H4350 in a 280AI.

DustThroughaFan · Dec 9, 2024

I do some reloading for a close friend of mine for two of his hunting rifles. A 300winmag shooting 178 eld-x, and a 280AI shooting the 150 eld-x.

He's got 8lbs of H4350 invested in the winmag so I'm trying to find a starting point to try it in his 280AI.

In his 280AI I was using H4831 with the 150 eld-x but that's about gone and I'm curious if anyone has had good results with H4350 and the 150-160gr class of bullets.

I mention the 160's because I'm thinking about trying the 162 eld-x. No joke, he has probably killed over a hundred animals with this rifle and the 150 eld-x combo but never gets a pass through. He's killed everything from whitetail to oryx and nilgai.

He hunts south Texas primarily and has mentioned he'd rather get a pass through for tracking purposes several times so I'm thinking about moving him to the 162. That said, they usually don't make it far when hit with the 150.

So, anybody got any H4350 280AI recipes they'd like to share ?

Dmagna · Dec 9, 2024

I usually use a little slower powder than h4350 in the 280ai. But I did some shooting with H4350 and the 150 and 162. My barrel has a crazy long throat so I am able to have 100% case fill so I use n565.

But with the 162 I would start at 52 grains and work up. Then with the 150 I would start at 52-53 then work up. I have had 3 280ai and all of them have been great but powder charges can go pretty high.

DustThroughaFan · Dec 9, 2024

Dmagna said:
I usually use a little slower powder than h4350 in the 280ai. But I did some shooting with H4350 and the 150 and 162. My barrel has a crazy long throat so I am able to have 100% case fill so I use n565.

But with the 162 I would start at 52 grains and work up. Then with the 150 I would start at 52-53 then work up. I have had 3 280ai and all of them have been great but powder charges can go pretty high.

This is the only 280AI I've ever loaded for and I agree with you on the slower powders.

I prefer a slower powder in a winmag also but my grandfather's pet load for his winmag was a 180gr sierra spbt using imr 4350. Another friend of mine uses H4350 in his winmag religiously with bullets up to 225gr. His 225 eldm load shoots .3's and has single digit sd's!

So I figured I'd give it a try in the 280. Thanks for the info!

Frank in the Laurels · Dec 9, 2024

..you couldn't find a better powder than H-4350 for any cartridge based off the tried and true 30/06 casing. I've loaded for everything from 25/06 to 35 Whelan and every diameter in-between and have never found a better power overall...

Varmint Hunter · Dec 9, 2024

Hodgdon Data for 280AI

Bullet: 162 GR. HDY BTSP

Diameter: 0.284"

Case: Nosler

Primer: Winchester LR, Large Rifle

Starting Load

Maximum Load

Availability

Manufacturer

Powder

C.O.L.

Grs.

Vel. (ft/s)

Pressure

Grs.

Vel. (ft/s)

Pressure

Hodgdon

H1000

3.325"

56.8

2,653

52,300 PSI

60.4

2,797

61,300 PSI

Buy Now

Hodgdon

H4831

3.325"

53.0

2,662

54,200 PSI

56.4

2,788

61,400 PSI

Out of Stock

Hodgdon

Hybrid 100V

3.325"

50.0

2,726

52,600 PSI

53.2

2,882

61,400 PSI

Out of Stock

Hodgdon

H4350

3.325"

47.6

2,629

52,900 PSI

50.6

2,755

60,800 PSI

Buy Now

Hodgdon

H414

3.325"

47.0

2,610

52,600 PSI

50.0

2,730

60,300 PSI

Discontinued

Hodgdon

Varget

3.325"

42.6

2,570

54,600 PSI

45.3

2,690

62,000 PSI

Buy Now

Hodgdon

H4895

3.325"

40.9

2,535

53,800 PSI

43.5

2,651

61,400 PSI

HSmithTX · Dec 9, 2024

H4350 will work and work fantastic. That said you are leaving some speed on the table vs H4831, is it enough to matter? To me it's not if I had 8 pounds of 4350 and ran out of 4831. That said I use H4831 lol. The 162 isn't going to get the exit wounds you are looking for, not unless the animal is quite small like south Texas does on a double lung shot or the range is fairly long. It's an explosive bullet when it hits with much speed left, I'd guess you'd need 400+ yards before you can predict getting an exit wound.

