The .280 AI also has a less tapered case than the .280 Remington and the .270 Winchester. However, there are some important differences that set them apart from each other. Data shown in the sixth edition of the Nosler . Oddly, I think the modest velocity is one reason that particular bullet performs so well in the .280 AIits not going quite fast enough to grenade on impact up close. They are all fine cartridges, as your article points out; and given the factory data given, there is little to choose between them for medium sized game. | During my tenure at Outdoor Life, I learned very quickly that our readers had a true love affair with bears, especially rogue grizzlies. The SAAMI spec 280 Ackley Improved chamber is .014 inches shorter at the datum line headspace dimension than the traditionally accepted wildcat chamber spec as previously produced. If you are a handloader though, the choice is a no-brainer. Heres what some of todays the 7mms look like from weakest (slowest) to strongest (fastest.) Therefore, less ejecta equals less kick. So why choose the .280 AI over the .280 Rem. On the other end of the spectrum, for a lightweight, tough bullet pushed fast, I really like Barness 139-grain LRX. If barrel length and chamber pressure are equal, the .280 Ackley Improved is about 100 fps faster with all bullet weights than the standard .280 Remington. Handloaders will find this cartridge to be pretty forgiving and simple to load. Even though there are at least eight different factory loads on the market nowfrom Hornady, Federal, and Nosleras always handloaders can fine-tune accuracy and can often bump up velocity with carefully crafted handloads. All things considered, the .280 Remington had a lot of potential and should have been a big success, but the company made a couple of major blunders when they rolled out the new cartridge. Shooting smaller diameter and (generally) lighter bullets than the other three cartridges, the .270 Winchester has a very flat (though not the flattest) trajectory and the least recoil of the bunch, but also carries the least energy downrange and is the most vulnerable to wind drift. The .280 AI is similar, with 140 grain, 150 grain, and 162 grain bullets being the basically only choices at this time in factory ammo for the cartridge. This means it fits nicely in just about anyones standard-length action and standard bolt face. Access the newest seasons of MeatEater, save content, and join in discussions with the Crew and others in the MeatEater community. All Rights Reserved, Borden's 7mm Rem. Rifle calibers are kind of like craft beer (hear me out). Mag., and cooks along about 200 fps faster than the .308 Win. Run with a trim Ultra Light Arms, Kimber, or Barrett Fieldcraft rifle and youll save mass with a 280 AI over any 7mm magnum. That reason was heavier bullets. The bullet expanded perfectly, penetrated fully, and was recovered against the offside hide. However, even though the cartridge closely approaches the overall performance of the 7mm Remington Magnum, the .280 AI still has somewhat less recoil since it requires less powder to achieve a similar level of performance. 145 gr. 280 AI Rifle Inc. in a backpack on a glacial moraine. E tips so its ready for CA hunting. Then, in 2019, Hornady introduced a 162-grain ELD-X bullet loaded in the .280 AI, adding it to the excellent Precision Hunter line of ammunition. This is because it takes an additional 3.5 grains of powder to produce that additional 50fps of velocity. Mag. The great thing about mule deer is they occupy a lot of different types of terrain. Rounds Per Box: 20 $ 95.99 Add to wishlist Read more Out of Stock: Notify Me 280 Ackley Improved .280 ACKLEY IMPROVED 162 GRAIN Hornady ELD-X~100% HAND-LOADED!! Shaw Custom Barrelssells new barrels in five different contours chambered, crowned, and threaded for your specified action for as little as $160. One of the more recent additions to this list of wildcats gone legitimate is the .280 Ackley Improved. You might start your journey into the outdoors with something common, safe, and recognizable. [3], Loaded with a 150 grain bullet, the .280 AI shot from a 24" barrel gives a muzzle velocity of approximately 3,060 fps, which is about 100 fps faster than a .280 Remington loaded with a bullet of similar weight. Theres only one question: What are you waiting for? The .280 Ackley Improved (.280 AI) was registered with SAAMI in 2007 by Nosler. For those reasons, most 7mm Remington Magnum loads have more energy remaining downrange, a flatter trajectory, and (all other things being equal) will penetrate better than .30-06 Springfield loads using the same weight bullets. As the mathematicians among us know, when you increase