Anyone else seen this? What were they thinking? This "custom" factory ammo should come with a warning.....
280 Ackley Improved Alert | GunsmithTalk
Do you think this is a problem? IF you knew how SLACK factory chambers were compared to where they should be as far as headspace you would probably really get spooked. In reality, factory rifles can vary WIDELY in headspace.
If you look at simply the belted magnum, if you take a supply of belted magnum brass from different makers and measured thickness of the belts on each, you would find a variation of up to 20 thou or more.
The reason I know this is because when I started making rifles professionally, the first 300 Win Mag rifle I built, I chambered as I would any other, with a min spec chamber set for zero headspace. Unfortunately, only Rem brass would chamber in the rifle, all others belts were all far to wide to even chamber. As such, if you look at a factory chamber set up for a belted magnum, its not uncommon to see the headspace setup 20 thou longer then what would be considered zero headspace. This is the main reason I prefer to build rifles using beltless chamberings so I can set headspace to zero. Not possible with a belted magnum case.
Many get spooked about headspace but in reality, unless its DRAMATICALLY off, the brass will fill the gap just fine.
As far as the 280 AI goes, the 10 thou difference between the Rem and Nosler headspace will mean nothing as long as you size your brass properly after firing the first time.