Fire forming 280 Ackley.....

deerslayer

deerslayer

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I'm in the process of improving my 280 and I was curious how other ackley shooters fire form there brass , or where they get there brass from. Gunsmith told me to shoot a 280 rem shell and " poof " you make a 280 ackley improved case that then can be resized , is there a way to fire form without using a bullet ie: wadding , wax , I,m guessing here .Also if someone out there loads for the 280 Ackley if they could pass on some load info ,max case lenght , oal I would very much appreciate it.
 
.280ai

The Nosler Reloading Guide (fifth edition), has loads for the .280AI,case trim lengths,and fireforming instructions for this cartridge.Good Luck,Mur(they also offer Nosler Custom Brass in .280AI!)
 
I bought factory loaded 280 Federals for mine, pulled the bullets, then reloaded with the load I wanted. I did this to be sure the bullets were touching the lands so I wouldn't stretch the case when forming.
 
Dan is correct. That is one of the key features of the Ackley series. If a factory round does not headspace in the Ackley chamber, the chamber was cut incorrectly. This is why a factory barrel needs to be set back one thread when the chamber is recut. If headspace is excessive with a factory round, it might be easier to size .30-06 cases, leaving a small shoulder to set headspace for the first shot. Subsequent sizing should be done very carefully to insure that the shoulder is not set back too far.
 
280 Ackley

Okay, I sure the gun smith will do a good job doing the conversion , should the new fire formed case be trimed to the same size as a 280 rem case?Also should the 280 AI round have the same OAL as a 280 rem round? I bought the P.O. ACKLEY book and in the process of reading it.
 
The overall cartridge length is determined by the length of your magazine and/or the chamber throat. These will likely be unchanged by the rechambering though the throat may be lengthened (depends on the reamer).
After fire forming, you may find the formed case to be somewhat shorter than the parent case so trimming will be unnecessary for some time. In any event, your trim-to length should be the same as the 280. Regards, Bill.
 
I have used about 6 grains of Red Dot, a small wad of kleenex and filled the case with corn meal in my 270. A plug of bar soap will seal the end if necessary. I resized the case only enough to pop the old primer out, without working the neck. Place the case in your rifle and fire it, the brass will be about 90% formed.
 
The first one gets the nod, and yes, you can fireform without a bullet. Pistol powder, cream of wheat filler, and toilet paper/wax/soap to plug the neck. Very, very loud in the basement though, and try explaining to the wife why there's (notice the proper use of "there", literary police) cream of wheat dust all over her laundry. Whoops. - dan
 
deerslayer said:
Thanks for correcting my grammar Sunray.
Click to expand...

You were correct the first time Buddy, he was wrong. :rolleyes:


Let me know how the conversion comes along for you. I'm still thinking of doing one myself to compliment the .270 Wby laser in the safe. Do you think there is room in camp for 2 x 280 AIs ;) ? Maybe I should try and come up with something different so we don't get boring, eh? Hmmmm... maybe a .338-06? :D You neck down and I'll neck up? :)
 
Hey ILOVEBIGRACKS the more 280AIs the better , 150 bucks to do the conversion , should have it back this week , then all I need is to work up a load, are you coming out to shoot some wolve's , wolfs , wollves , wolfves?
 
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