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> .280AI Build
.280AI Build
@ 02:32 pm (GMT) |
David GausepohlGuysI've been in treatment for lymphoma for the last 6.5 months and have just been given the "All clear" by the doc. During this time I've been unable to shoot centerfires due to my central line installed in my right shoulder for my chemo infusions. I did shoot the rimfires during this time. I put together a Mauser in military garb, but bent the bolt handle, installed a low swing safety, and mounted a scope. Taking a test drive Friday with the 170gr SSTs. Also during this time a friend gave me an older Rem 700 ADL in .270 in Tupperware stock. I'll have a .284 medium weight 1-in-9 barrel chambered in .280AI with long throat installed, add bottom metal, and a stock. A couple questions: 1) Since I'm using a medium contour barrel, what fiberglass stock will give me enough to hold onto in the forend? I like the Sendero HS Precision, but I'm not using a Sendero contoured barrel. 2) what barrel length would be optimal for the cartridge for a carry rifle? Thanks, David |
Replies
@ 02:44 pm (GMT) |
David GausepohlRe: .280AI BuildSorry...on question 1 instead of ...tp hand... it should have been ...to hold...Is there way way to edit??? |
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@ 06:17 pm (GMT) |
Steph FosterRe: .280AI BuildAll fixed David. |
@ 07:00 am (GMT) |
Chris MurphyRe: .280AI BuildHi David 24-26 inch would be ideal for this and the HS Sendero stock would work well. doesn't matter about the barrel channel, the extra gap will help immensely with barrel cooling and with the bigger gap you wont get crap stuck in there while hunting and if you do the gap is big enough to see |
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@ 09:30 am (GMT) |
David GausepohlRe: .280AI BuildGood point Chris Murphy. I could go as heavy as a #5 contour if I used heavy fluting. Thoughts? |
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@ 10:43 am (GMT) |
Chris MurphyRe: .280AI Buildall depends on your intended use 8.5-9 lb complete would make a good carry weight with a sendero stock and optics fluted No3 or No4 contour will do it. or if you aren't carrying to far go No5. are you in NZ? |
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@ 03:37 pm (GMT) |
David GausepohlRe: .280AI BuildTexas, which can be tight piney woods of East Texas to wide open West Texas senderos and desert mountains, to flatlands of the Gulf of Mexico coast. |
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@ 06:54 pm (GMT) |
Chris MurphyRe: .280AI BuildIf you don't have to climb steep mountains then 10lb (No5 contour) would be a good weight it would make for some really accurate shooting |
@ 04:46 pm (GMT) |
Iain KempRe: .280AI BuildJust a couple of thoughts :-Barrels can be shortened and throats lengthened, but the reverse is not possible; so I would finish the barrel at 26" and leave the throat standard to start with. Depending on which bullets you end up using, a standard throat may be fine. ELDMs and TMKs can hang out a long way and the Rem 700 mag has plenty of length. Conversely if you use mainstream hunting bullets, you may find that a lengthened throat doesn't leave much shank in the case neck, thus severely restricted your bullet choices. With barrel weight, I would look hard at a no.3. I have a 26" No. 2 (.585" at the muzzle - .600" at 24")in 30.06 with a scoped weight of 8.00lbs that shoots three shot groups between .2" and .3". I am not the greatest shot around and I'm sure that the potential of the rifle is better than my results. Please note that my hunting is done and dusted in one or two shots, so recoil, heat soak and 5 shot groups are not issues for me with this rifle. YMMV The only benefits in going heavier than No. 3 would be a greater heat sink if you are firing multiple rounds, a little reduction in recoil, and slightly more stability hold wise. A No3 will give you a little more weight out front (than a 2) and balance better with the HS stock, which is not a lightweight. At one stage I was fan of fluting, but now I simply don't regard it as a cost/benefit effective option Depending on your scope and mounts, finished weight with a 26" No3 will be close to the top end of Chris' suggested weight range. Remember that the Profile Numbers of various barrel makers will not all be identical profiles, although the differences are not usually significant. FWIW, I chopped 1.5" of that 06 and the rifle feels a lot less unwieldy to handle, but I still think it is better to start long and see how you like it for your use. Extra barrel length is the most stress free velocity gain that you can get. |
