Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles 280AI vs 270 Winchester

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.

I don't think any animal you hunt will be able to tell the difference. Nosler makes some 150gr LRAB's for both calibers which carry high BC's and perform excellent. I got a pass through on a moose at +/-250yds last year with my 280ai.

I am a 280 fan, it started out with a 280rem in a win model 70 featherweight. For some reason the gun was just a flat out killer, deer, elk, moose, it didn't matter they all dropped dead from a single shot at ranges up to 600yds. Then, like you I found a Kimber in 280ai and bought it, haven't looked back since. I'm on my 4th 280ai now and don't see myself moving to another big game cartridge any time soon. With the advancements in bullet construction over the past few years with the likes of the LRAB's and the ELD-X bullets, I'm good to shoot out as far as I'm comfortable with my 280 and I'm confident my bullet will perform.

I say if you want a 280ai, go for it. It's my personal favorite cartridge, but as much as I love it, when it comes to real world performance I don't think the extra 0.007 of an inch is going to make much difference on the animal. In my head is a different story though....


Disclaimer: I am not a "Best of the West" hunter and I have no intentions of shooting anything past 600yds. Besides, I don't have the optics to be able to judge an animal past 500yds anyway.

I wouldn't worry about "just in case" until after the fact. I don't hand load anymore, so I want a plentiful shelf of options. Looking at the 270145 ELDX vs the 280AI 162 ELDX factory offerings from Hornady, there's not enough to worry about. 280AI has a whopping 1.5" less drift at 500 yards and anyone claiming they can read to wind well enough that it matters is full of schit.

Ditto. Rifles are listed in the classifieds all the time with the "bought this thinking I might.......but that didn't come to fruition".

But if "you just want one" that's good enough reason for me. BTDT. I have a 280 and a 7 SAUM so I did the logical thing and had a .270 built.

Same as "elk one day" rifles. It's just simply simpler to keep simple stuff simple.

I have one, have had 2 others, and a 280 Rem. before that. For some reason, I always preferred one of the 280s over a 30-06. And the 280 AI can effectively replace a 7mm Rem. Mag (and certainly a 270, 280 Rem., or 30-06). I'm not bashing 30 cals, and I have a 300 Win. Mag. as well.
Going down from that, I use a .243. I have no need for 6.5 or 270 calibers.
I started out with Barnes 140 X, then XLC, then TTSX, then switched to the 145 LRX, and now also have the 139 LRX

I have a couple 270’s, a couple 280’s and a 280 AI. Several other 7mm’s.

I’ve always liked 7mm’s. If I had to eliminate all but one. I’d keep a 280. My 280AI is set up more for long range coyotes. In fact, if I were to have only one rifle for deer and bigger animals. I’d be hard pressed to decide. It would either be a 30-06 or a 280. I have shot a lot of prong horns and never shot a big bear. I’d prefer the ‘06 for bear. I prefer a 280 for pronghorn. For deer, all three 270, 280, ‘06 are great.

I have had several ‘06’s that shoot less than 1/4MOA. One 270 that put three shots that could be covered by a dime. And a 280 that shot 1/4MOA.
So accuracy isn’t an issue. Accuracy like that is not needed for game animals. I don’t shoot over 300 yards for game animals. So long range performance isn’t an issue.

So why 280? Cause I like the cartridge. But I like the ‘06 just as much.

In the end, if you can’t stand the terrific recoil then go with the smallest. If you need long range with power then perhaps a 280AI. If you grew up with a ‘06 and shoot cast bullets then ‘06.

But if you were going to shoot under 300 yards and were to shoot 150 grain Nosler Partitions. Then recoil and performance is vertically identical.

Cartridges are more alike than different however; platforms are different in every conceivable way!

In the price range your thinking there are only two words that matter..........Barrett Fieldcraft 😁😁😁




Trystan

I think the only thing a .280AI has over the .270Win is bullet selection

I've had both and shot elk with the 270 using 150 Partitions at 3050. I seriously doubt any difference exists between the 2 cartridges with like bullets. In my guns, my 270 with Re26 outruns my 280 AI mainly because my 270 liked Re26, my 280 AI does not. I get 2975 wit GB a 160 in my 280 AI.

If you can't get it done with a 270, you aint gonna get it done with a 280 AI.

And how many bullet choices does one really need anyway?

The 270 might be the better option, it leaves you with an excuse. If you have a 280ai nobody will believe it was the gun if the animal gets away

As many as possible and why wouldn't you want choice?

Because the .270 options cover the bases.

.270 Win, .280 Rem, .280AI. Pretty much peas in a pod.

Mine is a .280 Rem, not because I thought it was best but because i came across a Ruger #1 at a price I couldn't resist, chambered for .280 Rem, and I already had .284" bullets on my bench. Sold that one because it was too nice to hunt with and bought an All Weather Ruger Hawkeye in .280 Rem instead.

There are great bullets in both .27 and .28 calibers so I wouldn't choose one over the other on that basis, One reason I like the .280 is the lower recoil compared to my .30-06 loads. An AI loaded to AI levels would lessen the advantage to some degree.

Bottom line, I'd have preferred either a .270 Win or .280 Rem over a .280AI, but only because of the rifles I had when I got mine. If I was going to start over and reload for it, the .280AI would be a great choice.

I recently bought a Cooper Backcountry M92 in 280ai. I took it to a 300 yd range last week and it shot both 150 gr Long Range Accubonds and 162 gr ELD-X very, very well.

I MAY be done rifle shopping.

I have never had a problem with a 270, but I just never warmed up to any that I have ever owned.

donsm70

I am a big fan of the 280AI if I had started with this first then no need for anything else. I even converted a 270 to 280AI as it had a bad chamber. But the 270 is one of the best rounds out there. You can't really top it until you get to 30-33 caliber and then only for the bigger stuff. The magnums only extend the point blank range of the 270 some 30 yards or so.

My only complaint with the 270 is the Leopard thong keeps giving me a wedgy while I am hunting.

The Cooper Backcountry is a REALLY nice rifle . . . . but I have lost count of the times that I said "I MAY be done rifle shopping."

Don,
Were those factory loads in the 92, and if so, which ones? Also, how is the recoil with the 92, and do you have a brake on it or not? They look interesting, but no one even remotely near here carries them.

Thanks,
Craig