280 remington

[Olbeav]

The 280 remington in a good strong bolt action rifle is one of the finest caliber,
rifle combo's to come down the pike. Loaded appropriately for the game you
are seeking, you could not do better in North America. I have had a Ruger Model 77 purchased in 1978, sent it to Lowell Manley to reshape the stock to fit me and I love it. I would rather trade off my old lady. My favorite load for elk with in
that gun is 58 grains of surplus 4831 and 160 Nosler Partition and let me tell
you that kills with aplomb in timber and out. With a heavy dose of reloader 19
and the the 140 Nosler Partition I took a nice buck in the Medicine Bow Range of Southern Wyoming at 600 yards.
Do not let any of those Magnum buffs tell you the 280 is to light of a caliber , it is
not I have killed forty elk certainly not all with the 280, but most of them I can
tell you without a doubt it is a killer from the headwaters.I one time had a 7mag and killed some with it but switched to the 280 and never looked back,
generally the rifles are lighter, cartridge capacity is greater and they more comfortable to shoot and carry. They just maybe the most under rated off
the shelf bolt rifle commercially available. This one is a real sleeper!!

 

[silvertip-co]

Yes.Yes.Yes. and Yes. The 280 is very under rated as comapred to the bigger 30-06 and the smaller 270 the 280 is the real HAMMER. Plus it's a 7mm cal ( the other name is in fact 7mm Express Remington) so there's tons of bullet wts avail to reload into it. I had one for only two yrs and really liked it. Good luck with yours.

 

[Olbeav]

Silvertip, you are a wise man to fully appreciate the attributes of the fine 280.
The 270 Win. is a great coyote and varmint round and will do yeoman duty on
deer and antelope, but it is certainly not a elk round, simply because it is
primarily loaded with 130 grains and these do not have the knockdown punch
to put a big bull down on the most often offered shot at elk which is quartering to or away from you. I would safely venture there has been more
elk lost to the 270 than any other gun. Jack O'Conner bragged it up for years
and he is responsible for more lost game than any other scribe just because
people took whatever he said as gospel. The 280 has about 7 percent more
powder capacity when using the 19 and 21 reloader powders, that along with
the premium 160 and 175 grain bullets now offer from Nosler and others put
the 280 in a completely higher realm than the 270 ever will be.
As far as the 06 is concerned it is adequate for deer and elk and really is a
great round and is a very reloadable round with many options but I just
happen to prefer it's younger and taller offspring that has proven its
mettle without any doubt whatsoever!! Many elk hunters are under the impression they must shoot behind the shoulders, most of time that is sensible but that shot has resulted in losing elk at times because you may place a pill between the ribs going in and then out. The proper placement
is to shoot at is the point of the shoulder or directly above the front leg in
the shoulder where hydrostatic shock will be in effect not only from your
premium bullet but also from bone fragments and beleive you me the 280
has the power to amply the get that job done. Almost all of my elk have
been taken within 200 yards a great many within 100 yards and handful
beyond 200 yards. Why beat yourself up with a magnum when there is the
fine 280 available that will more adequately suffice. It is without a doubt
a killer from the headwaters!!

 

[featherweight]

Oldbeav-Nice to see another fan of the 280. However, there is no need to embellish the 280 at the expense of the 270. Both are fine rounds, excellent for deer, antelope and such. On elk or moose, care must be used with both rounds, making sure one is using premium quality bullets of the proper weight. I am not sure what reloading manual you are working with that shows the 280 being able to use 7% more RL 19 and 22. Mine gives maximum loads for both rounds using 150 and 160 grain bullets as the same. Muzzle velocity is the same for the same bullet weights also. To say only 130 grain bullets are used in the 270 is the same as saying only 140s are used in the 280. Just not the truth. Years ago, when I was much younger and only a bit poorer, I shot my first moose with the only rifle I had, a 270 loaded with 150 grain Nosler Partitions. The moose obliged and expired after one shot. I was grateful. That being said, I do not consider the 270 a moose rifle, and being a bit older, wiser (lazier?) and with enough money to afford more than one rifle, much to my wife's chagrin, I would now pick something off the rack that had a bore of at least 30 caliber. And just so you don't think I am blindly prejudiced to the 270, my current hunting rifle for deer is a 280, and has been for the past few seasons. I do keep the 270 ready to go just in case I need a backup though!

 

[Alfred Crouch]

olbeav, You must be like rip van winkle, asleep for the last 20 to 30 years, if you think 130 grain is the primary bullet used in the 270. You need to wake up and look at the all the changes made in bullet construction in the last 30 years and all the new offerings in most calibers, including the 270. Nosler offers a partitions in 270 caliber in 130, 140, 150 and 160 grains and in 280 caliber in 140, 150, 160 and 175 grains.

