old heeler
Member
That has not been my experience with the .280AI and 7RM. The .280's a great round, but even blown out, it doesn't have anywhere near the capacity as the 7RM.
Maybe if you compared a 26" .280AI to an 18" or 20" 7RM? I owned 24" 700's in both at one point, while the difference might not have meant much of anything in the field, there certainly was a difference. One eats more powder, barks louder, flies faster, and punches harder.
I'm considering doing another 280AI on one of my .30-06 Ruger M77MkII's, but I'm leaning more towards another 6.5-06 Imp instead right now.
I shot 7mag with 63gr/IMR-4831 @ 2991fps and I could push it, get little over 3000fps with 160gr Partition and I killed my first bull elk with that rifle when I moved Co 1977. I took 9 bulls with that rifle and my back-up rifle was 7 Wby. I'd also loaded Hornady 154gr and shot few with that.
I have two load for my spec 280AI one is with R-17/160gr AB, started at 53gr @ 2834fps and worked up to 56gr @ 3046 fps and if I used mag primer like I did in 7mag that same load would be 3111fps. Other one was with IMR-7828ssc and was load out of Nosler manual, I started 56.5gr/IMR-7828ssc @ 2828fps and max @ 60.5gr/IMR-7828ssc @ 3058fps and if I used mag primer it would be 3094fps. I'm sure if I was to build 7mag today, I could do better than one I shot 1977 and my 280AI is 1" long than 7mag.
I like 7mag case and I neck that up to 30cal and makes for nice elk rifle. Hornady has loading data for 280AI with 24" barrel and he's got few loads with162gr @ 2900fps and 7mag is 3000fps and that has 24" barrel.
Why don't you post loading data, let everyone see what your post about.