280AI or 6mm Remington

[Jeremy45]

I know these are no where near the same cartridge but which one will be more fun to load for and shoot. I am not a serious rifle shooter but am looking to shoot a few times a year with some friends. We have steel from 100-1000yds and have a 1 mile shot that we are wanting to attempt but that will not be a regular thing. This is going to be a budget build with a Shilen or Pac-Nor pre-threaded barrel and a stockade stock assembled in my garage.

There is a small chance this rifle will see a local match or two and maybe make it to a training class. But the primary purpose is to have something other than a hunting rifle to shoot.

I like to tinker and play with new toys but I can't decide which round I would rather work with so I am looking for some opinions.

Thanks,
Jeremy

 

[ColbyLang]

I shoot a 280 AI for whitetail and light long range use. Its accurate as hell. Shoots really flat. Furthest I've run it is 800 yards.

 

[JRWALLSIII]

280 AI with 180 bergers! Very accurate. Nosler makes brass ready to go. Better barrel life than the 6 REM. Better long range killing gun for big game. It will hit steel with authority at distance.

You will be happy

 

[Sonic Crack]

6mm rem brass can be hard to find at times. not much selection unless your forming it out of some other caliber, at least thats what I found when looking to build a 6Rem. A 243 may be a better choice if component selection/availability is important. Also look into 6x47, 6CM, 6LRS, 6XC, 6mm-284 to name a few

 

[JGorski]

I had my 6mmREM turned into a 6mmCreed.

 

[Jeremy45]

Sounds like the 6mm Remington may not be the best choice. I shot a 243 some in the past and did well with it. I was just looking for something a little different this time around, any experience with 6mm-06? For the 280 guys how is recoil? I do not foresee it being an issue as I plan on this being a fairly heavy rifle but would it be comfortable to shoot all day?

 

[sib1948]

I would say an AI or DTA in 243 or 260 would be a great choice. The Caliber Choice Sticky (above) has a wealth of valuable information on this topic!

 

[7stwlvr]

280 ackley all week and twice on Sunday. Or you could go 6.5-06 ackley as well. The 6mm rem really doesn't offer much much over the 243 except a longer neck. The 280 is a fine cartridge. Can be pushed to 7mm rem mag velocity with less recoil and better barrel life. I love mine I used 280 brass and just fire formed it. I am waiting on my barrel for my 6.5-06 build it's going to be my light weight mountain rifle for that wyoming sheep tag I'll probably never draw. My 280 ai shoots awesome with 140gr barnes ttsx over rl19


Sent from NSA wire tapped device.

 

[redneckbmxer24]

Good luck spotting hits or misses at a mile with either of those. 7mm magnum is the minimum. For what your doing I'd take a 308 over both of them. But if you're only shooting a few times a year round count isn't a big issue. How often will you be shooting to a mile in your few times a year vs 100-1000? If its often and you want to make consistent hits I'd look into the 7mm rem mag, WSM, and SAUM as well as the 300 win mag, WSM, and SAUM. One mile shooting changes the game.

 

[redneckbmxer24]

The 280 is a fine cartridge. Can be pushed to 7mm rem mag velocity with less recoil and better barrel life.

I won't take away that the 280 is a great round AI or not but it DOES NOT get 7mm rem mag velocities. Maybe from some neutered factory loads but show me one launching 180gr Bergers over 3000fps like the 7mm rem mag will do. Not going to happen.

 

[HodgdonExtreme]

I had my 6mmREM turned into a 6mmCreed.

 

[DirtyDave]

I love my 6mm Remingtons. I have one set up for coyotes with 55gr Noslers, and the other with 105gr A-max's for Deer. The 55's go over 4k fps, and the 105's go over 3k fps.
That said I also have a 7WSM that I have yet to shoot and a 30-06 that needs to be rebarreled. The 06 will soon become a 280 Rem. May or may not go AI on it.

I'd say you cant go wrong with either. The 6mm might be a bit cheaper to load for. Hardest part is finding the H4350 haha

 

[Jeremy45]

Good luck spotting hits or misses at a mile with either of those. 7mm magnum is the minimum. For what your doing I'd take a 308 over both of them. But if you're only shooting a few times a year round count isn't a big issue. How often will you be shooting to a mile in your few times a year vs 100-1000? If its often and you want to make consistent hits I'd look into the 7mm rem mag, WSM, and SAUM as well as the 300 win mag, WSM, and SAUM. One mile shooting changes the game.

The mile shot is just a novelty thing to see if we can. I bet we don't shoot that far more than once every year or two. I understand that would be a different build and that is definitely not the main goal of this rifle.

 

[Jeremy45]

I love my 6mm Remingtons. I have one set up for coyotes with 55gr Noslers, and the other with 105gr A-max's for Deer. The 55's go over 4k fps, and the 105's go over 3k fps.
That said I also have a 7WSM that I have yet to shoot and a 30-06 that needs to be rebarreled. The 06 will soon become a 280 Rem. May or may not go AI on it.

I'd say you cant go wrong with either. The 6mm might be a bit cheaper to load for. Hardest part is finding the H4350 haha

Fortunately I have 8lb of H4350 that I have been saving for this build. I know that is not a lot but it will get me a start. One of the reasons I am so interested in the 280 is the Hornady book lists H4350 as one of the top powder choices.

 

[DirtyDave]

Fortunately I have 8lb of H4350 that I have been saving for this build. I know that is not a lot but it will get me a start. One of the reasons I am so interested in the 280 is the Hornady book lists H4350 as one of the top powder choices.

H4350 works awesome in 6mm with 105 & 115gr bullets too. Cant go wrong.

 

[supratt96]

I love the 6mm Remington, but brass is getting very hard to come by and factory ammo is pretty scarce too. No telling when supply will catch up.

For the purposes you described, I would go 6mm Rem if it weren't for the aforementioned problems. It's accurate, pleasant to shoot and very flexible for hunting. It's great for everything from varmints to all but the very largest North American game. But, if I were building a rig right now, I would have to go with the .280 for component availability.

 

[ColbyLang]

I'm shooting 162gr AMAX over reloader 17. Seeing 3000fps average. CorBon ammo did the load development for me. Couldn't be happier with my .280AI

 

[JGorski]

My 6mmREM shot best with RE17 and 4000MR under 105s.

 

[DirtyDave]

I love the 6mm Remington, but brass is getting very hard to come by and factory ammo is pretty scarce too. No telling when supply will catch up.

You can also make 6mm cases from 257 Roberts and 7x57 Mauser Brass.
The 257 brass you can run it right into a 6mm FL Die.
The 7x57 should be run into a 257 Die first, then 6mm.