Fire Forming brass - 280 Rem to 280 AI

[Brian in Montana]

I have a .280 Remington that I keep thinking I will at some point re-barrel to .280 AI. I have around 150 pieces of nickle-plated Winchester brass for the 280 Rem. I've read you can fire form brass from one to another. I have a few questions about that:

Anybody done this? How did it work out? Will the nickel plating flake off with that much stress on the shoulder?

 

[std7mag]

I've done the 7mm-08AI.
Depending on rifle manufacturer you could possibly rechamber yourself.
You can do this with Savage or or the Remage conversion.
If it doesn't have the barrel nut configuration, you can either get a new barrel, or get a gunsmith to set your existing barrel back & chamber.

I have never fireformed nickel plated cases, and i don't know that i would try it.

I would also recommend not attempting to fire form brass that has been shot more than once, unless you anneal the brass first.

 

[Salmonchaser]

No idea on the nickel, however fire forming is pretty straight forward. I’ve been doing it for 25 years with a 338 Jarrett and have found seating the bullet tight to the lands significantly improved case life.
Now I use a hydraulic forming die from Whidden gun works. Best thing ever.

 

[joelweb]

I know a guy who uses nickle plated brass in his 280AI. He's using an 09 Mauser action and I'm sure he formed his brass. Seemed to work fine.

If a competent gunsmith converts your gun to AI, they will likely turn the barrel in to shorten the headspace so that the shoulder junction of the case is supported to allow for easier fire forming. This method eliminates the need to follow the traditional method of seating the bullet in the lands when forming cases. My gunsmith also told me it's fine to fireform brass that has already been fired once. I did so in my .257 Roberts AI and only lost one case out of 200 that I formed.

 

[jabber]

My BIL has a 280AI and he has requested my Remington brass to use to form fire. He had Federal brass but it was cracking and too brittle. Said the Remington brass was softer.

 

[Brian in Montana]

If I go this route I'm planning to do the re-barreling myself with a Rem/Age barrel. The rifle is a Remington 700 Mountain. Cool gun, but a .280 AI with a 24 or 26 inch barrel sounds mighty interesting.

I use Winchester brass pretty much exclusively, had good luck with it, but they don't make their casings in .280 AI (yet). And the only .280 Rem brass I've been able to get my hands on is nickel plated. The change is not imminent, just thinking ahead.

 

[VikingsGuy]

If I go this route I'm planning to do the re-barreling myself with a Rem/Age barrel. The rifle is a Remington 700 Mountain. Cool gun, but a .280 AI with a 24 or 26 inch barrel sounds mighty interesting.

I use Winchester brass pretty much exclusively, had good luck with it, but they don't make their casings in .280 AI (yet). And the only .280 Rem brass I've been able to get my hands on is nickel plated. The change is not imminent, just thinking ahead.

I understand wanting to stick with a brand that is working and the desire to use/reuse brass you already have, but FYI Nosler has good quality 280AI brass if you find yourself not wanted to mess with the fire forming.

 

[Brian in Montana]

I have actually read some mixed reviews on Nosler brass. It's probably fine, but sure seems overpriced. I've read it tends to be soft. Whereas I expect to do some meticulous initial case prep, I know Winchester brass to be hard and durable.

 

[brymoore]

I’ve never had any issues with Nosler 280ai brass.

 

[antelopedundee]

I have actually read some mixed reviews on Nosler brass. It's probably fine, but sure seems overpriced. I've read it tends to be soft. Whereas I expect to do some meticulous initial case prep, I know Winchester brass to be hard and durable.

Just fire formed some Nosler .270 Win brass to 6.5-06AI with no issues.

 

[antelopedundee]

I know a guy who uses nickle plated brass in his 280AI. He's using an 09 Mauser action and I'm sure he formed his brass. Seemed to work fine.

If a competent gunsmith converts your gun to AI, they will likely turn the barrel in to shorten the headspace so that the shoulder junction of the case is supported to allow for easier fire forming. This method eliminates the need to follow the traditional method of seating the bullet in the lands when forming cases. My gunsmith also told me it's fine to fireform brass that has already been fired once. I did so in my .257 Roberts AI and only lost one case out of 200 that I formed.

