280AI or 270WSM
 

I have an opportunity to purchase one of these calibers in a light rifle that will primarily be used for sheep, foothills elk hunting.

I realize they are fairly similar however things like availability, popularity might come into play. Truth be told I'd rather have a plain jane 270 but that is not one of my choices.

Want to hear your opinions. Which one and why?

Thanks

When I'm hunting sheep, I bring enough gun for what could be hunting me
My min is 180 grain bullet ,

No experience with the 280 but I find myself in love my sons tikka t3 lite in 270wsm. Light, very accurate with everything I've loaded so far and great performance on game thus far.

if you reload:
wsm brass is expensive and tends to crack.

280ai brass can be made which makes it not expensive, lasts a long time, and is available from many more brands

in the rifle:
wsm is short action so the rifle might be a touch lighter (unless you go with a tikka etc.)

and finally i think 270 is a stupid face caliber so i'd go for the real deal 7mm

i guess that's a vote for the 280ai

All else being relatively equal in terms of ballistics, the .280AI will have the edge in magazine capacity, and usually by two additional rounds. BackPackHunters response would also tie to this.

Wsm case loaded hot with soft nosler brass , I was getting about 6-7 reloads
Running Rem brass I got 4 reloads on some, brass is holding up better

Mag capacity doesn't matter to me, you got time for one shot if your lucky ,
A griz can cover ground faster then you can jack another round , round 2, it will probably be on you by then .

I came onto a kill in Oct , things happen fast,

If it were me I'd pick the 280ai just because I like 7mm bullets, but either will do the job. As far as factory offerings go I think you'd have a better selection with the 270wsm, but if you reload I'd go the 280ai route, and in a pinch regular 280rem ammo will work.

As far as popularity goes, both are cool, neither are popular. The 280ai started as a wildcat for quite a while and now is being offered as a standard caliber by a few rifle makers, seems like it's getting "more" popular, the 270wsm doesn't really seem to be picking up steam. Maybe it's just me?

Well do you re-load?
If not then the 270 WSM is your only choice.
Personally I love the 270 WSM and am extremely impressed with its killing capabilities.
I shoot 140 grain accubonds at 3050fps I have shot two bull elk and 2 cow elk none made it further than 20 yards. Bull moose made it about 30 yards and a wolf, coyote and Whitetail have all folded on the spot.
There are lots of factory ammo selection for the 270 WSM as well.
If you reload they are about the same. They both have a sharp angled shoulder than needs attention to push back. the major difference being that you will need to pay a premium for brass or fire form 280 Rem brass.

Performance will be about the same with a slight edge going to the 270 WSM ballistics wise.

I agree with everything you said except the ballistics, the ballistic advantage will go to the 7 mm bullet.

Between the two, my choice was the 270 WSM. Short action was important to me as well. The popularity doesn't always make something better however.

Bullet weight in this class doesn't "weigh" in here. With what you said I can just run a 180 in my 308 kimber and be good. Theres more to it than that for me and I don't think the 180 in a 300 carries as much of an advantage as we like to believe.

I do reload so I'm leaning towards the 280ai

I have both. 270wsm in tikka laminate stainless and 280 ai in a kimber montana.

Although neither have killed a sheep yet i have shot elk and moose with both and had the same result. Both have no problem shooting to 500 yards at the range

My 280ai gets taken out more often just because it is nicer to carry.

Both can do what you are asking of it more than easily. Pick whichever one feels better to you.

How is that?

Now these are just a few comparisons.

Hornady Interbond .277 150 gr BC= .525
Hornady Interbond .284 154 gr BC= .525

interesting.........

Nosler Accubond 140 gr .277 BC = .496
Nosler Accubong 140 gr .284 BC = .485

Hmmm.....

Nosler Ballistic Tip 150 gr .277 BC = .496
Nosler Ballistic Tip 150 gr .284 BC = .493

Advantage 7mm?...yup:)

Differences are too small to see in the field but 7mm all the way....right.

With the same weight and nose and heel shape there will no practical difference in BC in .007 bullet diameter.

http://buybergerbullets.3dcartstores...ter_p_253.html

http://www.bergerbullets.com/7mm-195...-elite-hunter/

i see 7mm with more slippery bullets. maybe i'm reading it wrong

Not worried about effective range, on game capabilities etc. I know they are capable cartridges. More looking at if there is anything that stands out that would sway you one way or another in regards to availability.

Never had to fire form before? Will the AI shoot standard 280 ammo well in a pinch? Is it a pain in the A**

You are reading it correctly.

There are more "slippery" 7mm bullets available than .277's but being a .284 as opposed to a .277 does not automatically result in a higher BC with the same weight.

Moot point for 99.99% of hunting anyway, just a numbers game.

7mm 162gr Hornady ELDX .631 BC
7mm 175gr Hornady ELDX .689 BC

If the .277 bullet could offer a ballistic advantage you would see match shooters using them, but they don't.


7mm advantage yup.

Speeds are pretty much the same with the coefficient going to the .277".
As I said very slight.

it should shoot just fine, no different than normal except it is going to come out of your gun ackley improved.

accuracy may suffer slightly poi will be different than your ai rounds.

For match shooting, yes, based on availability not on diameter.

Load the factory 280rem ammo into the chamber, shoot, eject the fire formed case. It's that easy.

7mm will offer you heavier bullets with higher BC's if that matters to you.

Apples to apples the advantage is the .277"
Comparing a 170 grain bullet to a 195 grain bullet isn't a direct comparison.

A 140 grain bullet in each will yield the same speed with the BC advantage going to the .277"

it is apples to apples it is the highest bc bullet that both offer.

apples to apples any other way is like saying a 55gr 22 cal bullet is better because a 55gr 7mm bullet has a low bc

The only thing Iam willing to add is this.... If you ever want to sell this rifle down the road the 280ai will sell faster and for probely more money. Not because one is better then the other.....

Well then the speed advantage would go to the 270 WSM.

Nosler is one of the few manufacture that offer factory ammo for the 280 AI so lets use them as a example.
Largest weight in the .277" Accubond is 140 grain bullet with a BC of 0.496.
The 270 WSM produces a muzzle velocity of 3100fps and with a 100 yard zero they drop 41.8" at 500 yards.
The largest weight .284" Accubond is 160 grains with a BC of 0.531 with 280 AI muzzle velocity of 2950 fps and with a 100 yards zero it drops 47.8"

Seems like the 270WSM performs better ballistics wise in your version of "apple to apples" than it did in mine.

Mike,

The op never stipulated factory ammo or weight, and actually stated he reloads. I just pointed out that the 7mm bullet will offer a better BC, and there is no arguing that fact with all "ya buts" and "what if's" aside.

we have some very very different ideas on ballistics.

drop is fine, it's predictable and can easily be compensated for in a hundred different ways. it's reliable and true.

shooting in the mountains offers unique conditions like changing wind directions and speeds. this is not reliable and consistent.

by adding a little bit of drop and putting a few more clicks into your scope you can eliminate a lot of uncertainty before you pull the trigger.

And I said the ballistic performance goes to the 270 WSM over the 280 AI

Maybe you want to explain your version of ballistics then?