Anyone familiar with the .280 caliber? (pic)

S

So. Dak.

New member
Drew a double doe tag this year. I don't have any caliber larger than a .204 so I went to the gun shop yesterday expecting to buy something in a .270. His selection was limited due to the approaching deer season. I didn't care for any of the the .270s that he had (he only had 1 or 2 on hand). This Rem model 700 CDL in a .280 caught my eye. I thought it was a beautiful gun. I don't know anything about a .280 but I can't imagine that it's much different than a .270. Or am I wrong?

Anyhow, I kind of fell in love with the little honey so I bought it. Bought a 3X9X40 Sightron scope for it and he threw in a sling. Can't wait to get it to the range. Too rainy and windy today.

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Nice choice. It will do everything the 270 will do. I like the 7mm (284) bullets better due to the selection. It's a campfire debate on which is better. The 270 is just more popular.
 
So the 7mm is just slightly bigger than the .280? I had no idea. He had a large selection of 7mm. I don't think any of them looked as nice as the one I bought, though.
 
So.Dak.:

The 280 Remington cartridge is a 7MM/.284" bore diameter cartridge and shoots the same bullets as a 7MM Rem Mag, 7X57, .284 Win, etc., etc..

"280" is just the cartridge name given to it by Remington versus the 270 Winchester which has a bore diameter of .277", the 30-06 which is a .308" bore diameter, and so on.

By the way, it's a very good cartridge. Just maybe not as popular or well known as a 270 Win, or a 30-06, or a 7MM Rem Mag, but a good cartridge none the less.

If you handload, get the proper 7MM/.284" bullet for the task you have, and it will do well on deer, antelope, elk, and most other things. Good choice. - BCB
 
I have the same gun and have shot a handful of deer with it, all dropped in their tracks. It will also shoot under moa all day.
 
Todd:

That's exactly right.

Except for slight differences in neck length, location of shoulders and datum points, and of course neck diameter, the 280, the 270, the 6.5-06, the 25-06, The 35 Whelen, and others, all come from the parent 30-06 case. - BCB
 
I bought my wife one several years back. She killed her first elk & deer with it. At that time ammo was hard to find with very limited selection. I traded it on a 30-06 which shows more effect on elk. The .280 seems better than the .270. I hope the ammo is more available for you.
 
I have had a 280 rem since 1980. The current one I am shooting is a Mauser 98 with a douglas barrel, timney trigger. It is capable of taking deer with authority. I shot a nice buck this morning with mine. I shoot 140 partitions or 150 Ballistic tips. It will get the job done.
 
I remember a nickname that a Field & Stream article once gave the .280. It was "Dr. Death". /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif
 
The 280 went through some name changes in the late 70's to boost sales. Remington started to rename it 7mm-06, but changed it to 7mm Remington Express. There were a few guns that got out of the factory marked 7mm-06. I have a BDL that is marked 7mm-06. I hear they are rare. Then, later, Remington went back to calling it 280 again. The 280 is slightly longer so it will not chamber in a 270, like the 7mm WSM is slightly longer than the 270 WSM. The 280 is a great round. I have killed a lot of deer with mine.
 
I bought a mountain rifle like yours in .280 about 15 yrs. ago.I bought it mainly for Elk.So far no complaints. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gifIt really like the 150gr nosler partions.I like that caliber so much I bought a Browning stainless stalker in .280 in 98.I don't reload and it won't shoot the partitions.But both sure like the Federal 150gr soft points!However thats not really a good choice for Elk so I tried out the 140gr trophy bonded bear claw this year as they shoot great and I killed a Bull.He sure tastes good too. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gifMy neighbor just bout a .280 after talikn to me too about not wanting a hard kickin rifle for deer and Elk.Federal quit makin the 140gr bear claws in .280 so I now have it sighten in with 140 and 160 accubonds.Both shoot the same out of my gun.A little bit higher of course at 100yds with the 140gr.The 150gr Fedearal soft point for deer is hard to beat.All the .280s seem to be extremly accurate with them.The gun stores can all keep their remington ammo.Shoot the only remington ammo I shoot and like is the .22 magnum 33gr v-max and I think they shoot so good is CCI makes em for remmy.Have fun with your new toy.I think the .280 is one of the best kept secrets for a North American Big game calibers there is.And I think Jack O'conner would of converted over too. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif
 
Yep....the 280 is here to stay. Great caliber in my opinion. If I was to ever buy a caliber larger than my good old favorite 25-06, the 280 would be it for sure.
 
I use a 280AI as my long range(500-1500yards) rifle. It spits out the 180VLD bullets at close to 3000fps which is about as good as the 300WM can do 180gr bullets with lot lower BCs.

It is not a low recoil round. 180gr at close to 3000fps is lots of energy which punishes on the back end. My 280AI weighs 17 pounds and the recoil is still attention getting. About 20 rounds a day is my limit.

Jack
 
The 280 would be much more popular if not for the marketing prowess at remington, and just plain bad luck!
The 280 was developed for the 740 semi-auto rifle, it was loaded under pressure and was offered only with a semi-pointed 160 gr. (I think) bullet, in the 70's remington decided to load it up to the same pressures as the 270-30-06, and rename it the 7mm express.
The first lots of ammo was recalled, by the time it was fixed the 7mm-express sales were dismal to say the least so remington renamed it the 280 remington.
Its probably one of the best north american cartridges offered for all game except the large bears. better bullet selection than the 270 and aboutequal or better in power with the 06, except better BC of the bullets.
RR
 
Wow! I guess I did make a wise decision (even if I didn't really know what I was getting!). Hearing all the positive feedback makes me feel better for spending the money!
 
I am a 7mm fan fro the get-go. Your .280 is an excellent round... It will for all practical uses equal or exceed anything in its class...

Here's some interesting info: some typical 7mm velocities in a 150 gr bullet are as follows: 7X57 2750 fps, the 7mm-08 2715 fps (154 gr), .284 Winchester 2860 fps, the .280 Rem 2890 fps, the 7mm Rem Mag 3000 fps, 7mm Weatherby Mag 3060 fps (160 gr) and finally the 7mm STW at an amazing 3325 fps (140 gr).
 
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