The Accurate Reloading Forums THE ACCURATE RELOADING.COM FORUMS Rifles Medium Bore Rifles 280 Remington or 7mm Rem MagGo | New | Find | Notify | Tools | Reply | |
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| One of Us |
I've had some experience with a 7mm-08, 2 different .280Rems, and a 7mm Rem Mag. I like my .280Rem in a Rem 700 Mtn Rifle. My cousin's Mtn rifle in 7mm-08 is a little more compact and the deer she shoots don't seem to know the differnce. When I was younger and would run out of .22 hornet reloads I would pick up the .280Rem for ground hogs. I hunted right along side a friend who used a 7mm rem mag. His gun would print better 100 yard groups, but he got shy of that recoil after a while. More than a few ground hogs, fox and coyote have fallen to my .280Rem. For all the more that I hunt and shoot right now I will never excede the practical range of my .280Rem. And I'll never miss the recoil or report from the 7mm rem mag. Good luck Life's too short to carry a gun that you hate! | |||
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or just put it in a padded mailer with $5.00 and another padded mailer (self addressed) and mail it to me and I'll put it on a surface grinder and make it perfectly flat and return it to the same day! It won't take more than five minutes..... /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// "Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery." Winston Churchill | |||
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I've had both at one time or another. With todays bullets, I think the 280 Remington is the better choice. The only drawback about the 280 is that since Remington chambered it in a pump, most of the published load data is pretty weak. With a 140 grain TSX, it will do everything you need to do with a 7mm. Dave DRSS Chapuis 9.3X74 Chapuis "Jungle" .375 FL Krieghoff 500/.416 NE Krieghoff 500 NE "Git as close as y can laddie an then git ten yards closer" "If the biggest, baddest animals on the planet are on the menu, and you'd rather pay a taxidermist than a mortician, consider the 500 NE as the last word in life insurance." Hornady Handbook of Cartridge Reloading (8th Edition). | |||
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I've owned both, but still own the 280. With light bullets, they are so close as to not be a factor. My 280 is lighter & easier to load for (no belt). I can easily get 3050fps w/ a 140gr bullet in the thin 23" bbl. SO I can get 3200fps in a 24", heavier magnum, more powder & recoil. A 150fps gain is just not that big a deal. AS others noted, if you want to shoot 160-175gr bullets @ high vel, then magnum makes more sense. Why I had my 7RM chambered to 7mm Dakota.  LIFE IS NOT A SPECTATOR'S SPORT! | |||
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I have a 7x57, a 280 Ackley Improved and a 7MM Remington magnum. I find no problem reloading the belted 7. Brass is easy to come by and there are many factory loads to chose from though as I reload I havent shot many of them. I really don't find the 280 AI all that much milder than the big 7 because the rifle is a pound lighter and the barrel 2 inches shorter meaning recoil and muzzle blast are pretty comparable. However the 7MM RM beats it in every category every time with bullets of 140 grs. up and it is a finely accurate rifle as is the 280 AI. I however hunt with the 7x57 more than both the others combined. | |||
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| one of us |
Remington also chambered the 270 Win in there pump & auto and factory and published data for that cartridge is not weak. kk alaska | |||
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IMO, the fit and handling of the rifle is more important than the difference between the .280 and 7mag. The mountain rifle I had in .280 was a lot handier than my 7mag, but my 7-08 is even handier! Since I hand load, I can duplicate 7-08,7X57, 280 in my 7mag. Can't work it the other way, and don't care to! Inside of 300 yards, doesn't make a difference anyway IMO. I have noticed in my travels that of the 7's, more factory ammo seems available for the 7mag or 7-08 if you don't hand load. | |||
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Cutting through all the BS, the fact is the 7 Mag is the more powerfull of the two, end of story..My choice of the .284 bores is the 7x57 and has been for years...Buy the caliber based on your needs. If your a Pacific NW elk hunter shooting across canyons the the 7 mag with 175 gr. bullets is the best route, if your in the thick timber it is best..but its normally a bit heavier..The 284, 280, 7x64, 270 7 mag. and 7x57 are all pretty close but he magnum has the edge for whatever you deem its worth. Personally I would opt for a 338 Win if I were going the 7 mag route. and parred with a 7x57 you could concur the world. Ray Atkinson Atkinson Hunting Adventures 10 Ward Lane, Filer, Idaho, 83328 208-731-4120 rayatkinsonhunting@gmail.com | |||