diameter, frontal surface area increases exponentially. Being a standard .30-06-diameter cartridge case, nearly all popular bolt-action hunting rifles will hold at least four rounds in the magazine, and many models comfortably swallow five down, plus one in the chamber. By 2007, the .280 Ackley Improved managed to finally be registered with SAAMI by Nosler, cementing its place in the shooters gun cabinet. Factory data has it exiting the muzzle at 2,850 fps, just 90 fps slower than the same bullet in Hornadys 7mm Remington Magnum ammo. The .280 Ackley Improved is a wonderfully accurate cartridge; both factory loads and handloads will produce sub-MOA groups with a number of different bullets. Lets say youre shooting a 140-grain round with a rifle thats zeroed in at 200 yards. All that being said though, since they are all designed to fit in a standard length action rifle, all four cartridges have very similar case and maximum overall lengths. First, they introduced the .280 Remington in their Model 740 autoloader. Additionally, the .280 Remington has the lowest maximum SAAMI pressure of the bunch at 60,000psi. In this article, Im going to do a detailed comparison of the 270 vs 280 Remington vs 280 Ackley Improved vs 7mm Remington Magnum in an effort to answer the above questions and parse out the differences between those four cartridges so you can make an informed decision regarding which one will work best for you. The cartridge is more than capable of taking large game like elk and moose, but it can do so with less powder and less recoil than magnum cartridges like the 7mm Rem. The .270 Winchester, .280 Remington, .280 Ackley Improved, and 7mm Remington Magnum are all great rifle cartridges. Shooters soon began to realize that this cartridge was well worth the money, and ammunition companies caught on too. BUY SOME OF THE BEST 270 WIN HUNTING AMMO HERE, BUY SOME EXCELLENT 280 ACKLEY IMPROVED HUNTING AMMO HERE, BUY SOME QUALITY 7mm REM MAG HUNTING AMMO HERE. Youre not a beer snob looking for the caliber with the fanciest name or smallest following. I hit the Cape buffalo squarely in the chest with a .375 Holland & Holland, a cartridge the size of a banana. . Image shows shoulder/neck area of 280 AI cartridges, emphasizing the 40-degree shoulder angle. Fortunately, there are plenty of options. For ammo, check out Federals 150g Power Shok cartridge. That same rifle can go elk hunting with 160-grain bullets at just under 3,000 fps and 175 grainers still cross the 2,800 fps mark. Mag., both driving 160-grain bullets to nearly identical speeds. Best 270 Ammo For Hunting Elk, Deer, And Other Big Game, Best 7mm Remington Magnum Ammunition For Hunting Deer, Elk, & Other Big Game. A 280 AI can safely fire 280 Remington ammunition, simultaneously fire-forming brass cases to reloadable 280 AI dimensions. Finally, bullet size is other big distinguishing factor between them. It has more puissance than the 6.5 Creedmoor or .270 Win., and in practical terms, it matches the 7mm Rem. I shoot federal 280 150 gn nossler. In addition to all being excellent choices for deer sized game, these cartridges are also suitable for bigger creatures under the right circumstances. Read the articles below if youd like to learn more details about some of the various hunting ammunition choices for the 270 Winchester or 7mm Remington Magnum. Since they can hold more powder, Ackley Improved cartridges are capable of higher velocities than their parent cartridge when loaded with the same weight bullet. The Big Game Hunting Blog is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.ca, Amazon.com.au, and other Amazon stores worldwide. Ive repeatedly collected data showing they produce tighter extreme spreads and standard deviations than others. Using smokeless powder and a 150 grain spitzer bullet fired at a 2,700 feet per second (2,428 ft-lbs of energy), the .30-06 Springfield was a massive leap forward in performance compared to other popular American cartridges used during that era like the.45-70 Government. in a package that gives additional room in the magazine (as the body diameter is smaller), and makes an excellent all-around choice. It has a relatively light recoil for its power and is common in bolt action rifles. It was intact and weighed nearly 100 percent. This item: RCBS .280 Ackley Improved F L Die Set $75.99 RCBS Single Stage Shell Holder, Hardened Shell Holder $12.36 Customers also search Page 280 ackley improved brass 280 ackley improved rcbs 280 remington hornady overall length gauge lee precision reloading case length gauge From the brand Reloading Kits Visit the Store POWDER DISPENSERS 280 Ackley Improved Load Data 120 Grain 140 Grain 150 Grain 160 Grain 168 Grain 175 