Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters why is 7mm08 more popular than 280 Remington?

For the vast majority of hunters, the 7mm-08 will do all you need done. It has the same appeal in a SA, as the 270 win does in a LA. Very effective, but lower recoil than the parent cartridge. The 7-08 is going to be lighter, more efficient, have less muzzle blast and lower recoil than it LA rivals. In some (longer range, heavier bullet) applications, it is not going to be as effective as a 270/280. But with today's bullets it's a very practical cartridge.

Didn't realize there were so many marketing geniuses around here. Very impressive.

Or maybe everybody just read the same repeat article?

Don't quote me on this but if memory serves, the 270/280 that I reloaded for needed 5 or so grains more powder to get maybe 100 more fps than the 7mm08 with comparable bullet weights. That translates into more muzzle blast and recoil for a very small advantage that makes no difference in the real world. That's my opinion and I'm stickin' to it!

Remington did have some success in re-introducing the 280 Rem after the 7mmExpress VS the .280 barrel stampings on the 700BDL model. For the first year following the 700 Mountain Rifle introduction in I988 the .280 Rem chambering outsold the .270 and 30-96. Remington introduced a 3,000 FPS 140 gr grain bullet factory load at higher pressure which helped.

At least it did among rifle loonies who imagine vast differences in performance from very similar cartridges.
But the 7mm Express name also caused some less-than-loony riflemen to use the ammo in 7mm Remington Magnum rifles, the reason Remington dropped the idea and started calling it the .280 again. (I got this information directly from the guy who was Remington's writer contact for many years.)

Rifle/ammo manufacturers are always trying to come up with another round to jump-start sales among loonies. Sometimes it even works, at least for a few years when the novelty starts to fade out, or the loonies that really went for all have a rifle (or rifles) in the new cartridge. If the manufacturer is really lucky the new round really catches on, but more often the new round essentially disappears, or is occasionally revived in "special runs" from various rifle manufacturers, designed to sell a few more to rifle loonies.

The .280 did OK when it first appeared in the late 1950's, but almost dropped off the face of the earth after the 7mm Remington Magnum came out in 1962. Since then it's primary market has been entirely rifle loonies, who believe it's somehow cooler than the .270 Winchester, or actually kills "better" than the .270. It never really was embraced by mainstream hunters, like the .270 or, to a smaller extent, the 7mm-08--which is what it takes for a new cartridge to become a long-term success.

Maybe some folks around here have been reading guns for fifty years or longer and have read dozens of articles outlining marketing failures.

I prefer the 280 Remington. Just because. If the 7-08 is your huckleberry, that's just fine with me.

I've hunted, and killed big game with the '06', the .280, the 7X57, and the .308. Right now own a very nice custom 7-08, as well as customs in the '06', the .280 and two .308's.
Why isn't the .280 is more popular than the 7-08 ? Probably marketing, ballistics of factory ammo, and hype. BTW, I suspect the .280 is more popular now than it was when first introduced. It's AI version is probably as popular an "improved" version than anything else out there.
Do they perform any better in the field ? Not that I've seen. I can tell you that quality factory ammo for the 7-08 is much easier to find. I find that recoil between factory ammo for both is pretty close, but so is performance. So, it's your call. E

In the 50s and 60s military 30-06 was all over the place. I remember picking up buckets of it left in desert draws and at public ranges. Hence the popularity of the 270 and 25-06. One pass through the sizing die and you had free brass. (yeah I know, the 270s came out a bit short, but I did it all the time and it hurt nothing)

My guess is that the 7-08 of today fills the same "slot" the 270 did in the 50s 60s and 70s. Ballistics are certainly close enough to not matter on game. Brass is free, or at least close to free. It's accurate and easy to load, very versatile and just covers a LOT of ground.
The 280 is a shell you have to buy at full price. Sure, it beats the 7-08 ballistilly, but not by enough to make ANY difference on ANY game you's shoot with either cartridge.

So my guess is that the 7-08 is beating the 280 in sales for the reason above, and also for the reason the 7-08 fits in actions of the standard 308 length (bolt, auto, pump, lever and single shots) as well as surplus KAR and GEW length Mausers, and also in "long actions' that can take the 30-06. The 280 fits only the 30-06 length actions.

So there are just more guns available in 7-08 then 280, and that factor also is going to cause sales to go up a LOT. Remember that a lot of 7-08 shooters are not shooting them in bolt actions.