That's why my smith did for my new 6.5-06AI. Used the go gauge as the no go gauge. Cases chamber with just a smattering of resistance.

 

[VikingsGuy]

I have actually read some mixed reviews on Nosler brass. It's probably fine, but sure seems overpriced. I've read it tends to be soft. Whereas I expect to do some meticulous initial case prep, I know Winchester brass to be hard and durable.

I've had good luck with mine, but as I have only been loading for a couple of years I haven't seen it all yet by a long shot.

 

[antelopedundee]

I have a .280 Remington that I keep thinking I will at some point re-barrel to .280 AI. I have around 150 pieces of nickle-plated Winchester brass for the 280 Rem. I've read you can fire form brass from one to another. I have a few questions about that:

Anybody done this? How did it work out? Will the nickel plating flake off with that much stress on the shoulder?

Some say that the nickel will flake off over time and eventually ruin your sizing die. Maybe your chamber as well. Try a few rounds and then wipe your chamber with a bore mop and inspect it for any flakes. I did a few nickel plated cases just because I could. Went pretty easy. I found that hunting loads in nickel plated cases tend to be more slippery in your hands, likely worse if it's cold out.

 

[Mtnhunter1]

Silver will fire-form just fine but I have also heard/read of the abrasive negatives to both dies and chambers. I can not confirm this...but have seen the flaking a time or two and quit using once noticed.

I have also found that the Nosler brass has been very good through 5-6 reloads.

 

[BRI]

When I ordered my 280AI barrel from Pacnor, they asked me if I was going to use nosler brass or fireform. I didn't understand what difference that made and he tried to explain it to me but I still didn't understand. I looked into fire forming and if my math was correct it didn't save any money since I was starting from scratch anyways. So I went with Nosler brass. I believe I'm on load 5 for each case and there's no indication of wear. I haven't had a single problem with any. I believe Hornady is now making 280AI brass but I've yet to try since I have plenty of Nosler.

 

[ImBillT]

For a properly set up AI you just fire a loaded parent cartridge in the improved chamber and bam, it’s “fire formed”. Nothing to it. Generally a smith would setup the chamber .005-.010” tight on a parent case or headspace gauge. The SAAMI spec’d .280AI is .020” shorter at the neck/shoulder junction than a .280 Rem, probably to insure that fire forming would be completely safe. It’s possible that it’s pretty tough to close the bolt on .280Rem brass. If so, run it through your .280AI die first.

Nosler brass is some of the best, yes it’s softer than Winchester and Lapua, but it’s perfectly fine, and extremely high quality.

 

[std7mag]

Exactly as ImBillT said.
When putting your AI barrel on the go gage is now your no go gage.

You want a slight "crush" at the neck shoulder junction on standard ammo.

And i never looked at fireforming as an expense, or a pain. Way i look at it, it's still valuable trigger time!
And the standard cartridge should still be plenty accurate.
Just be aware of POI change, especially at further distances.

 

[Durango Mike]

Keep in mind that a properly chambered 280AI (or any of the Ackley improved that are not belted) should have the same datum line on the shoulder as the parent case which allows the parent case to chamber and fire in the AI chamber. The technique of seating a bullet out to touch the lands helps in avoiding any excessive case stretching, (especially in a rechambered AI versus an original AI chambering) but is not necessary. I have used Nosler brass extensively and it is excellent quality with the prepped cases ready to load right out of the box, but nothing wrong with WW, REM, Lapua and Norma for making improved cases (used all of them). Once formed I tend to resize only enough so the case fit is snug when I close the bolt as I found it made for more consistent bore-bullet alignment, an old bench rest habit when we turned necks to exact chamber dimensions and only neck sized. I check with a Sinclair concentricity gauge and it typically shows less than .0005 in run out. It is only loading for rifles that do not have a camming action like single shots do I resize full length.For hunting ammo I check every round in the rifle so that not too snug, and usually use once fired Nosler 280AI.

 

[std7mag]

Peterson Cartridge is now making 280 brass.
They also are known to be an excellent brass.
Up there with Lapua & ADG.

 

[std7mag]

Peterson is also making 280AI brass.