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!

Sent from my E6782 using Tapatalk

[coachcw]

Buy a Cooper and don't look back

[2labs]

What stock? Please. Nice rifle.