Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles 280 Ackley vs 7 Rem Mag

Ding, ding, ding....we have a winner........ grin

Ain't that the beauty of running a smaller case at higher pressure...:)

Jarrett has NOTHING on Borden that's for sure. I should have said Kenny did more to pimp/popularize the 280 AI than probably anyone else. And of course the gunrags did much to pimp his rifles back in the 80's. Lots of talented gunsmiths out there making SS synthetics on custom actions for much less than Jarrett cult members dole out.

If you're getting equal velocities from the .280AI and 7RM with equal pressures and equal length tubes, I'd blame the difference in velocity on the tubes, not the cartridges.

I have two 280AI's and two 7RM's. The AI's have 24" Krieger barrels and were chambered with the same reamer. Each get 2950fps or so with 160gr bullets without torturing my guns or cases. The 7RM are different. One is a stock Remington M700 it gets almost the same velocity as the AI's, even when I lean hard on the powder measure. The other 7RM has a 26" Hart barrel and with the same loads as the Remington gets almost 3100fps. with the 160gr. bullets. I have killed bull elk with each rifle. If there is some differance in killing power I never saw it. I seldom hunt with the 7RM's anymore because the Hart barreled rifle, while a very accurate gun weighs almost 10lbs all up and I loaned the Remington to a son-in-law which likely means I'll never see it again. No matter because the 280AI's are just what the doctor ordered for a hard core gun crazy like me. Just like many of you the 280AI's allow me to obsess over things that really don't matter. If it was just about getting the job done, I'd use a 30.06 and be done with it.

Funny how the answers are all over the place.

My 24" tube 7mm rem mag spits 140 partitons at 3350 fps. Kenny told me the 7STW wouldn't do any faster so don't send it to have him rechamber it. This was about 1985-87 when the STW was new, and Kenny was the only guy I found that would rechamber my 7mag, everyone else wanted to set the barrel back or sell me a new barrel.

Anyone have a 280 AI do the same with a 24" tube?

I see all the attitude about your choice being better or as good, but haven't seen any chronograph #'s for the ackley to make me sell my 7 mag... or my 7mm express rem, or my 7x57...or....7 int-r, 7tcu......

Allen

No as a matter of fact.

I owned two differ 280 AI's and could never get past 3,150 with a 140.

The 7 mag did get 3,350.

Like what was said before, pressure for pressure, there is not an 06 based case that can get within 200 fps of a magnum case.

SU: I have a #2 Kreiger in the safe.Should I barrel up to 280AI and find out what all the fuss is about?

I guess the question of the day then is: Would you carry a 6 lb, scoped 7 mag over a 6 lb scoped 280AI for the 200 fps difference?

And, they shoot the AI in a 26 inch barrel while the 7mag is in a 24. Go figure.

For that one spot in Kansas I watched last year for Godzilla, yeah I sure would.

Everywhere else --nope.

Gotta use a 26" barrel on the AI, to burn that extra 5 grains of powder loaded over the standard .280....

Now that is a good question.

No, I personally don't pack magnum contour barrels anymore.

I have those .65 contours turned down to .57.

All jocularity aside, personally speaking: I would not put a 7 mag in a six pound all up rifle were I having one built...

The RI I have is 6# all up. Its a 280 24" and if I did it again it would be an AI, because you no longer have to monkey around forming brass--you can buy it from Nosler. You pick up 50fps for nothing.

That and the M-70 7mag at 7.5 all up give me about the same level of abuse and that is plenty for me in rifles I like to shoot frequently.

The contours on both are similar at .610-625 respectively, both 24"

Redundant ain't it?

If I was to venture a guess, your 2 280AI`s were factory rechambers, and the 7 Mag a custom tube. How close is the old man?

Really and what would that velocity be?

LOL! I can appreciate that.

Actually all 3 tubes were made by Paul Marquart. The 280's were
.550's with the 7 going .580.

I dug a lot of flagstone out of the ground to pay for those things! $10.00 a ton.

With my rifles the 280 is in a longer faster barrel than the 7RM which is about shot. So I would give the RM 50-150fps advantage with equal barrels and pressures..

What loads do you use to get 3,350 with the 140s in the RM? I stopped at 3200 which is where I am at with the 280 Imp. though at higher pressures probably.

Gun- 7mm rem mag, purchased when Remington sold barreled actions probably 1985. Came in as an ADL.

Not sure on brass used, will check tonight. 74.5 grains IMR 7828. Load developed in ~1986 using nosler partition seconds with the groove cut around the waste. Supposably they were over-runs from maybe Weatherby? Purchased directly thru their Gal that answered the phone.

I backed down to 74.0 for hunting, as the 74.5 was a little much for 100 degree days, and I figured the 25 fps less would be safer in the field. I fired the 74.5 in one case, reloaded 5 times w/o any signs of loose primer pocket or web stretching.

Allen

139 Gr Hornady 71.4 Gr of H4831 MV 3400 fps look it up in Hornady Vol II. It gets there and I don't see any 280AI going there.