Dear all

I am about to have my Accumark re-barrelled (currently in .25-06). I have always fancied a .280 Rem but do not know anyone who has owned one.

My question is this. Is .280 Rem relatively easy to load for?

I have owned 4 x .270 Wins in the past and I am a big fan. None of the 4 have been difficult to dial in and find a load the rifle likes. Is this likely to be the case with .280 Rem?

Any pictures of rifles/loads very appreciated to get me druelling but in the main I am interested in peoples experiences of this cartridge. The alternative for me is to go plain .270 Win but as I say I fancied a .280 Rem but wanted to hear what the consensus would be?

Thanks

JB

I've always been a .270 guy, and hunted with a .270WSM for a while...until I picked up a .280 Remington, .280 is a great caliber for just about any type of Non-dangerous game, however many bears have been taken with the 280 here in Alaska. If you love the 7mm, then you will enjoy shooting a .280 ,you can work up loads that could outperform any factory loads too.

Very easy to load for. Wide array of bullets. definitely accurate. Handles the 160s and 175s very well which puts it ahead of the 7-08 which is a good cartridge in it's own right but the .280 is a good cartridge to work up a good load with a premium 160 and use it on everything. Kinda like the '06 and the 180.

I'm based in the UK too where if you speak of a "280" most will still assume it is a 280 Ross (which I once had and was superb) and not a 280 Remington.

I have two 270 Winchesters (a BRNO ZKK and a Parker Hale M81 Classic and one, just acquired, 280 Remington (Belgian based on a Nazi Mauser 98K rebarreled with a 24" barrel in Belgium in the 1960s).

I only just started to experiment with the 280 Remington but already I like it. Here's why...

Slightly greater case capacity than the 270 and the fact that it is a "7mm" using .284" bullets. Here in Europe that opens up a whole CHEAP selection of heavier weight bullets over 150 grains.

I'm of that British tradition that favours bullets that are overlong for their true calibre. So to me a 270 "needs" a 140 grain as a minimum and is even better with a "long" 150 grain.

But the 280 "scores" as using Hornady's flat base 139 grain Interlock I've got a really long bullet and a better ballistic coefficient.

But where the 280 is best is with the 160 grain bullets.

I know that you can get Nosler Partition and a few others in 270 at around 160 grains...but these aren't CHEAP bullets. OK for use on game...but practice on paper? Ouch! My wallet starts to hurt!

With the 280 I can get Hornady Interlock 162 grain and they'll do me for practice whilst I reserve the similar weight 160 grain "bonded" or "partition" bullets for game.

It also offers me in a 24" barrel similar performance - and at up to 150 yards who knows the difference - as a 7mm Remington Magnum but with an extra round in the magazine and NO BELT plus a longer neck.

Why don't I use the much praised 7 x 64? Well check on Midway UK and see the difference in price for the cartridges or the cases.

Plus...as you know we "Brits" are "tight" with our cash I got all my 280 dies cheap off eBay! They somehow don't get many bids unlike 270 dies!

I've only one regret...that I didn't discover this fine and VERSATILE cartridge thirty years ago.

I don't think that you'll regret it either! And whilst if I leave my ammunition at home in England I'll be in the sh1t (unlike the man with the 270) in Europe? Everybody stocks it in France or Belgium with usually a 165 grain bullet.

To load for? A real pleasure...just like any 270 in that respect. But one tip. Never ever use "identical" bullets in both calibres.

So for my 270 my 140 grain "cup and core" is Hornady Interlock BOAT TAIL soft point but for the 280 is Hornady 139 grain FLAT BASE soft point. So the two look totally different.

That is the only caveat I'd say. Oops!

Now as you are in Cheshire, don't buy them ALL but Norman Clarke at Rugby...not too far down the M6 from you...has Remington made 280 cases at....shh...£35.00 (or a little less) per 100! And RCBS dies at about £28.00...IN STOCK!

Lastly it is that mythical minimum "7mm" that some European countries specify for boar, at 160 grains "makes" that minimun "10 gram" bullet weight and is a "non-military" calibre.

When loaded to the same pressure, the 280 is just a hair better ballisticly than a 270, but not enoughg to notice.

My advice has always been that if a person does not reload, then a 270 is the better choice due to better ammo availability off the shelf.

If one reloads however, then the 280 comes out ahaed due to more versatility W/the vast array of bullet choices.

W/a 140gr bullet, powders such as RL22 or Norma MRP will seldom reach dangerous pressure levels even W/lightly compressed loads. You can't get enough MRP in the case to get above 60,000 psi, RL 22 takes a pretty tight compressed load to get above that. These powders also give very respectable mv in the 3150-3200 fps range W/a 24" barrel.

My current load is 61.5gr of RL22 behind a Hornady 139gr Interbond set off by CCI large magnum rifle primers in Norma cases. I use magnum primers because they tend to give me more consistant std. deviation. @ 3.375" OAL I average 3150 fps in my M700 CDL.

