Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Honey Love = 280 Remington??

For many moons I wanted a 280 Remington. I had a hankering to shoot the Speer Nitrex 160 grain load through it... Speer claimed a velocity of 2890 fps for that load. I figured that would be the Cat's Meow! Never did get that 280 Remington, though. And Speer Nitrex is no longer available so I won't get to test that cartridge in it...

I need an excuse to pick up a 280 Remington, but only if you talk me into it!!

Is the 280 Remington your favorite rifle chambering? And do you get 2890 fps with a 160 grain load?

Sigh...

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dogger,

280 Rem, Try it, You'll like it! This is one smooth cartridge.
Flat shooting, plenty of punch for NA big game and African Plains Game, and light recoil. 4 rounds in the mag and 1 in the pipe, what more do you need to be convinced?
I don't have a chrony, but 140 gr bullets are close to 3000 fps and 160 gr bullets are 2800 fps. If you used the 160 gr AB, the higher BC would surpass the Speer Nitro loads at long range.
Accuracy is great from a M700 Classic, shooting 140 gr BT and PT and 160 gr PT loads well under MOA.
With the 140 gr BT, the 280 Rem kills WT deer like lighting. Typical reaction is dropping at the shot from a high lung hit.
I have also used this same load on Caribou with 1 shot kills at 250 yds. The 140 gr BT had exit holes the size of a quarter. My buddy used the same load to kill a 'bou at over 400 yds.
Let me know if you need any more convincing but I am willing to bet that you are already there! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Regards,

JD338

If you're asking about it, your already in the club. Great cartridge, easy to load for and mild mannered. I just bought my third and it's a Ruger AW, shoots under 1" with. I haven't even fiddled with more than two loads.

.280 Remington is a great cartridge! I think with a 24" barrel you should be able to get close to 2890 fps. With a 22" barrel, I can get to 2800 fps. I have gotten 2850+ fps with a 160 in the .270 Win with 24" barrel (never had a .280 w/ 24"), so expect you should be able to slightly beat that number.

-Lou

If you can safely reach 58 or so grains with H4831 you'll reach that kind of speed. That's way over the books but seems alot safer than a few of the loads I've shot recently. A couple weeks ago I picked up a 280 in a CDL and love it. We had a sunny but windy morning today so I went out testing loads with the chrony again. Today I was mostly messing with the 154 grain interbond. The 160 Accubond and 162 Interlock seem to be doing a little better in this CDL.

Dogger,

See my forum name? Uh, yeah, .280Rem is, IMO, THE STUFF!

Velocity? I have loads that do the following, and all less than MOA accuracy. Some here will disbpute this, but I have seen many a .280 Rifle do this: 139s and 140s at 3150fps, 150s and 154s at 3050, and 160s at 3000fps. If you handload the .280 with a 24" bbl you can easily duplicate 7mmRM factory balistics. AND you can do so without dangerous pressures.

Does one really need a "good excuse" to make a firearms purchase? My excuse is "I want it, and I can afford it". Therefore I own one now.

Good luck.

I had a .280Rem about 6 years ago. I got rid of it for the next lastest and greatest. Now I wish I had her back. I just put a rifle together last year, and thought about the .280 a lot, but I went with the 30-06 because I had never owned one.
I will have a .280 Remington again someday. Don't let that speer loading bum you, Federal has some really good loads for the .280. That 150gr Nosler Partition is a classic. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Dogger,

I have had a .280 Rem for about 20 years. I mostly have shot 140 grain bullets, I figured the 160 gr to 175 gr bullets were better for the 7 mm Mag cartridges.

I originally built this rifle for metallic silhouette work, but now you might call it a Sendero (Rem action, Macmillan synthetic stock, heavy barrel, Canjar trigger, etc.).