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Ray, you were achieving 7mmMag factory velocities[or better] with your "long throated" 7x57, correct? | |||
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| one of us |
of the 2 you mentioned, a 280 remington.... but now i hunt with a 7MM-08 and a .260 rem. | |||
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I prefer 7mm Rem Mag because of it's ability to shoot heavier bullets fairly flat. My 7 Mag thrives on 175gr Nosler Partitions. Perfect for the elk hunting I now do and doesn't tear up deer badly. BH1 There are no flies on 6.5s! | |||
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I shot 175 partitions for a long time. I switched to 160s when I could not get 175 seconds from Nosler. They don't give up much to the 175s and shoot a little flatter. I just ordered a whole bunch of seconds from Nosler at about half price. Both my 7 mags shoot them sub-minute at over 3000 fps. | |||
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History lesson....280 Rem was the 7mm Rem express....it seems some people got confused  ) Either one is GREAT ! BB34 BTW,Let me tell you about my 7x61 Sharpes & Hart .................... | |||
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| One of Us |
Just started working with a custom 280 a bit ago and am enjoying the round and the rifle. Same goes for the 7x57 which I used last week on an oryx with the 140 gr AB. Had a 7mm Rem Mag which I sold soon after I acquired a chronograph. Go with the 280, standard not AI. | |||
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Well I finally received all of the parts that I ordered. Bell and Carlson Medalist stock OD green with black web, Savage 111 long action, Criterion (Kreiger) stainless match barrel chambered in 280 Remington light varmint contour, stainless recoil lug, Savage trigger guard, 1lb Accutrigger spring, and Zeiss Conquest 6.5-20x50. I will Cerakote the action, and bolt handle black this weekend sometime. I screwed the barrel onto the action last night just to see how it was all going to look. I had to do quite a bit of sanding on the barrel channel to get it large enough for the barrel to fit. I hope to be done with the Cerakote and get it all put back together with the scope mounted by Tuesday afternoon. I cant wait to see how it shoots.      | |||
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| One of Us |
I just don't see the deal about the whole recoil thing. I've owned both a 7mag and a 280. Shot the 7mag with 175's and 140's or 150's. All I ever tried in the 280 was 140's. The 280 I have was actually heavier than the 7mag but to me it seemed to have as much recoil as my 7mag. Perosnally I don't think either one has much recoil anyway, especially for a grown man. If I were to buy a rifle chambered for either cartridge I would probably pick according to the rifle instead of the cartridge. This whole deal about factory loaded ammo for a 280 federal alone has 7 or 8 different and thats not counting whatever other companies load for it. How many different loads does a person actually need for one rifle? "Science only goes so far then God takes over." | |||
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I must admit, I don't believe either the .280 Remington or the 7m/m Remington Mag is the "better" choice. I believe they are both viable choices. Pick whichever rifle turns your crank and quit wasting time fretting as to which cartridge is "best". I have long owned both, along with the 7mm/08, 7x57, 7x64, 7x65R, 7x61 S&H, 7 m/m Wby Mag and others. In NA they will all do whatever you would use a 7m/m sporter for, no sweat. A bunch of peas in pods...some peas got a little more water (and fertilizer!) than some of the others, but they all taste good and give good nourishment to the sportsman with "gun hunger"! My country gal's just a moonshiner's daughter, but I love her still. | |||
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Hi Guys, some years ago I ask more or less the same question, and I wonder when I read your answer. The most of you said that 7x57 Mauser was his favorite 7mm caliber. In fact this is a very nice all round caliber, but I still prefer 7mm Remington Mag... I think this is one of the best caliber of all time. I prefer to die standing that to live in knee | |||