That combo gives me a 310 yd + or - 3" PBR.

The sugestion of going W/the 7X64 is valid on your side of the pond & the 7X64 is the ballistic twin to the 280 Remington.

I have owned 280s for years. I currently have 3. I have never had a bad one yet. Two of mine are in off the shelf remingtons and one is a custom stocked Ruger #1. All seem to like about anything I load them with, for sure.
I prefer the 140 gr bullets in all of them.
I have shot mule deer, Whitetail, elk, bear, moose,caribou and several exotics with this cal.
My best load for all seems to be around 58 gr of RL 22 with barnes tripple shocks. ! The Ruger shows slight pressure signs with this load. The TSX bullets seem to do more damage than the heavier bullets in other brands so I have stuck with them. Its an easy round to load for. Some of my brass has been shot more than a dozen times.
My wife shoots a 270 and it is a little more picky about what you put in it.

Good luck & enjoy !

quote:

Originally posted by Jon2:

My question is this. Is .280 Rem relatively easy to load for?

JB

Yes. Look for favorite loads [AR Forum] a while back. Recently I added my 175-grain load.

If you had good luck with .270's why switch? (My own answer has to do with the variety of 7mm pills available.)

Is a 280 easy to load.....

Years ago, I decided I had to have a 280 so bought the first stainless M700 offered (1992, I think) in that caliber. The very first load I tried in it, a 150 gr R-P bullet over a near max load of AA3100, shot so well I never tried another recipe. In the last 17 years, this rifle and load has accounted for more than a few whitetails. I hunt with many different rifles and calibers, but this one is still my 'go to' combination.

Try it.....you'll like it!

Thank you fella's for the great information.

The amount of info is better than I expected and think you have made my mind up - .280 Rem it is.

As I say I am a big fan of the .270 but with me having the rifle re-barrelled I obviously have the opportunity to go .280 and just because I fancy one I think I will.

Thanks Enfield for the tip off re the brass, I was at Norman Clarks about 3 weeks ago and get down there every now and again so thanks.

Now it comes down to barrel profile but that it another can of worms potentially.

Anyway, as I say thanks again for the great information. By the way think the barrel will be a Pac Nor but not sure to go fluted or not. Atleast I know which calibre/cartridge it will be chambered in.

Thanks

JB

I bought a Ruger Hawkeye in .280 Rem last winter.I'm using it this season instead of my beloved Ruger M77 in 7x57.I'm new to reloading and traded some 7x57 brass for 30-06 which I resize to .280.No problems at all but it will be difficult to find a better load than the 150gr Federal factory loads I bought along with the gun.These shoot 3/8" 3 shot groups at 100yds consistently.Not to shabby for a box stock gun/factory ammo !

quote:

Originally posted by Bernie P.:
I bought a Ruger Hawkeye in .280 Rem last winter.I'm using it this season instead of my beloved Ruger M77 in 7x57.I'm new to reloading and traded some 7x57 brass for 30-06 which I resize to .280.No problems at all but it will be difficult to find a better load than the 150gr Federal factory loads I bought along with the gun.These shoot 3/8" 3 shot groups at 100yds consistently.Not to shabby for a box stock gun/factory ammo !

I hope you did not bump the neck all the way back to the shoulder as "06" brass needs to be foreformed in a 280 to move the shoulder ahead.. The 280 has the shoulder about .050" further ahead than the "06" This was done to preclude 280 cartridges chambering in loose toleranced 270 chambers.

There was originally a Remington 7mm-06 until this anomoly was discovered. The same is true of the 7mm WSM compared to the 300 & 270 WSM.

If using .30-06 brass do you have to neck turn aswell or just fire form?

Thanks

JB

quote:

Originally posted by Jon2:
If using .30-06 brass do you have to neck turn aswell or just fire form?

Thanks

JB

It will depend on how tight a chamber you have. I love my 280. I agree, if you don't handload, I would go 270 or 06, but handloaded, it's about perfect for NA hunting. Great for antelope & deer w/ good 140gr bullets @ 3000fps & usefull on elk w/ a good 160gr bullets @ 2800fps. It is my goto light rifle for high country hunting. Lots of good bullets available & properly built the 280 gives up nothing in accuracy to any other 06 based round.

I don't think that you will regret going with the 280.

I would not bother with making 280 brass from 30-06 brass as given that you can get the proper stuff for a reasonable price it isn't worth it.

Thanks all

Yes agreed Enfield and thanks I got some from Norman Clarks today on your recommendation. Didn't buy it all though and they said that they will now be re-ordering anyhow.

Thanks again fellas. I am really looking forward to it. Think it will be on a Pac Nor #4 fluted with about 3 inches of non fluted barrel at the muzzle end.

I've about three hundred of the 280 Remington cases bought from Norman Clarke so they'll last me pretty well I guess. I purchased that amount as I don't expect that they'll ever get cheaper.

