That might not seem like much, but the .280 Ackley Improved (also known as the 280 AI, 280 Remington Ackley Improved, or 280 Rem. The SAAMI spec 280 Ackley Improved chamber is .014 inches shorter at the datum line headspace dimension than the traditionally accepted wildcat chamber spec as previously produced. and the .280 Ackley Improved is the steeper 40 degree, which lengthens the case body and allows for about 5 percent more powder capacity. This comes at the expense of more recoil though. This gives shooters a lot of options in rifle brands. All Rights Reserved. In fact, those two cartridges are likely among the Top 10 best selling rifle cartridges in the United States each year. Using a case length of 2.525 inches, the .280 Ackley Improved fits nice in a standard long-action receiver, and in spite of the steep shoulder, I have found the cartridge will feed well in most rifles. In 7mm you can specify 1-8 or 1-9.5 twist rates. Broadside means the animal is perpendicular to you, facing left or right, not looking at you or away from you. 1 Single 284/7mm Caliber Projectile From $ 1.00. The result was the .270 Winchester cartridge, which they released in 1925 with the Winchester Model 54 rifle. Weatherby chambers many of their rifles in the .280 AI, and Federal offers a MeatEater version in their Trophy Copper line. Joseph Von Benedikt is with Jorge Spat to learn all about it. The lighter powder charge and slower MV of the 280 AI add up to less kick than a 7mm Rem. However, there are some important differences that set them apart from each other. 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. Even finding a rifle may prove to be somewhat difficult. put the .264 Winchester Magnum out of business in short order. Many consider the .270 Winchester to be on the light side for elk andmoose hunting, but especially when using heavy, premium quality bullets (like the Nosler Partition), its absolutely capable of getting the job done. A technician friend at Barnes used this bullet right after it was introduced for a once-in-a-lifetime free-range bison hunt in Utah and shot a large, old bull right at 600 yards with his .280 AI rifle. With that in mind, the minor differences in trajectory and retained energy between the three are not at all surprising. The 280 AI gives you heavier bullet options than the .270 Win. Both of those cartridges are very capable performers, though neither is as well known or as widely used as the .270 Winchester or 7mm Remington Magnum. Among other things, hes particularly well known for his series of Ackley Improved cartridges. velocities with less recoil and muzzle blast. Factory .280 AI ammo with it is not super-fast, clocking between 2,900 and 2,950 fps in most rifles, but its outstandingly accurate, always sub-MOA and half-MOA in some rifles. The Ballistics of the .280 Ackley Improved, Lets say that elk is out to 300 yards away, though. 7mm Rem. Shaw Custom Barrelssells new barrels in five different contours chambered, crowned, and threaded for your specified action for as little as $160. Mag. I've not conducted any scientific tests, but Ive certainly had to do less trimming of my Ackley cartridges than their factory counterparts. And might also be interested in our 6.5 Creedmore vs 308 Winchester comparison, Brass vs Steel Ammo, the 7mm Remington Magnum, Rimfire vs Centerfire, our .5.56 vs .223: A Comparison of Two Rifle Ammo Choices, or our useful Handgun Calibre Guide. Notify Me When Available. So why choose the .280 AI over the .280 Rem. However, the larger .284 cartridges have more resistance to wind drift and either a similar (in the case of the .280 Rem) or flatter trajectory. Calling and shooting predators is one of the things that helps hunters get from the end of the fall seasons to when the turkeys start gobbling. Muzzle energy is about 3,400 ft-lbs. Of the two, the .280 Ackley Improved has a little less recoil, but ammo is easier to find for the 7mm Mag. Parker Otto Ackley, better known as P.O. The .270 Winchester uses .277 bullets while the .280 Remington, .280 Ackley Improved, and 7mm Remington Magnum all use slightly larger .284 bullets. You might start your journey into the outdoors with something common, safe, and recognizable. Thanks to Jack OConnor, the .270 Winchester is considered a classic sheep hunting cartridge if there ever was one. The .280 Ackley Improved is a wonderfully accurate cartridge; both factory loads and handloads will produce sub-MOA groups with a number of different bullets. We show you how. Even so, the .280 Ackley Improved is not as fast as the 7mm Remington Magnum, as a few of that cartridge's avid supporters would have us believe. Mag., both driving 160-grain bullets to nearly identical speeds. As you can imagine though, the name change resulted in a lot of confusion between the 7mm Express and the 7mm Rem Mag, which are NOT interchangeable. Our Low Price $737.44 QuickView Savage 110 Engage Hunter XP Package .280 Ackley Improved Bolt Action Rifle 22" B. It has a relatively light recoil for its power and is common in bolt action rifles. This 1972 classic stars Robert Redford as an ex-soldier who forsakes civilization for a new life in cold, indifferent lands already home to Indian tribes. The .270 Winchester also uses .277 bullets while the .280 Remington, .280 AI, and 7mm Remington Magnum all use .284 bullets. Nosler offered factory-loaded ammunition and reloading components. Nearly concurrently, Federal announced it was working on three different .280 AI loads, including a Berger bullet and Federals own Terminal Ascent and Trophy Copper bullets. Drive Nosler's 150-grain AccuBond Long Range bullet 3,050 fps in a 10 mph wind, zero it for maximum-point-blank-range (10-inch target,) and with a dead-center aim your bullets should stay within that target out to 376 yards. E tips so its ready for CA hunting. Most hunters and shooters in North America are probably familiar with the venerable .270 Winchester and 7mm Remington Magnum cartridges. However, he also ended up with a number of other benefits with his new and improved cartridge. Such projectiles drop less and drift less in the wind, even though they do start out a bit slower than light-for-caliber bullets. Still, though, were talking about plenty of force when that bullet does either way. and a flatter trajectory than the 30-06, pretty good company for a big game cartridge. During many of those critical early years, the cartridge was only available in the Model 742 autoloader. 