I have been wanting a 280 for a while but not sure which brand I want. Some I have looked at are the Browning A-Bolt, Ruger M77 Hawkeye, and Weatherby Mark V. Does anyone know anything about these different guns as far as accuracy and trigger adjustability? Thanks for your comments.

When I was inexperienced (still am actually) I just bought something I liked the looks of, felt and fit good, and wanted something different than what all my friends had.

It's the Ruger Mk II in .280. It may not be tops in accuracy dept. but since I had the trigger worked on and floated the barrel it is much better. They are just good sturdy working guns and will kill plenty of game for you if you practice a bit.

I have since bought 2 more Rugers, a Browning A-Bolt (used from my neighbor) and a Tikka. Tikka may be my favorite but really haven't shot it enough. Just pick up a lot of guns and see which one feels the best to you. .280 is great caliber to kill with and load for. Merg

maybe get an original 280 - a ross or a westley.

much better than what is offered for sale now.

I've shopped long and hard for a new rifle in .280 and have come up empty. Seems like this excellent chambering is being overlooked by most of the manufacturers.

The .280 is a very good cartridge.
In my opinion , you might just go look for any rifle so chamberd , pick it up and dry fire it, and just decide if you like it.
Most of us rifle loonies have our preferences, but the fact is most everybody makes a good rifle theese days.
One thing about the .280 is that it is a handloaders cartridge.
Factory ammo for the round is loaded to rather low preasure limmits.
If you hand load it is a much better cartridge. If you plan to shoot factory ammo you might consider a .270.
...tj3006

https://forums.accuratereloading.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/2711043/m/392101807

I'd buy this 1, I like Rimrock stocks & this is a very reasonable price if it shoots.

I bought my first .280 many years ago in a Ruger M-77. I had it Parkerized, barrel floated, action bedded and trigger work done. It has taken Elk, Bear, Deer, Antelope, exotics and a large variety of African plains game. This year I bought a .280 Weatherby Mark V in s/s, synthetic. Shoots very well with only the addition of a Sims Deresinator. I took 25 African animals with it. Many shots were in the 250-300+ yardage. Excellent cartridge, even with factory (Federal) ammo. LDK

I've hunted with a Remington 700 Mountain Rifle in .280 Rem. for 12 years now. I love the rifle and the cartridge. The barrel on the mountain rifle, being as thin as it is, heats up fairly quickly, but 3-shot 100yd groups are always around 1.5" This is plenty accurate for Pennsylvania whitetail. My cousin has a BDL with a larger diameter barrel, and he can get smaller groups than I can. I haven't spent a lot of time at the range or at the reloading bench with this rig, so it may be able to produce smaller groups.

When I started out I was using Remington CoreLok 150gr bullets, when I ran out of those, I switched to Hornady Interlocks 154gr. Both work great on deer. The groundhogs and fox that I have shot with these loads expired quickly, but an lighter, faster expanding bullet would have been better.

Good luck.

Ruger #1 in .280. Probably my all time favorite rifle. Sadly sold it when hunting phase of life ended and now it's small caliber target rifles and shotguns.

Make my .280 a Mannlicher-Schoenauer MC or MCA model!! That's the third most rare US market M-S.

LLS

Inexperienced/MikeM...

Still hunting with a Ruger #1B in 280 and it's also my favorite. A 280 with a 26" barrel is a real performer and I've never felt limited with a single shot. So, I'll recommend (if you can find one) a Ruger #1B in 280 Rem.

The 280 is primarily a cartridge for serious guncranks so I'd be tempted to have someone good build something special on a blueprinted M700. I wouldn't bother with anything less than 24 inches, and 26 might work depending on the sort of hunting you prefer. Get a premium synthetic stock fitted to you, throw on some VX-III or better optics, and have fun.

I like the Ruger 77MKII, But this last 98 Mauser action I had, just had to make it a 280 Rem. and I'am glad I did.

