action/stock for 280ai build

[stace]

Putting together a lightweight mountain rifle using 140-160gn bullets (preferably barnes & accubonds).

Any pros/cons of going controlled round feed vs push/feed or vice versa for the 280ai??

What in crf or push/feed would you guys recommend? Believe Mcmillan crf is a good bit of gear but pricey and surgeon for push/feed.

Stocks??? Mcmillan Edge or Manners Super/Ultralight. Want a straight comb with cheekpiece set up.

Is there any special requirements for the 280ai like extended mag (Wyatt) and such.

Cheers in advance for the feedback

[stace]

any of the 280ai guys out there??

[406pat]

Not a .280 guy but I see a fellow in need .

I'm sure that each type of action has it's followers and naysayers but for my .02 I'd recommend a push feed action. My reasoning is that most CRF actions like to be loaded from the magazine and have troubles or refuse to grab on to cartridges that are loaded one at a time and not pushed into the magazine. This isn't the case with all CRF actions and really is not that big of a deal.

Some like the fact that with a CRF you can change how hard your empty brass flings by how hard you pull the bolt back. I personally feel that the plunger style spits them out just fine. again just my opinion.

I know that Savage went to CRF on their ultra mag chamberings so there must be something to having CRF for larger brass (I built a .300 RUM on a Stevens and haven't had a problem with the push feed). Shouldn't be a problem for the .280 anyway.

Since the .280AI would have the same case lenght as the .280 I wouldn't think there would be anything special to it. My advice would be to check out some loads that guys are using for C.O.A.L. and then go to manufacturers sites to check out magazine size. I would thing that most standard and any magnum magazine boxes would be fine.

Do you have a specific budget for this rifle? If so I would not count out a Savage or Stevens action. They might not be as pretty but they work fine, have tons of after-market parts and you can use the money you save to upgrade optics or stock. Plus you can change the barrel yourself without a lathe.

Hope that gets the ball rolling for ya?

[stace]

Interesting about the CRF grabbing from the mag....the reason I was considering CRF was that if there was an issue loading the 280ai with a 40 degree shoulder that a CRF would do this more effectively.

This is my 1st rifle build and normally I just use the factory rifles and not think about why something works or doesn't....just use the damn thing

Cheers Pat

[muleyman]

Awhile back I had a 280ai put together. As you said this was my first rifle build. Mine is based off of a remington action (push feed). I have had a lot of experience with these actions shooting from vastly different shooting positions and angles. I have never had an issue with feeding and once converted to the ackley it stayed that way. There has not been a single feeding issue to date. I will say that I have had some problems with the controlled feed, mostly as stated above when trying to just drop a round in the mag and load.

As far as magazine length, the remington fit fine without any modification to it's length. I use both the 160 Accubond and the 162 Amax. Hope this helped....