280ai vs 7mm rem mag?

[RevJim]

I agree Big Time MR! Big Brother added me to the list when I applied for a SSI card at 12 yrs old...1965, ha. It is "almost impossible", in this Present Age to "to stay or get under the radar" for any purpose. I just live life and encourage others to do the same...it is VERY short!

 

[SP101]

The 280 AI would be my first choice for a rebarrel on what you already have. It would be just a straight re barrel with little if any changes to your rifle.

There are many reasons for picking a particular cartridge and comparing one to another is not a good way to decide in my opinion.

Some are interested in the maximum velocity. some are interested in
efficiency (How much powder it takes to drive a certain weight bullet to a desired velocity) some are interested in barrel life, and others are interested in case life. The list goes on and on.

The best way of choosing is to sort all of these requirements out, and decide which is best for your needs.

All cartridges have there strong points and weak points so the choice should be what works best for you, Not what me or someone else says is best. (We all have our opinions).

In comparing the 280 AI to the 7 rem mag, they are very close to the same ballistics.

J E CUSTOM

Well stated post that is suited towards what the op asked.

 

[johnlittletree]

Well I thought you said you do not reload? You can get 7mm Mag from Walmart, K-Mart, Meijers,small town gas station. Also remember that if you hunt outside of the USA most countries require the head stamp to match caliber stamped on the receiver. or barrel. It is hard to find factory ammo in 280/7mm Express and I have never seen a box of any pre-loaded AI ammunition. AI is wasteful and hard on barrels. In hunting he difference between the 280 and the 7mm RM is not that big of a deal when looking at it as a hunter the 270 would work well too.

For the record as well today I mentioned 30-06 AI in a positive light in a very specific application not because my stance has changed but it was relevant to the thread and that is what the guy in the next lane was shooting.

I also recommended a possible wildcat 338 Edge but the OP was very clear about it being used in North America only.

So I do break my own rules when I think it is relevant under very specific instances.

On top of that as I have said in the past if P.O. Ackley where alive today with the powder choices and high ballistic coefficient bullets I am fairly confident he would think a lot of the old AI's where stupid. Diminishing Margin of Return combined with the opportunity cost like your time and barrel life in comparison the performance increase is just not a conversation one can have with a strait face if logic and math rule your world. If emotion and romance rule your world we AI cartridges are prob. your thing. Romance and Food are the few places I surrender to feeling and emotions not math and logic!

Now back when I could buy 50 pieces of 300 Win Mag brass for $16 versus 500 pieces of Lake City pull down 30-06 brass for $24 it made sense to do AI. Today 30-06 or 308 brass are not much cheaper than 300 Win Mag Brass and if you want really good brass from Lapua or Norma you best be ready to burn some money! Combined with shorter case life and it is nonsensical. In fact people would be better off doing what the Army and Navy did with the 300 Win Mag by tossing SAAMI out the window.

Mk 248 MOD 1 is a game changer so long as you ignore convention but are still keen to have an acceptable safety margin.

I tend to laugh when people run with rather anemic loads for the 6.5x55 when no one in High Power 10-20 years ago would even consider running those anemic loads. Same thing for 45-70 if you are shooting a modern gun in 45-70 then those anemic loads everyone tosses about when wanting to put it down again are not very relevant today. Common sense is scarce today on the internet and real world results trounce on the paper tigers over and over again. It is kind of silly to compare an old standard chained down by SAAMI to a cartridge that has no SAAMI standard at all.

I bet most people on here are not aware that the Lever Action 45-70 has been gaining a lot of ground in Africa with guides. Why? The old drilling rifles and bolt actions magnum Mausers are two expensive. They have caliber restrictions and the combo of price, durability, ammo price and availability makes the 45-70 a steal! $12K to 24K for a lot of the older gear in the Nitro Express, Gibbs, Jeffery, Rigby etc....Look at all the Elphants Bell killed with a lowly (1100)7mm Mauser.