Take a look at the new Nosler .280 Rem ammunition, that probably will cool your ardor for the discontinued Nitrex. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

jim

Rogue,

I shoot a Rem 700SS in .280. Its been action trued, pillar bedded, chryo- treated, floated, etc. Typical accurizing package. Nothing custom about the action or barrel. My current load: 59gr H4831 with 154 Interlocks. Chronographed on a day about 65 degrees I got 3017, 3025, and 3022fps from a 3 shot group. I have shot as much as 60gr of H4831 with 154s and got @ 3050fps.

I have a load of 60gr R-22 with a 162 Interlocks that will do 3000fps, but the 162s are too heavy for our little deer here. I am going to try work up to this load with the 160 Accubonds.

I also shoot 59gr of R-19 behind a 139 Interlock SP at 3150fps. OUTSTANDING Bang-flop medicine for 150lb Alabama deer on lung shots.

The 154 load is a 1/2" load at 100yds when I can shoot. The other 2 will do just under an inch.

No signs of excess pressure.

All loads use Rem Brass, WLR primers.

Each gun is different. My dad, my buddy, and I all own, or have owned as many as a dozen .280s combined. All did perform similarly with respect to velocity and pressure with similar "hot loads" with the exception of one custom gun my father owned that was cut to very tight tolerences.

Quite a few years ago I had a REM 700 SS BDL/DM in 280 with a 24" tube. When I was working up loads for it, there were many that worked well. I got the same velocities that 280REM quoted. The powders it liked the best were IMR-4350, IMR4831 and RL19. I recently sold it cuz I hated the detachable magazine. I got a used REM 700 mountain rifle in 270. This past November I sent it to ER Shaw for a 280 barrel. I will always own a 280. It just plain works! You will not be disappointed.

RH

dogger,

Just a personal preference of mine, but I notice you're in VA. I assume the .280 will be primarily a Whitetail gun? Think about using 139s/140s. If you don't handload, I suggest the Hornady Light Magnum. I never chrono'd it, but once shot a half inch group with the 139 Light Mag factory load while I was fouling a clean barrel. Since I handload, I don't pay that much attention to factory stuff, but I understand there is some very fine stuff out there now. One thing to consider about .280 factory stuff is that the origninal chambering for the .280 was in Rem's semi auto rifle back when, and the ammo manuf. have to consider there will be a few weaker actioned guns about shooting it. .280s are truly best enjoyed by handloaders IMO, but certainly should still be considered a fine choice either way.

himmelrr,

My original .280 was a Rem Mtn Rifle. Nice rifle, but that skinny tube just didn't suit my accuracy requirements, but it was not horrible. My buddy also had a SS Mtn Rifle with the horrid results for accuracty...its now a boat anchor. My buddies experieince is the exception rather than the rule though. Most .280s I know are loved by their owners.

What length and contour bbl will you have on your 700 action?

My Rem700SS in a floor plate model. I sent to Arnold Arms (now defunct) for an accurizing package. Its topped off with a Leupold 2.5-8. I have had it a while and it always showed a preference for Hornady bullets and shoots all wt interlocks under an inch. I have not tried any of the newer bonded core bullets, but intend to. I don't recall every trying Partitions or the like.

DOGGER - "Is the 280 Remington your favorite rifle chambering? And do you get 2890 fps with a 160 grain load?"

I don't get 2,890 FPS from my 160 grains Nosler Partition, but I consistently get 2,885 FPS, in my Rem. 725 .280 Rem., 22" bbl. Same +/- in my Pachmayr Custom .280 Rem., with 22" Apex bbl.

I get a couple or three FPS with the 160 grains Sierra Sptizer.

Although I have other calibers, .280 Rem. is my favorite all around caliber and have killed elk, Mule, Blacktail, and Whitetail deer, antelope, and Black bear with it.

Works for me. L.W.

I believe Lou270 said the .280 and Remington Mountain Rifle go together like peanut butter and jelly. Got one. Put a 2.5-8 Leupy VX-III B&C (Steve Timm Reticle) on it.

It is so much fun to call my go-to gun the "SUCKS PB&J with Leupy Dogzapper".

