Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Custom Rifles & Wildcats 270 AI...how fast is it?

Been there and done that........I like the 280AI and dislike the 7mm mag and I've owned a few 7 mags. The belt is a pain, more muzzle blast for very little if any gain with 150gr or lighter bullets, 280AI is easier to keep tuned in cold (hunting) weather. I think the 270AI is interesting though, the new RL-17 powder may get the 270AI into WSM velocity.

Goes to show how we all differ based on experience and perception.I look at the results the boys are getting from their 280AI's and can't escape the logic of the fact that if I want a 7mm 150 gr bullet at 3050,I'll run down to WalMart and buy a box of 150 gr CoreLokts in 7 Rem Mag..... No? The 280AI seems to have gotten a boost from Kenny Jarrett who proclaimed it as the second coming.....one of the reasons I have stayed away from Jarrett rifles notwithstanding their fine accuracy. I can't take seriously, advice from anyone who looks at me with a straight face and tells me an 8 Rem Mag case necked down to 30 caliber(300 Jarrett,or Kong?) offers a significant advantage over a 300 Weatherby......I don't buy rifles or advice on cartridges from snake oil salesmen.Give me the facts.

As to the belt in the 7 RM being a "pain",I can't understand that one either as I've been loading belted cases of various types for 30+ years,still do,and have not noticed all the imaginary difficulties associated with belts.

I am trying my darndest to understand what possible advantage a 280AI has over a 7 RM in cold hunting weather,as I've used the 7RM in temps to well below zero in central Canada and the US(to say nothing of the thousands of rounds I've fired through the cartridge during long New England winters) and the game I've shot has not known that my rifle was somehow out of "tune",and that I would be better prepared to kill them if I used a 280AI vs a 7RM.

I have frankly always regarded any rendition of the "improved"280 (whether the AI or Sundra's creation")as a worthless exercise in ballistic nonsense,offering no practical advantage over a 270 or standard 280.They are something for the boys to play with,which is fine and much of what a lot of handloading and shooting is about.That said, to suggest that the cartridge offers some kind of REAL field advantage, or that it stays in tune better,goes as fast,and works better than a 7 RM is applesauce.

For about 30 years now, through maybe 10-15 7 RM's my standard velocities have been 140's at 3250-3300,150's at 3150-3180,and 160's at 3050-3100.

If you like a 280 AI better than a 7 RM,then I say use what you like,but notions regarding the alleged superiority of the 280AI over the 7 RM remind of something Jack O'Connor wrote,and I may not get it completely right, but it goes something like this:

"I hear it here, I here it there,it sounds so very queer;
But let me tell you here,and now,that BS don't wash here"

Indeed belted bottlenecked cartridges present extra handloading difficulties. The shoulder on an unfired belted round does not come that close to the chamber and it must blow forward on its first firing. This stretches the case at the expansion web and can result in case failure if the subsequent FL sizing die is not set just right.

To get a modern designed case larger 7mm than the 280 Rem is not that easy. Its really too bad that the 7mm WSM never caught on due to its reintroduction. The 7mm RUM is overbore to me.

I have a M70 in 7mm WSM and no longer have a 7mm RM.

I'm a died in the wool .280AI fan. I see it as having several worth the trouble attributes. One advantage is that even with max loads I do not need to full length resize. I simply use a Lee collet die and no lube is needed. I like that. Even after several loadings cases do not need trimming. I like that too. I can push a Nos. 160gr part. nearly 3000fps without torturing cases or rifle. I like that too. That level of performance is close to the great 7mm RM without the recoil. I like that too. Now that Nosler is offering .280AI cases no fire forming is necessary. I like that too. Heck, they even sell loaded ammo. So what's not to like?

Would a 280 AI and a M70 type Featherweight barrel get along? Is there enough metal over that larger shoulder?

Such a rifle might indeed be handy yet have power.

