I am having a custom .284 hunting rifle built by Hart custom. It will have a McMillan glass stock and most likely a 24" fluted #4 Douglas taper barrel. I am leaning towards the 280 Remington as my caliber choice, but am having difficulty dismissing the 7WSM as another viable alternative. Since I am having this built from the ground up, and with the advent of the Short-Mag's into the mainstream...I am considering the WSM as option #2. It has a more advanced case design and would yield more velocity...and more recoil.

Anyone have any thoughts? Good or Bad experiences with the 7WSM??

Thanks......

nothing bad to report on the 7wsm. just curious what length action you are using? if it is long enough for the 7 rem mag then i vote for that. if it is standard or short i vote for the 284 win.
i am not sold on the wsm as a viable replacement for the standard mags. from the barrel length and contour it sounds like your building for a 7 rem mag. i would go for it. it will do more for you than a wsm ever will. if someday down the road you feel you have to try the wsm then you wont have to buy anything to build it. my vote 7 rem mag.
woofer

Deckard B26354

I would get a 280 rem for normal hunting of whitetail, goat, anthelope etc. I have serious plans on getting one my self. It has larger selection of bullets than 270 and will have slightly more performance.

I think that the 280 is best suited for handloaders. The WSM is for me a dot on the radar screen. Heavy bullets must be seated far in the case to fit in a short action. I would go for a 7mm rem Mag If I wanted more speed than the 280, perhaps a 7 mm WBY.

Good luck

/ JOHAN

It doesn't sound like you are building a light weight rifle and if your action is a std. magnum length, I would go w/ a 7mm Dakota. It fits in a std. length action & gives you 7STW performance. It is a custom rig after all & that's part of the fun, for me, having something a bit different.

And don't forget the good old 7x57 Mauser. I just had one built and received it before Christmas. Excellent round, I've been shooting a .270, .308, 30-06, 300 Win Mag and recently also acquired a 338 Win Mag. It's amazing how easy this thing is to shoot with the complete lack of recoil.

I agree with Johan, though I would prefer the 7RM over the .280.

I definitely would avoid the jeffery based ones, like everything "ultramag" (rebated rims and they rob magazine capacity) or the dakotas (expensive brass and mag. cap.). Tron

Well, since you are considering the 280 Remington, you must have a long action available.
If I were going to make a custom rifle on a long action that was chambered for a 7mm cartridge, my first choice would be a 280 Ackley Improved.

I have several friends who shoot this cartridge and they love it. There is a great article by Steve Timm in the latest Varmint Hunter Magazine about this cartridge. The likes of Kenny Jarret build lots of them.

I once chronographed some stuff for some guys at the range and everyone was amazed. With 160 grain bullets, one fellows 280 Ackley Improved was giving the same velocity as another guy's 7mm Rem Mag AND WITH 11 GRAINS LESS POWDER!

If I did not already own a 7mm Wby Mag that was a gift from my wife, I probably would have built a 280 AI long ago. I DO like that 7mm WBY Mag, though.

R F

Deckard,

A custom rifle deserves a special chamber. If I were making the choice it would be a 7x64, a Brenneke design if memory serves. Finn Aagaard had high praise for its effectiveness on African Plains game.

280 ackley improved is My choice-More efficient than 7 mag.No belt.Ballistics to match 7mag.No problem bolt face pressure as with 7 wsm.If you have a little oil in chamber of 7wsm beware of bolt head stress. You may crack or set the lugs of receiver or bolt back.-Jeff

Deckard, aka AJH

My vote would be for either a standard .280 Rem if its a LA, or a .284 Win if its a short action. The AI is another option but it will add a bit more recoil and inconvenience. Then too your an accuracy nut. Maybe the WSM's have a bit more accuracy potential??

Though Paul does like the .280/.280AI and chambers a mess of them. Then again he also does quite a few .284 Win's as well! For the PA/NY whitetails and the occasional trip to MT I would pick either the .280 Rem as my #1, or the .284 Win if you use a short action. Decisions,decisions!!

I don't think your shooting for MAXIMUM velocity here are you?? A 140gr at 2900 to 3000 fps is pretty big medicine out to 400 yds on antelope/deer.

And you know the .280 will work on elk!

FN in MT

Thanks for the replies. There is definitely some real food for thought here. Lots of suggestions too. Now I can add the .284 Win, and the 7 Dakota to my list of cartridges to consider!!!

..and I did read that Timm article in varmint Hunter (nice to know other people read that great publication) AND it was quite well written. He had many positive things to say for the .280AI.....as does one of my MT buddies.

Some questions though? Does the 7 Dakota have a belt? Also, WHAT is the difference between the .284 Win and the 7WSM ?? ...if they are both Short Action 7mm's ?? They would appear to be very similar? I know the Hart's are big fans of the .284Win, so wouldn't the 7WSM have similar virtues/attributes???

ALSO, does the rebated rim and short stubby case of the WSM's pose any feeding issues?? You would think that it might have more of a tendency to "BOBBLE" on the way into the chamber of your average Remington push-feed action?? maybe not...

Thanks .......

B26354

Just curious, will the 7X57 AI nearly equal the 280 as a 257 AI to a 25-06?

And Don't forget the 7MM-08 ACK.

7mm Dakota does NOT have a belt. The 284 is a smaller case (diameter) then the 7mm WSM. There have been reports of feeding problems with the WSM's, but I think a lot depends on your 'smith. Yes, the 7 X 57 AI treads very close on the heels of the 280 Remington. - Dan

Has the action already been purchased? It seems that it has and it's a 30/06 size if you would.

If you go with the 280 I would call John Lewis here at CPR and find out the deal on the special throat for the .280.

For myself on a full out custom for that action it would be a 30/06 with a 22" barrel and then it would balance better and weigh less.

I have a new 7MM WSM in a M70. It's quite the performer and the cases don't separate at the heads like the belted ones do. But I would buy a new rifle that has a action made for the WSM and use it as is. If for some reason it did not shoot the way you want then change it from there. So far I have $660 into my new M70 SS Classic and I am satisfied with it just as it is.

I don't think a custom rifle in 280 will hit as hard as my 7MM WSM nor will it weigh much less.

Deckard,

I would go .284 Win or 7 WSM if a SA is your bag, and .280 Rem if a long action is available.

But I DO have to mention......the point of all this is most likely moot, as I'm sure if you ever do come out for an elk......you will pick one my safe queen M70's ,either the .338-06 or the .375 H&H and do the dirty deed with one of them.

FN in MT

Johan

Of course I have the silly kraut rifles, I just hide them from the older gentlemen at the range My 7mm is a K95 in 7RM, break open single shot, no ejector, a handfull of parts alltogether, what is so overengineered about that?

But I guess a swede would be obligated by heritage to go for the "middle of the road" products, you know, "lagom"...
Tron