I love mine. 7.7 lbs full up. The beauty of a .280 is you HAVE to handload it. Components are easy to get and it amounts to forced trigger time at the range. I know you're saying "Please don't throw me in the briarpatch".

Now unlike our brother .280Rem, when I got mine spitting 140's over 3100 out of a 22" tube, I pulled bullets and dumped powder in an F N hurry. Right now I am loading 140gr TSX over 55 gr H4350 .050 off the lands out of Rem cases and F210GM primers. Speeds are 2950-2985 and groups about .8". This winter the gun gets trigger and bedding work and we'll see what it does then.

Have a few boxes of 120 TSX's and the campfire hyped 120 BT's on hand for further development. Now when those are kicking in the 3150's I will have no worrys about eating my bolt.

I figure by the time I'm done the SUCKS PB&J will take everything from Rocky to Bullwinkle with that load. I just have to practice my teal shooting until I can hit flying squirrels.

Gaviidae_Esq,

My Rem700SS is a 24" tube. I also use slightly slower to much slowers powders than 4350. When I had my 22" Mtn Rifle and used H4350, 2950fps was about the top end for me too using 140 Solid Bases. For ideal perfomance from the .280 I would suggest going with a little slower burning powder. I have had very good success with R-19, H4831, R-22, N-160, and N-165 in no particular order.

By the way you and I have the same type law practice.

I'm on my second .280. I've owned and used the '06, and played with the .270, the 7X57 and a couple of 7mm Magnums.
Frankly, anybody who says the .280 or the .280 AI will duplicate the 7mm Magnum with w/o excessive pressures is kidding himself. All it takes is a hot day, and/or trying to hit a running critter on you last couple of shots and, suddenly, the bolt sticks. All for what ? I've killed enough stuff at over 400 yds. with one that didn't make 2800 fps. with a 160 gr. Partition to know that no elk class critter is safe from it. In otherwords, it kills very well way out there.
The big drawback to the .280 is that some factory ammo isn't loaded as hot as much of the .270 ammo or some of the '06 ammo. Doesn't matter if you are a handloader, but still it's a point. If you gotta have that last 200 fps., then you must use handloads. If I were an african hunter, or hunting much where I might have to rely on factory ammo, it's a point.
It's a great round. I wouldn't have had a custom rifle made for one if I didn'y think so.
BTW, those 120 gr. X's are surprisely deadly. Pushed to 3150-3200, they do much better than you'd think. E

I got the Shaw #1 contour. It is between the standard REM contour and MTN rifle contour. I too wanted it a little heavier but not too heavy for elk mountains. It is going back in the original laminated stock but I'll have to inlet it a little. I know it will fit as I just got a 338 WIN Mag to fit into the MTN LSS stock.

All my guns now wear Leup 2.5-8s with a couple of exceptions and they are VXII 2-7s.

Your buddy may want to try full length bedding on his MTN rifle. I have a REM 600 that I rebarreled to a 7mm-08. When I did it, I had a pretty tight budget so I just got a MTN rifle barrel off Ebay in 7mm-08. A local gunsmith installed it for $30.00. It shot about 2.5" - 3" until I full length bedded it. It now shoots right around MOA. It is worth a try unless he wants to sell the SS action as a donor? (I just might know a buyer).

RH

Erimicus,

"Frankly, anybody who says the .280 or the .280 AI will duplicate the 7mm Magnum with w/o excessive pressures is kidding himself."

I said I can duplicate 7mmRM factory ammo balistics by handloading a .280. Another poster concurred. Several of my closest reloading buds do as well.

