280 fans

[VoodooMountain]

I see cdnn has Ruger 77's chambered in 280 on sale for $399. The 77 is my favorite rifle and this price has me thinking I may want to pick one up even though my other hunting rifles are basically all in in 25/06 or 308. Both of which I have ample stock of components.

Any reason to choose the 280 over the 308 other than the price and it's different?

 

[Steve S.]

No as your .308/ 25-06 will do whatever you would need from a .280; yes to own another rifle toy in your arsenal. Good shooting.

 

[Dog Soldier]

I like the .280 Remington. I see it as an improvement over the .270. The .284/7MM bullets are much better at longer ranges than the .277 bullets in my experiences.I have used the .280 hunting Antelope and Mule Deer on the High Plains. I had P.O. Ackley in SLC, Ut. barrel a rifle for shooting 500 yds. Iron animals in the 1970s.

http://www.ballisticstudies.com/Knowledgebase/.280+Remington.html

 

[Varminterror]

All depends upon your application. If you're hunting deer at 200yards or less, save your money or spend it on ammo or training.

If you're hunting deer past 600yards, the nod goes to the 280 for horse power and trajectory.

 

[Dog Soldier]

Well "Dog my Cats" I have never heard of that ? I suspect the .284 bullet is effective at all ranges. I doubt many deer are taken at an honest 600 yds. The broad range of bullets and the excellent .06 brass makes a great hunting round.

http://handloads.com/loaddata/defau...on&Weight=All&type=Rifle&Order=Powder&Source=

 

[X-Rap]

I have multiples all three and if you get a 280 and use it I bet it becomes your go to rifle.
I like the 25-06 and favor it for pronghorn and mulies but if you throw in elk there's no question for me. I'll take the 280 all day.
I have little appreciation for the 308 even though I have a half dozen of them.

 

[DDDWho]

I have a Ruger 77 in .280 with walnut stock, beautiful rifle. My best friend reloads for me using the same bullets as his 7mm mag. It's a flat shooter using the 125 gr bullets he loads. Just to see if I could I hit a milk jug at a range finder measured 400 yards with it.
When I bought it I had a choice of the .280 or an 06 for the same price. I've owned so many 06s in my life I was just tired of it.
Ammo is expensive but thanks to my friend I have a life time supply.

 

[Dog Soldier]

Wow! Have you been reading my mail. I agree with you 100%. I am also a .25-06 owner. It is a great rifle for the American West.

 

[horsey300]

It's been said around thr that the 7-08 was everything that the .308 wanted to be. I sincerely feel the same about the 30-06 when you stuff a 7mm in it's neck. High bc, variety of weights, tolerable recoil, in a 77!? Why are you asking us!??? Run! Acquire! Enjoy! In my mind the worst case is that you turn it into an AI, only thing more desirable for me (and OP still got waved in front of the wife) would be the aforementioned 7-08 in 77 for $399.

 

[jmr40]

If the 280 had been introduced 1st there would be no need for 30-06 or 270. But it didn't come 1st. I've had a couple over the years. On paper they do almost everything better than 30-06 and everything better than 270. But by the slimmest margins. For the guy who just wants to be different the 280 is a very good cartridge. But I had 30-06 rifles with history and couldn't justify keeping both. Honestly, the 308 you have will come close enough, and do it in a more compact rifle.

 

[PowerG]

A friend has one that he reloads for, his load is 140 grains at about 3000 fps, the man is a force to be reckoned with with the rifle. If you're gonna go shoot with him you better have your big boy pants on and hitched up, or you will rather quickly become aware of your shortcomings. Great round, I agree, superior to the .270, by just a whisker. My whitetail rifle is a 7mm-08, it is close enough and does everything I need it to do, but if I was in the market for another rifle I'd definitely consider this caliber, both because of its performance, and because it's a little off the beaten path.

 

[1stmarine]

I would rethink the 25 because 25-06 is an overbored cartrige with limited application and small bullet selection.
IMO, the 280 is an amazingly efficient cartrige just like the 7mm-08 and 284, all of them often misunderstood in the US market due to bad marketing and limited rifle and application offerings.
Even the reload information is all over the place depending on what manual or source but if you look closely or buy some high performance ammo then you will see what this round can really do.
with a 26" barrel the 280 can propel a 175gr-180gr bullet to 2750fps that is just 100-120 slower than a remmag and 100fps faster than the 30-06 with a 210-220g bullet 30 bullet that will not be as
efficient in the air. Unlike the 270 the advantage is having the option of heavier bullets that provide more momentum on the target w/o the need to get into heavier calibers and thefore more recoil
and potential impact in accuracy with comparable rifle weights. Hornady just released a light 150gr that is supposed to be very good although I have not tried this bullet yet. When compared with the 270
147gr from hornady the 280 comes ahead as expected but not by that much. The big difference is with bullets with 160-180gr to hunt with authority where the 270 and 6.5 fall on the light side.
Even if long range is not the primary focus there is a real advantage shooting flatter and further than the 270, 308 and 30-06 among others by a noticeable margin so make sure about the rate
of twist on the barrel to make sure it can stabilize the longest bullets you want to shoot. The real advantage of the 30-06 is with the heaviest premium bullets for the heaviest game and moderate
ranges where the extra grain and frontal section makes a difference. But in many common uses and specially extended ranges the 7mm is a top performer.
With all that said if you want this in a short barrel, then better stick to the 308 winchester or 7mm-08 or classic 30-06. So unless flatter shooting and long range is important there is more consideration
to the 30 caliber or even the 7mm/08.
I think the 280 is a nice stepping stone in the long range to hunt with certain authority but w/o the need to get into the magnums.
As for the rifle the model 77 is a robust rifle and in a 7mm... seems like the perfect triple 7!
good luck.

