280 AI for elk?

[hicountry1]

My last bull was decked with my stw and 160 partitions.

Not much of a shot, 115 yards, also not much tracking, dropped him in his tracks

The stw was shooting the 160 at 3200mv, the 280ai would be 3000mv

Highly unlikely an elk would know the difference.

It's more about shot placement with a good bullet.

 

[EdP]

Probably the most common caliber used for elk is the .300 Win Mag, followed by the .30-06. The 7mm Rem Mag is also very popular and no one is saying it isn't adequate. The .280 AI is VERY close to the 7mm Rem Mag. I use my .30-06 but would have no qualms about taking my .280 AI.

 

[Echo]

Thanks for all of the feedback here. I was very close to buying a 280 ai but somehow lucked out and got my hands on a browning x bolt hells canyon in 6.8 western.

Looking forward to shooting this caliber and seeing how it performs!

 

[35WhelenAI]

Nice find, should serve you well. Lol, supposedly lots of that ammo on the shelves. Now that you have a rifle, should be set!

 

[Echo]

Nice find, should serve you well. Lol, supposedly lots of that ammo on the shelves. Now that you have a rifle, should be set!

True, but here’s some irony…..I’ve consistently seen ammo at 3 local shops and multiple online shops over the past few months. As soon as I got my hands on one I called the local shops and only one place had ammo left. 4 boxes of browning 175 STGK. I bought all 4.

Hoping to come across some 165 gr. Accubonds before long

 

[35WhelenAI]

The Browning I believe has a slightly tighter twist to handle that 175 gr. 175 gr is a lot of bullet in a .277. Unless the AccuBond is a flatter shooter and you need that, I don't think you're gonna see two cents of difference in on game performance. Shoot straight!

 

[Wanttohuntmore]

I've wanted a lightweight 280 ack for years. It's perfect for elk out to 500, maybe further with the right high bc heavy bullet. That said shot placement is of most importance on elk. They are strong. As much as I want a 280 ack, my next lightweight rifle will probably be a 3006, just to keep things simple. I have too many handload only rifles and it would be nice to be able to consume factory fodder if necessary.

 

[Thover]

My wife shoots 160 grain partitions out of a 280 rem and I shoot 168 accubonds out of a 7mm mag. Pretty much bracketing the 280 AI. Out of the unnecessary variety of cartridges we have available to hunt with, those two guns are always the first to come out of the safe. Countless deer elk and antelope have been taken, as well as animals in Texas and Africa. The 7 mag is going with me to Alaska and if my wife gets lucky enough to draw moose this year the 280 will probably go after that. Everybody always has their favorite or their opinion of the best, but .284 is for sure ours

 

[280Ackley]

168gr Berger VLD @ 2960 with H4831SC. We have killed everything from ground squirrels to moose. Furthest shot was a cow elk at 615 yards if I remember correctly.

 

[URE_G]

The 280 Al is one of my favorite carry rifles and will dispatch elk. There shouldn't be a problem for what you described

 

[tak]

168gr Berger VLD @ 2960 with H4831SC. We have killed everything from ground squirrels to moose. Furthest shot was a cow elk at 615 yards if I remember correctly.

Do you feel the need to be selective with shot placement at closer ranges with the VLD?
Asking because I just got some 168 VLDs for a new 280AI. Bergers have shot great for me at the range, but I've never hunted with them except for small Texas hill country whitetails.
The 168 VLDs seem like they have been a long range workhorse in .284

 

[280Ackley]

Do you feel the need to be selective with shot placement at closer ranges with the VLD?
Asking because I just got some 168 VLDs for a new 280AI. Bergers have shot great for me at the range, but I've never hunted with them except for small Texas hill country whitetails.
The 168 VLDs seem like they have been a long range workhorse in .284

Anything we have shot under 100 yards as dropped. That being said it causes massive tissue damage on small animals at close range. I can PM you one picture of antelope my son shot 105 yards a few years ago. When the kids are hunting I just have them shoot behind the shoulder like normal and deal with the mess it can make sometimes. If the condition are right for me, I aim for the base of their skull.

 

[tak]

Anything we have shot under 100 yards as dropped. That being said it causes massive tissue damage on small animals at close range. I can PM you one picture of antelope my son shot 105 yards a few years ago. When the kids are hunting I just have them shoot behind the shoulder like normal and deal with the mess it can make sometimes. If the condition are right for me, I aim for the base of their skull.

Sure, send me the pics! I won't be offended
I prefer animals to die quick even if it means I lose a little meat. Better than losing all the meat to coyotes.
I'm really looking forward to this cartridge!

So no concerns with holding on the shoulder of a bigger animal like an elk at 100 yards? You feel it'll get through to the vitals at close range?

 

[35WhelenAI]

IMO, the way it gets eaten by other animals is if it runs off and dies. A game bullet placed where it needs to be, within the parameters of how the bullet can handle the angle, shot distance, etc, will not let a single coyote feast other than on the gut pile after the hunter is long gone with the meat.

 

[tak]

IMO, the way it gets eaten by other animals is if it runs off and dies. A game bullet placed where it needs to be, within the parameters of how the bullet can handle the angle, shot distance, etc, will not let a single coyote feast other than on the gut pile after the hunter is long gone with the meat.

Agree,
That's what I meant by not worrying about a little meat damage from the shot. I do like to put it a little into the shoulder, was asking how he felt about a VLD into the shoulder of an elk. I don't have much experience with elk, and none with Bergers.

 

[35WhelenAI]

Agree,
That's what I meant by not worrying about a little meat damage from the shot. I do like to put it a little into the shoulder, was asking how he felt about a VLD into the shoulder of an elk. I don't have much experience with elk, and none with Bergers.

My apologies I was off topic a bit with such a general statement. I have my experience with bullets that open readily upon impact at 100 yds and meat damage on the shoulders of elk but I can't speak specifically to the Berger.

 

[Docpk]

Just bought a Christensen in 280 AI. Anyone know of any ammo availability?

 

[Harvey_NW]

Just bought a Christensen in 280 AI. Anyone know of any ammo availability?

Best bet is probably to browse locally, everything online is either out of inventory or marked up sky high. Don't forget to look for 280 Rem ammo also.

 

[Clark33]

Just bought a Christensen in 280 AI. Anyone know of any ammo availability?

Copper Creek Cartridge Co. had some 280AI loaded... its not cheap though.

 

[7mmHunter]

I’m considering a new rifle as a comfortable shooting ‘do it all’ rifle to hunt elk, deer, and antelope here in the west.

Im not looking to take any really long range shots. My max, in optimal conditions, is the 400 to 450 yard range.

Im intrigued by the 280 ai and would like to hear some experiences with this caliber and elk hunting. Is it sufficient? What bullet and grain are you using?

What else should I know about the caliber?

Thanks in advance for the assistance.

The 280ai and 284 Win in a long action are my finalists for my upcoming Tikka build