I just put a 280 Ackley barrel on my tikka. It shoots lights out, has lighter recoil than a 30-06, has around the same velocity as a 7mm rem mag, and has much bigger bullet selection than 270. It truly is one of the most versatile cartridges on the market

7mm mag is awesome. Baught it when I was 18 and now am 53. Taken lots of elk, deer, Antelope, bear, and a ram. All dropped right wear I shot them dead in their track. All under 350 yrds. Totally recommend 7mm mag as a do all caliber big game hunting rifle.

Plain old 280 is the winner in my book. The 280 is always under loaded by Remington . Less work for reloading and cost effective than the other 7mms and better killer of elk size game than the 270 win. Ammo is less common for 280 than 270 and 7mm mag. The 280 is for gun cranks like me that like to test handloads for hunting. The 280 has the perfect case capacity for the 7mm bore.

I've been loading my .280 up to within 200fps of the 7mm for years. Using the 160gr Nosler Partition I've taken many large game up to and including elk out to 275 yards. Bought it in the Ruger 77 back in 1988 and it's never let me down out west! 160gr Nosler Partition, 53.5gr of IMR 4350 loaded to .020" off the lands equal MOA out to 300yds with zero sign of over pressure. I've also experimented with the 154 Hornady Interlock. Took a Mulie with it a few years ago at just over 250 yards. Very good terminal performance. I'm a big proponent of using heavy bullets rather than light and fast. Seen too many animals "fragged" with high 'V' rounds. That and "paper punching" wounds. I like finding my round on the opposite hide or shoulder etc....Most people grossly over estimate the range they'll be shooting at even out west. People think they need to shoot 600yds out west on everything when the reality is that it's usually under 400 right where the .280/7mm-08/270 type rounds are kinda reaching their effective limit (on large game) anyhow. The only one of those rounds I've never owned is the .280 AI. Never a need really.

I'm a big fan of all the 7mm cartridges, seems they hit a huge sweet spot for performance. For me, of the cartridges shown I prefer the 280 AI for the reasons you stated, but also due to it's efficiency it's not over bore like the 7mm RM. Because of that barrel life is estimated to be about twice. All the power in that extra magnum boom results in more erosion, so effectively much bigger bark for a tiny bigger bite. As a side note those changes PO Ackey made to the parent cartridges (straighter walls & sharper shoulders) are a design basis for the new breed "wonder cartridges" like the Creedmoors, PRC's, and even the SAUM's.

You gonna have to a video of 7x57, 8x57 and 9.3x62 Mauser.

All great cartridges but my preference is the 7 mm Remington mag

.280 REM was my cartridge of choice for several years before I transitioned to the .280 AI a few years ago. So many cartridges that are similar, I guess it involves some personal emotion. As a hand loader/shooter/hunter, the .280 AI has been effective and great results. Thanks for fact filled and informative video.

When I was younger, I had a 30-06 and an H&H 375 Magnum. Neither recoil bothered me. I experienced the 375 as having a lot more push. I have since distinguished between what I experienced as push and punch components of recoil. I understand that there are more scientific ways to describe these measuring acceleration and duration of recoil. Now that I'm older those differences matter. But to me, a 30-30 has more push, a 243 more punch when comparing those two. About 15 years ago I suddenly found that the punch from my 270 was unpleasant, and the 30-06 felt like a little less punch but more push, so I kept my 308 which had less of each. I wonder how these 7mm/280 cartridges compare to the 270 and 30-06 as far as felt "punch." My favorite remains the 6.5 Swede that I had in the early eighties. So I guess the modern sweet spot for me would be a 6.5 Creedmoor or 260 Remington.

Yep, far as hunting goes the 280ai is fine. 7rem mag comes into it’s own past 1000yds with 180-195gr bullets and a faster twist than most factory rifles come with. I load 180gr eld-ms to 2850, although I can push them faster we have a muzzle energy limit on our range. 7mm bullets run in a ballistic sweet spot regardless of what cartridge you’re pushing it from they will perform well.