6.5 SWEDE.

quote:

Originally posted by Inexperienced:
I have been wanting a 280 for a while but not sure which brand I want. Some I have looked at are the Browning A-Bolt, Ruger M77 Hawkeye, and Weatherby Mark V. Does anyone know anything about these different guns as far as accuracy and trigger adjustability? Thanks for your comments.

Browning A-bolts are great guns, but their light weight and shape of the recoil pad makes them kick out of character for the cartridge they are firing. The triggers are similar to the Mod 70 winchester, but the last few I have seen had hot melt glue melted over the adjustment nuts that needed to be removed in order to adjust.

Ruger M77's have come a long way in their aesthetics, but the bolt travel is a little rough and their barrels don't have the best reputation for accuracy. The new Hawkeye's may be different, but there is a risk. Their triggers were not adjustable in the MkII action, not sure if the Hawkeye is different. Even though they are not adjustable, a competent gunsmith can make them quite good with a little bit of time and a stoning jig.

The Weatherby MkV is an excellent rifle, but I think that the action is overkill for the 280. They do downsize the action for the standard, but they are still a little heavy and pricey. The triggers are adjustable for weight (letoff) but they reccomend Sear engagement be done by a gunsmith.

As for accuracy I would put the Abolt and the Weatherby on par with each other while the ruger will trail (pls remember this is a generalization)

On an oddball note, any reason you wouldn't look towards a Remington 700?

John

Only one disagreement. A Browning A-Bolt trigger is NOTHING like a Winchester 70 trigger.

Asking this question is like going to automobile.com, telling everyone you want a car with a gasoline engine, but don't know what brand to buy.

They are all good. At least, they are all good enough. You have to buy the one you like the best. You are doing the right thing by asking. You need to learn as much about each one as you can. They are different. Some differences are subtle but have a lot to do with whether you like them or not. That is the beauty of the whole process.

Just don't think you will find the perfect one. There is no such thing. They all have pluses and minuses.

Eventually, you will want an assortment. And before you know it, you will have a favorite, which you can come on here and proclaim as the best.

Good luck. Have fun.

Mike

If I didnt want to fuss around too much, Id just go out and buy a basic WeatherbyMkV synthetic blue or SS(6lug,6.5lb,24"bl). If you wanted something lighter you could go an Ultralight version(5.75lb,fluted24") but price goes up notably.
I reckon the cheaper std is good value,and once you put a 2.5-8x36 Leup.in 2pcQR rings, it still comes out near 7.50lb,still very reasonable for a 280rem, in my mind and hands.
Looking at S&K rings. website.(Click on Skulptured bases for good image) I reckon they are just the match for the trim Weath.

quote:

Originally posted by MikeG50:
Only one disagreement. A Browning A-Bolt trigger is NOTHING like a Winchester 70 trigger.

Sear engagement and safety different, adjustability is similar, one screw on the bottom. On Further thought, maybe it is more like a Sako or Tikka trigger.

John

Long before everyone started building mountain rifles, i built one for myself in 7 Express Remington (280 Rem.) using a 700 Rem. action and 21" Douglas premium bbl..

That was in the 70's, and to this day, it's performed perfectly for me on deer, caribou, bear and many other big game animials...

If i was doing it all over again today, i'd go buy a Rem. 700 in one of the light weight versions, and be a very happy hunter for many years to come!!

DM

Take a look at the Remington M700 LSS. It has a 24" barrel and a very nice recoil pad already on it. A real beauty. Here is a link.

http://www.remington.com/products/firearms/premier_deal...es/model_700_LSS.asp

quote:

The Weatherby MkV is an excellent rifle, but I think that the action is overkill for the 280. They do downsize the action for the standard, but they are still a little heavy and pricey. The triggers are adjustable for weight (letoff) but they reccomend Sear engagement be done by a gunsmith.

