The .280 Ackley Improved (.280 AI) was registered with SAAMI in 2007 by Nosler. The chart below compares how much a 10 mile per hour crosswind impacts those same .270 Winchester, .280 Remington, .280 AI, and 7mm Remington Magnum loads out to 500 yards. Riley. However, the .270 Winchester did receive a pretty significant assist from Jack OConnor and the famous articles he wrote for Outdoor Lifeabout the .270 over the years. For the heavier bullets from 160 to 180 grains, H4831SC, Reloder 23, H1000, and IMR 7828 SSC are excellent. Perhaps this deadly attack might not have happened if the young hiker had been more knowledgeable about the dangers of encountering a wild animal. 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. .338 Federal Of all the many calibers Parker Ackley modified by lengthening the powder chamber and steepening the shoulder angle, the .280 Ackley is the only one, so far, that has been adopted by SAAMI. In a broadside situation, a shot placed behind the crease of the shoulder will result in the bullet traveling through both lungs. Mag. It was intact and weighed nearly 100 percent. Ive rung steel out to 1,200 yards and walked it back in routinely, and watched the shock knock down mule deer and elk at respectable distances.. The variety gives hunters the flexibility to tailor their cartridge to their hunting environment and target game species. Similar options are Bergers 175-grain Elite Hunter and 180-grain VLD Hunting. In fact, though nowhere near as commonly used as the .270 or the 7mm Mag, the .280 Remington is much more widely used today than it ever was. 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. This helps support the blog and allows me to continue to create free content thats useful to hunters like yourself. As youll see in a minute though, Remington didnt give up on the .280. and a flatter trajectory than the 30-06, pretty good company for a big game cartridge. However, way out there, it absolutely trounces the .30-06, thanks to the far better aerodynamics of the 7mm bullets. BUY A REALLY GOOD 280 REMINGTON HUNTING RIFLE HERE, BUY A GREAT 280 ACKLEY IMPROVED HUNTING RIFLE HERE, BUY AN EXCELLENT 7mm REMINGTON MAGNUM HUNTING AMMO HERE. Additionally, the .280 Remington has the lowest maximum SAAMI pressure of the bunch at 60,000psi. As the mathematicians among us know, when you increase diameter, frontal surface area increases exponentially. Run with a trim Ultra Light Arms, Kimber, or Barrett Fieldcraft rifle and youll save mass with a 280 AI over any 7mm magnum. I'm going to work with a Kimber Subalpine in 280 AI this spring and will pay careful attention to any feeding issues with it, but I'm truly not concerned. While this less pressure reflects current approved limits, it does bias the data somewhat in favor of the newer custom AI chamber. However, while those two rounds are very popular for a reason, they are far from the only high quality choices in that size range. The 7mm Remington Magnum comes next at 61,000psi and is followed by the .270 Winchester and .280 AI, which both have a maximum SAAMI pressure of 65,000psi. Additionally, its possible to safely (and often relatively accurately) fire .280 Remington ammo in a .280 AI rifle. Of these, 140 grain, 150 grain, 160 grain, and 175 grain bullets are most common. It is true that certain factory loads and handloads for the .280 AI can come very close and even exceed the performance of typical 7mm Remington Magnum factory loads. Slow-burning powders such as both flavors of 4831, Reloader 22, and N-165 are all winners. Are there other pros or cons of the .280 Ackley Improved that we didnt cover within this article? Mag. Due to conservative loading of the .280 Rem., that velocity gap is more pronounced when we examine factory ammo. Can the .280 AI really live up to the claim made by some that it can do everything the 7mm Mag can do, but with less recoil? The .280 Ackley Improved will hit him with 1533 ft-lbs and drop 34.2. 7mm Remington Magnum, 150-grain 3,250 fps, 7mm Weatherby Magnum, 150-grain 3,300 fps. The .280 Ackley Improved has been basking in the limelight since Nosler started chambering its Model 48 rifle for it and offering loaded ammo and unprimed cases. 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. That might not seem like much, but the .280 Ackley Improved (also known as the 280 AI, 280 Remington Ackley Improved, or 280 Rem. During many of those critical early years, the cartridge was only available in the Model 742 autoloader. According to Derek Peterson, president of Peterson Cartridge, "The .280 Ackley Improved casing will launch a 7mm, 120 gr . 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 . How Does the .280 Ackley Improved Compare Against Similar Cartridges? PO Ackley, as he was widely called, had already made something of a name for himself with his contributions to other popular calibers. with a similarly-weighted bullet. When PO Ackley touched a cartridge, people respected the end result. Its based on the .280 Rem., which is itself an American adaption of the 764 Brenneke. For practical purposes, the .280 Ackley Improved is similar to the .270 Winchester, 30-06 Springfield and .280 Remingon. Or so it is claimed. Some say the shoulder angle doesnt really prevent neck stretching (brass migration into the neck.) Lighter and tougher and more precise than ever, it's the perfect back country hunting rifle. This gives shooters a lot of options in rifle brands. They eventually chose the bolt action 1903 Springfield rifle chambered in the new .30-06 Springfield cartridge. Others insist it does. pushes that same bullet at 3,248 fpsboth out of 24-inch Wiseman barrels. Rifle calibers are kind of like craft beer (hear me out). Even so, no animal will never know the difference if your shot is placed in the right spot. 