Very good analysis of the cartridges. I have wanted a 280AI for years. I will probably break down and buy one some day. I just have trouble justifying it when I have a Tikka 270 Win that shoots a Barnes 130g TTSX at over 3150 fps. This works great for both deer and elk and the country I hunt in seldom has shots that exceed 150 yards. BUT I WILL OFFER ONE OPINION: Bullet construction is probably more important than cartridge selection between the cartridges being compared in this video. The right gun with the WRONG bullet construction can make for frustrating results. There is no "silver bullet". High velocities at short distances need tougher bullets, whereas long distance hunting needs the softer more easy opening type bullets. When I have been at the shooting range talking with other shooters I have been shocked at the LACK of knowledge most hunters have about bullet construction. Just my opinion.

The 7MM Rem Mag is the best all around choice. For deer and pronghorn my choice is the 280 Remington.

.280 REM is a fantastic hunting cartridge. Just sounds cool too.

The most awesome all around cartridge is Roy Weatherby's 7mm Magnum. It's his best.

I just bought a Kimber Hunter Pro in 280ai. But am holding out for correct headstamped brass so haven’t done anything with it yet. I’ve handloaded for friends’ 7mm RMs and have taken game with them. But still my all time fave of anything I’ve used is the 270. Almost always with 130gr. But am just starting to develop a load for the 140gr Hornady .277” BT Interlock. I used that one in factory loads in the form of Remington Extended Range Boattails from the 90’s(if anyone remembers those). Great bullet. Always through and through short or far

Another great video. Thanks for sharing all the research you've done.

Great video ! Really like your content. So I grew up hunting deer in the upper peninsula of Michigan . I’ve taken countless numbers of whitetail with so many different calibers of rifles ( .243 , .308 , .270 , .280 , .30-06 ) And then I lived in Colorado for over 7 years and hunted elk and Mule deer , and antelope in Wyoming. I’ve taken elk with .270 , .30-06 and.280 Remington and 300 WM and 7mm WM with great success . I got rid of my heavy hitting magnums after moving back to Michigan as I primarily just hunt whitetail deer anymore ( but I still go out west and hunt antelope and Mule deer / elk now and then with my brother who’s still out in Colorado) and I got rid of the .270 and .30-06 , kept my .308 Winchester and.243 Winchester and .280 Remington which seems to be the perfect compromise between the -06 and.270 . Now , my GoTo rifle is a Winchester model 70 featherweight chambered in .280 Remington. I have a couple different factory loads that I stocked up on before this crazy ammo crisis all happened. I shoot a Corbon 140 grain DPX ( solid copper tipped at 3,000 fps) that just flattens mule deer , and I also shoot some Federal 150 grain Nosler Partitions moving along at 2,890 fps that have the same crushing effect of terminal performance on big body northern Michigan whitetail. I use these loads for elk hunting as well , as I’ve discovered, there’s really no need for the magnums pounding recoil when this .280 Remington does everything I need out to 500 yards. Beyond that , I’m not likely to be shooting anymore with these old eyes and so there’s no need for anything more . Although, I have often contemplated fulfilling my desires of getting the.280 AI , but again, I just can’t justify the minimal gains over the already ample adequacy of the good ol venerable .280 Remington that just seems to hit a sweet spot for my hunting needs without getting into the magnums . I’m a firm believer in keeping the distance within reason , making ethical shots , and more importantly, using a premium type bullet properly suited for the task at hand .

I need to build my 280 ai in 1 in 8 twist for 175 eld and 168 barnes lrx

this is better than the regular KZfaq gun videos of shooting watermelons. this is educational and informative!

Big 280 Remington fan and my favourite is still my LH Browning A-Bolt Stainless Stalker BOSS. I have the same exact rifle in 7mm Rem Mag too. The whitetail racks on your wall make me think you've made it up here to Canada or close to it.

I love this content. Guys like you is the reason for the phrase.. He forgot more then I know about fire arms. 270 130 grn white tail

So, unless I'm planning to shoot over 400 yards, or really like recoil, my 270 win will pretty much anything I want :D Thanks!

I’m a big fan of the 280AI. I currently have a 270 win and I will likely re barrel to the 280AI then work up handloads for deer with 140 gr bullets and another in the 160 - 168 gr range for Elk and Moose. My biggest decision would be deciding on either a 24 or 26 inch barrel.

I've wanted a 280AI for a long time. I'll get one eventually. I have a 7mm PRC which does a little more than a 280AI, but the 280 is SO efficient.

