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So yeah, I've been reading up pretty heavily on the 280 Ackley Improved, basically a 280 Remington with raised shoulders. Performance is said to be close to the 7mm Remington Magnum, with 1/3 less powder and a slimmer casing (aka more mag capacity).
Only problem is, the only manufacturer who chambers for this round is Nosler, and they're practically semi-custom (with prices to match!).
Does anyone else know of some other rifle makers who chamber for this round?
I don't know of any other manufacturer for the guns.
But ammo is easy.. You just shoot standard 280 ammo in it the 280AI chamber. The brass will fireform to the AI chamber, then you use 280AI dies to make your own loads. ...or, you can find some 280AI brass and roll your own.
Have thought about getting http://ershawbarrels.com/ build me a rifle. Its been a few years but when I checked into it the price wasn't that out of line. Would it not also be possible to take a .280 Rem of your choice and have a good smith cut the chamber? Also the single shot TC encore has aftermarket barrels for this caliber. An example: http://www.bullberry.com/encore.html
Only if the barrel can be turned back to provide the proper crush fit.Quote:
Originally Posted by cephas
Ackley Improved chambers that headspace on the shoulder require a .003" to .004" crush fit depending on the cartridge. You have to turn the barrel back one turn, then rechamber.
Good info knight, thanks. After looking at what's involved with turning the barrel back a full turn, it'd be easier to just put on a new barrel.
I kept thinking I had seen an ad for 280 AI and I finally found it on the back cover of Petersens Hunting.
Kimber is listing the 84L (Classic Select and Montana versions) as being chambered in 280 AI.
Grice's latest sale flyer has the 84L for about $1200 but doesn't list the 280 AI as one of the chamberings. So it might take some digging, but you CAN get one in a standard factory rifle.
Dale
I think Cooper makes a 280ai but they will set you back some.
As posted above fire forming is easy. Just curious, but what has you set on the 280 AI? I gather you want it for hunting large game of various sizes? I know some of the improvements that improving the shoulders adds is negligible in some cases, i.e. 257AI. What percentage of case capacity are you gaining or are you more along the lines of doing this to have something a little different (which is perfectly ok, variety is the spice of life, right?). Also, you can find Bart lien barrel blanks and put it in a 700 action and whatever stock you want. If you look carefully you can have a pretty awesome rifle for allot less then you may think.
Several reasons:Quote:
Originally Posted by animalmother85
1) I like the selection of bullet weights and types that are available in the 7mm caliber. A light 7mm bullet and load can be used for antelope, with the heaviest being able to take down an elk. I consider 7mm to be a remarkably-versatile caliber.
2) Because its ballistic performance approaches that of 7mm Remington Magnum, with 30% less powder, and no need for a belted rim.
3) Because I will only have to buy one rifle (280 Ackley Improved) instead of 2 (280 Remington and 7mm Rem Mag).
Hence why I was giving 280 AI a serious look...
Your reasoning for wanting the rifle seem fair enough. All the traits you are desiring make sense, and while some are small gains or a preference, nothing wrong with it. I'm curious as to why you haven't considered the 7mm WSM. It should give you the performance you're looking for, and possibly even better. It'll still be basically just as efficient in terms of powder, ballistics identical to the 7mm Remington Magnum in most bullet weights, no belted rim, short action (shorter bolt throw, lighter weight, etc) and you will probably have quite a few more choices of rifles chambered in it. I was just curious if you had something against the WSM's.
Still no answer on consideration of the 7mm WSM?
Regarding the 7mm WSM, I suppose it will work, although I don't really need a Magnum cartridge-- I was looking along the lines of 280 Remington and 7x64 Brenneke when I came across the 280 Ackley Improved. My hunting grounds are in a heavily-forested area (hence my current ownership of a 30-30), and was simply looking for a high-velocity bolt-action for the occasional 200-yard field shot.
So, yeah, the 7mm WSM looks like it will work, but is likely overkill.
I understand what you're saying about not needing a magnum cartridge. I was just curious why it hadn't been considered, since there are quite a few rifles chambered in 7mm WSM. To be honest though, the .270 and 280 Remington aren't all that far from "magnum" performance. I mean they take a .30-06 case and load it with a smaller bullet so they can push it at a good clip. There is a bit of difference though. One of the main reasons that I asked though is just because of how efficient the WSM's are. They get the velocity that the traditional magnums do, but without using as much powder. Because this is the case, the WSM's don't suffer from overbore quite the way the traditional magnums do. The 7mm WSM is a bit more overbore than the .300 WSM is though.Quote:
Originally Posted by calypsocoral
For a little 'ol deer at 200 yards, almost anything will work man. Out to 300 yards, you're not going to see a huge amount of drop from any of the calibers of modern centerfire rifles. Most bullets just don't drop more than a couple of inches from 100 to 200 yards, so it's just not a huge concern. Even the wind drift isn't a huge ordeal, although some will obviously have less wind drift than others. I'd say that the .243, .260, 7mm-08, .308, any of those will have plenty of velocity and punch to get the job done at 200 yards. If you want something a little less conventional, there's always fun stuff like the .257 roberts and things like that. Most people don't like to dope their rifles for a shot the way that I do, so I'll talk about maximum point blank range. Even with a 100 yard zero, 200 yards is pretty much always inside of the maximum point blank range of conventional centerfire rifles, on a deer sized animal. Just pick something you like, or already have similar brass for, and go for it. If you can group well at 100 yards under field conditions, 200 yards isn't that big of a deal. I guess some people will say that you should take that with a grain of salt, since it's coming from someone that's killed deer beyond 350 yards. 200 yards isn't anything to sweat if you're prepared.
About the only thing I can add to Tomcat's post is to say don't overlook the 25-06.
I have a 270 Win and sight in 3 inches high at 100 yds. Hold center chest out to 300 yds or so and you've got a dead deer.
Hell, with Hornady Flex tips and some practice, your 30-30 will do 200.
Dale