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Long Range Hunting & Shooting
280ai barrel length?
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<blockquote data-quote="nicholasjohn" data-source="post: 1713091" data-attributes="member: 109113"><p>I would want a longer barrel on a rifle that is chambered for a cartridge like that one. Everybody has a different view on this one, but going much below 24" would negate the performance that I would want from a 280 AI. Large capacity cartridges lose more velocity with barrel length reduction than is commonly believed. The often-quoted number is 25-35 fps/inch. I have not found this to be true. I have a 30-06 AI that showed up with a 26" barrel, and I got around 3000 fps with 180-grain Swift A-Frames. After I hunted with it for a season, I found it to be pretty clumsy, and had it cut back to 24". With no other changes, I was getting 2900 fps muzzle velocity - same load, same chronograph, same everything. Yes, I was surprised, but that's what I got. With lighter bullets, the velocity loss may not have been as much, but it would likely still be more than I had planned on. So, with a short tube on a 280 AI, I would expect velocities somewhere between those generated by the standard 280 and the 7-08. If that's going to do the trick for you, fine & dandy. You'll definitely find the rifle to be quite handy with a 20" barrel, but it may feel a little butt-heavy if you're used to longer barrels than that. One of the reasons a fine bird gun feels so good in the hands is because the typically longer barrels of a shotgun shift the balance of the gun forward. Something to think about there ………...</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="nicholasjohn, post: 1713091, member: 109113"] I would want a longer barrel on a rifle that is chambered for a cartridge like that one. Everybody has a different view on this one, but going much below 24" would negate the performance that I would want from a 280 AI. Large capacity cartridges lose more velocity with barrel length reduction than is commonly believed. The often-quoted number is 25-35 fps/inch. I have not found this to be true. I have a 30-06 AI that showed up with a 26" barrel, and I got around 3000 fps with 180-grain Swift A-Frames. After I hunted with it for a season, I found it to be pretty clumsy, and had it cut back to 24". With no other changes, I was getting 2900 fps muzzle velocity - same load, same chronograph, same everything. Yes, I was surprised, but that's what I got. With lighter bullets, the velocity loss may not have been as much, but it would likely still be more than I had planned on. So, with a short tube on a 280 AI, I would expect velocities somewhere between those generated by the standard 280 and the 7-08. If that's going to do the trick for you, fine & dandy. You'll definitely find the rifle to be quite handy with a 20" barrel, but it may feel a little butt-heavy if you're used to longer barrels than that. One of the reasons a fine bird gun feels so good in the hands is because the typically longer barrels of a shotgun shift the balance of the gun forward. Something to think about there ………... [/QUOTE]
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280ai barrel length?
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