Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire What your favorite 280 bullet and powder

This is my favourite "standard" cartridge, even slightly ahead of the superb .270Win. and I tend to use only medium-heavy "CE" bullets in my loads for it. I do so as it is an "all around" cartridge for B.C. hunting, IMO and I prefer to use bullets that I consider optimal for deer, elk, moose and any other game we have here so I can use just one load, ONE trajectory and thus shoot as well as possible.

For me, that is the 160 NP, the 150 NP and for practice, the NBTs in such weights. I also have some NABs, but, have yet to actually shoot anything with them.

I bought some bulk 154 IL-Hornadys as well and am going to try these in my three current custom .280s and my custom 7-08 as I have reports from some sources I trust that make me think that these are a fine choice for a "meat" hunter in both of these cartridges.

ONE bullet, ONLY, 160 NP-IMR-7828 and RE-22 as 2nd. choice, I find these do a bit better than the IMR-4831 with which I began loading for my first .280s back in 1981....easy to shoot, minimal "kick" and they seem to drop deer right down dead and that is the "aim of the game", eh.

140TSX & Ramshot Hunter

150 gr. Remington Corelokt, H4350, Rem cases and CCI primer.

Whelenman: My custom 280 Remington just loves the Nosler 140 grain Partitions and IMR 4831 powder.
I have killed 7 different species (types?) of North American Big Game with this combo - including Mule Deer, Blacktailed Deer and Whitetailed Deer.
Best of luck to you.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

For me & everything I hunt in MT; 160 gr. Speer Deep Curl & H4831. In my rifle less than 1 MOA to 400 yds.! Way more than "good enough".
Cheers

"I also have some NABs, but, have yet to actually shoot anything with them."

My hunting partner used the 160 gr. Nosler Accubonds in his 7MM Rem. mag. at 3000 FPS to take his cow elk. Two shots. he misjudged the winf on the first shot so it hit a bit too far back. Bullet destroyed over half he liver anchoring the elk but it required a second shot as a finisher. Range was 317 yards, laser measured. Both bullets were recovered just under the hide at the butcher's. Both bullets looked just like Nosler partitions that had blown their noses off but penetrated well.
I'm thinking of trying them in my 30-06 and .300 Win. Mag. for my next elk hunt. I think they'd probably work just fine at .280 Rem. velocity. I'm doing some load work up for my .280, but using the Speer Grand Slam as I have a goodly supply of that that bullet. Then again, I just might go with the .35 Whelen again for the hunt. Sure does a final number on elk.
Paul B.

Used both the Remington and the Ackley; the Ackley is superb.

It's hard to fault the 139-grain Hornaldy Interlocked on American big game up to and including elk.

Powder in the Ackley with 139s? RL-22 is perfect.

140 AB and R22 have caused the death of dozens of deer and antelope with my 280AI. A few of those were out past 700 yards too.

140 gr. Barnes TSX, IMR 4350- MV 3050 fps out of my 22" bbl., very accurate.