30-06 to 280 aI

[Topshelfbv]

I recently inherited a Mauser-Werke m96 30-06, and am considering making it a 280 AI . Am I really Gaining in performance / Killing ability on big game? and what all is required to make the transition? I currently have a 338 lapua for my long gun and am looking for a lighter mountain rifle for sheep and high country mule deer.

 

[MudRunner2005]

I recently inherited a Mauser-Werke m96 30-06, and am considering making it a 280 AI . Am I really Gaining in performance / Killing ability on big game? and what all is required to make the transition? I currently have a 338 lapua for my long gun and am looking for a lighter mountain rifle for sheep and high country mule deer.

Not really familiar with old Mausers, but I imagine that it would be just like any other rifle when swapping from .30-06 to another '06-based caliber...Which means at minimum will require a simple barrel swap, and headspacing. If it were mine, I would have the smith blueprint the action while he already has it apart.

.280 AI is an excellent caliber.

 

[Jud96]

With the .280AI, you gain the ability to shoot mid weight bullets; 160-168gr at the same speed as the '06 but with a much higher BC. For example, .30cal 168gr A-MAX B.C. is .475 while the 7mm 162gr A-MAX has a BC of .625! Same when using Bergers, .30cal 168gr VLD Hunting, B.C. is .496 and the 7mm 168gr VLD Hunting is .617! The .280 AI can push the
162-168s to 2900-3000fps while the .30-06 can make the same velocity, the .280 Ackley packs a bigger punch down range due to the high BC of the bullets.

If you plan on shooting far, the .280AI is a great choice for a sheep rifle, but the '06 can work as well especially if you bump up to bullets in the 185-210gr weight class. You will have less drop with the Ackley .280 but when you load the '06 with heavy for caliber bullets, you can make it a great down range hammer. You don't have to rebarrel your action to the .280AI to make your Mauser a superb deer and sheep rifle. One thing you could gain with rebarreling your action is a high quality match barrel. Also a new barrel is nice if you aren't sure of the current barrel's history of being cleaned and taken care of. You can also decide what contour and length you desire when getting a new barrel.

Another route you can consider is keeping your current barrel but making it a .30-06 Ackley!