Hi guys, well I have been saving up for awhile to re-barrel my Savage 110. I currently have it chambered in a 30-06 but I was thinking about chambering it for 280 ackley improved. Does any one have that caliber? Is it worth going ai or just stay standard 280 REM? How does it do on deer and coyotes. I also wanted it to go target shooting. Or is there any other round you guys would recommend? Thanks.
280 ackley improved
- Thread starter a_gonzalez
- Start date
as a fan of wildcats and oddball chambers sure 280 AI would work great. Not exactly a light deer and coyote round but they wont know the difference between dead and very dead! not a huge change from the 280 to the 280AI but no one needs a reason to do a quirky load. Its fun to do and so what if its more work. Sometimes the work ( fire forming and sizing is the fun )
now if you want something to plug yotes and local deer with then how a 6mm-06 or 6-284? set up to shoot VLD slugs its light recoil smasher!
go here and just google some of the chambers
a billion ways to send metal down range
http://www.shilen.com/chambers.html
This will be my next toy
http://www.6mmbr.com/SixFive284.html
now if you want something to plug yotes and local deer with then how a 6mm-06 or 6-284? set up to shoot VLD slugs its light recoil smasher!
go here and just google some of the chambers
a billion ways to send metal down range http://www.shilen.com/chambers.html
This will be my next toy
http://www.6mmbr.com/SixFive284.html
The 280 Ackley is an awesome big game round and can be compared with the 7mm Remington magnum. It is very accurate and not finicky. Also there are factory loads available if you do not reload. This is definitely a cartridge that is on my bucket list and will be great from coyote up through moose.
Excellent choice - the cartridge is outstanding!
Excellent choice - the cartridge is outstanding!
Snake Charmer
Happiness is a warm gut pile
All comments above are true, IMO its about whether you reload or not, if you do have at it ! its great fun if not stick with over the counter stuff and find what works...
The main reason I was thinking of re-chambering is because I can't leave anything alone, I always try to improve... its an addiction ;D The accuracy that I am getting is not what I want so I want to change things around. I also reload so this would not be an issue for me and I can always buy nosher brass instead of fire forming. And I am also looking for a better barrel (McGowen, Shilen, Brux, etc.) still up in the air. But I am mostly going to hunt deer and coyote. I also want to try my hand at long range target shooting 800+ yards.
See I think the fact that you are not going to shoot moose or velociraptors makes the case for the 6.5 or 6mm bullets. Read here and look how much more efficient they are than the 7mm.
http://www.bergerbullets.com/products/hunting-bullets/
The 140gr vld with .610 bc is just amazing
http://www.bergerbullets.com/products/hunting-bullets/
The 140gr vld with .610 bc is just amazing
Aeon said:
Hmmmm...
The "F" class thousand yard world record is held by a 7mm or better yet, the old cartridge - .284 Winchester.
I am a huge fan of the 6.5mm but the 7mm is a beast on big game!
Hell - go with the .260 Remington. I hear it is an amazing cartridge with both game and long range target! ;D
Aeon, that is really impressive, that 6.5X284 is one sexy looking round, but if I keep on changing my mind I won't get my project started. So I am pretty sure it is either going to be between the 280 rem and 280 ai I just can't decide if the added fps would be worth going the ai route. And who knows maybe one day I will get to go on a moose hunt (not anytime soon) But I really appreciate all the great information.
But I really appreciate all the great information.I found this thread yesterday, and it is a very good read:
http://forum.snipershide.com/snipers-hide-bolt-action-rifles/52833-caliber-choices-comparison-applications.html
A lot of long-range hunters (I'm talking about shooting coyotes at over 1000 yards!) on youtube are using 6.5x284. The biggest problem I see with these kinds of rounds is barrel life. Some of them only last 1500 rounds (the article linked above says 800-1000!) before the throat is burned out to the point where the rifle will only shoot MOA, according to many reports.
Now, if money is no object, then hey, why not? But for me, I'm always broke, and when I build/buy a gun, I want it to last me a long time. As in, forever! I know, that's not going to happen.
