280 AI long range accubonds

Has anyone noticed any difference in performance on game between the long range AB and the original Accubond? Going to be using a 280ai. 26" tube. Also any load data or advice would be helpful this is my first 280ai. Deer, coyotes are the game here 400-500 yards max. Thank you.

Couch11b said:

Has anyone noticed any difference in performance on game between the long range AB and the original Accubond? Going to be using a 280ai. 26" tube. Also any load data or advice would be helpful this is my first 280ai. Deer, coyotes are the game here 400-500 yards max. Thank you.

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I don't have any help here but I WISH I had started with the 280AI years ago.

I had choice of 35 Whelan, 30-06 and 280AI. I chose the 30-06 and forever wondered what would have been.

Good luck!

I killed a moose at 250+ yards two years ago. Double lung pass thru, dead within 40yds.

I have killed deer with regular 140 Accubonds and 150 Long range Accubonds both out of a 280 Rem. My experience is the LR Accubond opens up more. I have never recovered a bullet from either, but the deer reacted quicker with the LA Accubond.

We've killed 19 elk with the ABLR since it came out, many of those with the 150gr from a 280rem out to 630 yards. I have watched all of them drop within a few steps of being shot, also took many deer and antelope with them 50 to 600 yards all DRT. I shot tons of elk and deer with the AB and partitions before the ABLR came out but they are all we load nowadays, for hunting anyway. Yes at closer ranges they do tend to come apart put they kill like nothing else I've shot.

Thank you everyone for the quick replies looking forward to using the nosler line of bullets in both my 6.5 SAUM and my 280 AI. A good friend of mine discovered a Berger jacket in one of his deer and it was a little disappointing not to say the bergers don't kill just looking for a better alternative

I have no experience in the 280 ai, however I've been using exclusively ABLR and regular accubonds in my 30 calibers for a couple years (longer than that for the regular accubonds) and here's what I have found.

AB Long Range has a thinner wall, making it expand much better at lower velocities, perfect for those longer range kills. In slower cartridges such as the 30-06 which can only push the 210's to 2500-2600, they expand well at any range. With the magnum calibers pushing them 2800+ they work great at range, but inside of 150-200 yards they kill, but they can fall apart, as they're not strong enough to expand and stay intact under high velocity, especially with that of the 300 rum I used to have.

Accubonds (the plain ones) don't have as good of BC, but its definitely not bad, and much tougher. If you're pushing them at velocities out of the muzzle at 3200 fps or something crazy, they will still hold together, although they will lose a fair amount of weight at that velocity, they will be much better in close range.

I dont know what velocities you are getting with the 280 ai but if 2800 or lower I would go with the ABLR, if 2900 or higher I would stick with the regular accubonds, that is if you don't plan on shooting longer than 500.

I have killed elk & deer from 75 - 480 with 175gr ABLR out of my 7mm rem mag. I shot a very large bodied bull this year at 480. The bull was slightly quartering, I hit him about 1/3 of the way back the rid cage. At he shot he lunged forward and just stood there wobbling, as i was pulling the trigger on the follow up shot he fell out of the scope. Shot a cow at 200 & she dropped like a stone. I did have to shoot a bull 4 times that I can not explain because he was hit in the liver & double lunged. That was at 365.

I took my 280AI to Africa with 160AB. Perfect on game from 50 to 500lbs. Most accurate with IMR4831. Great in the wind but a little heavy for a yote I think. 120g boat tails can be very accurate, faster and deadly to 1000yds on any yote. Hell I just shot one in the yard at 40 yards with standard velocity .22. He did run, 10 feet DRT.

Shot two deer and a nice bull with 175 ABLR, 7RM at 2890. The bull was completely broadsided at 500, hit POA just behind shoulder. Bullet retain 90 grains and was sitting between hide and rib cage. Upper half of both lungs were jello, Bull went 30 yards. Both deer had massive damage, I will run the same load in South Africa this year.

X2 on imr 4831 being an accurate load with the 160 accubond. .3 at 100 yds

Couch11b said:

Has anyone noticed any difference in performance on game between the long range AB and the original Accubond? Going to be using a 280ai. 26" tube. Also any load data or advice would be helpful this is my first 280ai. Deer, coyotes are the game here 400-500 yards max. Thank you.

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One of my 280AI's loves the 160G Accubonds. Awesome terminal results on deer and coyotes (who occasionally appear while I'm deer hunting). Both IMR4831 and H4831 work great with this bullet. I did try the long range AB's at the range but never made the switch over and thus can't comment of terminal efficiency. I have read they do have a thinner jacket as someone else mentioned.

Far left is a 7mm 168 grain lrab. Middle is 6.5 140 berger. Far right is 7mm 160 grain accubond. All were pulled from elk just against the offside hide from broadside shots

Couch11b said:

Has anyone noticed any difference in performance on game between the long range AB and the original Accubond? Going to be using a 280ai. 26" tube. Also any load data or advice would be helpful this is my first 280ai. Deer, coyotes are the game here 400-500 yards max. Thank you.

Click to expand...

The LRAB are much more explosive at high speed than the original Accubind. They really are designed for impacts beyond the standard 300-400yds mas that most hunting bullets are designed for.

Due to that the jackets are lighter so that they will open properly at substantially lower velocities than the original accubond.

Up close I'd equate their performance pretty close to the NBT's.