280 Ackley Improved

[RB]

Looking for input on 280 Ackley Improved thinking of having one built. It would be from a Mauser action. Google searching it appears to be a good caliber and very versatile, and is being factory loaded.

I do not hand load yet, but like most would like to get into it someday. Any thoughts? Anyone have one that likes/dislikes it?

Thanks

[Fungunnin]

Personally I wouldn't build a wild cat unless I was ready to do 100% of the loading myself.
While 280 AI is commercially loaded it isn't a round you can find on every gun counter shelf.

[JimmyHoffa]

Personally I wouldn't build a wild cat unless I was ready to do 100% of the loading myself.
While 280 AI is commercially loaded it isn't a round you can find on every gun counter shelf.

When the hoarders and panic buyers clear the shelves for years at a time, I seem to see the odd cartridges more often than the common ones (the rarer the round, the longer it lasts).  It was .223, .308, .270, 30-06 that I couldn't find; but still were stacks of .243 WSSM or .325 WSM.  Still haven't seen .22 LR and it is probably the most commonly owned firearm in the country.

[Fungunnin]

True to some degree but I like knowing that if for some reason I get to camp one year and realize that I forgot enough ammo I like knowing that I can go into a general store in almost any town and find a box of 06 or 300 WM or 270

[theleo]

I have one and love it! But I'm a hand loader and if I was in your shoes I'd pass on it. Yes, it's a great round and is very versatile (it splits the difference between a 280 rem and the 7mm rem mag), and yes it's commercially loaded, but that commercial ammo has a VERY limited amount of variety, and what is out there is pretty expensive. If I were in your shoes I'd either go with a 7 mag or a 280 rem. I myself would just hate to get a custom rifle built and find out it didn't like one of the handful of factory loads (to my knowledge only Nosler is loading for it) or the one it did like I wouldn't want to use. It's a great cartridge but is still mainly a hand loaders round.

[theleo]

True to some degree but I like knowing that if for some reason I get to camp one year and realize that I forgot enough ammo I like knowing that I can go into a general store in almost any town and find a box of 06 or 300 WM or 270

That's the beauty of the Ackley rounds, you can still shoot the factory rounds. 280ai shoots 280 rem just fine, 30-06ai shoots 30-06, 257rob ai shoots 257 Roberts shells.... but if you don't hand load you are not going to see their full potential.

[CaNINE]

If I had to choose only one cartridge it would be the 280AI.  You need to handload to take advantage of the cartridges full potential.   

[mountainman]

True to some degree but I like knowing that if for some reason I get to camp one year and realize that I forgot enough ammo I like knowing that I can go into a general store in almost any town and find a box of 06 or 300 WM or 270

That's the beauty of the Ackley rounds, you can still shoot the factory rounds. 280ai shoots 280 rem just fine, 30-06ai shoots 30-06, 257rob ai shoots 257 Roberts shells.... but if you don't hand load you are not going to see their full potential.

[bobcat]

Great cartridge if you're a reloader, as others have said. You don't want to shoot standard 280 cartridges as you'll be giving up velocity and possibly accuracy as well. I would go with the 280 Ackley only if you begin reloading at the same time. Otherwise, just go with the standard 280. The Ackley Improved really isn't that much of an improvement anyway. 100 feet per second isn't a real big deal.

[high country]

That is one of the better ai's ever built.

[coachcw]

I have a Cooper in 280 ai. Running the nosler 150 lrabs nosler offers a good load  even if you don't reload .

[coachcw]

You will love it.

[grundy53]

I have a Cooper in 280 ai. Running the nosler 150 lrabs nosler offers a good load  even if you don't reload .

Beautiful rifle and great sweat shirt!

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[coachcw]

Buy a Cooper and don't look back

[2labs]

What stock? Please. Nice rifle.

[RB]

Awesome feedback appreciate guys. I will most likely never give up my 30-06, or any other standard cartridge, just always wanted a "custom" rifle that I could buy factory ammo then set up for hand loads later. I like Nosler and would use the best round I could find for the 280AI.

