Ive taken several whitetail deer with rifles chambered in .300 Blackout. Finally, bullet size is other big distinguishing factor between them. For this reason, the .280 AI is best suited for handloading. E tips so its ready for CA hunting. Decades ahead of his time in cartridge design, Ackley became a household name for his work, at least among cartridge enthusiasts. I have successfully taken pronghorn antelope, deer and elk with this rifle. The Staying Power of the .257 Roberts Cartridge. Federal Classic Hunter Berger Hybrid Rifle Ammunition.280 Ackley Improved 168 gr BTHP 2800 fps 20/ct. With a completely different lineage than the other three cartridges, the 7mm Remington Magnum has a unique look as well. With typical hunting factory loads, the 7mm Remington Magnum and the .280 Ackley Improved have a slight advantage over the others in this regard with a flatter trajectory and the most resistance to wind drift. but this depends on the maker. Mag. The .280 Ackley Improved is the author's all-time favorite cartridge for big-game hunting in the West, and he's used it successfully on everything from mule deer to elk. 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. To fully-realize the versatility of this cartridge, youll either need to handload or be willing to purchase custom loaded ammunition. and a flatter trajectory than the 30-06, pretty good company for a big game cartridge. For whatever reason, the Ackley landed in a sweet spot for me. As youll see in a minute though, Remington didnt give up on the .280. 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. I'm afraid I don't have encouraging . 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 7mm Rem Mag load above still has about3% more free recoil energy than the faster .280 AI load. Image shows a scopes, block stocked Rifles Ind. $49.99 ($2.50/count) That being said, all four cartridges are generally good options for reloaders. Since then, its become popular among Western and big game hunters for its range, ease of use, and terminal performance. On Wednesday, the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) sent a notice of intent to sue to the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) for alleged violations of the Endangered Species Act (ESA), due to the hunting of gray wolves in Wyomings Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest. Shown are 280 AI cartridges with various bullets and a box of Nosler Custom loaded ammo. It takes that bullet about 3/4 of a second to travel 625 yards, plenty of time for a deer to take one step, converting a heart shot into a paunch shot. Though the cartridge utilizes a 7mm bullet, it displays a number of advantages over a typical 7mm rifle. I decided to start with the Berger classic 168 and 4831. Sign up with your email address to receive news and updates. If not, then you should probably stay away from the .280 Ackley Improved (unless youre fine with just 1-2 brands as factory ammo options) and go with either the .270 or the 7mm Mag. Read on for his take on this Thai-inspired fusion dish. Not only does the .280 AI offer a noticeable ballistic advantage over the .280 Remington, but its also capable of performance nearly on par with the 7mm Remington Magnum. Give a Gift .280 Ackley Improved - Published Manufacturer Loading Data. Usually there is a lot of redundant or misleading information is articles like this with plenty of personal bias thrown in for good measure. Ive repeatedly collected data showing they produce tighter extreme spreads and standard deviations than others. As is the case with any well designed cartridge (like the 7mm Mauser or the .30-30 Winchester), wildcatters also quickly started modifying the .30-06 Springfield to accomplish a variety of different tasks. You can shoot factory 280 Remington loads in the 280 AI chamber to fire-form cases. When you push past this performance level with a 7 mm cartridge, you do so with diminishing returns as far as velocity goes. Both of those cartridges are very capable performers, though neither is as well known or as widely used as the .270 Winchester or 7mm Remington Magnum. In 7mm you can specify 1-8 or 1-9.5 twist rates. Handloaders will find this cartridge to be pretty forgiving and simple to load. is the clear choice. Muzzle energy is about 3,400 ft-lbs. Finally, the .280 Ackley Improved is rocketing to western-hunting stardom. A 150 grain bullet shot from a .280 AI generates a muzzle velocity similar to the .270 Winchester firing a 130 grain bullet. What are your thoughts, though? I meant, of course, a good bear tale where a grizzly or Alaska brown bear got the upper hand and chewed off the hunters scalp. However, there are some important differences that set them apart from each other. Conveniently, the .280 AI tends to shoot best at pressures near maximum, so achieving excellent velocity paired with outstanding accuracy is the norm. The chart below compares how much a 10 mile per hour crosswind impacts those same .270 Winchester, .280 Remington, .280 AI, and 7mm Remington Magnum loads out to 500 yards. I hit the Cape buffalo squarely in the chest with a .375 Holland & Holland, a cartridge the size of a banana. I loved my .280 Rem., though I didnt have much confidence with it beyond 350 yards. Federal Premium TROPHY COPPER .280 Remington Improved 140 grain Trophy Copper Centerfire Rifle Ammunition. Both of those cartridges are very capable performers, though neither is as well known or as widely used as the .270 Winchester or 7mm Remington Magnum. While on the subject of velocity, allow me to point out that the .280 AI really deserves a 24-inch barrel. The .280 Ackley Improved is a bit of an oddball, Ryan Callaghan said. Before we get started, I have an administrative note: Some of the links below are affiliate links. So, when it comes to 7mm versus .280 Ackley Improved, it appears that theres a very clear winner. 