Would love to hear opinions on these two for an upcoming elk hunt in Utah. Shots will likely be 200-400 yards, my personal limit will be 500; I regularly shoot out to 1,000. I’ve heard the rumors about how Bergers blow up, but I’ve had great success with them on deer. Accubonds are crazy expensive (I don’t reload), and both shoot well out of my 280ai, but I can put the Bergers sub 1/2” with 5 shot groups, consistently. Any advice is appreciated
I’m a fan of using what you have the most confidence in. Sounds like the Berger is what you’re most confident in. I’m also a big fan of expelling all energy into the target, which the Berger does. I’m still figuring this stuff out, but that’s 2 big boxes checked off in one option.
Split the difference and go with a a Partition 
What kind of groups are you getting with the Accubonds?
Take this with a grain of salt because I don’t have any experience using Bergers on game, but I imagine it will have similar positives and negatives of an ELD-M match. Because they’ve gone to such BC extremes, you get inconsistencies with when it expands and how long of a neck is. Not the same bullet weight but here’s a video from John McAdams where the Berger gets 9 inches of neck/pencilling before expanding. But I also have read a lot of reports where there’s like an inch of neck before rapid expansion. That inconsistency would bother me.
A lot of hunters use Bergers successfully, but I’d personally probably limit it to a lung only shot. I love hunting with match bullets because they kill so quickly, and have made no secret of enjoying the Sierra TMK, but I think past around 107 grains it gets too destructive on game shoulders. They have a new 116 TMK this year that I think is going to lead to some horrific wounds on game if it hits a bone.
All jokes aside, I am a really big fan of Partitions, and it would be my preferred bullet if I had a 280 AI and it shot it well. Second choice would be the Accubond. Third would be the Berger for me just so I’m not restricted on what type of shot I can make. Now I’ll make myself scarce before the Berger lynch mob comes for me 
Thanks, I will have to watch that video, I like John McAdams. As far as the partition goes, that is literally the only bullet this gun will not shoot. I can’t get those to shoot out of anything I own… The Accubond does well, it averages just under an inch on most five shot groups and I have verified both out to 500, the zero is actually almost identical on the two, it’s just about a half inch higher with the Berger. I have shot multiple five shot groups with the Berger, federals loading in particular; and if I’m being honest, part of me is being cheap here, but I can get federal ammo 40% off, while Nosler is $80 a box. My instincts kind of tell me to go with the Nosler because I usually hunt with a bonded bullet, in the norma bondstrike, but they don’t load that in 280 AI. I do shoot bergers out of my 6.5, and like I said, they’ve killed everything I’ve shot, but southeastern Whitetail are a lot different than elk. I should have mentioned that this gun does really like ELDM also, where if you go on rokslide and long range hunting, a lot of people on their swear by them and refer to that bullet as the ELD murder. I have just never shot anything with it though, so I have my reservations. I’m shooting a 20 inch barrel, so for anyone wanting to recommend the ELDX, this might blow your mind, but I was only getting 2618 for speed out of that bullet, where I was getting 2780 out of the heavier ELDM.
Terminal ascent shot awesome as well, but I was blowing primers, and having pressure and extraction issues, and I had to send four boxes back to federal, hard to trust that ammo now as I’ve had this with two different cartridges, and honestly don’t really have much luck grouping terminal ascent in any other rifle.
I’d have no reservations shooting the Berger. Accuracy is king. Just know you’ll need a clean broadside shot presentation.
Awesome, thanks Jim
Jim’s response is exactly why I’m choosing the accubonds. How often do you get a perfect broadside shot? If it’s the 6x6 of your dreams in a difficult situation, what are you going to want to have chambered?