Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles .280 vs. .30-06

Is there anything the .280 can't do that the 06' dose? What can someone hand loading achieve? Will the .280 shot farther ,flatter,or hit harder?? I picked up a win. featherweight it really felt good.!! Iknow nothing about this caliber. What rifle manufacture would you choose in this caliber?

The .280 is a handloader's dream. Factories have down loaded the cartridge way below it's potential. I have several .280s and have sold the 30.06. Big game will not know the difference between your .280 and 7mm Rem Mag. Lots of good bullets and powders to choose from.

I have both Remington 700's and Winchester Model 70 in .280. I prefer the remington action

Well...the 280 can't shoot .308" bullets....other than that, as long as we're talking 175/180 grs or less, there's not much difference. Now some shooters will tell you that the 280 shoots "flatter"..well it's true but only in theory as most shooters wouldn't be able to see the difference in a field situation. I'd say that the guy packing a 280 with 160's at 2900 is as well armed as the '06 carrier with 165's at 2900. Just my opinion you understand.

I own both chamberings, and there is very little field difference in them until you load bullets over 180 grains in the '06. I would feel more comfortable packing a 30-06 loaded with 200 Partitions in Big Bear country, but I believe that the 280/175 Partition would also suffice. Loaded to the same pressures, velocity favors the '06 slightly, BC & sectional density favor the 280 slightly. It's 6 of one, a half-dozen of the other. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> Regards, Eagleye.

I'll assume you want the "truth". The 280 with a 140/150 is like the 30-06 with a 150/165. The 280 with 160/175 is like a 308 with 180/200.

If you can tell the difference in the field or at the range, I'll kiss you tail. It's hard to tell the difference at the computer running ballistics.

I'd tell you to buy the rifle first and worry about the caliber later. All the standards are interchangeable in real life.

When Remington introduced the .280, it was meant to bring near 270 Win capability to their semiauto and pump-action rifles. As a result, Remington kept the pressures down to the 60,000 psi average peak of the parent '06.

Handloaded, the 280 Remington can surpass the 270 Winchester in delivered energy and equal it in flatness of trajectory. Properly handloaded, the .280 Remington is capable of equaling the 130 gr. 270 Win load with 140 gr. bullets. This, however, will put the pressures firmly in the 63,000 to 65,000 psi region of the .270 Win, so it is probably best to be using a modern bolt action.

As to rifle make and model, I'm not real current on who is chambering for the 280 Remington. My own is a Browning Medallion, which has the disadvantage of having a 22" barrel. In my opinion, the 25-06 Rem, 270 Win, and 280 Rem all three are served best with a 24" barrel. I've been contemplating putting a 24" barrel on my Browning, but that rifle is so astoundingly accurate I've hesitated to mess around with it.

To give you an example of what can be done with the 280 Remington, my primary handload is Remington fire-formed brass, Federal GM210M primer, 62 grs. RL-22, 140 gr. Sierra GameKing bullet seated 0.007 to 0.010 inches off the lands for 3,080 fps @ 63,500 psi (M43). This load consistently produces 3/4 MOA at all ranges out to 300 yards, but its pressure level in my rifle is firmly in the pressure region of the 270 Winchester. In some other rifle, it could produce unacceptable pressure levels.

Even though I have an '06 and an '06AI, the 280 Remington is my favorite "all-around" cartridge and properly handloaded will do anything the 270 Win or the '06 will do. I wouldn't hesitate to use it on any game animal in the Western hemisphere with the exception of the big Alaskan grizzlies. Of course neither the 270 Win nor the '06 would be my first choice for Alaskan grizzlies either. That's why I have a 375 H&H.

The .30-06 can handle 200+ grain bullets, which most will argue is a plus when handling big beasties. The .280 will shoot a little flatter than the '06 with optimum loads and land at the target with a bit more velocity remaining, but the 06 will typically have a little more energy.

Current factory ballistics for the .280 don't look that underloaded to me, but whether they actually reach the claims or not is another issue. The .280 is a wonderful cartridge to reload. There are endless options of bullets to choose from and the .280 can drive all 7mm bullets to useful velocities. Some credible sources (custom gun makers) claim it is very finicky when it comes to bullet weight (i.e. will shoot 140s, but not 160s), but other than that, I can't think of any other dents.

Given 22" of barrel, you should be able to get 3000 w/ 140s, 2900 w/ 150s, and 2800 w/ 160s +/- 50 fps or so. Some bullets may give slightly higher/lower velocities depending on construciton, etc..., but this is the norm I've seen over my chronograph and reported by others. Most loads listed in reloading manuals seem a bit on the low side, especially when compared to loads listed for the .270. Contrary to what OKShooter posted, I have not been able to beat .270 velocities much, if at all with my .280s, but then again, I don't have a large sample set of rifles and think the rounds are close enough than internal variations in chambers, barrels, etc... can easily offset any velocity gain due to .007 diff. in diameter..

As far as factory rifles, I think the .280 Rem and Remington m700 Mt. Rifle go together like peanut butter & jelly. I believe this combo single handidly brought the .280 back from the dead in the 80s.

Regards,

Lou

My Browing 280 will shoot a box of 20 loaded with Sierra 175 gr Boattails into a ragged hole at 100 yards- the hole ain't too big either <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />
BTW that's not my choice for a hunting bullet. Load it with 160 gr Nosler partitions and it does a job turning Elk cows into good eating. It's a backup and loaner rifle and hasn't been tried on a Bull yet

Oh man, the .280 Rem. my favorite cartridge. The only thing I have found that the .30-06 (I own one as well) can do the .280 can't do, is find ammo for the .280 as readily as the .30-06. If you handload no problem. I love my .280 Rem. and would only trade it for a new Remmy 700 CDL in .280! I have carried my .280 elk, and deer hunting here in MT, but usually opt for the .30-06 the two times I went bear hunting. If you like the .280 get it, if you don't give it a try and you probably will fall in love with it.

Hudge

I think they are both great, but for versatility the 06 would be the winner. Oh, by the way I am looking for a good .280. I am going to build a 280 AI. Does anyone have an extra .280 laying around they want to part with? Let me know.