Building a 280 AI for long range which bullet

Have not used the VLD on elk, but had great success with Accubond on elk.

I use berger 168 vld in my 7RM. Big fan of that bullet. Never taken anything bigger than a deer with it, but every deer was done before it could figure out what happened.

Been using the 168 berger vld-h in my 20” 280 AI suppressed on antelope and it hammers them. Shot one at 638 yards last year and it dropped like a rock. I have no doubt it would work well on Elk.

I consider it to be a "point blank" load for the vast majority of the deer hunting I do. Deer have all been DRT, only one moved more than 15 yards.

I've smashed a bunch of elk with the 180 Hybrids, highly recommend them.

I’ve used Berger 175’s and 195’s in my 7STW with great success. My Krieger 26” is a 1:9 twist and stabilize both great out to 800yds. Haven’t practiced with them further....yet.

I’ve got a 7 SAUM being built (ballistic twin to your 280AI) and I’m going with the 175 elite hunter, 180 hybrid and 180 scenar. Whichever shoots best will get the nod.

As a hunting guide I have seen elk shot with just about everything under the sun. That said, I have a rule with clients. I will not let them use anything lighter than a 160 grain bullet. I have seen good success on deer with the Berger's mostly the hunting VLD,s. That said, not a big fan of them in elk as they seem to have a problem penetrating because they come apart quickly. My personal favorite rounds for both deer and elk and moose are the Accubonds, ELD-X and the Scirocco's.

168 vld

I've got a couple 280AI's and the 162 & 175 ELD-X bullets fly great. Haven't gotten the opportunity to take game with them yet.

If your rifle likes them 162 ELD-X. For hunting a little extra speed will be a benefit 99% of the time.

I'd go with the accubonds. We can plan for long shots all day, but if one kicks up 25 yards out I'd want the confidence that my bullet could take impact at near muzzle velocity. For me, a bonded core or monolithic bullet gives me that confidence.

I started with the VLDs, but my rifle didn't seem to like the 168 or 180s. I switched to the 162 ELD-X and those fly great out of my rifle. Bergers are great bullets, but load development will ultimately determine what is going to work best for you.