.280 Ackley Improved & Hornady 162gr ELD-X v.WorkingUpLoad

[TSFineGuns]

I picked up a new Browning X-Bolt Speed in .280AI recently. 24” Barrel with 1:8 Twist. Put a new Leupold VX 6HD 3x18x44 with the TMOA reticle on it.

Purpose for this one is everything from Whitetail to Elk. 50yds+/- out to 500yds+
I bought qty 100 of Nosler Brass and qty 200 of the Hornady ELD-X in 162gr

I have Accurate 4064, Accurate 4350, IMR4064, IMR4350, H4350, H4831SC, & IMR7828SCC

I’ve done a fair bit of searching here and other corners of the internet for loads.

Just finished up 33 rounds with H4831SC. Did groups of three (3) starting at 54gr and working my way up to 59.6gr

54, 55, 55.5, 56, 56.5, 57, 57.5, 58, 58.5, 59, 59.2, 59.4, & 59.6. Last three I did one of each. If no pressure signs, I’ll make a batch of three for each.

Just thought I’d probe the minds here and see if anyone has anything in their records for .280AI & ELD-X (162gr) with any of the other powders I have available.

Appreciate your attention

 

[AckleymanII]

I would find pressure to start, then make a Decision.

I shoot(sorted by ogive length) 175g Nosler long range accubond in fire formed Lapua '06 cases with 56g of IMR 7828 with the fed 210 putting them all in a group in the 2's, 9T bbl, #5 contour, 27" with Gentry brake.

 

[Rtheurer]

280 AI Hart 1:9 NORMA brass. 162gr A MAX then 162 ELD when they switched, I used H4831SC exclusively in the beginning. It shot OK with that combo, upon a suggestion from another shooter i switched to IMR 7828SSC and the groups shrunk in half.
YOur just going to have to get out there and test them.

 

[jkohler]

Rl-23 or 7828ssc with 168 nosler accubonds LR has shot great out of all the ones I’ve built.

 

[TrapperBR549]

I worked up 280AI hunting loads for a custom Brux barrel on a Pre'64 M70 action and on a Christensen Arms carbon barrel. Both preferred 7828 SSC and shot under 3/4" @ 100 yards consistently.

 

[NZ_Fclass]

I had a Mauser some while back that ran on RL-22 for 140g or H1000 for anything larger. For NZ bush, the 162g and 175's performed well.

 

[TSFineGuns]

7828SCC seems to pop up a lot. Glad I have some. I also see RL26 popping up a lot. I don’t have any of that and have not had any luck finding it. I’ll keep an eye out.

I’ll work up some loads with the 7828SSC and report back.

Thanks everyone for the input.

 

[Kurz]

I've had 7828SSC around for quite a while because it will often work when most other powders don't. I found that the full cases, burned cleaner. It worked well in the testing I did for the .280 AI.

Re-26 is superb but the attention it got from reloaders has made in unavailable for 3 years and longer. It might show up this year...

I thought I was going to have to transition to the ELD-X or M because of the Hornady story line. But the 162 gr. AMAX held out long enough for me to obtain a much larger supply. This bullet weight and design is about all you need in the .280 AI case.

Enjoy the process!

 

[WVRJ]

I also have good results with IMR7828SSC.I shoot either the 162 grain ELD's or the 160 grain Tipped Match King when I can find them but they're nowhere to be found as of yet.H4831 and Reloader 22 also work well.Only drawback to 7828 is I have to run compressed loads if I want peak velocity and my Wilson seating die will leave a pretty bad ring on the bullet.I just got a Wilson die for my 6.5 Creedmoor and they have a VLD type seater plug available and it's a much better fit for the 130 grain ELD-M that I shoot in it.Gonna see if they do the same for the 7MM.

 

[TSFineGuns]

Reassuring you've all had good results with IMR7828SCC since I haven't been able to get my hands on RE26. I'll keep an eye out, but I will definitely be working up some rounds this weekend with IMR7828SCC for trials against the rounds with H4831SC.

Again....thanks for all that have posted. All the posts have helped.

 

[TSFineGuns]

So, I finally made it out for a day of shooting with the new rifle, some loads with H4831SC, IMR7828, and Hornady ELD-X 162gr...Below are my results....

H4831SC I started at 54.0gr and went up to 59.6gr as I stated in my initial post. At the top I saw absolutely zero signs of pressure. No hard bolt lifts, no flattened/cratered primers, no ejector marks on the case heads, 2874fps (Avg of three shot string), and 3/4moa accuracy @ 100yds.