........................

Edit:

I forgot, Similar discussion came up the other day with teh 270 and remmag and this is what I posted to look at some loads adn help with caliber decissions...

All the calibers discussed here are good calibers.
But comparisons like this can become arbitrary and meaningless and might drive new shooters crazy.
I would start asking the question about the bullets wanted and speed on the target. Would the shooter like to have the option of a 160-180gr bullets and why?
The type of target or game when hunting, the weight of the game, the possibility of longer distances, all this is something only the new shooter can tell us and
this way decide what bullets are best for that job and what kind of margin for error one would feel confortable with.
The rest is a simple task of deciding what kind of casing I need to deliver the type of bullets I want where they are needed at the desired striking speeds.

Lets say we discarded the 30 caliber so let me give you a few examples with average type of loads to see how this could be relevant to the shooter.
Of course there are better bullets and more powerful rounds in any of those calibers.

http://www.hornady.com/store/270-Win-145-gr-ELD-X-Precision-Hunter/
Test Barrel (24") Velocity (fps) / Energy (ft-lbs)
MUZZLE 100 200 300 400 500
2970/2840 2796/2516 2627/2222 2465/1955 2306/1714 2157/1497
Trajectory (inches)
MUZZLE 100 200 300 400 500
-1.50 1.50 0.00 -6.50 -18.80 -37.60
Nosler... http://load-data.nosler.com/load-data/270-winchester/

http://www.hornady.com/store/280-Remington-150-gr-ELD-X-Precision-Hunter/
Test Barrel (24") Velocity (fps) / Energy (ft-lbs)
MUZZLE 100 200 300 400 500
2925/2849 2763/2543 2607/2263 2455/2007 2309/1775 2167/1564
Trajectory (inches)
MUZZLE 100 200 300 400 500
-1.50 1.50 0.00 -6.70 -19.10 -38.00
Nosler... http://load-data.nosler.com/load-data/280-remington/

The 7mm-08 comes less than 100 yards shorter than the 270 in terms of effectivness withing the critical 2200, 2100fps threshold.
http://www.hornady.com/store/7mm-08-Rem-150-gr-ELD-X-Precision-Hunter/
Test Barrel (24") Velocity (fps) / Energy (ft-lbs)
MUZZLE 100 200 300 400 500
2770/2555 2613/2274 2461/2018 2315/1784 2173/1573 2037/1381
Trajectory (inches)
MUZZLE 100 200 300 400 500
-1.50 1.80 0.00 -7.50 -21.60 -43.00
Nosler... http://load-data.nosler.com/load-data/7mm-08-remington/

This is a rather mild load for the RemMag...
http://www.hornady.com/store/7mm-Rem-Mag-154-GR-InterBond-Superformance/
Test Barrel (24") Velocity (fps) / Energy (ft-lbs)
MUZZLE 100 200 300 400 500
3100/3286 2914/2904 2736/2560 2565/2250 2401/1970 2242/1718
Trajectory (inches)
MUZZLE 100 200 300 400 500
-1.50 1.30 0.00 -5.90 -17.20 -34.50
Nosler... http://load-data.nosler.com/load-data/7mm-remington-magnum/


In 7mm you have the choice of 160-180grs with superior ballistics launched at very good speeds. You don't have that choice in 6.5 and limited in the 270.
In the 7mm you have the 7mm-08 small volume case choice combined with amazing 160gr-175gr bullets. You don't have that choice in the 6.5 or 270 bore.
You have the 284 variants and wildcats but then you also have the 284 straight that will produce better ballistics.
Of course we could add the WSM line but lets do this based on 30-06 and 308 siblings plus the popular remmag.
I included the 7mm-08 to show one could start with less powder and end with pretty decent effective range in case more is not needed.

Is there ammo that would outperform the above w/o getting into WSM, supermagnums or any other more exotic choices?
The most important question is, can I do more with less?
And when I say "do more" I don't mean just momentum and speed on the target but considering everything is important to the shooter including size, weight, recoil, expense, etc..

