280AI build on 110 staggerfeed

[Dave Hoback]

Lighten the stock yourself. Hollow the butt, drill 1/2” holes along the forend inside channel, etc. Or skeletonize it.

[bootsmcguire]

FWIW I have had quite a few AI cartridges and I will opt for the AI version of almost any cartridge for a bolt gun when possible. The increased velocity is nice, but the extended brass life and nearly eliminated need for trimming brass is worth it to me. Also I often ran virgin brass with my worked up AI load when hunting. I like to set headspace to a minimum when possible and the AI chamber using virgin cases gives a very easy bolt closure in the field, eliminates the chances of a tight brass giving any difficulty towards bolt closure. The accuracy difference is minimal in a hunting environment (YMMV) so the added reliability is a nice perk.

But again the added brass life is worth it to me. For example: I have a 243AI that I run the 58gr Vmax thru at about 4100fps, always loaded with Lee Collet Die for sizing. As an experiment I started with virgin Winchester brass and kept reloading the same 50 brass, keeping tally on the firing count. They are currently at 32 firings, zero cracked cases, trimming was needed twice, annealed the necks at firing #26, and after #31 the primer pockets got loose and I had to swage them in my RCBS primer pocket swage dies. Still going strong. Its a real money saver. Take all that FWIW.