Grain 185 Grain PRIVACY USE ORDER PROCESSING SERVICE & RETURNS Copyright 2023 NOSLER INC. Here are three of those niche calibers that are wildly underrated and underusedthe pale ales or imperial IPAs of the gun hunting world, if you will. Though the cartridge utilizes a 7mm bullet, it displays a number of advantages over a typical 7mm rifle. For this reason, the .30-06 Springfield was an almost instant success in the civilian market. At this distance, youll hit the elk with 2052 ft-lbs, and your bullet will drop 5.8. Muzzle energy is about 3,400 ft-lbs. But the cartridge wasnt standardized until Nosler released a commercial version of the round in 2007. Make sure to watch till the end. With factory rifles available from Nosler, Kimber, and Cooper, as well as any custom maker with the right reamer, hopefully well see factory ammunition offerings increase. Savage Arms has announced the newest model in its series of straight-pull rifles, the Impulse Driven Hunter. A .280 Remington cartridge fired from a rifle chambered in .280 Ackley Improved will result in a case formed for the latter, which may be used for reloading. Regardless of the cartridge you choose, youll have a gigantic bullet selection consisting of virtually every major style of bullet to choose from like the Barnes TTSX, Berger VLD, the Hornady ELD-X, GMX, InterBond, InterLock, and SST, the Nosler AccuBond, AccuBond Long Range, Ballistic Tip, E-Tip, and Partition, the Remington Core Lokt, the Swift Scirocco and A-Frame, and the Winchester Power Point (just to name a few). And might also be interested in our 6.5 Creedmore vs 308 Winchester comparison, Brass vs Steel Ammo, the 7mm Remington Magnum, Rimfire vs Centerfire, our .5.56 vs .223: A Comparison of Two Rifle Ammo Choices, or our useful Handgun Calibre Guide. All Rights Reserved. On a related note, 7mm bullets offer a bigger, more effective frontal diameter than smaller 6.5mm and 0.277 bullets. Joseph Von Benedikt visits with Aaron Oelger from Hodgdon about the unprecedented demand on the shooting supply industry. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Perhaps this deadly attack might not have happened if the young hiker had been more knowledgeable about the dangers of encountering a wild animal. In 7mm you can specify 1-8 or 1-9.5 twist rates. In the U.S. the first wildly successful commercial 7mm magnum was the 7mm Remington Magnum of 1962, but it wasnt the first U.S. 7mm. Joseph VonBenedikt is with Joel Hodgdon to talk about the improved accuracy and long-range potential of the already reliable Core-Lokt ammo line. Improved Military Rifle IMR 4320. It is only when game the size of Elk and Moose are hunted that almost as good takes on a whole different meaning. Quick View. Recoil is a product of ejecta mass (powder as well as bullet) and velocity. The Staying Power of the .257 Roberts Cartridge. Lets pause and take a look at why the 7mm/.284 bore diameter is significant. Of the two, the .280 Ackley Improved has a little less recoil, but ammo is easier to find for the 7mm Mag. That being said, the .280 AI is clearly a little closer in performance to the 7mm Rem Mag than it is to the .280 Remington. Petersen Cartridges new brass is also excellent and is built for high pressures and to withstand many reloadings. Not surprisingly, pretty much every ammunition manufacturer of note like Barnes, Browning,Federal Premium, Fiocchi, Hornady, Nosler, Remington, Swift, Weatherby, and Winchester(just to name a few) produce a wide variety of ammo for both the .270 Win and the 7mm Rem Mag. 280 Ackley Improved 280 Ackley Improved 120gr Barnes TTSX. Remember: the gap in performance between many .280 Remington, .280 Ackley Improved, and 7mm Remington Magnum loads (especially the latter two) is pretty small. The .270 Winchester, .280 Remington, .280 Ackley Improved, and 7mm Remington Magnum are all wonderfully suited for hunting medium game like mule deer, blacktail deer, whitetail deer, roe deer,fallow deer, pronghorn, and feral hogs. If youve done any degree of shooting in the past with a rifle chambered in .17, you can thank Ackley for his foundational work on the caliber. I'm afraid I don't have encouraging . 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A beer snob looking for the caliber with the fanciest name or smallest following caught on too 200.! Was well worth the money, and website in this browser for the 7mm Mag distinguishing factor between them for. At 60,000psi advantages over a typical 7mm rifle creatures under the right.!, these cartridges are also suitable for bigger creatures under the right circumstances only. Outdoors with something common, safe, and your bullet will drop 5.8 Hodgdon to talk about the accuracy.