280 AI Brass?

[Nitrosteel]

I’ve almost been talked into going to a long action for a new rifle build and the caliber that keeps coming up is 280 AI. I’ve been shooting a short action rifle in 308 and have fell in love with Lapua brass. Now that I’m ready to step it to a longer distance (beyond the 1000 yards we’ve been shooting) - I want to make sure that quality of brass is taken into consideration before deciding on a caliber. Very interested in everyone’s opinion on this.

Thank you.

 

[300ATT]

My Take from shooting many many .243, .260, .308, 300 WM :

First Tier:
Lapua - Consistent and tough
Norma - Really good but soft
Nosler - Very good ... as good as Lapua??

Second Tier:
Federal - consistent but does not hold up
Winchester - almost consistent as Federal - Tougher (best bang for the buck?)
Lake City LR - consistent, Very Tough, very thick (reduce your loads), should sort by year ...
Remington - least consistent blows up quickly in my .260 - junk

Have no experience with Hornady, so don't know where that fits in the list. I have heard that Alpha Muminitions brass is right up there with Lapua. Don't have first hand experience with it though.

 

[Nitrosteel]

My concern is the lack of Lapua brass. What is the best brass available or is it reformed from some other caliber?

 

[300ATT]

If you .280 AI is put together correctly any off the shelf .280 brass will work. You just have to go through a fireforming step. It is a great round for long-range target and hunting.

 

[300ATT]

You can even find .280 ammo at larger outdoor stores like cabela's ...

 

[PinesAndProjectiles]

Hornady and Nosler make 280 AI ammo already, no fireforming needed.

 

[300ATT]

The Nosler was a little spendy but they both shot REALLY well (less than 1/4") in a MileHigh tactical/hunting rig they built for me.

 

[Nitrosteel]

I had almost settled on doing a standard 284 win instead - and using Lapua brass. I went into a high end precision gun shop today and he recommended the 280AI over the 284 win.

I’d like one last round of thoughts on this before I make my final decision and push the button. Honesty still leaning towards the 284 win. Thank you for your input.

 

[BigPoppaHugeTime]

I don’t have the AI (yet), just the standard 280. Just for fun, I’ve played around with fireforming 270 and 3006 into 280 with great results mainly using the cream of wheat method. You do end up with a slightly shorter neck, but in my hunting rifle, I’ve never noticed a loss in accuracy vs the 280 brass.

 

[WhiteDingo]

I've used both Winchester (plated) and Remington (bare) 280 brass to form for my AI with good effect. 6 loadings on the Remington so far with no issues; the Winchester has only been formed and loaded once.

I've been very pleased with the performance of the cartridge at extended ranges (940, 970, 1040, 1170); what's your target distance?
It's been a great pleasure to hear the resounding ring of the gongs versus the 6.5 Creedmoors and .308s that hit.

 

[supercorndogs]

Nosler 280 brass was on sale at Midway last week.

 

[Nitrosteel]

My range at home is 800 yards. Occasionally I can shoot 1000, but I’ve never been able to try a shot at further than that. I’m shooting a 6.5x47 now. I’m sure it will be nice to hit the steel a little harder with the .284 bullet.

 

[Boar Pig]

280ai is becoming popular enough that the LGS has 3 factory loads and 2 different brands of brass. I use the Nosler AI brass in mine. 4 firings and no issues so far.

 

[Sirshredalot]

New guy here, so...hello.

I have at least 6 firings on my hornady 280rem brass(fire formed to ai), havent lost a primer pocket yet and have pushed a 168 to 3k.
I have annealed after every firing, except the first.

The hornady brass is more voluminous than winchester by over 2 grains of water.

 

[sako17]

Fire formed my 280AI brass for 30+ years now. My preferred method is with Bullseye powder and a quarter square of toilet paper tamped on top. Point up, shoot, done.

However, Nosler fixed it for me by selling their brass already fire formed.

Because you already have a bunch of 280 brass though, I'd go get some Bullseye. It works like a charm.