Opinions on the .280 Remington

I'm certain that the 280 is a fine hunting cartridge. But I've never encountered one despite guiding each Fall for many years. It's one of those cartridges that has never seen widespread popularity.

Years ago, I read about a fellow who had a custom built 280 barrel with chamber reamed to the PO Ackley style. The barrel length was 24 inches. His handloads approached 7mm MAG which is impressive.

To me, it ALWAYS comes down to the 225 yard shot fired from makeshift field position. The target is an empty one gallon paint can. If a hunter can hit this target consistantly, he will do well. But if he can't hit a big can from this distance, well you know...

The lesser kicking rifles are easier for the so-called average hunter to master. I assume the 280 is easier on the shoulder than a 300 Weatherby which should be a genuine advantage for many of us who do not enjoy recoil.
 
So, if a deer is hit at 199 yards with a .280 Remington it will blow up. If a deer is hit at 201 yards, it will walk off unharmed. If you use this cartridge for deer you better have an accurate rangefinder on you.
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Yup i hit a mule deer doe at 100 yards with my .270 this year and the derned thing vaporised right there. I was lucky to find enough ear to hang my tag off of. I hit another mule deer at 300 yards and she shook it off, shot me a nasty look and strolled off into the sunset. By gosh I'd imagine the .280 would do about the same thing.

Anyone who can tell me that they can tell the difference between a .270 and a .280 in recoil might be a little wacko and anyone that says one is better than the other might be a little wacko. Six of one half a dozen of the other. These are two world class deer rounds the .270 just got a solid head start and therefore is more popular.
 
The 280 has some of the characteristics of the 270, at distances less than 200 yards it damages too much meat on a deer size animal. Farther than 200 yards it is a ho-hum cartridge at best. I have the same issues with my 7x61 Sharpe & Hart at anything under 500 yds. The 280 was also one of my first centerfire cartridges in a Remington 742. The old gun hasn't seen daylight for probably thirty years. If you want a 7mm cartridge, the 7x57 is hard to beat.
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To quote the Geico caveman, "Ummm, what?" :confused: Idonthinso.

Why is it a "ho-hum" cartridge at best beyond 200? (Hint: The .280 is one of the best long-range hunting cartridges ever created, being only the smallest smidgeon behind another very good cartridge, the 7mm remmag, when handloaded to its potential, without the hassle of a belted cartridge, and with less powder and recoil and muzzle blast).

"At anything under 500 yards". Praytell, what DOES work great for you at over 500 yards? And what game are you actually making hits on at over 500 yards? To my way of thinking, for being an ethical hunter, 250-275 yards is loooong range, 300 is very long range, 350 is very very long range, 400 is extreme range (I would never try), and anything past 400 is absolutely a no-no and unethical for anyone to try except for the most unusual of circustances (e.g. hunting off of your back porch from a lead sled with a precision rig and perfect conditions). But that's just me.

"7x57 hard to beat"....ok, fine, agreeed... except that the .280 is the same thing, only with even more power/velocity.

My goodness...

Yup i hit a mule deer doe at 100 yards with my .270 this year and the derned thing vaporised right there. I was lucky to find enough ear to hang my tag off of.
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:D
 
If you want a 7mm cartridge, the 7x57 is hard to beat.
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I agree, I own one and shoot it regularly. But I also agree with
These are two world class deer rounds
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Any functional differences between the .270 and the .280 are really in the mind of the fans of those cartridges.
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Same argument over and over again. Mine's better because I own it and you don't. OK.
I've never been able to tell the difference in recoil between a .270 and a .280
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Mike, it's the extra .007" that makes all the difference in the world. :rolleyes: In 35 years of shooting and loading, the only advantage I can see to the 280 is that more bullet weights are available. And since most people don't shoot bullets of 175 gr and over out of their 7mms, it's a moot point.
 
The grand old man of the gun culture, Col. Townsend Whelen, once wrote an article, Just a Little Bit Better and concluded that it was not worth selling a good .270 or .30-06 to get a .280 but if you were starting from scratch, it had a lot going for it.
 
Both the 270 and the 280 are good rounds. What the 30-06 and 308 have going for them that the two previously mentioned rounds don't, is inexpensive practice with Federal American Eagle or Winchester white box ammo. That probably doesn't mean much if you reload, but for someone like me who doesn't and doesn't want to, its a big consideration.

I don't think the 270 or the 280 offer anything over the 308 or 30-06 but that certainly doesn't detract from their usefulness or popularity.
 
I've seen them for sale. Only one thing wrong with .280, and that is scary high ammo prices. If Privi Partizan, Monarch, or Sellier & Bernet started cranking for $17.00/20, I'd adopt it instantly.
 
I was actually considering a 280 for my next hunting rifle I also considered a 7mm08. But due to ammo availability for both of these cartridges I crossed them off the list. I've always liked the 270 and since I can pick ammo for from almost any corner store that will probably be my next cartridge.