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Well I like and use both a 280 AI in a custom Ruger #1 and a SS Winchester M70 in 7mmRM. To me recoil is very close between them. I use the #1 most of the time it is my go to good weather deer rifle and the 7 mag is my rainy day deer rifle. To be honest I probably wouldn't have bought the 7 mag but was offered the rifle at a good (really good) price. | |||
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Great rifle. It looks like mine other than the accutrigger and mine is left-hand. I love my Criterion barrel.. | |||
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Of the two...280 | |||
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Trax, That is correct in that I could beat factory 140 gr. 7 mag bullets so loaded...I can not beat a handloaded 7 mag, not even close there. But that is not applicable to this thread in my opinnion.. The answer to this thread is for the forgoing elk hunter a 7 mag with a handloaded 175 gr. bullet at 3000 FPS betters anything the 7x57 or 280 in any form can do. For a deer hunter it probably makes not difference, for a good hunter it would probably make little differnce. The 7x57 and 280, 270, 30-06, 284, and a host of others are all about equal in the field to a hunter..If your a long range shooter then none of the above are particularly suitable. Ray Atkinson Atkinson Hunting Adventures 10 Ward Lane, Filer, Idaho, 83328 208-731-4120 rayatkinsonhunting@gmail.com | |||
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piss on both of them.....go with the 30-06 ________________________________________________ Maker of The Frankenstud Sling Keeper Proudly made in the USA Acepting all forms of payment | |||
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| One of Us |
First of all it depends on where you are starting from . What all calibers do you currently have? There are world class hunters that hunted literally all over the world with 2 guns - a 7mm Rem Mag and a 375 HH. That is not to say that you can not come up with other two gun batteries. Or even just a one gun, a 300 Weatherby comes to mind, or a 375. But for power the 7MM Rem Mag has it. And it has range too. And has been said, if you had to have ammo that is pretty available about everywhere. Certainly the bullet selections are there for the handloader. A carefully loaded 7mm Rem Mag will get within 100 fps of the excellent 7MM Weatherby Mag too. But as has been said a 280 will do most of it too. Just a bit less. I came to the 7MM RM late. I had the 338 Win Mag first and I still do. If I am just going out for deer etc I prefer and use a 270. Why? I just like them and I always have since way back in the 1960's. The first rifle I bought new was of course a 270 Win. But if I am going to Nebraska or Kansas or something unknown, or even on an elk hunt, or to Africa I like that 7MM Rem MAg. It works. About the only place in North America where you might need more than a 7MM is somewhere where there are big bears ! | |||
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| new member |
I have had a rem700 mountain rifle in 280cal for 30 years, a most awesome round. I have made some incredible shots with it and have never had a deer get away..almost all dropped (bang flop) I have no issues using it for anything as i am pretty good with it. I built a 300 wm for my 1st elk hunt last fall. Most of the folks in our camp have 280s...its true I know i didn't need it but ...what the heck, u can't really have too many accurate rifles ...right BTW i have used reloaded with 140 gn ballistic tips for whitetail, i planned on using hornady superformance 139gn GMX for that hunt. it shot them within 1/4 moa at the range zero'd at 200yds I brought both to camp, lost a base screw on the 280 so had to use the 300 wm for the rest of my hunt. That being said, the 280 is a mighty dragon slayer...pure n simple | |||
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7mm Rem mag is one of the best Cartridges EVER invented bar none!! | |||
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| One of Us |
I've owned and hunted with both.I like the 280 put up in a somewhat lighter rifle,22" barrel, etc, like a mountain weight 270. In such rifles I have used mostly a 140 gr bullet at a bit under 3100 fps.This works well. A 7 Rem mag will give a 160 gr bullet about the same velocity from a 24" tube;a 140 gr over 3200.I like it in a bit heavier rifle. From the standpoint of velocity, the 7 RM is simply a faster cartridge,pushes heavy bullets as fast as the 280 does the lighter ones. In truth,you can do with one about what you can do with the other,but the 7 Rem Mag is the more potent of the two. I could never see any difference between a 270 and a 280 in terms of effectiveness on game animals.They are very much the same thing. | |||
