Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Long Range Hunting 7mm RM vs. 280AI - ABLR

I have a couple 280's and a couple 7mm RM's. But I wanted a long range coyote rifle. I had a 700 action blue printed, a premium varmint weight 26" 7mm barrel that I had chambered in 280AI placed it in a Kevlar stock, after market trigger, heavy recoil lug, target scope - the works...

My 7mm RM is an early 1960's vintage BDL. I loaded some 168 ABLR bullets and the first load shot about 3/5 MOA. But I wanted better and I had I high hopes for the 280 AI...

Today I sot the 280AI:
175 ABLR with RE26 - 1.46" 5 shot group at 104 yards
168 ABLR with RE 26 - 1.815" 5 shot group at 104 yards
150 gr Nosler partitions - 1.28" 5 shot at 82 yards

I was disappointed - to say the least!

Then I had some fire forming loads that I had I thrown together last winter with 150 grain Remington CL's, 140 grain CL's and 154 grain SST's - The CL's shot about 2 to 3 MOA. But the SST's shot into a small hole - about 1/10 MOA. _ I had thrown these loads together using up some old powder I never would otherwise use and I didn't write down the powder, primer or charge weight. I have hopes for that 280AI.

Long story short, I'm looking for your favorite 280AI loads for long range.

I have shot a number of deer and antelope with both the 7mmRM and 280AI.
With both factory rifles and rifles built on my lathe.

I like the 140 gr Nos Bal Tip, Nosler brass, and IMR-4166,


280AI 56.2 gr 4166, 140 gr NBT or AB, 3.34," 67kpsi, 3100 fps

Thanks. I'll try that.

Bugger, you need to stick with one bullet, work up a load instead of trying to hit a home run by just picking a load. Your method is helter skelter at BEST.

If you need help, let me know.

I fully disagree with your analysis. Unless you have a favorite load I don't need your help on anything else. Thank you very much.

I have tried these few loads as a start. Thursday I started shooting rifles early in the morning and didn't take a lunch break until 3:00 in the afternoon. I went back out after lunch and shot until dark. I keep all my targets and record results. If I were to only shoot one rifle and work with one bullet there wouldn't be enough days in the shooting season.

In the evening I analyze and I modify loads. I will often take out 5 or 6 rifles with multiple loads each - a couple days ago it was 8 rifles. I record what works and what does not. Today, it is raining and I am spending time at the reloading bench working with modified loads, sometimes different powders, sometimes different charges.

Those loads I tried with the 280 AI were my first trials with the ABLR's. I have some loads I've tried in the past that I would not call "long range loads" that shot very well. I was not pleased with these first ABLR loads! But I built that rifle for a specific reason. That reason is long range coyotes, nothing else. My reason for asking is to find out what works well for others - hopefully will save time and energy.

You are trying to save time and energy but what you are doing is wasting time and energy with your approach.

My .280 Ackley is very accurate with a near max load of H4831sc. Current load is a 168 Berger VLD at 2,820. 22" barrel.

Good luck in your quest.

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.

Same here. I’m at 59.5gr but I’m shooting moly costed bullets because I had that gun built when moly was still cool....grin

Neither would be my choice for a coyote rifle. Trip em and build a coyote rifle, specially a 243 with 55’s at 4 grand. Makes a great buck load too.

60.6 grains of IMR 7828 with 160 NAB is money in mine.

59 grains 7828 with 155 Federal TLR is money in mine.

I don't think you know what you are talking about.

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.

Okie dokey. Think what you want and continue to waste time and components.

I think Greg knows what he is talking about.

http://forum.accurateshooter.com/

You will never quit learning from guys on this site, many of the best shooters in the World and best gunsmiths in the World are on this site.

My 280 AI likes 140 Nosler BT's and IMR 7828. The powder I have is old and in metal cans and I have two different cans from two different lot numbers and each has the charge weight written on the can that makes this rifle shoot in the .3 group size. I am getting right at 3100 FPS out of mine.
I learned a long time ago, change one thing and one thing only when working loads. If you change more than one, the changes can offset each other and you can miss what you are trying to accomplish.....ymmv

I like 140 Ballistic tips with 64 grains of IMR 4350 in my 7 mags. All are sub inch. I’ve been using this same load for 40 years, used partitions for 25, switched to Ballistic tips when partitions became difficult to obtain. Ballistic tips kill deer, pigs, and Aoudads just as well. Mine are loaded to factory length. I always start at factory length when I get a new rifle.

I agree with Hanco on he bullet choice of 140 gr NBT, but I moved from IMR4350 to H4350 for temp stability and then moved to IMR4166 for temp stability and no Copper fouling.

64 gr IMR 4350 is about 60kpsi.
I run 75 kpsi in 7mmRM and never re use brass.

In Remingtons and A bolts 7 Mags, 65-66g of IMR 4350 with Rem 9 1/2 is a sweet spot in shooting sub 3/8" groups in bedded and bbls floated rifles, touch the lands or back off .005 for these tiny groups...7 mag, saw several savages shoot the same load also, Rem brass all the way around.
If you try jumping the bullets as little as .025, accuracy is shot to hell! Multiple rifles have proved this,140g Nosler ballistic tips.

I had one rifle that shot a single bullet hole with Win brass and a 215 with 65g, while most rifles will like Rem brass with 9 1/2 at 65.5-66g, 140g Nosler ballistic tips.

I had great luck with the same loads with a 140g ttsx jumping the bullet .050 from the lands..

Right!