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). Joseph Von Benedikt is with Jorge Spat to learn all about it. 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. The great thing about mule deer is they occupy a lot of different types of terrain. 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. Naturally, many whitetail deer hunters choose this iconic Western big game animal for an out-of-state hunt. 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So why choose the .280 AI over the .280 Rem. Weatherby included the .280 AI in its shockingly lightweight, top-shelf Backcountry rifle line. 140 gr. 130 grain and 150 grain bullets are by far the most common. I've also had superb results with Berger's 168-grain VLD Hunting. Best .280 Remington Ackley Improved Ammo. Not only does the .280 AI offer a noticeable ballistic advantage over the .280 Remington, but its also capable of performance nearly on par with the 7mm Remington Magnum. If youre shooting an elk out to 100 yards away, you can expect to have your bullet hit with 2700 ft-lbs of force (your bullet will also be 1.3 high from where youre aiming). Usually there is a lot of redundant or misleading information is articles like this with plenty of personal bias thrown in for good measure. Improved Military Rifle IMR 4064. Whitetail hunting strategies for the next generation. I picked up a kimber hunter 84l in 280 ackley this summer and am finally getting around to load development. Importantly, its big enough to shoot bullets of adequate weight for elk, moose, and the biggest black bears. The .280 Remington is currently manufactured by Browning, Remington, and Winchester in their X-Bolt, Model 700, and Model 70 rifles. However, the 7mm Remington Magnum is still capable of greater velocities overall. That being said, the .280 Remington, .280 AI, and 7mm Rem Mag are generally a little better suited for hunting bigger game. As you can see, that particular 7mm Mag load has a little morefree recoil energy than the .280 AI when used in the same weight rifle, but is shooting the same bullet only 50 feet per second faster. The .270 Winchester also uses .277 bullets while the .280 Remington, .280 AI, and 7mm Remington Magnum all use .284 bullets. I used Noslers own reloading data published online (available here, here, here, and here). That being said, all four cartridges are generally good options for reloaders. 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 150 grain bullet shot from a .280 AI generates a muzzle velocity similar to the .270 Winchester firing a 130 grain bullet. The .280 AI can push a 120g round about 3,200 fps (about as fast as a typical 55g .223 Rem.) While there is a large amount of overlap in their capabilities, each one does offer certain advantages. 7mm Rem. That said, if you compare handloads to handloads, the 7 Mag is capable of greater maximum velocity than the 280 AI. What's the Perfect Trigger Pull Weight for a Hunting Rifle? 145 gr. Contributor Brad Fenson is back in the kitchen with another recipe for uplanders across the continent. Over these years it has become my absolute favorite cartridge. You might start your journey into the outdoors with something common, safe, and recognizable. Heres how to avoid the poseurs and choose the right one. Mikey Hartman, Lt. Col. The .280 AI is similar, with 140 grain, 150 grain, and 162 grain bullets being the basically only choices at this time in factory ammo for the cartridge. Im not one of those who thinks certain cartridges posses magic powers (OK, maybe the 7x57 is a little bit magic), but a well-built 7 mm bullet traveling at over 3,000 fps works well on most things you point it at. Savage 110 Hunter .280 Ackley Improved Bolt Action. As sometimes happens in the world of rifle cartridges, the 280 AI (Ackley Improved) is becoming more popular than its parent, the excellent 280 Remington. By 2007, the .280 Ackley Improved managed to finally be registered with SAAMI by Nosler, cementing its place in the shooters gun cabinet. This was due to a number of reasons, one of which was the fact that the .270 Winchester fired unusual size bullets. I hit the Cape buffalo squarely in the chest with a .375 Holland & Holland, a cartridge the size of a banana. In 2007, ammunition manufacturer Nosler registered the .280 Ackley Improved with SAAMI and began providing factory loaded ammunition and rifles for it. Regardless of the cartridge you choose, youll have a gigantic bullet selection consisting of virtually every major style of bullet to choose from like the Barnes TTSX, Berger VLD, the Hornady ELD-X, GMX, InterBond, InterLock, and SST, the Nosler AccuBond, AccuBond Long Range, Ballistic Tip, E-Tip, and Partition, the Remington Core Lokt, the Swift Scirocco and A-Frame, and the Winchester Power Point (just to name a few). Ackley. 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