We’ll see...........

.280 AI

So could it be magical in the 270, and not in the 280AI?

Here's a link to some results from nyrifleman:

280AI and RL26

Ted,

In my .280 AI, 62.0 grains of RL-26 gets a little over 2900 with the 168-grain Nosler ABLR and good accuracy.

Tried 26 with various 160-162 grain bullets but it never shot as well, though it might in your rifle. In mine I've pretty much settled on 65.0 grains of Ramshot Magnum with 160-162's. It doesn't get quite as much velocity as 26 but accuracy is very good.

2015 vintage KMA-Silver VX3 3.5x10x40, two in Talley SS QDSLs.

RE-26-62.7, 160Npt, Nosler brass, WLRMs-right at 3000 fps-mv, from a Labradar and my Magneto gizmo, good groups and not at all harsh in recoil.

AS close to "perfect" for 90+% of BC hunting as can be had, IMO and a light combo for old geezers to pack.

Sounds like a nice rig.
BTW, how do you like that Magneto?

Bit of a PITA, my first one in July, 2016, was broken when I got it from a BC vendor by mail. They refused to stand behind it and I called the makers in Texas. They were SO polite, insisted on my keeping it and then sent me a new, complete one free, including postage. I highly recommend them and the rig is ideal for one's cabin or hunting camp.

I WANT a Labradar, though, lotsa bux, but, just awesome!

The BC vendor who screwed me soon went BUST..........might be a lesson there, eh!

Snap,
Case of poetic justice there.
😎

Great timing! I'm about to embark on 280 AI load development as well.

Ted,

Results with my 24" barreled Kimber Montana;

Reloader 26, new Nosler brass, Federal 210 match primers and the 160 Accubond.

Velocity measured by LabRadar.

60.0 gr averaged 2935fps, .6 MOA
60.5 gr averaged 2982fps, .74 MOA
61.0 gr averaged 2997fps, .68 MOA
61.5 gr averaged 3046 fps, .3 MOA

Thanks guys

My .280AI is in a Kimber Montana and I've yet to find a good load in a 150/160 grn bullet

In the rifles defence......I'm not a very good shot

Ted,

Another load I worked up for my rifle used 64.0 RL-26 and the 150-grain Ballistic Tip, one of the deeper penetrating BT's. Muzzle velocity is around 3050 from the 22" barrel, with superb accuracy.

How about a good temp insensitive load for the 140 grain BT and TTSX? I'm currently using H4350 with good accuracy. Looking for something in the Re family that I can use with 280AI, 270, maybe the 25-06 and 30-06.

I've shot the 280-AI for about 35 years and 90% of that time I shot 140 grain BT's with outstanding results. Within the last three years I've switched to 150 grain BT's and have had even better results, accuracy wise and terminal performance wise.

My current go-to load is 61.5 grains of RL-19, yielding an average velocity of 3072 fps with real tight standard deviations and extreme spreads. My groups have mostly been in the teens with my Jarrett with this load, and my last sight in group before gun season started was 0.081" center to center spread. That's with a Schmidt & Bender 3x12 with thick crosshairs in it. Love my Jarrett! The exact same load, with 140 grain BT's gave me 3213 fps average with 0.3" groups, but I decided to bump up to 150's and am glad I did.

Ted: I'm not a very good shot either but my Montana shoots 150 Scenars accurately with enough I-7828 to get it up to 3050. FWIW. R-26 works well too but I found pressure before I got to MD's 64 grains with the Scenar; YMMV.

I've got a bunch of 150 NBTs loaded up with 7828, R-26 and H-4350, just haven't shot 'em yet. Let us know how your loads work out and I'll do the same.

My favorite now is IMR 7828 at 58.5 grains in Norma brass shoots 162 ELDX at 2975 and stacks 5 shots in a hole. 24” Barrel.

Ted, I've always used the barnes 150 TTSX with 62 g of RL 22 for 3050fps .I shot that load for 6 years in the same rifle , then for some reason I started getting some pressure signs this summer so I now switched over to 54g of RL17, about the same fps and still holding 3/4" groups.