1 Single 284/7mm Caliber Projectile From $ 1.00. Savage 110 High Country 280 AI Bolt-Action Rifle with Camo Stock. Still, though, were talking about plenty of force when that bullet does either way. 280 AI Rifle Inc. in a backpack on a glacial moraine. of Israeli Defense Forces, joins David Fortier for an exclusive interview for Shotgun News. Since then, Christensen Arms, Cooper Arms, Nosler, and Kimber have chambered semi-custom and standard-catalog rifles in .280 AI. 120 gr. Joseph Von Benedikt is with Rafe Nielsen of Browning to take a look at a new X-Bolt series rifle. They eventually chose the bolt action 1903 Springfield rifle chambered in the new .30-06 Springfield cartridge. Nyati was supposed to go down. Those bullets are much more resistant to wind drift and retain much more energy as they travel down range. However, the brass is then fireformed to .280 AI after doing so, which is yet another reason why its a good idea to handload if you like the .280 AI. Lets pause and take a look at why the 7mm/.284 bore diameter is significant. Mag. Perhaps this deadly attack might not have happened if the young hiker had been more knowledgeable about the dangers of encountering a wild animal. 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. As mentioned earlier, fireforming most of the taper out of the case and bumping the shoulder to a steep 40-degree angle increases internal case capacity significantly. In fact, the bull trotted off with his buddies. A technician friend at Barnes used this bullet right after it was introduced for a once-in-a-lifetime free-range bison hunt in Utah and shot a large, old bull right at 600 yards with his .280 AI rifle. 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 All Rights Reserved. Can the .280 AI really live up to the claim made by some that it can do everything the 7mm Mag can do, but with less recoil? Long Range Hunting & Shooting .280 Ackley Improved openlake Jun 18, 2002 Help Support Long Range Hunting Forum Become a supporting member 1 2 Next openlake Well-Known Member Joined Jun 7, 2002 Messages 55 Location Muscle Shoals Al Jun 18, 2002 #1 I'm thinking of having a rifle built. Any good gunsmith should be able to handle this. Another great caliber that is hard to find accurate factory ammo for - we have experience with this caliber and our house loads are hard to beat! 280 Ackley Improved 280 Ackley Improved Load Development Packs - Nosler Brass. As far as deer cartridges go, the .280 Ackley Improved (AI) is not as well known as . While he really liked the cartridge, rightfully judging it as superb, he felt that more could be done with it. You might start your journey into the outdoors with something common, safe, and recognizable. Mag. Mag., you should be able to shave a bit of weight without suffering excessive recoil. Its followed closely by the .280 Ackley Improved and there is a slightly larger gap between the .280 AI and the .280 Remington. This undoubtedly has an impact on bullet velocities. actually preceded it by 18 years. He's even used it on African plains game. Head to Head: .280 Ackley Improved vs. 7mm Rem. Do you primarily hunt medium sized game like deer,feral hogs, or black bear at ranges within 200 yards? The actual performance difference between Ackley Improved cartridges and their parents varies, with some realizing a much bigger jump in velocity than others. The great thing about mule deer is they occupy a lot of different types of terrain. During many of those critical early years, the cartridge was only available in the Model 742 autoloader. Who knew wild turkey's were so stupid!? 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. 280 Ackley Improved 280 Ackley Improved 120gr Barnes TTSX. Lets take a look at how it shoots. However, the management at Remington gave the .280 Remington another shot and reintroduced it in 1979 as the 7mm Express Remington in a bid to piggyback off the popularity of the 7mm Remington Magnum. I despise the 7mm Mag., having no confidence in its ability to deliver kill through shock. Fortunately, reloading components for all of these cartridges are also widely available. The .280 gets significantly more passthroughs than the .270 and it just seems to kill better. Like the (copycat?) Lighter and tougher and more precise than ever, it's the perfect back country hunting rifle. If you are a handloader, both the .280 Remington and (especially) the .280 AI have outstanding potential. Ive also had superb results with Bergers 168-grain VLD Hunting. There may be others. So, does that mean the claim that the .280 Ackley Improved can do everything the 7mm Remington Magnum can do, but with less recoil is true? However, the fact that its still hanging around even after experiencing a bunch of marketing fumbles from corporate management is a testament to the inherent strengths of the .280 Remington. This very likely hampered adoption of the cartridge to a certain degree. 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. 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 original .270 Winchester load shot a 130 grain bullet at a velocity of 3,140 feet per second (2,846 ft-lbs of energy). Naturally, many whitetail deer hunters choose this iconic Western big game animal for an out-of-state hunt. The 280 AI gives you heavier bullet options than the .270 Win. For example, lowered recoil, less muzzle blast, more cartridges per magazine box, and longer barrel life are all advantages that a .280 Ackley Improved rifle has over a rifle that is shooting 7mm. 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