Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles Giving up on 140s in my 280Rem

I'm tired of wasting powder and bullets. I know the 140 is the do-all bullet weight in the 280 but I've tried multiple bullet/powder combos and accuracy goes to hell every time I get above about 2825fps. Rifle is my Dad's Ruger M77 MarkII. It's been bedded, floated, trigger worked, magazine not binding, etc. All the normal M77 tricks.

Luckily it shoots 120gr NBTs over H414 into just over 1/2 inch at 3150fps. It also shoots 160 SGKs over RL26 into an inch at 2975. Too bad RL26 has disappeared off the face of the planet.

I was hoping to find a 140gr load in the 2950-3000fps range since my 7mm-08 will shoot that bullet weight at 2815, but my barrel is having none of it. I'm sure those 120s will do the trick on small southern whitetails at any reasonable ranges, which is all my dad will probably ever use it for.

I may try a 150gr NBT just for kicks when the season is over. Those seem to be accurate in just about every 7mm flavor of rifle I've ever tried them in.

Tatelaw, I use the 150gr. BT in one of my .280AI's and it is, in my opinion, an outstanding bullet. Very accurate for me and it kills the snot outa stuff too. And, yes, what the heck happened to R26?

Wish I could find some RL26!

Years ago I was told by whom is probably the best truly custom gunsmith in USA, builds a LOT of $10k plus rifles, if you can't get a 280 Rem to shoot, try 150's, his almost always shoot 150's best.

My Ruger 77 MK II All Weather 280 Remington never liked 140’s. I killed well over 50 animals in three years with 150’s in that same gun. It loves 150’s.

Don't force it. Lots of other bullet weights to choose from.

I bet it will shoot 150’s

I am working on some loads in my Ruger 280 with 140s. I am shooting Ballistic tips, Sierra Gamekings and Sierra hpbt gamekings. I am getting two shots close to touching and one about an inch away with all of them. I shot some speer 145 grand slams and got about a half inch group the first three shots i tried. I am using RL19 in all of them.

I have seldom owned a rifle that concurred with 24HCF wisdom when it came to bullet weights. When I have fed them what they liked, however, they performed more than serviceably.

Kinda like kids and dogs, in a way…

FC

TATELAW,

If RL 26, or what I call RL Unobtanium, ever shows up again, you might try a load that works great in my .280. It is 60 gr. of RL 26 behind a Hornady ELD-X 150 gr. bullet, MV is 3020 fps out of my 22" PacNor barrel. Sub-MOA accurate.

If you can get it try RL23 with 150's. I shot that combo with my 280 this weekend and I like what I see. Start at 54 gr and work up.

Deans

Nothing wrong with 150 Partitions either.

What powder are you using with 140’s?
Mine prefers the 4350 burn rate with 140-160s. No real love for the slower powders. Recoil got scrappy with slower powders too.

Why the love affair with 140s at high velocity? Why not step up to the 160s? I lost interest in the 140s. With 160s you can get in 2800 territory without a fuss. The recoil isn’t bad, they carry energy on out there, typically buck wind better depending on the bullet, and they won’t destroy the animal at typical MS ranges either.

I was struggling with the 162 elds until I figured out the seat depth they wanted at 2800. Playing with RL17 by recommendation of others.

The only 140 gr. bullet I tried in my .280 Rem. was the Barnes TSX. The rifle hated it. I tried the Nosler 150 gr. ABLR with the same results, lousy accuracy. Next came the the 160 gr. Speer Grand Slam and damned if it didn't start off with one inch groups that tightened the hotter the load. First trials were with IMR 7828ssc and great velocity but poor groups. I tried some of the now long discontinued WMR and reached 2900 FPS with the average group in the .75" range. The bullets are the older two core version of the Speer Grand Slam. I haven't tried the newer cup and core version yet. Dunno if they'll shoot better or worse.
Paul B.

Thanks for that load. I have an 8 lb jug of RL 23 & RL 26 I have yet to pop the top on.

150's have always been my favorite 7mm bullet weight. Now that Nosler finally offered a 150 Accubond I will be doing some serious load work with them after Thanksgiving.

BTW, my Weatherby 280 UL shoots 140 AB's willingly with 55 gr H4831SC @ 2900. The same with 50 gr IMR 4350 @ 2850.

150 ballistic tips out of a 280 Remington kills moose pretty good.

Mine shoots Federal Blue Box 150's so well that I don't think I could improve.

Mine shot the factory Winchester Ballistic Silvertip 140s fantastic, but over the chrono the were running about 2825. That's 7mm-08 speed and they still exploded like a bomb on everything they hit.

I'm with some of the others on the 150. I have a M700 Mountain DM in 280 and it is a finiky shooter. But it shoots the 150 NBT with IMR 4831 and the 150 Power Point excellent.

R-19 and 154 grain Hornady Interlock. cheap bullet, shoots good, kills good.