Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting 338 federal or 280 rem

No, it said "If ya ain't got a 270, you ain't got shiit."

I know because I have that bumper sticker... Dober had them made up years back.

A 280 is a wannabee 270...

See, a 270 is shiit.

Yup, it's the shiit!

If one already owns a 25.06, it seems hard to justify purchasing a 280 as the 25.06, with today's loads, wouldn't present such a remarkable difference from the 280, would it?

Isaac,
Good point but range has a lot to do with the decision. The payload far out will be heavier with the .280 but inside usual hunting ranges, you are likely spot on.
John

The only stupid questions are the ones you already know the answer too. Look inside yourself grasshopper. Lol.

I use the 338 WM. If I broke the stock on that I'd go to my 300 WM or the 350 RM. It would be a while before I got to the 280 (after the 06). But in open country I'd take the 280 over the 338 Federal. I'd also use premium bullets - Nosler Partitions are the ones I use. If I had nothing else to shoot, I'd use a 270, but that would be like using a half length rubber.

I am hurt.

I'm surprised at you! Here we are trying to help the op recognize his addiction and to help him through it. . We all know the magic number of rifles is N + 1 where N is the number of rifles you currently own. Nothing wrong with adding another rifle to the stable (why not add 2?) Just makes for longer, pleasurable days at the range!

+1

You know, a 338 Fed will shoot a 160gn bullet a couple hundred feet per second faster than a 280 Rem. I'm 1 gn under and 50FPS under Barnes published data for the .338 160 TTSX. Running ~3020-3040. You certainly don't have the BC, but it's still not bad. I don't think wither cartridge will disappoint.

I've killed a bunch of em with my .280 and 140 gr TTSX. I also have a 300 wby that I never take because the .280 does such a good job and hurts me less!

Either is capable---I would choose the 280, only if a .340 Weatherby were not available

280 with a 150 Ballistic Tip.

Or a 120TTSX...or a 162 Amax...or a 168 VLD....or a 150 LR Accubond...maybe even a 139 Horny!

Laughing, but my first .280, a Ruger #1, would have come home with me even if chambered for the more antiquated and grossly inferior .270.

When I sold the #1 a few weeks back a .270 bolt gun would have been acceptable as a replacement but I already had .280 dies, brass and 7mm bullets. (I also shoot a 7mm RM.)

So while I still �ain't got shiit", I do have another .280.

The equation might be better and more correctly expressed as
M = n + m

where M = Magic Number, n = number currently owned and m >= 1.


In many cases "m" will be greater than 1, especially if the value of "n" is low. Also, the value of "m" tends to correlate with financial circumstances, socio-political events, etc.

This formula works for handguns as well.

The 280 is a fine cartridge to be sure but it tries to fill a gap that doesn't need filling. Both the 270 and 30-06 have long histories and great track records. The 280 just doesn't offer any great superiority over either. It would be much more popular if either of the others hadn't come first.

By comparison, the 7mm-08 puts a bullet with a higher BC in the good old 308 case. There isn't a smaller round using the same case until you get down to the 243. I don't know why there isn't a commercial 270 version of the 308. I'm sure that someone has experimented with it. I suspect that it would be a good one, but likely without any advantage over the 7mm-08.

Aint no way you kilt that big whistle buck with no 270. Everyone knows they bounce off elk. Nice bull! Back about 40 years ago I read in an Outdoor Life or such an old indian was quoted as saying. "Any gun good shoot em good". Makes sense to me.

7-08 with a 150 Ballistic Tip works too...