280 AI bullets which one?

[rharfo]

Looking to go no heavier then 150 grains. My Dakota likes 140 ballistic tips but I want a bonded. Love the Accubond but it's 140 or 160. I don't want to go 160. Bullet will be used for whitetail, antelope, mule deer at ranges out to 500. So do I go 140 Accubond, 145 barnes lrx (anybody shoot this), or ? Not liking the reviews on here about the Accubond long range. Talk to me peeps.....

 

[MudRunner2005]

500 yards, I would think you would be better off with 160 Accubonds or Berger 168 VLD's.

Sorry, can't recommend anything smaller, as I don't shoot anything lighter than 160gr in .284 caliber.

 

[Lefty7mmstw]

140 nosler tipped... ab, ct, or bt depending on what you are putting it into. My brother uses the 140 ct in his 280 and I use the 140 ab in my 7stw. I'm looking at the 150 ablr or the 171 barnes match for my 7rum. I have shot the 150 ablr in my 7stw and it shoots well, but I killed my buck with 140 ab's this year because I've shot/ proved that load more.
Don't count out the sierra pro hunter 140 either, I put one through a white tail hip at 300 paces a few years back and the pill held 60%. The only issue with the sierra is the bc is a bit lacking for better than 500 paces or so.

 

[Derek M.]

Looking to go no heavier then 150 grains. My Dakota likes 140 ballistic tips but I want a bonded. Love the Accubond but it's 140 or 160. I don't want to go 160. Bullet will be used for whitetail, antelope, mule deer at ranges out to 500. So do I go 140 Accubond, 145 barnes lrx (anybody shoot this), or ? Not liking the reviews on here about the Accubond long range. Talk to me peeps.....

1. Why do you want bonded when your set up needs no further improvement? The 140 Btip will work just fine.
2. What's wrong with the lateral move straight to the 140 AB?

In my experience, the AB is a very accurate bullet with so-so performance, even on deer. The better bonded bullet, in my opinion, AND experience, is the 150 gr Swift Scirocco. Yes it costs more, yes it's harder to get a good load with the pure copper jacket, but performance is superior to that of the AB. I've killed plenty of deer and bears with both. Only reason I'm using the AB is because I got a smoking deal on Nosler 2nds and at Walmart in Cortez, CO when they sold them on close out.

Swift was way ahead of Nosler offering a bonded, tipped hunting bullet. They have better BCs and hold together better and penetrate further. I've recovered several ABs at very close ranges from bears and deer. I've never recovered a Scirocco from a bear or a deer, even at 12 yards when I did a bait and wait hunt in Alberta and New Brunswick.

 

[letrbuck]

My standard 280 likes the swift scirocco ii 150s. Have some accubonds but haven't loaded them yet

 

[rharfo]

Thanks for replies. The easy button here is to stay with the NBT. I just want a higher BC, little more weight to buck the wind and extreme accuracy. My Dakota recently shot a .272 100 yard group with the NBT. Oh and I like speed! And thought if I go 160 I might be giving up too much velocity. I have a lot of 140 NBT and ab on hand. Maybe I should try the 150 NBT..... And lastly I can't find anyone shooting the .284 Barnes 145 LRX. Hmmmm

 

[jsthntn247]

Shooters Pro Shop has the 150 b-tips for 13$/50 right now if you want to use those. I loaded my 280ai with 140 accubonds and n560 at 3200 fps. I aint scared to take a shot in the right conditions out to 700.

 

[Derek M.]

I shoot 150 NBTs in my 280

 

[Sauer 150]

I have used 150 Scirocco's in my 280 AI for a couple of seasons after Red Deer and moose. MV roughly 3050f/s. With about 25 kills I am very happy with them.

However beyond 400m(435y) I'm a bit conserned about proper expansion. Of the bonded bullets the softest is 154 grs Interbond and would be the one I would turn to if I were to opt for a bonded bullet and where to use it that far out.

 

[jsthntn247]

Interbonds and scirocco's are the two hardest bonded bullets made averaging 75 - 85% weight retention. Accubonds usually in the 50-60% range and should expand more at longer range.

 

[Sauer 150]

Interbonds and scirocco's are the two hardest bonded bullets made averaging 75 - 85% weight retention. Accubonds usually in the 50-60% range and should expand more at longer range.

I have done a fair amount of testing all the plastic tipped bonded bullets in both wet paper pulp and water and my experiance with the three does not coinside with yours.
Interbonds are the softest, gives the largest expansion diameter and have given me above 90% retained weight. Wound channel with them seems to be wider and shorter than Scirocco's and Accubond's.

I have only shot 12 larger deer and a few moose with 160 accubond so my experiance with them on game is to small to be conclusive.

If I were OP I would look at two bullets. 160 Partition below 300 and 162 A-Max from there on out. Both above roughly 60 grs Re22/Norma MRP. Both will probably shoot within 1Moa with the same zero at 100