Guys,
I know this has probably been hashed out numerous times, but here goes. I am building another TC encore and have the frame and stock and am now looking for a barrel. I have plenty of reloading supplies for 7mag, but have been told (by a friend) that the .280 or even better .280ai will give me similar ballistics of a 7mag out to about 300 yards with less recoil and less pressure on my encore frame. Trying to decide which way to go. I know the .280ai costs alot more for reloading and the barrel itself, but in the long run may even out to about the same $. This is for whitetail, mulies, elk and hopefully one day bear/moose.
Thoughts?
1. Ballistics from the 7Mag are greater at every range. If the .280 is 200-300fps behind the 7Mag, it will be so at all ranges since they shoot the same bullets.
2. The .280 and especially the .280AI are typically loaded to greater pressure than the 7Mag.
Good decision settling on the 7Mag. I have the same setup (among other rifles) for my primary hunting guns, a .25-06 and a 7Mag. The .25-06 gets used on medium to long-range shots at deer and coyotes, and the 7Mag gets used for long-range deer and anything larger (elk, moose, bear).
