a buddy asked me today what is the optimum barrel length for a 280 remington. he just bought a 28" barrel for his encore. we were discussing velocity and i remembered reading an article in a gun rag a few years back where the author chronoed shots out of a 28 in barrel, then cut off and inch, chronoed some more, then cut off another inch, etc., etc. his findings were that a 30-06 gained nothing in terms of velocity with a barrel over 24 inches. i was wondering if anyone has any data that pertains to the 280 rem. thanks for any responses.

I would make it a 26" barrel. You could always cut it and have it recrowned but you can't cut it longer. Have you thought about 280AI one of the few AI's worth the time in my opinion.

I've shot 280s and 280 imp. My current go to is my 280 wildcat. Like an imp 280 Gibbs. 11+% greater capacity than the 280. It has a 23". I once cut the barrel off of a 280 from 26 back to 24 then 22. I lost 30fps and 70fps total with the same slow powder load. Faster powders would have seen less in theory.

In my opinion anything longer than 24 is just extra steel.

Vel. loss from shortening a barrel is also bore/cartridge specific. A larger bore will show less loss/gain than a smaller bore w/ the same case capacity. In an Encore, the OAL of the rifle is already short so why not keep the extra length & get the performance, even if it is slight.
I have a 23"bbl. on my .280 & it balances well for me in a bolt gun. In a single shot, I would go 26" & be happy w/ the extra 100fps or so.

OK, so do I tell my buddy that anything over 26" is just extra steel? What I am asking is can anyone direct me to a "gun test" where velocity vs barrel length was evaluated using a 280 rem? I will print this thread and give it to him, so he can make an educated decision. I always get great info from this site. Thanks men

quote:

"gun test" where velocity vs barrel length

I haven't seen one on the 280. Like I said I have first hand experience of a drop of 30 going from 26 to 24 and then a drop of 40 going from 24 to 22.

Using Loadtech it gives the following for a 140 loaded with H4350.
22" 2955
24" 2990
26" 3020
28" 3045
Depends on what he wants. There will be a gain but not as much as most people think. Like was stated on the encore you can get by with a longer barrel without making the total gun length to long.

When I was building my first 280 wildcat I had done a lot of research. Sundra had his on 7mmJRS. Almost a 280 Gibbs. He felt anything over a 24" was a waste and usually went with a 22". I did my own testing and pretty much agreed. I use a 23" on mine.

Really his choice. Everyone has an opinion. Like was statedyou can always cut off and recrown. You can't put it back.

I would stick with 28". A longer barrel lessens the effect of muzzle blast (muzzle a little farther from your ear) and recoil (added weight).

Thanks men! I'll print this tomorrow AM (hopefully a few more folks will chime in) and pass it on. Great stuff here!