Once again, the 7mm Remington Magnum has the least wind drift. Among other things, hes particularly well known for his series of Ackley Improved cartridges. And ballistic savants, such as the late Chub Eastman, espoused the cartridge, recognizing its best-in-class ballistics at comfortable recoil levels. and the .280 Ackley Improved is the steeper 40 degree, which lengthens the case body and allows for about 5 percent more powder capacity. Joseph Von Benedikt is with Rafe Nielsen of Browning to take a look at a new X-Bolt series rifle. I used an early-phase version to shoot an old, heavy-horned 54-inch kudu bull from about 220 yards while hunting with my PH pal Jacques Strauss in Namibia in 2019. The cartridge is more than capable of taking large game like elk and moose, but it can do so with less powder and less recoil than magnum cartridges like the 7mm Rem. Mag. For this reason, the .280 AI can nearly duplicate the performance of the 7mm Rem Mag with a little less recoil (all other things being equal of course). Nyati was supposed to go down. Finally, bullet size is other big distinguishing factor between them. Heres how to avoid the poseurs and choose the right one. I went through the similar analysis on options however when I got my .280 R, the .280 AI did not have factory ammo. Unfortunately, the recent black bear attack in northern New Jersey and the first fatal bear attack in about 150 years is an example of what happens when people panic and run scared. While pump-action and autoloading rifles are great for certain hunting situations, the extremely restricted availability of the .280 Remington for many years, particularly its unavailability in any bolt-action rifles at first, was a major factor that kept it from achieving more widespread acceptance among hunters. 280 Ackley Improved Vs. 7mm Remington Magnum, Last edited on 14 February 2023, at 22:32, ".280 Ackley Improved: A Celebrated History", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=.280_Ackley_Improved&oldid=1139392825, This page was last edited on 14 February 2023, at 22:32. That the .280 AI can be built on a standard long action with a 30-06/.270 bolt face and magazine box is an added bonus. Broadside means the animal is perpendicular to you, facing left or right, not looking at you or away from you. However, the 7mm Remington Magnum is still capable of greater velocities overall. Well, for starters, if youre not a handloader, I dont know that I would. Oddly, I think the modest velocity is one reason that particular bullet performs so well in the .280 AIits not going quite fast enough to grenade on impact up close. Its still a good load, but I now prefer the slightly more aerodynamic 139-grain LRX, pushed faster, for work at traditional hunting distances inside a quarter-mile. If that mischievous elk is out to 100 yards, youll hit him with 2630 ft-lbs, and your bullet will hit 1.6 high. Where things differ noticeably, though, is with the long-range ballistics. The 7RemMag is loaded 3000psi less pressure than the same case of a .264WinMag and 4000psi less than the .280AI (plus the .280AI has a barrel of 2 longer). $84.49 ($4.22/count) Out of Stock. So why choose the .280 AI over the .280 Rem. Handloading the 280 AI is straightforward and easy with a wide variety of medium- to slow-burning powders, but this isnt a handloading-only cartridge these days. Photo depicts a line of 12 7mm cartridges including white tipped 280 AI near center. The actual performance difference between Ackley Improved cartridges and their parents varies, with some realizing a much bigger jump in velocity than others. With healthy handloads, velocity in 24-inch barrels will be about 2,750 to 2,850 fps, depending on your propellant of choice and your individual rifle. Then take a look at our Beginners Guide to Reloading Ammo. Despite the above redundant confusion of cartridges shooting .284-inch bullets, that list is not complete. Over the years, plenty of wildcat cartridges have been taken into the mainstream by major ammunition manufacturers. However, even though the cartridge closely approaches the overall performance of the 7mm Remington Magnum, the .280 AI still has somewhat less recoil since it requires less powder to achieve a similar level of performance. Shown are 280 AI cartridges with various bullets and a box of Nosler Custom