 

[Arkansas Paul]

I have had one in a NEF Handi Rifle.
Loved the caliber. Hated the rifle.

It went away and good riddance but I definitely want another in a good bolt.
If I wasn't trying to finish an AR build, this would be mighty tempting.

 

[DM~]

I am a BIG fan of the .280, but for the heaviest animals it doesn't and won't replace the 30-06...

Anyway, I built a "mountain" rifle chambered in .280 long before it was popular to do so, and with it, I've taken blk. bear, caribou, Sitka blk. tails and white tails with it, plus I forget what else... lol

Anyway, it's a GREAT cartridge that I could live with the rest of my life, if deer and blk. bear were on the menu.

DM

 

[DRYHUMOR]

I figure if you are thinking about one, that should be reason enough......

I have 2.

 

[PowerG]

I am a BIG fan of the .280, but for the heaviest animals it doesn't and won't replace the 30-06...

Anyway, I built a "mountain" rifle chambered in .280 long before it was popular to do so, and with it, I've taken blk. bear, caribou, Sitka blk. tails and white tails with it, plus I forget what else... lol

Anyway, it's a GREAT cartridge that I could live with the rest of my life, if deer and blk. bear were on the menu.

DM

IMO the 30-06 is in a unique position simply because of the wide range of factory bullet weights, you can go from varmints to the largest NA game just by switching cartridges and resighting.

 

[SwampWolf]

Great rifle, great cartridge at a great price. I have a Ruger MKII RS chambered in a cartridge that's a virtual twin of the .280 Remington, the 7x64 Brenneke. Mine has proved to be a very accurate, reliable and well made rifle. I paid over $400.00 for mine fifteen years ago.

 

[mshootnit]

IMO the 30-06 is in a unique position simply because of the wide range of factory bullet weights, you can go from varmints to the largest NA game just by switching cartridges and resighting.

Also 277 is in this category. 6.8 spc II has spurred a bunch of lightweight bullet development. 85 gr.-160 gr.

 

[1stmarine]

Also 277 is in this category. 6.8 spc II has spurred a bunch of lightweight bullet development. 85 gr.-160 gr.

Good point. I think the 6.8 with the 95gr TTSX at 2850 is amazing for an AR15.
But I think we are talking a 7mm bolt action that is like in two different leagues to send some grain with speed and authority at extended ranges or able to tackle the largest game at average ranges.

 

[WVRJ]

I had a 700 back in 1981and wanted a 280.A Shilen barrel and a set of dies made an outfit that has stood the test of time.An H-S Precision stock made it accurate and very good at holding its zero.So good,in fact that the turret caps didn't come off the Leupold scope for some 20 years until I upgraded the Vari-x 2 with a VX3.This rifle is still the one I hunt with when I mean business.140 gr Partitions are always sub MOA,and the new 162 gr Hornady ELD's are more accurate than the Noslers.It turns a bit over 3000 with the 140's,shoots flat and hits hard.Even though the rifle's over 30 years old,it's still state of the art.I have a 25-06 and a 308,buy when the time to hunt seriously is on,the 280 is there.It's a great round,very capable of doing the job from moose and elk on down.

 

[mshootnit]

Good point. I think the 6.8 with the 95gr TTSX at 2850 is amazing for an AR15.
But I think we are talking a 7mm bolt action that is like in two different leagues to send some grain with speed and authority at extended ranges or able to tackle the largest game at average ranges.

Thats what I meant. you can load those 95 gr. in a 270 bolt action

 

[1stmarine]

Thats what I meant. you can load those 95 gr. in a 270 bolt action

Yes you could, they are for the same bore.
One could also load 100gr -120gr bullets in a 280 to brutal 3,500+ speeds although I do not see the point with the 7mm/08 able to put 100-120gr to 3,350-3100fps respectively.
The best of these cases designs and capacity starts to show with 140gr and above.
I guess one would always have that option for some varmint but for the all varmint a shorter stack / burning column will be more efficient.
And for the TTSX with the 120gr available the 6.8 bullets do not make a lot of sense.
I mean other than perhaps producing a low recoil load for the kids or wife.

 

[DM~]

IMO the 30-06 is in a unique position simply because of the wide range of factory bullet weights, you can go from varmints to the largest NA game just by switching cartridges and resighting.

No question about it, the 30-06 is a GREAT cartridge!

It may not be for everyone, but that doesn't take away from just how good it is!

DM

 

[X-Rap]

The 30-06 is a great cartridge if you live in that one man one gun world. Thankfully I don't and I can sprinkle my shooting pleasure with everything from .17 - .454.

 

[Dog Soldier]

Well gentleman it seems many of us agree on the practical .280/7MM. The marketing ploy of adding a "Belt" to a cartridge case sold better to the public. Too bad because the "Belt" never cured a problem that did not exist.