I would not bother with any "Improved" nonsense for you chambering either as it certainly won't feed as well at all.

As the "donor" action is a 25-06 I doubt that you'll need to make any change at all to anything to do with magazine well or magazine platform.

My Mauser 98K conversion will feed empty cases with no bullet BTW (although the magazine area was extensively modified from its original 7.92mm Nazi configuration) and is chambered in just the standard unimproved 280 Remington cartridge.

quote:

Originally posted by Jon2:
Thanks all

Yes agreed Enfield and thanks I got some from Norman Clarks today on your recommendation. Didn't buy it all though and they said that they will now be re-ordering anyhow.

Thanks again fellas. I am really looking forward to it. Think it will be on a Pac Nor #4 fluted with about 3 inches of non fluted barrel at the muzzle end.

That is gonna be one heavy rifle. I went w/ a PAcNor ft.wt. on mine, COmes in right at 7 1/4# ready to hunt.

I would go with a 30-06 if getting such a quality custom barrel.

Why limit your bullet selection to 160 grains?

The .280 does best shooting 140's and 160's. If you want to shoot 175's it's best to go to the 7mm Rem. Magnum.

The 30-06 can shoot 150's, 165's, 168's(recommended) and of course the 180's. Just look at the excellent selection and wonderful ballistic co-efficient's on the .308" Tipped TSX bullets:

Diameter Weight Description S.D. B.C.

.308" 150 gr Tipped TSX BT .226 .420
.308" 168 gr Tipped TSX BT .253 .470
.308" 180 gr Tipped TSX BT .271 .484

Fredj338
Nice to see that 280 of yours again, one of my favorites that ive seen on AR...

Fred

Nice rifle. I don't think a Pac Nor #4 fluted would make the rifle particularly heavy though. It is only .650 at the muzzle. What is a ft wt barrel in terms of contour number?

ar corey I have a 300 WSM so think that a .30-06 would be too much of an over lap. The 7mm bore size suits my intended usage with this rifle perfectly. Although I agree the .30-06 is a great cartridge too.

Enfield yes 300 should last you ages. I got the same amount yesterday and think it will last me for years basically.

Cheers

JB

quote:

Originally posted by wildcat junkie:

quote:

Originally posted by Bernie P.:
I bought a Ruger Hawkeye in .280 Rem last winter.I'm using it this season instead of my beloved Ruger M77 in 7x57.I'm new to reloading and traded some 7x57 brass for 30-06 which I resize to .280.No problems at all but it will be difficult to find a better load than the 150gr Federal factory loads I bought along with the gun.These shoot 3/8" 3 shot groups at 100yds consistently.Not to shabby for a box stock gun/factory ammo !

I hope you did not bump the neck all the way back to the shoulder as "06" brass needs to be foreformed in a 280 to move the shoulder ahead.. The 280 has the shoulder about .050" further ahead than the "06" This was done to preclude 280 cartridges chambering in loose toleranced 270 chambers.

There was originally a Remington 7mm-06 until this anomoly was discovered. The same is true of the 7mm WSM compared to the 300 & 270 WSM.

I got a sweet trade deal on the 06 brass for some 7x57 brass.The 06 brass comes out with a false shoulder after full length sizing.When I asked about this I was told it would fire form to proper size.It took a little adjusting to the die to get it just right but it's working fine.Still I would prefer to swap some more of the 7x57 and the 06 brass for more .280 Rem just to avoid the fire form step.The FF load shoots well enough for practice ammo but I'd prefer to just go straight to one of the loads I developed using .280 brass that shoot much better.

quote:

Originally posted by Jon2:
Fred

Nice rifle. I don't think a Pac Nor #4 fluted would make the rifle particularly heavy though. It is only .650 at the muzzle. What is a ft wt barrel in terms of contour number?

ar corey I have a 300 WSM so think that a .30-06 would be too much of an over lap. The 7mm bore size suits my intended usage with this rifle perfectly. Although I agree the .30-06 is a great cartridge too.

Enfield yes 300 should last you ages. I got the same amount yesterday and think it will last me for years basically.

Cheers

JB

http://www.pac-nor.com/contours/ You have to remember that 0.650" is at the muzzle of a 26" tube. So depending on how long the bbl, it will be pretty heavy & larger diameter as you get shorter. I have a 22 1/2" #3 on my 338-06 & it goes about 8 3/4# in a wood stock. A #4 @ 23" will have a muzzle of about .660", that leaves quite a bit of metal around the small .284 bore. Then look at the B, D & E dims. I would expect that the diff. between a fluted #4 & a fluted #3 would be almost a pound @ 23". Just a guess, but that really is a stout barrel. My 404jeffery has a #5! Look at the other dimensions along the barrel, that is where the extra wt. is coming from.
Trax, thanks, that rifle will be handed down to one of my kids, the others can be sold off.

Thanks Fred

Just sent you a PM asking you for further advice. Hope you don't mind.

Thank you

JB