I started this thread and just went out and bought 500 cases and a set of dies for the...7mm Rem Mag...I am going to call it the 280 Ackley Improved Improved Belted(280 A I-squared B). Comments!

........the 7 Rem mag has been around 45+ years;who knows how many million rifles have been made,and used around the world on damn near everything,or head of game have been taken with the cartridge.

But 5-6 years on the Internet,and the 7 Rem Mag has been relegated to the scrap heap as being underpowered,unreliable in cold weather,and so frought with mechanical problems a guy is playing fast and loose to leave home with one.... And, it needs to be replaced by.....a cartridge derived from a cartridge that barely holds on in sales and has had to resurected on more than one ocaission.....TFF!

Some famous riflemen promoted the 7mm Magnums including Bob Hagel and Warren Page. The thinking of some is that the cartridge will get it done but without the heavier recoil of the 300 mags.

Wow, an improved, improved .280AI. I'd realy like that.

super T...don't forget the "belted" designation...just imagine, the 280 Ackley Improved Improved Belted...it sort of rolls off the tongue like 416 Rigby or 375 Holland & Holland...the 280 Ackley Improved Improved Belted!

I must admit that I was bored when I got a reamer (on sale) for the 270 AI. I have hunted sheep and muledeer all over the country and had on occasion to take a few grizzlies and alot of black bears with my ole 270 Win. But my first 270 AI was on a win, 26" pac-nor and crono around 3225'/s. Very accurate. Punched another Winchester 24" barrel (krieger) to AI and got 14" sec slower 3210'/sec with the same load, 140 gr Nosler part. Got another 26" krieger and it sent swift A-frames at 3248'/s. Pretty much settled on 61 gr of Rel 22 or 60 gr of 4831sc. as my hunting loads. I would say that the 270 AI is now one of my favorites (I have 5 of them) . My hunting partner shoots the 280 AI and and loves it. I have had no luck with the short Mags. They seem to always have some sort of problems mostly meeting the published velosities. With the new powders I think the 270AI is a real consideration reguardless what might have been the opinion when these new powders were not avail.. Also the 270AI with a 110 sierra at 3500'/sec is a serious coyote getter. My 270 AI has now accounted for a Rocky Mt Bighorn Ram, a Desert Bighorn Ram, quite a few wild hogs, African plains game, a Thar, and a few big muledeer. Would recommend if someone likes to reload and tinker with their hunting rifles..Good hunting John

Good to see you back 'round, John.

Amazing to me, that folks discount the idea that the .270AI could rock faster than the .270, whilst singing the praises of the .280AI and the .25-06AI......

Anybody that thinks non-belted cartridges don't "blow" the shoulder forward on firing hasn't measured many new cases. A properly chambered belted magnum is no more difficult to load than any other. I did the 280AI thing and now use a plain 280 or bump to a 300wby or down to a 257WBY....

Dave

Savage: Don't know if this answers your question, but Winchester did make the FW contour in 264 Win Mag.Is the AI version larger somehow?

I like the 270 AI idea very much

Can you really get 3025fps using 140 gr bullets safely out of a 22" barrel? Or is this "internet hype"?

Is there a way for one of you to use a quickload or software program to see what might be the results?

Thank you.

If you have a .277 barrel and bullets laying aroung why not look at the .270 Allen Mag or .270 Weatherby?

I would still love an answer to this? Thank you!

For my line of thought Ackley's are purely the advantage of the handloader that likes to reload and squeak even minor gains from what he shoots. The speed gains are low but you do get to run a max load of the standard cartridge. What it came down for me over the 7mm mag was. Less powder, no trimming, less sizing, less muzzle blast and less kick. another thing to think about when we quote ackleys book is the availability of powders he had. The hand loader today has a much better selection of specialized powders then P.O had back in the day. I bet he would have giving a leg to get his hands on some RE22.

All that said its your rifle. If you like the 270AI rock it. I bet it will kill just as much game as any other sub .375 cal out there.