Varmint Hunter · Dec 9, 2024

Shoot a mono-metal bullet and you will get exits almost 100% of the time on whitetails.

DustThroughaFan · Dec 9, 2024

Varmint Hunter said:
Shoot a mono-metal bullet and you will get exits almost 100% of the time on whitetails.

I thought about loading him some of the 160cx and just not telling him lol. He's hung up something serious on that eld-x.

cajun · Dec 9, 2024

You can use it but it will be slower than H4831. The hogdon data looks slow. QL says 2850 and 2900 for H4831. Now if you had some R26 thats the ticket. Maybe one of the Vhit powders. I can get 3000 with R26 but running 2950 with the 162.

Axl · Dec 9, 2024

Frank in the Laurels said:
..you couldn't find a better powder than H-4350 for any cartridge based off the tried and true 30/06 casing. I've loaded for everything from 25/06 to 35 Whelan and every diameter in-between and have never found a better power overall...

I have/had 3 -280 AI's. H4831sc was faster and shot smaller than H4350 in all of them.

Varmint Hunter · Dec 9, 2024

DustThroughaFan said:
I thought about loading him some of the 160cx and just not telling him lol. He's hung up something serious on that eld-x.

If the ELD-X isn't getting the job done the way he wants (exits) what's the hang up? At some point we're all going to be shooting monos.

Zeke-BE · Dec 9, 2024

Right!!!! 150 grain shooting out of a 280 AI probably close to 3000 fps. Im shooting 160 TMK 3030fps out of an 280 AI. Thats alot of energy dumping all of its weight at those speeds into the animal instead of just passing on through.

DustThroughaFan · Dec 9, 2024

Zeke-BE said:
Right!!!! 150 grain shooting out of a 280 AI probably close to 3000 fps. Im shooting 160 TMK 3030fps out of an 280 AI. Thats alot of energy dumping all of its weight at those speeds into the animal instead of just passing on through.

do you use the 160 TMK on game, if so, how do you like it ?

Roughrice · Dec 9, 2024

DustThroughaFan said:
I do some reloading for a close friend of mine for two of his hunting rifles. A 300winmag shooting 178 eld-x, and a 280AI shooting the 150 eld-x.

He's got 8lbs of H4350 invested in the winmag so I'm trying to find a starting point to try it in his 280AI.

In his 280AI I was using H4831 with the 150 eld-x but that's about gone and I'm curious if anyone has had good results with H4350 and the 150-160gr class of bullets.

I mention the 160's because I'm thinking about trying the 162 eld-x. No joke, he has probably killed over a hundred animals with this rifle and the 150 eld-x combo but never gets a pass through. He's killed everything from whitetail to oryx and nilgai.

He hunts south Texas primarily and has mentioned he'd rather get a pass through for tracking purposes several times so I'm thinking about moving him to the 162. That said, they usually don't make it far when hit with the 150.

So, anybody got any H4350 280AI recipes they'd like to share ?

I did.
I just checked my notes and have used 55-56 grains of H4350 w/cci 200 under 162 A-MAX at 2890 fps avg.

If he likes 150's and penetration... 150 ABLR or 150 Accubond with H4350 will make him a happy hunter!

H4350 in a 280AI.

DustThroughaFan

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Dmagna

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DustThroughaFan

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Frank in the Laurels

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Varmint Hunter

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HSmithTX

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Varmint Hunter

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DustThroughaFan

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cajun

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Axl

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Varmint Hunter

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Zeke-BE

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DustThroughaFan

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Roughrice

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