IMR7828SCC I started a little higher at 58.0gr and went up to 62.0gr. Again when I was at the top, I didn't see any signs of pressure. there were no hard bolt lifts, no flattened/cratered primers, no ejector marks on the case heads, 3,120fps (Avg of three shot string), and 1/2moa accuracy @ 100yds.

I would really like to shoot that 62.0gr 7828SCC load, but I am a bit concerned because it is moving roughly 200fps faster than most other have reported. There are no signs of pressure that I can see, and I had my cousin look hard too.

Has anyone ever ran into a rifle & load that doesn't show signs of pressure, but may be in the area of dangerous pressures?

Do I back it off a bit? Or do I run the 62.0gr of 7828SCC and just keep an eye out for signs of pressure?

Thanks in advance for any input.

 

[dthomas]

I would slowly go up in charge weight until you start to see pressure signs that way you know how far away you are and can make an educated decision about running 62 grains or backing off some

 

[TSFineGuns]

I would slowly go up in charge weight until you start to see pressure signs that way you know how far away you are and can make an educated decision about running 62 grains or backing off some

Solid advice. Thank you!

Will report back

 

[WVRJ]

Ackley Improved cases rarely show pressure signs like most other cartridges.I've been told it's because of the sharp shoulder and minimal body taper.Having said that,mine got a stiffer than usual bolt lift when I was trying RL-23 with 150 grain Sirocco's a few weeks ago.That's the only time I've had any sign of pressure.IMR-7977 is the velocity king for the 280AI,but it's discontinued.N-560 is also known for good velocity,but when I tried it in mine,the accuracy wasn't as good as 7828SSC.I am going to try H1000 this coming weekend if the wind lays enough for me to be able to shoot it at distance.I've had good results with RL-22 and H4831 also,but so far 7828SSC has been the best.I'm going to load some with magnum primers to see if I can back the charge down a little bit to keep from compressing the powder as much.Also going to use a drop tube.I think it's about the best for the 280AI for me so far,without the primer change or the drop tube.The Chronograph is a very good tool to use when loading rounds like the 280AI that don't show pressure so much.Too much velocity?Probably too much pressure too.

 

[dgeesaman]

I would slowly go up in charge weight until you start to see pressure signs that way you know how far away you are and can make an educated decision about running 62 grains or backing off some

And measure the primer pocket ID of each piece so if it starts growing, you know.

Honestly I’m not sure why you’d want to go over 62gr. What happens if the weather is hot, or your powder gets drier? Perhaps I’d experiment around/under 62 and do the extended pressure series when the weather really is full hot.

 

[TSFineGuns]

Ackley Improved cases rarely show pressure signs like most other cartridges.I've been told it's because of the sharp shoulder and minimal body taper.Having said that,mine got a stiffer than usual bolt lift when I was trying RL-23 with 150 grain Sirocco's a few weeks ago.That's the only time I've had any sign of pressure.IMR-7977 is the velocity king for the 280AI,but it's discontinued.N-560 is also known for good velocity,but when I tried it in mine,the accuracy wasn't as good as 7828SSC.I am going to try H1000 this coming weekend if the wind lays enough for me to be able to shoot it at distance.I've had good results with RL-22 and H4831 also,but so far 7828SSC has been the best.I'm going to load some with magnum primers to see if I can back the charge down a little bit to keep from compressing the powder as much.Also going to use a drop tube.I think it's about the best for the 280AI for me so far,without the primer change or the drop tube.The Chronograph is a very good tool to use when loading rounds like the 280AI that don't show pressure so much.Too much velocity?Probably too much pressure too.

Appreciate the input. Between the two I've tried (4831SC & 7828SCC) as stated earlier, I definitely see the best velocity and accuracy from the 7828SCC.

I'm seating the bullet out pretty far, CBTO is 2.7900", so the 62.0gr is not a compressed load this application. I used the Hornady Tool and a Hornady Modified case to find the lands then started there. No Jam though. I figured I'd need to play with seating depths a bit, but from what I've seen (1/2 MOA), is more than good for the hunting I'll be doing with this rifle.

 

[TSFineGuns]

And measure the primer pocket ID of each piece so if it starts growing, you know.

Honestly I’m not sure why you’d want to go over 62gr. What happens if the weather is hot, or your powder gets drier? Perhaps I’d experiment around/under 62 and do the extended pressure series when the weather really is full hot.

I was plenty pleased with the velocity at 62.0gr. I really didn't have intentions of going higher, but thought maybe taking it up .2 slowly as dthomas had suggested, would yield signs of high pressure, so I would have a verified safe load @ 62.0gr

I'm in Northern IL and most of my hunting is in WI during the fall. I shot the rifle last weekend when it was bluebird skies and 82 Degrees. Let's hope I don't see those temps or hotter in November for the Gun/Deer season!!