 

[coachcw]

What stock? Please. Nice rifle.

thats a factory cooper stock

[coachcw]

Excalibur 52 synthetic Kevlar  stock

[coachcw]

Added a picitiny rail and extreme bipod. T

[coachcw]

The reality is you can build a custum ... but there are many very fine semi custum box rifles that will shoot with them .

[jdb]

Coach that's a great rifle! Now how bout pictures of that bronco!

[fair-chase]

Coach that's a great rifle! Now how bout pictures of that bronco!

  

[Dan-o]

If you don't reload, wouldn't you be better served with a 7MM Rem Mag?

I'd worry about ammo availability in the future.   Chamberings come and go.... I'd be worried that 280 AI factory ammo goes the way of the Dodo bird.

 

P.S.   Coach, that is one BEAUTIFUL rifle.

[RB]

If you don't reload, wouldn't you be better served with a 7MM Rem Mag?

I'd worry about ammo availability in the future.   Chamberings come and go.... I'd be worried that 280 AI factory ammo goes the way of the Dodo bird.

 

P.S.   Coach, that is one BEAUTIFUL rifle.




Never thought about a 7mm am leaning away from belted magnums. The Mauser action I have I don't believe I could have a belted magnum built. The 280ai looks good on charts and is based off a cartridge I can shoot well. I have a 300 win mag and do decent at the bench but do better in the field with my 30-06. Like stated earlier will not give up the standard cartridge.

Rifles are like good whisky it is nice to have more than one flavor

[Bill W]

I don't know about the commercial Mauser actions but I would stay away from the military actions.   I wouldn't think the military actions are as accurate as commercial ones as they weren't made with the same tolerances.

If it was me and I wanted something in the .280AI range and didn't want to reload I'd go with a 7mm Remington.   

Actually I'd go with a factory rifle rather than a "custom" built on a military action.   I had a 1917 Enfield action once I got in trade.  I wanted a .280 Remington.  I could have bought a factory rifle back then for $289 wholesale.  By the time I quit I had $500 in the .280 on an Enfield action and I didn't even have the stock finished.  It did shoot under an inch with the first test group.  Cloward did the metal work and the chambering.

[RB]

Hmmm good food for thought Bill W, yes it is an old military Mauser action. Maybe I should check the felt recoil chart again and look at the 7mm.

[coachcw]

You might look at er shaw rifles . They are cost effective  and  work off the savage action plus there page is fun to play with.

[RB]

You might look at er shaw rifles . They are cost effective  and  work off the savage action plus there page is fun to play with.

Never heard of ER Shaw where are they located? Benchmark is literally in my backyard so I would most likely have them do work for me. Just looked at a chart that had 7mm Remington Mag at just slightly less felt recoil with 140 grain than a 30-06 with 165 grain.

I guess my biggest question is at longer distance which will have more knock down the 30-06, 280AI, or 7mm Mag?

I know the shooter (me) has a lot to do with the equation which rifle can I shoot better in all situations, but from a bench out to 400 yards which will be the most consistent?

[Bill W]

The more accurate gun would be the most consistent!

The two 7's will have the flatter trajectory but the .30-06 with a 150-165 won't be far behind.

[arrowflinger]

I love my 280AI... It has a Benchmark barrel on a Savage action. It shoots lights out. I use the factory Nosler 140 AB ammo. Has taken deer out to 550 yards.


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[RB]

Wow nice rifle! 

[Taco280AI]

[RB]

Nice rifle Taco! Which action is your rifle built off of?

[Biggerhammer]

The action looks to be about as Remington 700 as it gets.

[Taco280AI]

 

Trued 700 with a fluted bolt, Broughton barrel, Timney trigger, McMillan stock. That rifle is far better than I am shooting a fixed 6x scope.

[theleo]

You might look at er shaw rifles . They are cost effective  and  work off the savage action plus there page is fun to play with.