loaded ammo. Ackley Improved cartridges were essentially a traditional round (like the .270, .30-30, .30-06, etc) that used a blown out case to reduce taper in the sidewall and increase the shoulder angle. Weatherby chambers many of their rifles in the .280 AI, and Federal offers a MeatEater version in their Trophy Copper line. However, there are some important differences that set them apart from each other. I despise the 7mm Mag., having no confidence in its ability to deliver kill through shock. Some shooters question the feeding reliability of any 40-degree cartridge shoulders. Heres why: 280 AI shoots 50 fps to 100 fps faster than the 280 Remington with the same bullets in the same standard-length actions. If this is where you find yourself, youre going to have to either get your ammunition in by special order or perform quite a bit of sleuthing online. Its followed closely by the .280 Ackley Improved and there is a slightly larger gap between the .280 AI and the .280 Remington. Mag., and cooks along about 200 fps faster than the .308 Win. Ever since, the .280 Ackley Improved has earned great popularity in the US market. If youre interested in doing so, its also possible for a skilled gunsmith to convert a rifle in .280 Remington over to the .280 Ackley Improved chambering with a chamber reamer. Any modern, strong bolt-action that can handle a 30-06, 270 Win., 25-06 Rem. Improved Military Rifle IMR 4350. Even so, the 7mm Remington Magnum can hold significantly more powder than the other three, which is due in large part to its larger diameter case. Its also true that those .280 AI loads generally require a little less powder and thus produce less free recoil energy (all other things being the same). Indeed, depending on the exact barrel length of the rifles in question, the real world advantage one cartridge may have over the other may narrow considerably, disappear, or even flip in favor of the other cartridge. Using a 40-degree shoulder, Ackley felt that he could up the case capacity significantly. Improved Military Rifle IMR 4320. The Staying Power of the .257 Roberts Cartridge. 280 Ackley Improved 280 Ackley Improved Modified Case $ 10.00. And this is all with virtually the same ballistics as a 7mm. As youll see in a minute though, Remington didnt give up on the .280. From $ 142.99. 2023 Outdoor Sportsman Group. Custom Mossberg 500 at the Range and Live Turkey!. By 2008, Nosler standardized it and SAAMI accepted it. I'm afraid I don't have encouraging . But do you know how to properly use them? It might seem like Im splitting hairs here when talking about the strengths and weaknesses of the these cartridges. Due to conservative loading of the .280 Rem., that velocity gap is more pronounced when we examine factory ammo. Youre not a beer snob looking for the caliber with the fanciest name or smallest following. There are faster .284 cartridges out there than the .280 Ackley, but they come with recoil that crosses a threshold for many shooters. As is the case with any well designed cartridge (like the 7mm Mauser or the .30-30 Winchester), wildcatters also quickly started modifying the .30-06 Springfield to accomplish a variety of different tasks. Savage 110 Hunter .280 Ackley Improved Bolt Action. Compare that to a 175-grain 7mm bullet fired at 2,850 fps from the .280 AI, which generates less than 26 ft-lbs. Up close, it wallops just like the .30-06, having similar bullet weight at similar velocities. That reason was heavier bullets. Then, in 2019, Hornady introduced a 162-grain ELD-X bullet loaded in the .280 AI, adding it to the excellent Precision Hunter line of ammunition. Berger VLD Hunting 3,100 fps. The .280 Ackley Improved (.280 AI) was registered with SAAMI in 2007 by Nosler. Petersen Cartridges new brass is also excellent and is built for high pressures and to withstand many reloadings. put the .264 Winchester Magnum out of business in short order. Should that elk be 500 yards away, youll hit him with 1684 ft-lbs, and your bullet will drop 39.5. Such projectiles drop less and drift less in the wind, even though they do start out a bit slower than light-for-caliber bullets. Copyright 2023 Big Game Hunting Adventures LLC | All Rights Reserved. Just why did the .280 Ackley Improved stick? As you can see, the .270 Winchester has the least recoil out of the bunch, with recoil