My first was a 7 mm Rem Mag, but I guess my favorite is 280 Rem,,I have had great success with it. Haven't used my 270 yet,just acquired it last fall

I have a 280AI and love it hand loading i can get pretty close to 7 mag factory loads with less recoil. And deer and elk dont know the difference lol. Very good video thank you

I have owned all three of these 7mm rifle/ cartridge combinations. Just never been a fan of the 270, probably more for lack of bullet selection, but also because I feel it is light for elk. I currently have a Kimber Mountain Ascent in 280 AI and to me it is absolutely the best all-around cartridge for North America and even for most if not all African plains game. The only bullets I use are Barnes 168gr LRX and Hornady 150gr CX. I've been using nothing but monolithic bullets since the mid 1990's with great success.

That's four wonderful cartridges in your line up! For a new shooter/hunter I'd recommend the 270 Winchester if I was limited to these four. With rifle and ammo availability plus less recoil that's a no brainer. However.. if you're going to stick with these four.. may as well add the parent case 30-06 Springfield. That would be my choice! Great video 😊 thanks for sharing this brother

Load the AI up to near the 7 mag or load it down to starting load and you have 7mm08 class rifle. It a great whitetail load at the lower charges and elk at higher ones. Win Win.

very interesting description, such a personal decision based on so many factors particularly relevant to cost, weight and recoil. performance has small factors also other more recent option from 7 PRC, plus older stuff like 7mm08, and 6.8 western but some issues such as target animal and ammunition choices/options. Those massive blunders by huge rifle corporations are simply unbelievable with poor rifle options. If you have a 7 rem mag understand why change? but if getting a new rifle think about barrel life and if you dont need it's grunt why not get a choice with better barrel life and less recoil? your choice but if you have a hand me down grandpa rifle stick with that for the feelings.

Excellent video. My #1 is 30/06, #2 is .270 Win. I may have to build a .280 Rem now, though 🤔

Good vid. This is the first I've seen your channel. I've been thinking lately that if/when I ever burn the barrel out on my T3 .30-06 I'd like to rebarrel in .280AI. Have you done a 280AI vs. 30-06 video?

John, as usual, another awesome video. It brought me back to my very first big game rifle. It was a Interarms Mark X in 7mm Remington magnum I bought at a pawn shop for $150 many years ago. I wonder, marketing being what it is, what would have happened if Remington named the 280 Remington, a 7mm-06 and the 7mm Remington magnum, a 280 Remington magnum. What would that have changed if anything. Gary from Montana.

Been dropping whitetails since 1988 with a .280 Rem, first year shot factory Rem 150 gr. core loct sp, then got into reloading, 2nd year 140 grain Nosler Partitions, had one grenade on a big bodied 8 pt. in central MO., found the Barnes "x" the next summer, never looked back, the "X" 140 gr. drops them every time.

One thing to consider is "barrel life". Which cartridge burns out barrels quicker than the other, and which one's barrel lasts longer.

good to discuss barrel length.

Wish 280AI ammo was more available. Very hard to find even on web.

I have a 7mm Rem Mag, but the 280 AI is amazing. I have some .270, .280 Rem, and 30-06 brass I am going to fireform into 280 AI.

Me I would buy the .280 Rem and if I wanted more I would go 7mm Rem Mag.

7mm rem mag wins

Remington has messed a lot of stuff up ballistically. 6 mm Remington and the 280

Superb video, thx

Beautiful harlequin drake sir

I’ve been hand loading 7 mm08 and can almost match the .280 I going to decide 6.5 keep or let go and just do 7 mm really don’t need a a I cause I have a 300 wsm for that

Would like to see all 4 with 26 inch barrels and loaded to max pressure the 270 was reduced in power shortly after introduction.

280 based cartridges are efficient. Also, those higher power capacities and velocities require longer barrels around 26", but 280 AI does it in a smaller action.

270 and 7mm are easy to find and the 270 is the cheapest of those 2 . I’ve never seen a rifle chambered in 280 and i’m old .

Can we get an in-depth look into the 280ai vs the 6.5x284 Norma I'm trying to decide between the two and can't find too much information on either

But it would be 100x easier for me to find 7mm rem mag

A Browning X-Bolt rifle with a 24 inch fluted stainless steel barrel and 1 in 8 twist chambered in 280AI. Would still shoot 280 Remington if needed. That is what I would like.

