I’m looking at options for a possible 280 ai build. What bullet drops them? I don’t care about meat loss

I’m willing to go down in the 140 gr world if it gets my speed back. 22” barrel

Nosler 120 grain ballistic tip.

My buddy shoots 120bt in his 280. He swears by it. Seems a little light for a 7mm, but I don't own any 7mm rifles, so what do I know.

160 gr Nosler Accubond is my go to.

Any bullet you want, in the brain stem.

Thats the only way to drop them in their tracks. There is no magic bullet to drop them if they are hit in heart and lungs. Heart/lung shot opens anyone up to the potential to have to blood trail at least some.

Nosler Ballistic Tips are my favorite for quick kills in any medium capacity cartridge. They seem to balance shock and penetration perfectly.

BT's are inherently accurate too.

x2 gotta put the bullet thru the off switch (high shoulder, neck, head)

If I was building a 22" 280ai...I'd shoot 120's BT or 140 Accubonds...those two have been TOUGH to find, so I'd likely shoot a 140 Berger vldh.

The quickest killing bullet I've seen is the Berger VLD's. I load ammo for a couple of TV shows. They love the Berger VLD's because of the quicker kills that bullet provides (300 Win Mag with 190 VLD). In the 280 AI, I'd lean towards a 168 VLD, maybe a 180 VLD. But speed is your friend.

My 280 loves 139gr Hornady SSTs. Drops them quick with a shoulder shot.

140 Accubond is the only bullet I shoot in the 280. It's proven itself on hogs, whitetail and mule deer for me.

If you are talking terminal performance for Texas size deer all the way up through elk, the Nosler Partition is the gold standard. Dropping an animal where it stands is a shot placement thing.

140/160 Sierra Gameking BTHP or 140 Nosler BT.

The most reliable bullet I've found, the Sierra Gameking 140 gr. BTSP #1905. The good old cup and core bullet. If it doesn't drop right there, it leaves a massive blood trail. Have NEVER had one fail!!

Is this a regular vld OR the vld hunter?

Also to anyone else as well, how does vld vs vld hunter do in terms of accuracy/consistency?

x2

Vld h

I’ve shot them in the past out of 6.5 creed. It did excellent in all categories

I’m just making sure I’m not over looking anything

Classic Hunters are not as jump/jam picky. Really liking those and so are a whole lot of other people. They can be tricky to run down.

I've stuck with 150-grain Partitions for a long time and have yet to be disappointed, but I've come to believe that any hunting bullet will work fine as long as it's properly placed and maybe just as importantly the impact velocity is appropriate. Sometimes less is more when it comes to impact velocity.

For whitetail deer (200 lbs and under) I load a 140 gr. Ballistic Silvertip and strive for a High Shoulder Shot.

For anything heavier (Mule Deer, Hogs, etc) I load a Federal Trophy Bonded 160 gr.

Nosler 120, 140, and 150 all accurate and quick kills.

yep good ol cup and core... old tech but it still works well!.
I think the Sierra Game Changer is the same bullet with a plastic tip.
Used the 140 Gr in my 270 ...extremely accurate!

I should have added 150 gr Scenar-L.

I’ve had great luck with 175 eldx, 150 nosler partitions, and for years my dad shot 120 grain Remington corelocks out of his 280. He loved them but they quit making them. I’ve been trying to get him to try the 120 BT’s but he is hesitant.

I loaded a bunch of 160 grain Sierra GameKing BTSP’s for my regular 08 I don’t know how fast or remember the powder off the top of my head but it’s max load of 42 grains. It’s been a very impressive load for deer and hogs, either dead right there (shoulder shots) or massive short blood trails. It’s also very soft on the shoulder.