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. 280 Ackley Improved Vs. 280 Remington [ edit] Loaded with a 150 grain bullet, the .280 AI shot from a 24" barrel gives a muzzle velocity of approximately 3,060 fps, which is about 100 fps faster than a .280 Remington loaded with a bullet of similar weight. When PO Ackley touched a cartridge, people respected the end result. To set the stage for this cartridge description, you should know that it is but one of more than a dozen commercially loaded 7mm cartridges now on the market that fire .284-inch diameter (28-caliber) bullets. Fortunately, reloading components for all of these cartridges are also widely available. 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The three .284/7mm 140gr Nosler loads all use the exact same AccuBond bullet, just fired at different velocities: the 7mm Rem Mag is 50fps faster than the .280 AI, which is in turn about 150fps faster than the .280 Rem. The .280 AI was developed by modifying the case from the .280 Remington. Walther's new Performance Duty Pistol is ready for both concealed carry and conventional service situations. The US Army started looking for a new service rifle and cartridge after being on the receiving end of a deadly demonstration of the capabilities of the revolutionary new Mauser rifle and7mm Mausercartridge in the hands of Spanish troops in Cuba during 1898. 1/6/2023 Stephen. Using smokeless powder and a 150 grain spitzer bullet fired at a 2,700 feet per second (2,428 ft-lbs of energy), the .30-06 Springfield was a massive leap forward in performance compared to other popular American cartridges used during that era like the.45-70 Government. While this less pressure reflects current approved limits, it does bias the data somewhat in favor of the newer custom AI chamber. Its a perfect 7mm rifle without magnum kick. Its a legitimate, repeatable 0.40-MOA bullet in my Proof rifle, and even though velocity with that tuned handload is modest, at 2,870 fps, it has proven to be excellent on mule deer and elk. Just for reference, the .280 AI will shoot a light 140-grain bullet about 300 fps faster than the .270 Winchester can. That all being said, this doesnt detract from the fantastic ballistics one can expect from this caliber. Riley. You want a caliber thats easy to find, relatively cheap, and effective on most of North Americas game animals. Read the article below if youd like to learn more details about some of the various hunting rifle choices for the 270 Winchester. Factory data has it exiting the muzzle at 2,850 fps, just 90 fps slower than the same bullet in Hornadys 7mm Remington Magnum ammo. Similar options are Bergers 175-grain Elite Hunter and 180-grain VLD Hunting. Theres never been a better time to get into the .280 Ackley Improved game, and theres never been a time when the cartridge has been more relevant. Mag. What are your thoughts, though? So, yes, its easy to find examples of .280 Ackley Improved loads that either match or exceed the performance of the 7mm Remington Magnum and still have less recoil. You present facts and options. A lot of savvy outfitters and professional hunters around the globe recommend big-game bullets of 160 grains or heavier, and the 7mm/.284 bore diameter meets that handily without greatly exceeding it. Ive taken several whitetail deer with rifles chambered in .300 Blackout. On the other hand, the .280 Remington is normally offered with 139 grain, 140 grain, or 150 grain bullets, but its possible to find a few loads with 156 grain, 160 grain, and 165 grain bullets as well. That reason was heavier bullets. 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). Maybe a .22LR, .223 Rem., or a .30-06. Nosler Trophy Grade Rifle Ammunition .280 Ackley Improved Nosler Partition 160 gr 2950 fps - 20/box. Read on for his take on this Thai-inspired fusion dish. Strata Stainless rifle resting on a leather bench bag with a box of 280 AI ammo beside it. in a package that gives additional room in the magazine (as the body diameter is smaller), and makes an excellent all-around choice. First, the .270, .280, and .280 AI are all very similar in appearance: they have the same rim diameter as well as very similar case lengths. While the .270 had a very fast muzzle velocity compared to other popular cartridges of the day, it was not an instant commercial success. Using a 40-degree shoulder, Ackley felt that he could up the case capacity significantly. Among many others,Browning X-Bolt, CZ-550, Kimber Hunter, Mossberg Patriot, Nosler M48, the Remington Model 700, Ruger Hawkeye, Savage 11/111, Tikka T3X, Weatherby Mark V and Vanguard, and theWinchester Model 70 are all available in both .270 Winchester and 7mm Remington Magnum. A .280 Ackley Improved simply shoots better over long range than a .30-06. Its also better suited to using heavier bullets than the other cartridges. Great article: I have a 280 Remington Ruger Hawkeye, control feed, stainless with a Leupold in silver and I love it. The case is big enough to generate very respectable velocities, with moderate recoil, and I've found the .280 AI to be very accurate. Handloaded to a sizzling 3,200 fps, its flat and forgiving for shots inside a quarter-mile. 130 grain and 150 grain bullets are by far the most common. Savage 110 Hunter .280 Ackley Improved Bolt Action Rifle 22" Barrel 4 Rounds Syn. For the heavier bullets from 160 to 180 grains, H4831SC, Reloder 23, H1000, and IMR 7828 SSC are excellent. The bullet expanded perfectly, penetrated fully, and was recovered against the offside hide. Make sure to watch till the end. It's also a 30-06 rim-size. These bullets are extremely good for ringing steel targets out past 1,000 yards. With all that in mind, its easy to see why lots of hunters and shooters in North America quickly got behind the flat shooting and hard hitting 7mm Rem Mag. Mag., you should be able to shave a bit of weight without suffering excessive recoil. While all four are pretty commonly available, the .270 Winchester and the 7mm Remington Magnum are by far the most popular out of the bunch. Since its inception in the late 1950s, the cartridge has continued to pick up steam among big-game hunters, especially those looking to extend their maximum effective range on medium- to large-bodied . 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