Why doesn't the 280 Remington AI w/ Berger 168 gr. VLD bullet rule the world?

[jonsidneyb]

i realize this is an old post but thought i would throw my 2 cents in anyway. i shoot a 28" barrel on my 280 ai and love it. speed with the 162 a max is 3000 fps and shoots 1/2 minute at 1000 yards, with the 180 berger i am at 2950 and well under 1 moa. i have been using 4831sc, but with my new barrel i am going to try h1000 as i think there is speed to be gained. personally i think the whole "short case" thing is a fad. as long as the gun is well assembled it will do its part. 7mm high bc bullets are hard to argue with. with my new barrel i am going with resized 06 lapua brass, previously i used nosler and rem cases but the primers loosened up after 4-5 reloads. again just my 2 pennies worth

The 180 Berger can get 2950 out of a 28 inch barreled .280 Remington AI? I didn't realize it was that fast.

 

[JabaliHunter]

"personally i think the whole "short case" thing is a fad" (bingo1010)

Take a look at what consistantly wins benchrest matches....short fat cases.
In my opinion the reason the 280 is not as popular is it takes a long action to handle th 2.5+ length case.

Short, yes... but fat?

 

[kev77]

280AI and berger 180 hybird @ 2920 or 3000 rules not the 168gr. try it some time

 

[nastynatesfish]

I run a 7mm rem mag with the 168s. And love it. Depends what your going to do with it. Shooting targets or shooting game is a different tale. I shoot my 7 mag a lot and at everything. I mostly run 162 amax now but my hunting rounds are 168s.

 

[dooley]

Can anyone prove that short fat cases with 180gr Hybrid bullets shoot more accurately/efficiently than the longer 280 A/I cases, or is it just a fashion Fad, I hate to see old calibers discarded for new ones, iether way you would still want to use a Long Action for max case capacity, I use a 260 A/I with 140 gr bullets, but it always comes 2nd best when other club members are using 7mm's. dooley (UK)

 

[Nik]

why not just shoot a straight 284 with the 180's??? cliffe

Shhhhhh.

Shhhhhh + 1. ;D

 

[Rtheurer]

i i shoot a 28" barrel on my 280 ai and love it. speed with the 162 a max is 3000 fps and shoots 1/2 minute at 1000 yards, with the 180 berger i am at 2950 and well under 1 moa. i have been using 4831sc,

Bingo
I also shoot a 280AI.Its in a light weight hunting set up to replace my 7RemMag Sendero on long walk ans Stalk type hunts.
How the heck are you getting 3000fps out of the AI with the Amax? I cant get anywhere near that. I was hoping to get real close to my Sendero leasurely 2970Fps with the 280AI but just cold not get there. 2850ish is the best I could do Accurately as the next node up was way over pressure.
Both of my barrels are 26"
RT

 

[M14AMU]

I think....there's some BAD COKE being snorted!!

 

[DBailey]

i i shoot a 28" barrel on my 280 ai and love it. speed with the 162 a max is 3000 fps and shoots 1/2 minute at 1000 yards, with the 180 berger i am at 2950 and well under 1 moa. i have been using 4831sc,

Bingo
I also shoot a 280AI.Its in a light weight hunting set up to replace my 7RemMag Sendero on long walk ans Stalk type hunts.
How the heck are you getting 3000fps out of the AI with the Amax? I cant get anywhere near that. I was hoping to get real close to my Sendero leasurely 2970Fps with the 280AI but just cold not get there. 2850ish is the best I could do Accurately as the next node up was way over pressure.
Both of my barrels are 26"
RT

Russ

It has to be a combination of a short and slow barrel keeping your velocity low.
Myself and others that I know of run the standard 280 Remington with the 180 Berger faster than 2850 fps with absolutely no pressure signs using 30'' to 32'' barrels.

 

[alf]

Interesting.......

The OP poses a question....riles everyone up.....then leaves......

He hasn't been here since July of last year......

 

[BOBC]

I've had three 7mm's over the years and found they are not as forgiving in load development as the smaller calibers. Had to do quite a bit more load tinkering with the 7mm to reach long range match grade accuracy. But when you do find it, the seven will make a good showing at long range if you can take the recoil over a long string. I suspect the 6.5 155gr vld bullet with a 17 cal ogive, which is only .050" shorter in OAL than most heavy 7's, could give the 7's a good run for their money and with less recoil. The inherit long range accuracy of the 6mm & 6.5mm will probably assure them a spot in long range competition for years to come. Remember a good hold and let off is worth half a minute.

 

[GLC]

Hi Bob
Will your 155 grain 6.5 work in a 8.5 twist,? I have some and not had much success so far?

Kind regards
Gary Costello

 

[Rtheurer]

It has to be a combination of a short and slow barrel keeping your velocity low.
Myself and others that I know of run the standard 280 Remington with the 180 Berger faster than 2850 fps with absolutely no pressure signs using 30'' to 32'' barrels.
[/quote]

You may be right. Its a Hart Stainless 1:9 #3 26". Seems I always get the slow ones.

Thats it...... im going to turn that Rock Creek 32" med palma contour barrel blank I have into a 280AI Since I have a reamer and dies already. I shoot a 6.5X284 that I use for Long Range prone for the last 10 years. But Im just going to have to give it a go. You guys are killin me....

RussT

 

[BOBC]

Gary,
I think an 8 twist may be a little better. However, a shooter with a 6.5 X 284 shot them in his 8 twist at a thousand yard match at Camp Perry. He told me they performed very well and bucked the wind much better than he expected. He said they were going about 2650 fps. Another "F" class shooter told me he shot ten of them at 850 yds and the group measured about 4.5". But he did not say what cartridge he used.

 

[CaptainMal]

Starting to think the 257 bore diameter is the best. Disappointed with my 7's and 6.5's for a few reasons. One is they don't outshoot my 25's and 6mm's. Another is, especially the 7MM, they eat up too much powder and get the barrels way too hot in just a couple rounds.

Then there's the bullet issue. 25's do not have good BC bullets. That's a given but every Berger VLD I tried in all calibers shoots hideously and have the reputation of coming apart like a cheap suit in the rain when hunted.

Sierra, Hornady and Nosler make decent bullets to cover most all uses. Those are bullets NOT fussy about seating depth that seem to work in various models for most all uses. None design anything special for the 25's but even then, I like them better than the 7's.

Opinions rule.