You do realize your argument for the Ackley was the argument used for the .280 Rem for many years, LOL. That is why I got one way back when. Also, the load data for the .280 Rem is weak because of some old autoloaders Remington produced way back when. The .280 Rem can be loaded to basically match the AI. Hornady used to load "bolt action only" .280 rema with nearly identical ballistics to the AI

Hello sir, new subscriber here. Where would you put the 7x64 in this lineup?

I will say tho 280 ai or 7 rem mag cant go wrong

270 win gets the job done in the hunting world if i want more power i will just move up to a 30cal...

Would a .280 AI be viable in Alaska? I was going to get a 7mm rem mag for hunting all game in Alaska.

7mm magnum is great but the one made by Weatherby, not Remington. Recoil is manageable and the cost of ammo is more expensive, with that said it's head and shoulders above the Rem 7 mm mag.

You could always load the larger case with less powder but not the smaller case with more powder. Kind of like making a 44 magnum shoot 44 special ballistics. In this way, we could cnsider the 30-06 a 308 magnum. You could always use less powder in the 30-06 case but not have the same case capacity in the 308. Just saying.

Nice no bs presentation

I AI my 270 win. I get well over 3200 fps on 130 grain

If you dont reload or shoot alot the 28 nosler will serve the avg hunter everything an more for decades truly the best all around

What about a 7mm Rem Mag Improved, move the shoulder like the Ackley, pluss straighten the case, using a 300 Win Mag case, If I need more than 7mm Express/280 Rem/Acckley Imp just go for 7 mm Rem Mag and load for 65.000 psi as the rifles are the same, doubt that the case of a 7 mm Rem is weaker, 280 AI not easy to find and about $4.00 + per round. 7 mm Rem Mag $ 2.50 to 4.00+

You have a Cheyenne panel door behind you

Can a 7mm Remington Express fit a .280 Remington breech and be fired safely

7mm Rem Mag throw the rest out. Ammo is found every where. Every rifle company chambers for it. So what the 280 AI achieves the same velocity with less powder.

280AI best all round

270 Winchester all the way!

Just struck me…why not a 270 AI? Make them with faster twist barrels to fire the new heavier 277 sized bullets.

7mm rem mag is the king out of all these cartridges here. I’m about to buy a new deer and elk rifle and confused between getting a 6.8 western and 7mm rem mag and I’ve thought about 300 PRC. But I’m most likely getting the 6.8 western or 7mm rem mag because I do more deer hunting than anything else. What’s kind me confused between if I should choose the 6.8 western or 7mm rem mag. They claim the 6.8 western is just as powerful as the 7mm rem mag. But I’m wondering if Winchester and browning cherry picked their bullets on the 6.8 western. From what I’ve researched and studied there’s not a dimes worth of difference between 6.8 western and 7mm rem mag. I’m just wondering which one has the most performance even if it just by a little bit with both using equal bullets. Is the 6.8 western truly just as powerful as the 7mm rem mag ? If someone could answer this I would appreciate it.

That 280 AI looks like itll beat that 7mm rem mag

Remington ruined so many amazing cartridges due to awful marketing and boneheaded decisions

Have any body heard of the 7x64 everybody keeps on re inventing the wheel

In my eyes the 280 rem is the ticket

Interesting how similar 280AI and 6.5PRC seem to be....

Realistically shooting game isn’t being at the range, hunting you have an ethical limit to work with. Your genuine ability and the projectile performance at the chosen distance. You’re cold, wet and tired so you most certainly won’t be hitting the right spot at any distance if we’re being totally honest. I had this lesson in the arm, we did our battle fitness test where the final task was the range. To be done immediately, guys arriving totally knackered trying to hit paper, fail. Some were missing the entire target, guys who were normally great shooters. I cheated by sliding back down the line a bit, got my breath back and then nailed it. My results were like a sniper, a lesson I retained for years while watching other hunters completely miss an animal because they weren’t fit and proper to even take the shot. Frankly I have found a lot of the gung-ho hunters are full of shite, especially when it comes to real stalking.

7mm PRC has about the same performance.

Remington nearly still-birthed their 280

We don't need the 280 Ackley improved all we need is bring the 280 rem back it beats the 270 and almost the 3006 but not quite

The .270 Win < .277 is not a Proven 7mm/ .284 Substitute, apples to oranges...

All you need to know is 28 Nosler is far superior in every way.