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@ 08:30 am (GMT) |
Nathan FosterRe: .280AI BuildLooks like I am late to this party. Gosh it sounds like you have been through hell David. Step by step huh.Yes, go with the Sendero stock. Just do it. For the barrel contour, you need to be clear on how you intend to use the rifle. If you are going to plinking a lot with little walking then sure, head up to .7 or .750 etc. But for a longer haul carry rifle, you could ask to have the barrel finished at around .675" (as per the above post), still heavier than today's rubbish, more in line with the older Sako's and Howas. Finish at 26". If the smith has a Vanguard or Howa handy, he could near duplicate one of those for a carry rifle. The .280 does not need a great deal of meat for 3-4 shot flurries. So long as you have some parralel at the chamber end of the barrel (again like the Howa or a touch more), all will be well. Texas temps are however a consideration, hence why it might be risky to go below .675" for longer range work. If you want to, contact David and Ann Manson by email and ask for a Foster / Manson .280 AI reamer. We have yet to launch these reamers publicly. One of these will fill your every need. |
@ 08:38 pm (GMT) |
Adrian RegnaultRe: .280AI BuildHi. I started with a 26 inch MAB barrel which had a bit more contour than the original Brno .270 barrel, but cut it down to 24 after 18 months as I was getting the required velocity out of it, but was also getting a bit of barrel whip as it was pretty thin towards the muzzle. 24 inches is also a bit more easier to handle. Cheers Adrian |
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@ 04:10 pm (GMT) |
David GausepohlRe: .280AI BuildThanks for the help guys. Great direction for me in your responses. I'll start this project after the first of the year, and will post progress. |
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@ 10:51 am (GMT) |
David GausepohlRe: .280AI BuildI will be discussing the build with my gunsmith next week. I'm looking at a #6 (.750") contour 9-in1 twist Pacnor 3-groove with PTG bottom metal in the HS Precision original Sendero stock.Thoughts?[b] |
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@ 06:48 am (GMT) |
Chris MurphyRe: .280AI BuildSounds like it will make a very nice rig. Are you going to get in the Manson/Foster spec reamer? I’m yet to make a stock for mine to do some testing but knowing the quality of the barrel and the new dimensions it will be a great shooter |
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@ 09:21 am (GMT) |
Iain KempRe: .280AI BuildDavid, that will shoot well and will be great for LR and deliberate shooting over a good rest or prone, Will also soak up a bit of recoil, particulalry if you envisage multiple shot scenarios.BUT scoped it is likely to weigh well north of ten pounds with that barrel and that stock. Ten pounds (plus) may be OK on a pack and manageable on a good sling, but if you plan to carry it in your hands bush hunting, it is going to become very burdensome very quickly. Apart from the steadiness over a rest or prone, the heavier barrell is unlikely to provide any measurable increase in accuracy over a barrel that weighs a pound or so less - say .625/.650 at 24"/26". If you're worried about the wide barrell channel gap with a lighter barrel, don't be. |
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@ 10:33 am (GMT) |
Nathan FosterRe: .280AI BuildWill be roughly 11.75lb to 12lb with a 2" parallel at the knox and .750" muzzle.The Sendero (.825" muzzle) is around 11.5lb all up ready to hunt, due to having an immediate taper (no parallel section at knox) plus fluting. Quite true, never worry about the gap along a barrel channel. Just use the barrel contour that suits your needs. |
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@ 03:34 pm (GMT) |
David GausepohlRe: .280AI BuildIs the HS Precision original Sendero stock that much heavier than a B&C Medalist?I have that on a Howa action with a 24" Pacnor #6 in 6.5X55 and it's right at 10.75 lbs with a SIII 6-24X50 on it. That rifle is quite carryable with a sling, though I'm in the flatlands and don't hike more than 1/2 mile to a stand when hunting currently. You Kiwis have more hills than I ever encounter. |
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@ 01:46 pm (GMT) |
IainRe: .280AI BuildQuote: Is the HS Precision original Sendero stock that much heavier than a B&C Medalist?