The Weatherby Mark V Synthetic in 280 Remington weighs 6 3/4 lbs. and the Ultra Lightweight 5 3/4 lbs., both with 24" barrels. What is a "little heavy" about that?

I have a Weatherby Mark V Synthetic 280 Remington which I converted to 280 Remington Ackley Improved and it is a wonderful piece. I adjusted the trigger to 4 pounds and its very crisp so no sear adjustment was necessary. They currently are a little pricey, I paid $550 for mine in 1998, they appear to be going for about $750 now.

Of those mentioned, I would choose the Hawkeye. I've never owned a 280Rem but if I decided to get one I would find a commercial FN Mauser like a Higgins 50 and rebarrel it.

quote:

Originally posted by Inexperienced:
I have been wanting a 280 for a while but not sure which brand I want. Some I have looked at are the Browning A-Bolt, Ruger M77 Hawkeye, and Weatherby Mark V. Does anyone know anything about these different guns as far as accuracy and trigger adjustability? Thanks for your comments.

quote:

Originally posted by fla3006:
Of those mentioned, I would choose the Hawkeye. I've never owned a 280Rem but if I decided to get one I would find a commercial FN Mauser like a Higgins 50 and rebarrel it.

What fla said! The action'll be SMOOTH!!

All the .280s I have owned were either Mausers or pre 64 M-70s. It is a great round and equal to the 06, 270, and 7x57 in the field..no better, no worse.

I am presently building myself a 280 or 280 IMP. on a G33/40 small ring action with a 22" Lother Walther barrel.

Of the guns you mentioned, I like the Rugers best.

I intend to shoot mostly 175 gr. bullets in it.

quote:

Originally posted by Atkinson:
All the .280s I have owned were either Mausers or pre 64 M-70s. It is a great round and equal to the 06, 270, and 7x57 in the field..no better, no worse.

I am presently building myself a 280 or 280 IMP. on a G33/40 small ring action with a 22" Lother Walther barrel.

Of the guns you mentioned, I like the Rugers best.

I intend to shoot mostly 175 gr. bullets in it.

The more I read of Atkinson's posts the more I realize how much like him I am.....except that he likes long barrels and I like short ones.

Guess that means I'm getting older than hell!

I've got a tang saftey Ruger that I've had for over 20 years and my brother had it for 10 or so before that. I had a synthetic stock put on it by a gunsmith in Ft. Collins Colorado back in '85 and its a dream to carry and shoot. The wife's got a Remington 700 classic in .280 and its a good shooter as well although heavier then the Ruger. I missed a good deal on a No.1 the other day at Bass Pro, could've got it for 525.00 and it was a nice looking gun with just a couple very minor blems. Wish I could remember the name of the gunsmith who done my stock work in Colorado, seems like his first name was Mark or Mike.

Out of those three, Mark V!

I've got a pure stock Wby Ultra Lt Weight in .280 Rem and it's been one of THE most accurate rifles I've EVER owned. And in almost forty years of guns and hunting I've owned and been around a LOT of rifles.

Built a 280 several years ago on a Rem 700. Had the action trued, trigger done, a 26" douglas installed and the whole thing dropped into an HS Precision stock. Added a 3.5-10X and though a bit heavy it's a great LR rig.

Between the Rem and the Wby I've shot several elk, deer and even a few heads of African game with ZERO drama. Place a 150 NP in the right place and they just go.... FLOP.

FN in MT

IMO the Weatherby is by far the best of those three you've mentioned. OTOH, if I were to gamble on which would be the most accurate OTB, I'd throw my money on the Abolt. Knock on wood, I just haven't come across an abolt that wasn't very accurate bone stock. The other two are a different story.

I personally would only go with a 700 or an Abolt in this cartridge if I were to buy it in a factory rifle.

If I were to want a 280 right now, I'd spend $12-1300 and have Kirby Allen build me a 1st class 280(HS Precision stock, Trued 700 Action, 25" Stainless Lilja bbl, Holland recoil lug).

Good Luck

Reloader