The rifle started tightening up really well around 60.0gr. So if I were to do a hunt elsewhere and during a hotter time of the year, I could definitely go that route.

Thank you as well for the input. I appreciate it.

 

[AckleymanII]

I work up, in .5g spreads until I find pressure, I want to find pressure. Then back off 2.5g and work up in 3 shot groups finding the best powder charge, then start tweeking the seating depth. In custom barrels, 30 shots OFTEN will get the job done.

With the LOT # of IMR 7828 that I have, The federal 210 primer allowed the groups to shrink from 5/8-3/4" to groups in the 2's and 3's.

 

[bks22345]

I agree with WVRJ. When you see pressure you’re probably well above max.

When I started developing loads for this caliber I didn’t think the load tables were correct for my application because I was seating them long. I worked up loads using GRT then headed to the range. I didn’t have a chrono at the time to verify velocities with the estimated values. I was also waiting on a “stiff bolt lift” and didn’t pay attention to the small volcano shape my primers were forming. 61 grains with a 180 SMK = hole in primer. That was with good Peterson brass and IMR 7828. I also worked up loads with 180 Hybrids and H4831 in Nosler brass. I thought I was being smarter, checking brass for extractor marks, looking for primer flow, watching for velocity spikes. Never saw a sign of pressure, velocity was increasing linearly with powder charges, then primer blew and the pocket was egg shaped. When I back calculated pressures with the OBT tool in GRT I was WAY over max. I will tell you now my policy with new cartridges that are not the norm is to take my lap top to the range and calibrate velocities with the model as I run the ladders.

As far as 7828 and heat, I read a post maybe on here that Cortina said he used 7828 as his match powder until he let it get hot one day and had poor results. It’s still my go to in 280AI and it gets hot down here. I’ll just watch my velocities as we get into the summer. If you are looking for other powders with the lighter bullets, I’ve used StaBall 6.5 and H4350. Staball with a168 SMK was a really good load.

Also, if you can find Peterson brass buy it. After 2 firings on the Nosler brass (at reasonable levels) the primer pockets are loose. Hand priming the brass, the primers seat so easily sometimes I think I missed the primer pick up. My Peterson with 3 or 4 firings is still in better shape.

 

[TSFineGuns]

I agree with WVRJ. When you see pressure you’re probably well above max.

When I started developing loads for this caliber I didn’t think the load tables were correct for my application because I was seating them long. I worked up loads using GRT then headed to the range. I didn’t have a chrono at the time to verify velocities with the estimated values. I was also waiting on a “stiff bolt lift” and didn’t pay attention to the small volcano shape my primers were forming. 61 grains with a 180 SMK = hole in primer. That was with good Peterson brass and IMR 7828. I also worked up loads with 180 Hybrids and H4831 in Nosler brass. I thought I was being smarter, checking brass for extractor marks, looking for primer flow, watching for velocity spikes. Never saw a sign of pressure, velocity was increasing linearly with powder charges, then primer blew and the pocket was egg shaped. When I back calculated pressures with the OBT tool in GRT I was WAY over max. I will tell you now my policy with new cartridges that are not the norm is to take my lap top to the range and calibrate velocities with the model as I run the ladders.

As far as 7828 and heat, I read a post maybe on here that Cortina said he used 7828 as his match powder until he let it get hot one day and had poor results. It’s still my go to in 280AI and it gets hot down here. I’ll just watch my velocities as we get into the summer. If you are looking for other powders with the lighter bullets, I’ve used StaBall 6.5 and H4350. Staball with a168 SMK was a really good load.

Also, if you can find Peterson brass buy it. After 2 firings on the Nosler brass (at reasonable levels) the primer pockets are loose. Hand priming the brass, the primers seat so easily sometimes I think I missed the primer pick up. My Peterson with 3 or 4 firings is still in better shape.

I have 100 Nosler Cases and I have 100 Peterson Cases. The only cases I loaded were the Nosler, because when I started this adventure, Grafs only had the 280ai in Bulk 500. I don't need that many, so I just went with a couple of the Noslers. Then about a month or so ago, I saw the Peterson pop up at Grafs in the box of 50, so I snagged two (2) boxes of those.

I have read that the Peterson Brass shows great improvements over the Nosler in most instances. When you went from Nosler to Peterson Brass, did you start your load development over again from the bottom? Or did you just back off a few grains from the top and start there?