It's taken me a while, but I'm slowly learning to figure out exactly what I want a rifle to do. That is, being realistic about my expectations, and what I WILL do with it, not what I MIGHT do with it. When I bought my first rifle, I wanted a gun that could do it all. In my foolish ignorance, I studied ballistics charts to see what was available and what bullet weights they could shoot. I decided upon the .30-06, because I saw "50gr accelerator (saboted)" loads on the chart (I have yet to see such a load available, and I had to search extensively to find saboted .224 bullets for sale online), all the way up to 220 grain pills. I thought, "this one rifle can be used for everything from squirrels to moose!" Well, that might be true, but I have never been on a moose hunt. Not that I never will, but it's far better to buy a rifle that is WELL suited to what you want to do year in year out. I still own that rifle. It's a Ruger M77 MkII, and it has never shot better than 1.5 MOA, even with handloads and an aftermarket trigger. I picked it because I read somewhere that it was more accurate out of the box than anything else. Lessons learned. I have this strong desire to rebarrel and restock it to try to get it to shoot better, but every time I start adding up the $$$, I realize that it would be far cheaper to buy a Tikka and KNOW that it was going to shoot, right out of the box.
So, your stated goals are to hunt deer and coyote, and shoot matches to 800 yards. Like NBK said, you don't need a barrel burner to do those. But if you want to WIN matches, I think you're going to have make it the #1 priority, because your competition have already made that their priority. Beating them with a "do-it-all" rifle is going to be tough. Of course, that's just a guess, because I've never even been to a long range match, and know nothing about them. But it stands to reason.
http://forum.snipershide.com/snipers-hide-bolt-action-rifles/52833-caliber-choices-comparison-applications.html
A lot of long-range hunters (I'm talking about shooting coyotes at over 1000 yards!) on youtube are using 6.5x284. The biggest problem I see with these kinds of rounds is barrel life. Some of them only last 1500 rounds (the article linked above says 800-1000!) before the throat is burned out to the point where the rifle will only shoot MOA, according to many reports.
Now, if money is no object, then hey, why not? But for me, I'm always broke, and when I build/buy a gun, I want it to last me a long time. As in, forever!
I know, that's not going to happen. It's taken me a while, but I'm slowly learning to figure out exactly what I want a rifle to do. That is, being realistic about my expectations, and what I WILL do with it, not what I MIGHT do with it. When I bought my first rifle, I wanted a gun that could do it all. In my foolish ignorance, I studied ballistics charts to see what was available and what bullet weights they could shoot. I decided upon the .30-06, because I saw "50gr accelerator (saboted)" loads on the chart (I have yet to see such a load available, and I had to search extensively to find saboted .224 bullets for sale online), all the way up to 220 grain pills. I thought, "this one rifle can be used for everything from squirrels to moose!" Well, that might be true, but I have never been on a moose hunt. Not that I never will, but it's far better to buy a rifle that is WELL suited to what you want to do year in year out. I still own that rifle. It's a Ruger M77 MkII, and it has never shot better than 1.5 MOA, even with handloads and an aftermarket trigger. I picked it because I read somewhere that it was more accurate out of the box than anything else. Lessons learned. I have this strong desire to rebarrel and restock it to try to get it to shoot better, but every time I start adding up the $$$, I realize that it would be far cheaper to buy a Tikka and KNOW that it was going to shoot, right out of the box.
So, your stated goals are to hunt deer and coyote, and shoot matches to 800 yards. Like NBK said, you don't need a barrel burner to do those. But if you want to WIN matches, I think you're going to have make it the #1 priority, because your competition have already made that their priority. Beating them with a "do-it-all" rifle is going to be tough. Of course, that's just a guess, because I've never even been to a long range match, and know nothing about them. But it stands to reason.
Very good post Matavenados, I guess my main priority would be a good hunting round and I believe from what people have told me and what I have researched myself suggest the 280ai would do nicely, and it seems different and above all give me a fun project to build. But yeah you are right, I guess later on I can get another rifle that I can dedicate for long range target shooting. Thanks for all the info everyone.
I have a .280 ackley Imp. built on a commercial FN Mauser action with double set triggers. That caliber is capable of game up to elk with no problem.
Like previously said is that there is factory ammo made by a few companies and you can buy brass for it without having to form it on your own. Saves a bunch of time and work
Like previously said is that there is factory ammo made by a few companies and you can buy brass for it without having to form it on your own. Saves a bunch of time and work