I don't shoot daily. I have been shooting, and reloading for the .280 for over 15 years. The excessive pressures of high velocity load comes from reloaders afraid to use the "magnum powders" such as R-22 in the .280 case. If you think we don't do some warm weather shooting in Alabama, then you've never been here. Today is near peak rut hunting season in AL and the high today was in the 60s. Deer season begins in November and temps in the 80s are not at all uncommon. I have never had any problems with blown primers, loose primer pockets, sticky bolts, etc. A cratered primer is about the worst pressure sign I get. Do I push the envelope? Yep a little. I don't let someone, like Hornady or Nosler, with a ton of liablity and a deep pocket tell me what's safe...I figure it out on my own using their data as a guide. It can be done without blowing yourself up if you know what to do. The loads I use and published in this thread have been fired many times in all kinds of conditions, and in more than just my gun. I stand on the abiltiy to reach those velocities safely in a 24" bbl .280 gun of reputable manufacture with proper combinations of components.

Look, some people wont exceed book max for all the money in the world. Thats fine...but there are a world of reasons that some of those are very low pressure loads in today's modern firearms.

.280, I've been handloading ammo for about 47 yrs. There are no "magic cartriages" or secret loading techniques. Anything you or I can do with the .280 Remington case as far as bullet velocity is concerned, any knowledgable hand loader can do better with a 7mm Magnum case. Period. The only way you can get more velocity from a .280 case than you can from a 7 mm Magnum case is to load it to higher pressures.
At some point you reach the design limits of the brass cartriage case for either round. If you exceed these limits, the case doesn't last long. That means you don't get 8 reloads out of it. If that's all there was to it I wouldn't care. In fact, I'd probably load them hotter myself. I've known target shooters who have done just that.
But what they've found is during a match if the gun get dirty, or ther day is unusually warm, or the last lot of brass they just started using is a little soft, or the last lot of powder they bought was a little faster than the previous lot, etc., etc. .... all of a sudden you've got a stuck bolt or worse.
I didn't post what I did to discourage you. If you want to believe that the maximum listed loads in the loading manuels are set simply by timid souls who are terrified of law suits, go right to it. If you want to treat them as rough guides or even starting loads, feel free.
I posted what I did so that others may reconsider trying to get the performance you talk about. To do so is to take unnecessary risks with the ammo you load. Unnecessary because the round will kill just fine at 100-150 fps under what you achieve. If you really want to improve upon the performance of your cartriage, try going to the premium bullets. That will make a difference you can see in the field.
You see, I've done all that. I've hot loaded lots of rounds with "mircle powders". I've gotten 2700 plus fps with the 7X57 firing the 175 Nosler Partition using a "super powder" called Norma N205. I've gotten almost 3400 fps. shooting the 140 Partition out of the 7 mm Rem. Magnum. I believed at one time that my rifle's maximum load was one grain under the point where I got a trace of head expansion, etc. Then, I started getting struck bolts and blown primers. All for what ?
Going from conventional bullets to premiums, like the Nosler Partitions, did make a difference. Particularly on the bigger stuff. It also pays on deer if something goes wrong. A conventional bullet will tend to loose it's core and not penetrate much if it hit brush on the way to the target. Premiums tend to hold together and, therefore penetrate better. The same is true for bad angle shots. They easily penetrate shoulder hip, for instance. Some of them, like the X and the Federal Throphy Bonded types even allow you to "eat right up to the bullet hole" as they say. E

Erimicus,

That was a long disertation on an issue I didn't bring up. If you will stop trying to assert YOUR own superiority of knowledge and just read what I wrote...I said "I can handload a .280 to duplcate 7mm FACTORY LOAD AMMO....READ AS: 7MM FACTORY LOAD AMMO....I WILL RESTATE ONCE MORE ***7MM FACTORY LOAD AMMO*** [color:"red"] [/color] AND ONCE MORE IN COLOR .280 HANDLOADS CAN DUPLICATE 7MMREMMAG FAC-TOW-REE LOADS! [color:"red"] [/color]

I will not ever say I can duplicate 7mm handloads with a .280 handload. And I never have.

Read more carefully before you beat me over the head with your 47 years of experience.

I have loaded long enough to know pressure signs. 15 years is enough to have blown myself up if I was riding the razors edge all the time. I watch my brass, and I have a chrony. I know what my .280s will do. Argue if you're compelled, but it wont change facts.