Never heard of ER Shaw where are they located? Benchmark is literally in my backyard so I would most likely have them do work for me. Just looked at a chart that had 7mm Remington Mag at just slightly less felt recoil with 140 grain than a 30-06 with 165 grain.

I guess my biggest question is at longer distance which will have more knock down the 30-06, 280AI, or 7mm Mag?

I know the shooter (me) has a lot to do with the equation which rifle can I shoot better in all situations, but from a bench out to 400 yards which will be the most consistent?

The 7mm will always have more knockdown than the 280ai, it simply has more powder capacity. Some will say there 280ai is just as fast as a 7mm but to do that they have to run their 280ai's at a higher pressure than a 7mm.

As to which is more consistent, that would really be splitting hairs. There was a chart at one point from one of the bullet manufacturers in regards to inherent accuracy of cartridges. Essentially, shorter and fatter cartridges are more effecient and burn  powder more consistently. There is nothing set in stone as to what rifle is more accurate than another. Cooper sends those targets with nice little groups with all their rifles, not just 280ai's.

[Biggerhammer]

That's why there are horse races and we don't all have the same horse!

They all have their place, it's all Persenal preference.  I like fast cartridges along with super magnums but have no problem getting it done with the 6.5 Grendel or 6x6.8 SPC. I grew bored with factory offerings a long time ago. Then I grew bored with your basic wildcats and decided to tinker with my own and a good reamer maker helped.

I prefer to hunt with a different or several different chamberings ever year. One year it may be a .375 260gr Accubond at 3050fps the next a 6mm 90gr Accubond at 3000fps. It's what works for me.

One thing I do know Yorke is making me crazy with that .338-.408!!! I'm going to have to build one!!

[RB]

Bigger hammer that is kinda what I am getting at. It's like having an old car, truck, or boat and wanting to tinker with it. What can I do now? Add a new motor, lift it, add a winch, tires, the list goes on.

I could go buy a model 94 30-30 and kill Deer the rest of my life with it, or I could tinker and have a really cool custom rifle. The end result is the same, the Deer won't know the difference! 

[Bill W]

Bigger hammer that is kinda what I am getting at. It's like having an old car, truck, or boat and wanting to tinker with it. What can I do now? Add a new motor, lift it, add a winch, tires, the list goes on.

I could go buy a model 94 30-30 and kill Deer the rest of my life with it, or I could tinker and have a really cool custom rifle. The end result is the same, the Deer won't know the difference! 

In the 80's I had the itch for a spiffy, shiny over and under shotgun.   I bought a Winchester 101 Pigeon grade trap gun. I don't shoot league trap anymore but I do like looking at that gun.

Good luck with your purchase.

[addicted]

Get a barrel with a tight twist so you can run a 180/190 grain bullet.  If you are shooting 150 grains and under anyways... you are just hotroding a 7-08 which also usually has the rate of twist "issue".  Silly American cartridges.  We should have just taken the 7x64 Brenneke home and been happy.

[RB]

Get a barrel with a tight twist so you can run a 180/190 grain bullet.  If you are shooting 150 grains and under anyways... you are just hotroding a 7-08 which also usually has the rate of twist "issue".  Silly American cartridges.  We should have just taken the 7x64 Brenneke home and been happy.

7x64 Brenneke? Never even heard of that caliber what is the origin of that caliber? I have seen the 7mm-08 around quite a bit though.

[Bill W]

Get a barrel with a tight twist so you can run a 180/190 grain bullet.  If you are shooting 150 grains and under anyways... you are just hotroding a 7-08 which also usually has the rate of twist "issue".  Silly American cartridges.  We should have just taken the 7x64 Brenneke home and been happy.

I would have suggested another blast from the past, the .256 Newton.

[westsidehntr]

Wait Dustin Ackley improved his BA to .280 in the winter leagues or what?

JK! That's just what pops in my head everytime I see this thread.