Just a thought on this imo Winchester has always had a 1 up on Remington when it comes to cartridge development 270 vs 280 6mm vs 243 308 vs 7mm08. I'm sure the list goes on.
 
Another cartridge that is almost identical to the .280, both in terms of case dimensions and ballistic performance, is the 7x64 Brenneke (Europe's 30-06, in terms of popularity and use). I have a Ruger Model 77 MKII chambered in this cartridge and it's become one of my favorite rifles due to its accuracy, relatively flat trajectory and moderate recoil.
 
Ernst, welcome to the forum. However, do you realize that you've awakened a thread that has been dead since 2007?
 
I made a chart of 7mm cartridges

Comparing 7mm cartridges
assume:
a) 26" barrel
b) Hornady 7MM .284 DIA 162GR BIG GAME POLY CARB TIP 28452 bullets and moly coated them
Quickload and Quicktarget at close to optimum powder choice and 65kpsi:

7mmT/CU ........................26.1 gr H335 2330 fps -471 yards
7-30 Waters ........................30 gr W748 2456 fps -395 yards
7mmBR ...........................31.2 gr W748 2510 fps -360 yards
7mm IHMSA .......................40.2 gr Re17 2704 fps -247 yards
7mm-08 .......................40.6 gr IMR4895 2789 fps -198 yards
7mm-08AckleyImproved .........43.6 gr Re15 2833 fps -171 yards
7x57mm ...........................44.6 gr Re15 2843 fps -165 yards
7x57mmAckleyImproved .........46.4 gr Re15 2873 fps -150 yards
284Win .........................50.0 gr IMR4350 2890 fps -172 yards
280Rem ............................53.5 gr H414 2961 fps -152 yards
7mm Rem short action ultra mag 55.5 gr Re17 3015 fps -73 yards
280RemAckleyImproved ........57 gr IMR4350 3019 fps -71 yards
7mmRemMag ......................68.2 gr Re22 3129 fps -15 yards
7mmRem ultra mag ............83.3 gr IMR7828 3130 fps -15 yards
7mmWeathMag ....................71.8 gr Re22 3170 fps +7 yards
7mmSTW .............82.2 gr Ramshot Magnum 3158 fps 0 yards

As you can see there is no free lunch.
The more powder, the more power.
But the 280 for a lot of reasons, seems to be near the corner of diminishing returns.
 
Over the years I've owned several 280's. If you compare it to 30-06 and 270 it offers a small advantage over both, at least on paper. One little fact that many overlook is that the velocity you get at the muzzle is not important. It is the velocity you get at impact on game that matters. There are a lot of very good 7mm bullets that will maintain speed down range very well. The 270 offers basically nothing and you have to get into bullets over 200 gr to do it in 30-06.

With 140-160 gr bullets a 280 may not look any better at the muzzle. But look down range 300-500 yards and compare the speeds and energy they offer to similar weights in 270 and 30-06 and you'll see where the 280 has an edge.

Ultimately I decided 280 was just too close to 30-06 performance and I owned several 30-06 rifles with history that weren't going to be sold. Couldn't justify having both 30-06 and 280.

If someone hand loads, and if they just want to be different from the 30-06 and 270 crowd I think it is an excellent cartridge.
 
The 7X57MM also known as the 7MM Mauser was a great favorite of big game hunters in Africa and India in the early 1900s. WDM "Karamojo" Bell killed hundreds of Elephant with the cartridge, mostly with brain shots using the 175 grain cupro-nickel solid bullet at around 2400 FPS....but, Bell was an extraordinary shot who played around with his rifles so much that they almost became like another appendage.

The .280 Remington is also a 7MM (.284 caliber) and it is more powerful than the 7X57. It is my opinion that in capable hands, using bullets/loads matched to the game, the .280 will handle anything North America has to offer...

But so will the 30-06, 270 and 308.....where you hit them, with a properly constructed bullet, is more important than the cartridge as long as it has the power to reach the vitals.
 
As you know the 280 was Remingtons market place response years ago to Winchesters very popular 270 caliber. But the 280 just never seemed to gain any market place respect even though its a bit faster and has a much better bullet weight selection. As I see it. The 280 will always have a following. But no where's near the amount the venerable 270 has.
 
My contribution to the "un-dead thread". My Rem 700 .280 is the most boring rifle I own, it has a Buris 3-9 scope, and Bell & Carlson Synthetic stock. It doesnt shift POI, it is relatively easy to shoot, and when it goes bang stuff dies. I seldom hunt with it any more though. Ammo prices are not a concern to me as it has never seen a factory load since I bought it used years ago. I never wanted a .270 or 30-06 simply because every body I knew seemed to have one or the other.
 
The 280 is a great cartridge for any deer up to moose included. Forget about the caliber superiority peeing matches that are always added as extra commentary either ask or not asked. 280 will do everything the 270 and 30-06 will do for big game hunting. I recommend being prepared to reload for it if you choose the 280 to keep cost down and versatility up.
 
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