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| One of Us |
Don't get me wrong, I enjoy these discussions as much as the next guy, but often our reasoning is a bit nonsensical (and yes, I do it myself). The bigger case gives you either the ability to shoot the heavier bullets at a higher velocity, or the same ones faster. There is certainly a difference in the velocities achieved in all of the manuals I've seen and certainly here in the RSA with our powders (lookinf at the 7 RM vs 7x64 for which we have data). The heavier bullets generally allow us to hunt larger animals, or to kill with more authority. More velocity will give you a longer effective range. That being the case, the 280 will not do what the 7 RM will. It will do the same a little bit closer. And with the heavy bullets it's a different matter altogther. Now it may be so that practically speaking we can seldom sense the difference in the field, but there is in fact a difference. The terminal ballistics may not show what the external ballistics reflect. But no, a 280 cannot do all that the 7 RM can. The question is rather whether the gain (whatever that may be) is worth the cost in recoil / muzzle blast / increased powder charge / decreased barrel life etc. or whether that gain is even encessary for your intended purpose. In my opinion on the larger game (talking blue wildebeest / kudu / oryx / zebra in my world) both are a compromise in any event, but both will work depending on what you expect them to do. | |||
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Most data for the 7mm Rem Mag is developed @ much higher > 62K pressure & usually in a 26" barrel while the 280 is spec'ed @ < 58K in 24" tubes. There is no reason that the 280, in a modern bolt rifle, can't be safely loaded to the same pressure level as the 7mm Mag. When one compares both cartridges W/the same length barrel & both are loaded to the same pressure there is not a significant difference in Mv W/similar bullets. As far as the 7mm Mag handling longer/heavier bullets? Both are spec'ed @ the same COAL so I fail to see a significant advantage in that respect. A 280 can be loaded to a compressed state W/RL22 or Norma MRP while staying @ or below 60K. Though I have no personal experience W/the 7mm Mag I doubt that same scenerio would hold true. The size of the 280 case relative to the bore seems to be more effecient than the 7mm Mag. GOOGLE HOTLINK FIX FOR BLOCKED PHOTOBUCKET IMAGES https://chrome.google.com/webs...inkfix=1516144253810 | |||
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| One of Us |
Ah yes, the old "all's we got to do is redline the .280 and it'll do the same thing a 7mag can when it's not breaking a sweat" routine. Hell, if you're gonna overload it, why be a sissy and stop at 60k? Keep on crankin' until you have to hammer the bolt open. Those numbers in those books don't mean nothing, and SAMMI don't know what they're talking about. Just go by those ever so reliable "pressure signs". And don't forget the ever so reliable info you can get in cyberspace.  BTW, what sort of test eq do you have that lets you determine your pressure?Aim for the exit hole | |||
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| one of us |
OK let's just forget about the 7mm Mag for the time being. So what makes a 270 Win able to take more pressure than a 280 in a similar bolt action? The SAAMI pressuer spec for the 270 (7mm 08, 308, 6mm Rem, etc, etc, etc) is 62K (actually the 6mm Rem is 65K) so what is the 280 spec'ed @ 58K? GOOGLE HOTLINK FIX FOR BLOCKED PHOTOBUCKET IMAGES https://chrome.google.com/webs...inkfix=1516144253810 | |||
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| One of Us |
Theres no reason you cannot crank the .280rem to the same pressures of the 6mmRem and .270win, in the appropriate rifle. and No reason you cannot crank the 7mmremMag to 65k instead of 62k. | |||
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Thank you. GOOGLE HOTLINK FIX FOR BLOCKED PHOTOBUCKET IMAGES https://chrome.google.com/webs...inkfix=1516144253810 | |||
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| One of Us |