 

[Doug Herold]

Well I thought you said you do not reload? You can get 7mm Mag from Walmart, K-Mart, Meijers,small town gas station. Also remember that if you hunt outside of the USA most countries require the head stamp to match caliber stamped on the receiver. or barrel. It is hard to find factory ammo in 280/7mm Express and I have never seen a box of any pre-loaded AI ammunition. AI is wasteful and hard on barrels. In hunting he difference between the 280 and the 7mm RM is not that big of a deal when looking at it as a hunter the 270 would work well too.

DITTO especially on your comment about head stamped brass. This is a problem I am finding with my 6.5Gap 4s. Originally, GA Precision sold Hornady's head stamped brass for the gun... at a reasonable price. Now, I guess, since Hornady has decided to compete in that market with their own "PRC", they are not supplying GA Precision any more with the head stamped brass. I bought some brass for the rifle recently from Copper Creek @ $300 per 100. However, SAUM is stamped on the head — not 6.5Gap4s, which is on the rifle. Enter the problem at the always welcoming Customs Desk. I hunt in Canada most years. This head stamp issue is a real issue for me.
If anyone knows of another supplier of properly head stamped brass, plz let me know.

 

[ruby76]

DITTO especially on your comment about head stamped brass. This is a problem I am finding with my 6.5Gap 4s. Originally, GA Precision sold Hornady's head stamped brass for the gun... at a reasonable price. Now, I guess, since Hornady has decided to compete in that market with their own "PRC", they are not supplying GA Precision any more with the head stamped brass. I bought some brass for the rifle recently from Copper Creek @ $300 per 100. However, SAUM is stamped on the head — not 6.5Gap4s, which is on the rifle. Enter the problem at the always welcoming Customs Desk. I hunt in Canada most years. This head stamp issue is a real issue for me.
If anyone knows of another supplier of properly head stamped brass, plz let me know.

Add saum stamp to your barrel.

 

[rcol317]

I can agree barrel stamp is very important. Went to South Africa few years ago took a 300 RUM. Barrel said 300 RUM and ammo said 300 Rem. Ultra Mag. Rifle and ammo were confiscated and held until I left the country. Was not able to use the rifle. Today the rifle barrel says 300 Remington Ultra Mag. on the barrel.

 

[lancetkenyon]

Well I thought you said you do not reload? You can get 7mm Mag from Walmart, K-Mart, Meijers,small town gas station. Also remember that if you hunt outside of the USA most countries require the head stamp to match caliber stamped on the receiver. or barrel. It is hard to find factory ammo in 280/7mm Express and I have never seen a box of any pre-loaded AI ammunition. AI is wasteful and hard on barrels. In hunting he difference between the 280 and the 7mm RM is not that big of a deal when looking at it as a hunter the 270 would work well too.

Nosler makes a bunch of different factory loaded ammo in .280AI.....Hornady makes some as well.

 

[elkaholic]

Nosler makes a bunch of different factory loaded ammo in .280AI.....Hornady makes some as well.

And if enough of you guys call ADG, they might make it along with my long action Shermans

 

[Doug Herold]

Add saum stamp to your barrel.

Thank you !

 

[ruby76]

Thank you !

Posted by ADG brass:

 

[MudRunner2005]

View attachment 113166

Posted by ADG brass:

I'd much rather have one of these over a 6.5 PRC.

 

[FEENIX]

I would twist the snot out of another 270 tube and rock on.

W

You're going to give somebody a heart attack with that statement.

 

[Buck300]

I have a .270 AI but don't fire-form, I have an accuracy load for .270 Win (2916 FPS with 175 Matrix VLD) and .270 AI (2996 FPS with 175 Matrix VLD). In my .30 LARA, I do hydraulic forming ...


Exotic, novelty, improved, or not, let's not forget this still "long range hunting" site ... just saying.

I have been looking at building a 338 or 300 Sherman this just made my decision really easy since I dont like to shoot/fire form.

 

[Buck300]

Not supposed to forget your ammo. One advantage of the AI is that the parent ammo works fine, if set up properly. So buy .280 Rem and use it in your AI. You are just fire forming some cases.

I picked up 6 boxs of Nosler 280 AI ammo online for $32 dollars a box about 6/7 months ago. Shoots 1/2 -/+ in my rifle.