I have that on a Howa action with a 24" Pacnor #6 in 6.5X55 and it's right at 10.75 lbs with a SIII 6-24X50 on it. That rifle is quite carryable with a sling, though I'm in the flatlands and don't hike more than 1/2 mile to a stand when hunting currently. You Kiwis have more hills than I ever encounter. Pull off your B&C Medallist and weigh it. Weigh, or ask HS for the weight of, The HS Sendero; and there's your answer. You're planning to use the same profile, from the same maker, so add an ounce or so for each inch longer that you AI may be and you're there for barrel weight.. You're unlikely to use a heavier scope than the one on your 6.5x55, and the Rem action will be lighter than a long Howa action. |
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@ 08:45 am (GMT) |
David GausepohlRe: .280AI BuildThe Rem 700 ADL has been dropped off with the gunsmith. The barrel will be made by Shilen, and I've decided to go with the Sendero profile in a 1-in-9" twist. He'll do fluting on the barrel, but more shallow than Remington's, as well as do fluting on the bolt, both to save a little weight. The HS Precision stock is on the way, and I went with the original Sendero stock with the slimmer grip. I've also emailed Dave Manson to order the currently unlisted Foster/Manson .280 AI reamer for the project. 50-60 day turnaround depending on when we get the reamer. |
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@ 10:24 am (GMT) |
IainRe: .280AI BuildSounding good David.We can only dream about a 50 to 60 day turnaround down here. Like many, I will be very interested to read about the specifics of those reamers when they are made public. |
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@ 02:37 am (GMT) |
David GausepohlRe: .280AI BuildWell, I spoke too soon. Dave Manson is not finished testing the prototype reamers (hurry up Nathan), so it'll be late February-early March before I'll get it. I definitely want to wait on the new design, so no worries. Nathan has also talked me out of the barrel fluting for the sake of barrel integrity/accuracy.All of this is toward building a Sendero they should have built at the factory, a .280 or .280 AI. The only standard cartridge currently offered is the .25-06. More to come. |
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@ 06:43 am (GMT) |
David GausepohlRe: .280AI BuildAbout a month ago, after several delays, I made the decision to go forward with a standard .280 chamber, rather than the improved chamber.So the final product is as follows: Rem 700 Chromoly action blueprinted Bolt fluted Shilen Select Match stainless 1-in-9 26" Sendero profile barrel PTG bottom metal Wyatt extended box magazine All metal Cerakoted black Timney trigger adjusted to 2.5# HS Precision original Sendero stock, bedded Sightron 6-24X50 LRMD It shoots factory .280 CoreLokts into an inch group. Load development is with the once-fired Rem brass, Speer 160gr BTSP, and H4831sc. I'll let you know how the shooting goes. Dave |
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@ 10:19 am (GMT) |
IainRe: .280AI BuildSounds good David.I'm a little surprised that you need the Wyatts box with that cartridge in that action. REM 700s are very long. Do you expect to need the extra length, or were you just future proofing ? |
@ 04:03 am (GMT) |
Charles WyattRe: .280AI BuildHowdy from Tomball, Texas. Congrats on your recovery and your new 280AI project sounds most interesting. A while back I bought a CVA Apex of what I thought was a 7mm 08, but someone rechambered the Bergara stainless fluted barrel into a 280 AI. What ensued was a single shot 280 AI that seemed to be very accurate.The interesting thing was that during load build up, the silly thing liked 180 Berger VLDs with 71.5 gr of 7828 powder. Why it liked a slow burning powder, I cannot tell. The issue with this particular firearm, was having to fire form Remington 280 brass to get it to the proper chambering, then one had to find the optimum COAL and so one would think that life is good. Well... Not so much. Apparently I built up too much of a load before and the brass became stressed after a 2nd or 3rd reload. What happened was case cracks appearing near the rim of the cartridge, thus making it necessary to measure the inside of each fired brass cartridge for tell tale signs of stress. Given that story that is starting to sound like a rant, the 280 AI is a wonderful cartridge and when it is set up right is very accurate and almost approaches a magnum in 7mm (although there will be some who disagree, so maybe this old man is wrong). Good luck with your build and have fun getting used to it. I sure like mine. |
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@ 10:12 pm (GMT) |
David GausepohlRe: .280AI Build[quote]Sounds good David.I'm a little surprised that you need the Wyatts box.../quote] Iain, not a need with this cartridge, but should the next barrel be chambered in 7mm Practical...I had the gunsmith do the work up front. Nice to have the extra room.p43 |
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@ 10:20 pm (GMT) |
David GausepohlRe: .280AI BuildQuote: Howdy from Tomball, Texas. The interesting thing was that during load build up, the silly thing liked 180 Berger VLDs with 71.5 gr of 7828 powder. Why it liked a slow burning powder, I cannot tell.
High Charles. Looks like we're about an hour from each other. I'm in Manvel (TX 6 @ 288). What range are you shooting at? I suspect the heavy 180gr bullets like that slow powder. Glad you enjoy your rifle, even though you stumbled upon the chambering. .280 AI brass is available from Nosler and Hornady now that it's a SAAMI approved cartridge. |
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