AND ... the 270 and the 280 are based on the same 30-06 case so powder capacity can't be very different. Yes the 280 is a good round but so is the 270.
Don't know what caused your bias against the 270. It is a good round as is your 280. Some like ford and some like chevy.

 

[Olbeav]

Every person is entitled to his opinion! I have used 270 and the 280. If a person is a reloader the difference is not significant but the primary factory
loadings for the 270 has been the 130 & 150 grain and the late Jack O'Conner
espoused the the 130 grain as a near ideal big game load. I am not and never will be advocate of the 270 for anything larger than antelope and deer! Whereas the 280 ekes into the cartridges that are satisfactory for elk with its
greater powder capacity and generally heavier bullets. I have used a 280
bolt rifle since 1977 and deem that cartridge entirely satisfactory for all North
American big game with the exception of the grizzly and brown bear.
After 50 years of hunting and the taking of 40 some odd elk I know a thing
or two about downing big game animals and keeping them down! In my
experience there has been more elk lost and not recovered that were shot
by the 270 than any other round. I would say in all honesty for those starting
out hunting elk get the time proven 06 make it fit you (shorten the stock if necessary and get a trigger job) load it with at least 180 preferably 200 grain
I use Nosler Partitions and learn to shoot it!! If the recoil seems a bit stiff put
a quality recoil pad on it. No the 270 is not a elk round! The 280 handloaded
with 58 grains of H4831 and the superb 160 grain Partition has worked
wonderfully for me and is a killer from the headwaters!

 

[Jamie6.5]

Hey Olbeav? Don't park your pet elk within 300 yards of me when I'm carrying my .270 and have a tag in my pocket, cuz if you do, he's headed for my freezer. He'll be 150 grains heavier when he hits the ground.

Just like the 6 my dad put in his freezer, and the 4 I have put in mine so far!

The .280 is a decent round, and if you ackley it, it surpasses the .270. But in std form there isn't enough difference to worry about.
I do believe the shoulder shot is the anchor shot though, just like it is with most any round.

 

[Olbeav]

The 270 is a fine varmint round!!!

 

[featherweight]

Oldbeav-You just kinda like to stir the pot don't you? LOL Glad you enjoy the 270 as a varmint round, and it's mighty kind of you to attempt to educate the rest of us that all them dead critters that have been piled up with 270's are really just lucky kills. Kinda hard to explain that to all the dead elk and moose, but I'm sure we can all try. In any event, I'm glad that you explained to me that 7 one thousands of an inch in bore size and 10 extra grains of bullet weight (160 over 150) at the same velocity makes such a difference in killing power. I figured that little bit was pretty marginal all this time. Thanks for correcting me.

 

[Olbeav]

You are entirely welcome! Have fun with your varmint round!!

 

[featherweight]

Thanks!! I do! Kinda tough sometimes though when those "varmints" weigh upwards of 600 to 700 pounds! But I muddle through. And when I get bored with my varmint rifle, I pick my 280 off the rack just to see how it does. I've decided they are both good "varmint" rounds, especially with the good premium bullets available and when one is smart enough to keep the range within 300 yards or so like you do.

 

[Cazador119]

Yes.Yes.Yes. and Yes. The 280 is very under rated as comapred to the bigger 30-06 and the smaller 270 the 280 is the real HAMMER. Plus it's a 7mm cal ( the other name is in fact 7mm Express Remington) so there's tons of bullet wts avail to reload into it. I had one for only two yrs and really liked it. Good luck with yours.

Many thanks silvertip. I purchased a Cooper 52 .280 last year. I think since this will be my first year hunting elk I need 175 gr. pills. Whats your take?

 

[gohring3006]

You are entirely welcome! Have fun with your varmint round!!

maybe you should read the post in rifle,bullets,barrels and ballistics on this site check out the new Berger extreme heavy hybrid 170gr. .277 bullet for the so called varmint round you speak of I have never in my life heard of the 270 as being a varmint round I would bet the .270 has killed more big heavy game than the .280 "varmint round"really come on man that will make any advice you give on this site questionable to say the least but opinions are like assholes everybody has one

 

[vikingsniper]

maybe you should read the post in rifle,bullets,barrels and ballistics on this site check out the new Berger extreme heavy hybrid 170gr. .277 bullet for the so called varmint round you speak of I have never in my life heard of the 270 as being a varmint round I would bet the .270 has killed more big heavy game than the .280 "varmint round"really come on man that will make any advice you give on this site questionable to say the least but opinions are like assholes everybody has one

The 280 (especially the ai version) will top the 270 in everyyy category but that doesnt make the 270 a varmint round. Then again, to me, all cartridges are varmint rounds if i can shoot accurately enough to kill. The further out you shoot, the greater the advantage goes to he 280. But im a big bore guy so you can keep em both