Not a gun writer, and I don't "need" another rifle. However, if I were going to get another rifle, I would send one of the pre-64 M70's I have to Jarrett and have him build me one of his Beanfield rifles in .280 Ackley Improved.

here`s a funny story :my son when he was growing up got a 7mm-08 in a 700 Remington with a 24 inch barrel, this rifle shot lites out with my handloads. my father came over with his old 280 Remington 740 semi- automatic with Remington factory loads and brag how accurate it was and so much more powerful than my son`s kid rifle the 7mm-08.
here you guys be the judge what happened: son`s 7mm-08 shot a 5/8 inch group with 5 shots at 2850 fps used 140 gr.partitions my handloads
father`s 280 shot a 4 inch 5 shot group at 2450 fps used like 150 gr.core lokt factory loads.

yes I know it wasn`t a fare comparison but it sure was funny that day. anyway my dad ordered a new 7mm-08 Remington bolt,told me because this way he the grandpa and the grandson could use the same ammo hunt`n deer . I never said a word about it, but it has always made me chuckle yet. both are good cartridges but the 7mm-08 does have less recoil too my dad the grandpa said too.

Because they have sold more 7mm 08’s

because the 7x64 brenneke was here before ....

Then throw in the ahead-of-it’s-time, 7 mm, short-action, 280-equivalent, the 284.

Timing and circumstances like most things in life.
100 answers may well all be correct or, correct enough to rationalize the reason(s).

The .280 was issued in non preferable rifle choices and under-loaded from its potential because of those rifle choices. You have to give the customer something that can be deciphered as a benefit and Remington failed to do that.

The 6.5 Creed by comparison, demonstrates that although the ballistics would never turn the head of a hand-loader, but the accuracy and lack of recoil would and because although it offers nothing in velocity over what it existing, the aforementioned is the bait. Age hopefully brings wisdom and wisdom begins, albeit very slowly at times, the recognition of "enough".

John

You sure got that right, Ahead of its time !!

I always liked the idea & looks of the 284. I FINALLY got one, a 98 custom THROUGH a Friend - Grasshopper, here. After solving a scope mount issue - holes drilled OFF center - I hunted mine this past season. Killed 2 bucks & 1 doe. It worked like a Champ > AKA 270 W. I'm running H 139 BTSP over Surplus 4831 @ 3000 fps. That's awful 270 ISH in a Mauser -std length- action 21" bll.
I'm very glad to have satisfied my curiosity and desire, HOWEVER I didn't accomplish anything over the 270 or 280 w/handloads.

I'd like to recognize Edm here too. He sold a batch of 284 W brass to me when I couldn't find any, anywhere at the time. THANKS

It also accomplished 1 other thing for me. I have NEVER known ONE hunter who had or used the 284 W -- or 6.5 Swede for that matter. I like the idea of having a couple of rifles/cartridges that Nobody - I know - has.

It is a shame that Winchester Hamstrung the 284 in the 100 and ?maybe> 88. NO it's not a true short action but MY GOODNESS how much diff can 1/2" make. I've had 243s and 6mm Rem in Rem 700 S A and Ruger UL 308 W; and the S A didn't impress me ENUFF to forsake the L A.

I'd rather have 1/2" longer action FOR the extra magazine length. That's handy and beneficial.


Each to Their Own

Jerry

When I first got into guns and hunting over 20 years ago, I didn't know anything about cartridges so I sat down with a Speer manual and read about each cartridge. I also looked at the cartridge diagrams to see what each cartridge looked like. Some I'd never even heard of obviously. In the end after a week of reading and looking I decided on.....................................................................................................the .280 Remington.

My local gun shop had never even heard of it and he'd been in business for a couple of decades. That's how popular it was in Australia. Fortunately the Remington importers did indeed have a couple in stock and I ordered a Mountain Rifle and they sent a BDL instead. I was so keen I took the BDL and still have it. It now wears an HS Precision stock and a 3.5-10x40 Leupold in the gun metal grey finish and it is my relegated wet weather rifle. I'm shooting 140gn Accubonds in it and that has proven to be a great all round bullet for my local game. It is the only rifle I have that I load a non ADI powder. I settled on Reloder 19 though it is getting hard to find.

That's what you should'a done.

Excellent choice!

As regards the .280/7mm Express problem, I have a cigar box with ruptured 7mm Express cases that were fired in Browning BAR 7mm Magnum rifles. I removed these cases during the time I worked in the Browning Gunsmithing Shop. As far a damage usually the receiver was bulged, the magazine blown open and the forearm splintered, in most instances the rifles were repairable.