Either is just fine.
It it were me, I'd go with the 7-08 because I am a hand-loader, and you can make very long lasting brass for a 7-08 out of surplus GI Machine Gun brass. I have done it for both 7-08 and 260 and the cases I made were as good and probably a bit better then the commercial offerings, yet the cost was super low and sometimes free. Free brass, easily made into 7-08, compared to full price for the 280. But that's the only reason I would choose the 7-08 in a bolt action. In a bolt action there is no arguing that the 280 fires it's bullets a bit faster owing to the fact it holds more powder.
In my 50 years of gunsmithing and shooting, I have yet to see this "advantage" the writers speak of when it comes to short bolt actions. In bolt guns I have not found short actions to be more accurate, faster or easier to handle. All these things we are told to believe, but making guns myself for 50 years now, I can't force myself to believe it because I can't see any real-world evidence of those claims.
The longer 280 give you a bit more speed, but I doubt that it matters to ANY animal you would ever shoot with a 7MM rifle. The ballistic difference between the two is what gives rifle-fans fodder to talk over. But my experience has shown me that the difference in killing ability of a 270, a 280 a 7-08 a 308, 30-06 (with bullets up to 180 grains) and a 7MM Mag is virtually non-existent on game. 7MM Mag fans will hate me saying so, and I have nothing bad to say about the 7MM Mags, but the real truth is that in all my years, I have not seen that it works any better then any of those other cartridges I listed here.
If I were to want a lever action BLR, or a semi-auto I would choose the 7-08 because it makes for a more compact action that feels and handles easier to me. Having shot both the short and the long BLRs I can say I prefer the short one. I own a 30-06 in a BLR and it's very smooth and accurate, but my friends BLR in 7-08 is lighter, easier to work the lever, and just a nicer feeling gun.
My last point about the 7-08 is that if you are so inclined to want an AR10 style rifle, the 7-08 is super easy to make and uses standard NATO magazines, whereas the 280 is way to long to fit.
Last edited by szihn; 08/01/18.