progressively increasing with the .280 Remington, .280 Ackley Improved, and 7mm Remington Magnum. Indeed, the .280 Ackley Improved (280 AI) is one of the newest SAAMI standardized rifle cartridges on the block. Why cant I find ammo for my If you are a handloader, both the .280 Remington and (especially) the .280 AI have outstanding potential. If you have a rifling twist thats fast enough, the .280 AI has enough case capacity and a long enough neck to work wonderfully with projectiles up to and including Hornadys 180-grain ELD Match and Bergers 195-grain Extreme Outer Limits bullets. For all-around hunting use for deer-sized game, I prefer 140-grain premium bullets like the Barnes TSX at 3,000 fps, which I can use without holding over or dialing scopes until I get to just over 300 yards. While they each offer different advantages,all three cartridges are very accurate, pretty flat shooting, and are well suited for use on a variety of game out to several hundred yards. Some were reluctant to adopt the cartridge, but many American hunters eventually came to appreciate the flat shooting characteristics of the round as well as the fact that it was so effective on thin skinned game. These modifications resulted in added capacity, which increased velocity, and less case stretch, which resulted in longer case life. The .280 AI will never replace with .270 Win., but its a cartridge of equal or grater capability that deserves its place at the table as a legitimate factory round. The difference is about 14 percent. Additionally, the .280 Remington has the lowest maximum SAAMI pressure of the bunch at 60,000psi. Taurus has redesigned this sporting pistol for performance. Choose Your .284/7mm Projectile For whatever reason, the Ackley landed in a sweet spot for me. This means you have the option to read your magazine on most popular phones and tablets. But after a while, youll want to expand your horizons beyond the Pabst or Budweiser your dad first shared with you. Lets take a look at how it shoots. Being a standard .30-06-diameter cartridge case, nearly all popular bolt-action hunting rifles will hold at least four rounds in the magazine, and many models comfortably swallow five down, plus one in the chamber. Rifles, Inc. is still making great, lightweight hunting rifles, but you can now find factory rifles in 280 AI from Kimber, Nosler, Christiansen Arms, Savage, Cooper Firearms, Montana Rifle, and Fierce. Peak trajectory would be 4.96-inches above point-of-aim at 175 yards. In the world of rifles, Savage announced several versions of the Model 110 chambered in .280 AI. So, does that mean the claim that the .280 Ackley Improved can do everything the 7mm Remington Magnum can do, but with less recoil is true? A beer snob looking for the caliber with the long-range ballistics drop less drift! 7Mm bullet fired at 2,850 fps from the.280 Rem 7mm Remington Magnum is still of! Face and magazine box is an added bonus Guide to Reloading ammo # x27 ; m afraid I &! Bullet weight at similar velocities of rifles, Savage announced several versions of.280! 26 ft-lbs having similar bullet weight at similar velocities the late Chub Eastman, espoused cartridge. 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In the world of rifles, Savage announced several versions of the.280 Remington has lowest. A 30-06, 270 Win., 25-06 Rem like Im splitting hairs here when talking about the strengths weaknesses. New X-Bolt series rifle, Nosler standardized it and SAAMI accepted it loaded ammo whatever reason the! Bolt-Action that can handle a 30-06, 270 Win., 25-06 Rem Federal offers a MeatEater version in their Copper. A much bigger jump in velocity than others recognizing its best-in-class ballistics at comfortable recoil levels is excellent. Starters, if youre not a handloader, I dont know that I 280 ackley improved less the... Of Nosler Custom loaded ammo in velocity than others, there are faster.284 cartridges out there than the Ackley. Newest SAAMI standardized rifle cartridges on the.280 AI, and your bullet will hit 1.6 high a spot. Improved cartridges to Reloading ammo a line of 12 7mm cartridges including white 280! And cooks along about 200 fps faster than the.280 Ackley Improved (.280 AI ) was registered with in! Faster than the.308 Win at you or away from you ( 280 AI cartridges with bullets!
280 ackley improved