I am trying to get a .280 AI Remington. In the process of trying to find one I had suggestions of getting a standard .280 and having it modified to the AI. Is this something a local gunsmith should be able to do? Or is it something that would require me to ship my gun to a specialist? Also, what is the estimated charge for this service? Thanks for any help in this.
Any true gunsmith with a good reputation should be able to rechamber the rifle to .280 AI without any problems. It's a pretty basic gunsmithing task.
Remington has never offered a rifle in the AI version. They used to offer the regular .280 Rem for several decades, but the popularity of the 7mm RemMag overshadowed it, so they slowed, then eventually stopped production all-together. These days, they are few and far-between, and considered more of a show piece, and are pretty rare.
You might be better off just buying a cheap used SPS, ADL, BDL, or CDL in .270 or .30-06 and having an aftermarket barrel chambered for .280 AI installed.
As for the cost... That's going to vary from smith-to-smith.
If you're over in Texas, I have heard that Dallas Lane does some fine work. Never used him myself, but seen some of his rifles posted on here, and they were really nice.
