cant make up my mind

[jimsx]

Im looking to get a new rifle but i cant decide between 280 ai or 7 rem mag. Im thinking of a 25 to 26 inch tube. just how close in velosity are the two in real world numbers. i want to run 168 gr vld

[wildcat 264 winny]

Are you a handloader

[jimsx]

yes i do load my own. but never wildcats but i dont mind learning new stuff. also ive never loaded a belted case and from what i hear case life is short due to case expantion that u cant resize just befor the belt. witch makes me lean towards the 280 ai

[wildcat 264 winny]

Well thats been pretty much true up until now. What you need is a Magnum collet resizing die made by; http://www.larrywillis.com This will size that hard to reach area just above the belt. Works excellent. And it will work on any belted case of the same size diam. Check it out. On the downside it will cost you about $90. But in the longrun it will pay for itself in no time at all in the amount of expensive brass you'll save. Can't go wrong with choosing the 280 Ack. either. It won't have these problems. There will be less felt recoil as well due to the smaller diam. head. Trimming will be minuimized as well with the 40' shoulder. Only drawback I can see is if you ever plan on useing the heavyer Berger 180 gr. VLD the Ack. may not push it quite as fast as the & Mag. I may be wrong. Ask some of these other .280 Ack shooters. Good Luck

[twoeighty]

the 280 ack brought kenny jarret to the dance...very versatile AND efficient use of powder for the gains in velocity ---ackley himself thought it had ideal case volume for the .284 bore---of course it will never match velocities of the 7mm mag at equal pressures---pure physics---however the trade offs are approx 10 gr's less powder hence less muzzle blast, recoil and throat wear, no belted case to deal with and the above mentioned collet die for maximum case reloads won't set you back $ 100 plus another reloading step...all for about 100-150 feet/second loss....i shoot the 168 VLD from a 1:9 25" bartlein bbl and safely reach 2950 with VV 165 and 210 match primers with fireformed remington brass---and if you want, nosler has the brass in production...personally, i don't feel the need to shoot 180's.....however, if that bullet weight is needed...then consider the magnum 7 to give that extra boost...for me, the only belted case i'm willing to tolerate the sizing issues and all the hassles is the 264 win...yes i do have the collet die and it does work as claimed...so many guns...so little time...good luck with your choices...280

[jimsx]

280 akley it is. i dont see a need for 180's in michigan either. 100 to 150 ft ps slower i can deal with that for a little less barrel wear.i will definatly be checking out nosler when it gets done sounds alot easier.twoeighty said it so many guns...to little time...thanks for your time guys

[twoeighty]

you mean there aren't any polar bears up there

ps> with a great classic style fiberglass stock like High-Tech Specialties...recoil is very pleasant and you won't be undergunned for most anything in the lower 48..you will like the 280 ackley----------------280

[jimsx]

no polor bears here, i wish there was thou it gets pretty boaring around here. ya i will like it but i like them all cant have to many.i ordered dies and brass last nite. just waiting an the taxes to get done so i can get stared on the rifle cant wait.