Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles 280 Ackley......Nickel 280 brass?

My first custom chambering in 280 Ackley has been a let-down.

The Ackley chambering does not chamber standard 280 ammo with any resistance at all. Also, a couple of fireforming loads have not fired because the primers weren't sufficiently struck. I think the headspace is that far off.

I am now using the Redding shell holders that go up to +.010. Hopefully, this will help a little with any headspace problems I am having, while sizing once-fired brass for fireforming.

NOW FOR THE QUESTION FOR THE RELOADING EXPERTS:
I would like to use nickel 280 brass for reloading in this Ackley.

Does anyone have any experience fireforming nickel brass?
Does the nickel plating chip off when the shoulder is blown out?

Thanks-MW

Mike I've used Nickle in fire forming for my 6/06 and it is no bigga deal.

I've also done it for my 7 Mashburn Super, it worked just fine and I didn't use it much in that gun and this may sound kind of weird but it sure seemed to build more pressure using my normal (brass) fire form load in the Nickle.

Like I said I didn't do it much but I did it enough to know it'll work but I would lighten up my normal FF load by 1 grain to start with just to see.

Make sense?

Mark D

That's all I use in my 280AI. So far, 200 rounds fireformed and not a flake. Some brass loaded 6-7 times, until the primer pockets expanded...and not a flake. It's good stuff.

By the way, in order to get good accuracy with fireforming loads I had to load up to top normal 280 Rem loads. Reduced loads shot like schite.

Re the headspace...if it's that far off, why not run it into a 30 cal sizer die, then resize it back down in your 280AI die until you get a crush fit?

Great ideas and input.

Looks like I came to the right place.

I am going to 'try' to use bullet-seating-depth (into the lands) for the fireforming issue as well.

Thank you-
MW

Mike,
I have fire formed various nickled rifle cases for 30 years and had a world of good luck. Back in 1976 when Winchester came out with the Bicenennial 30-30 nickle plated brass I made 600 .30 & .357 Herretts out of some of that brass. It delivered great accuracy and accounted for 15 or 20 deer and 50 or 60 hogs since then. I have had equal good luck with Remington, Winchester, and Federal nickle plated brass. Although firing a nickle plated 30-30 in a .307 chamber to get a neat looking nickle .307 is too much of a good thing, they look great, but the fire formed .307 case is just too thin to be any good except to set up in your cartridge display.
Good Shooting!
Marcus.

I haven't had any issue with fireforming nickel brass in my .280 AI.

Mike,

I have used nickle-plated brass in my 223 AI, 25-06 AI and 280 AI rifles with no problems at all.

Clearly, your big problem is that your rifle has not been chambered correctly. Not at all! You need to have the barrel set back and rechambered before you do anything else. This is the only way to safely and properly fireform brass using factory spec ammo or brass.

If not that, then you should neck up all your brass to 30 cal and then resize until you can just close the bolt on a resized case with noticeable resistance.

This will not cure the problem of using factory brass in your rifle, but will give you safe ammunition and consistent ignition.

Ted

Thank you all for your input.

I am going to go ahead with the nickel brass.

And the recommendation for necking up to .30 is a great one.

I agree, the proper fix would be to send back the barreled action to set the shoulder back. I even mentioned this common chambering problem to the gunsmith, before they installed the barrel. A commonly known name in firearms too.

Frustrating....

I agree what others have said. Nickel plated brass has never given me a problem I load standard 280 to near max loads and bullets set into L&G's for fireforming. Always works well
Now I use Nosler factory 280AI brass A bit expensive but very, very uniform in all aspects. Great Stuff

I would suggest you send your barreled action back to be fixed. It sure sounds like the chambering is way too deep! Borrow a set of headspace guages and check it!