Chamber the 280 and the 7 Rem Mag in barrels of the same length and as near identical as possible(barrels vary in delivered velocity) load them to the same pressures with the same bullets, and the 7 Rem Mag will be faster every time. This is because the 7 mag holds more powder than the 280. With a 160 gr bullet, 7 Rem mag will top out at a bit under 3100 fps from a 24" barrel;a 280 will generally not be much over 2900,if that. The bigger case is simply faster,keeping all things equal.Again, because it burns more powder. | |||
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| one of us |
It wasn't the "pump" (760) but the early semi autos that required the lower pressure in the 280. The 760 pump was chambered in 270 Win which has 62K pressure. The older semi-autos could not withstand the 270 pressure so the 280 was introduced to equal 270 performance @ lower 58K pressure. GOOGLE HOTLINK FIX FOR BLOCKED PHOTOBUCKET IMAGES https://chrome.google.com/webs...inkfix=1516144253810 | |||
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I have easily acheived 3150 fps W/a 140gr bullet in the 280 w/a 24" barrel W/O exceeding safe pressure estimates via Quickload. Good case life, primers not overly flattened, easy bolt lift, great accuracy. All you need to do is use compressed loads of the appropriate slow burning powder. RL22 will hit 3150/140 @ 60K while Norma MRP will top that. In fact, in most instances you can't stuff enough Norma MRP into a 280 case to reach 60K W/a 140gr bullet but it will produce 3200 fps sometimes more in a 24" barrel. Yeah you can get another 50-75 fps out of a 7mm Mag for a given barrel/bullet/pressure combo, but to do it you must burn 10-15 (16 to 25%)more grs of powder. That equals more recoil (just like 10-15 grs more bullet weight) & muzzle blast. GOOGLE HOTLINK FIX FOR BLOCKED PHOTOBUCKET IMAGES https://chrome.google.com/webs...inkfix=1516144253810 | |||
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I have "easily achieved" 3300 fps from a 24" barreled 7 Rem Mag and 140's,demonstrating the same characteristics as your 280 load. And,by the way, have gotten your velocities from the 280 in a 24" barrel.In my opinion,it is over the top. It is not in the cards for the 280 to be as fast as the 7 Rem Mag at equal pressures. Sorry to disagree. | |||
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+1  I've shot plenty of 280, my 280PDK and 7mag. Equal barrel length and pressure the 7mag will win everytime. Not to say that a fast barreled 280 might be darn close to a slow barrel 7mag. Capacity will win every time assuming max velocity is your goal. A 280 and 7mag to the same velocity the 280 will use less powder and have less recoil. So if you want something that will get to a certain velocity point under the 280's max great. However I'd bet a good old 7x57 would come darn close. As usual just my $.02 Paul K | |||
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And when I can get Norma MRP up here in the boonies I can top 3200 by a wide margine W/the 280 & yes it is "over the top" of the SAAMI 58K pressure level. Why is it so hard to believe a 280 can top 3100 fps W/a 140gr bullet when the 270 routinely does it W/a 130gr pill? Let me put a question to all of the 7mm Mag fans. Have any of you been able to use compressed loads in the larger 7mm Mag case W/O over pressure? I shoot for 107% compressed loads in the 280 & can do that W/a few of the slower burning powders. I find that loads in that copressed range are very consistant in SD. If you can't achieve moderately compressed loads W/O over presure, then your "extra case capacity" is somewhat wasted. I never meant to imply the 280 would equal the 7mm Mag for every last fps but it comes so damned close (< 100 fps)that it doesn't make a significant difference in the field. GOOGLE HOTLINK FIX FOR BLOCKED PHOTOBUCKET IMAGES https://chrome.google.com/webs...inkfix=1516144253810 | |||
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 You are 100% correct nothing would tell 100fps less in this case. Heck my wifes 7x57 in a 24" could push a 140 over 3000. So using 25grs less powder it gave up 200fps to the 7mag. The 280 uses 14grs less and gives up 100. Everyone has the cartridge they like. I could care less if I can use a compressed load or not. I simply look to max accuracy and velocity. I tested a bunch of 7mm option back in the late 70s early 80s. If you want the case that will give you the optimum and efficent 7mm build a 7x61 Sharp and Hart. As usual just my $.02 Paul K | |||
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The Accurate Reloading Forums THE ACCURATE RELOADING.COM FORUMS Rifles Medium Bore Rifles 280 Remington or 7mm Rem Mag
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