Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles Your favorite loads for the .280 Remington

Have about three weeks to cook up some deer huting loads for the .280. Using virgin Winchester Brass, Federal Gold Medal Match Primers. Powders on hand are H4381sc, H4350, RL19, RL17

Bullets-Barnes 120 TSX, old 160 grain coated bullets
Nosler 150 BT
Hornady 139 SST and 139 sp.

Shooting a Remington 700 with a pacnor 1/9 three groove barrel at 22 inches.

For deer, of the components you listed, I'd start with Horny 139gr IL's and H4350.

My favorite load has always been 145gr Speer Hot Cores and IMR4350.

But the nice thing about the 280 is that there as so many great bullets available, and the cartridge is generally very flexible as to which powders work.

With your selection of components, I'd use these loads and your choice of either the 120 TSX, 139 SP, or the 150 Ballistic Tips, they'd all make fine deer ammo:

.280 Remington (Hodgdon Data)

Warning! Notes: Case: Remington; twist: 1:10"; primer: Remington 9 1/2; barrel length: 24"; trim length: 2.530"; bullet diam.: .284". NEVER EXCEED MAXIMUM LOADS

120 Barnes TSX Hodgdon H-4831 58.0 2923
Remarks: start load; COL: 3.230"; 43,600 psi

120 Barnes TSX Hodgdon H-4831 63.0 3124
Remarks: max load; compressed; COL: 3.230"; 53,100 psi

120 Barnes TSX Hodgdon H-4350 55.5 3093
Remarks: start load; COL: 3.230"; 49,100 psi

120 Barnes TSX Hodgdon H-4350 59.0 3254
Remarks: max load; compressed; COL: 3.230"; 57,400 psi
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(139 gr Hornady SP)

140 Nosler Part Hodgdon H-4831 54.0 2732
Remarks: start load; COL: 3.230"; 41,000 cup

140 Nosler Part Hodgdon H-4831 58.5 2927
Remarks: max load; COL: 3.230"; 48,500 cup

140 Nosler Part Hodgdon H-4350 50.0 2756
Remarks: start load; COL: 3.230"; 41,900 cup

140 Nosler Part Hodgdon H-4350 53.5 2918
Remarks: max load; COL: 3.230"; 48,500 cup
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(150 gr Nosler Ballistic Tip)

150 Nosler Part Hodgdon H-4831 50.0 2579
Remarks: start load; COL: 3.300"; 45,100 cup

150 Nosler Part Hodgdon H-4831 53.7 2709
Remarks: max load; COL: 3.300"; 49,500 cup

150 Nosler Part Hodgdon H-4350 46.0 2550
Remarks: start load; COL: 3.300"; 42,500 cup

150 Nosler Part Hodgdon H-4350 49.7 2700
Remarks: max load; COL: 3.300"; 49,300 cup
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Take your 150 Nos and put it on top of 58.5 grains of H4831 SC...one of my new favorites for my .280

rdinak,

Ive only owned three .280's but of the powders you have, H4831 and RL-19 were most consistently accurate in all three. Haven't tried any Reloder 17, though.

My current load is 55gr of RL19 and a 140 Accubond. So consistent at 3/4" it is boring. I know it is not a bullet you have, just my experience.

+1
Very accurate in my .280 using the 150g NBT. Played with H4831sc for the first time this spring -- my new favorite, too.

Yeah, I admit.. I'd go out and pick up RL 17 and 140 grain Nosler Ballistic tips or Partitions....for deer, and antelope...

and then RL 19 and 160 grain partitions for elk and big stuff like that here in the lower 48...

Great load and same results in my .280 also.....

I like 150 Horn SP with a healthy dose of 4831, but have also had good luck with 7828.
I have also taken to playing with the 139 Horns but haven't shot anything with them YET!!

I've shot a few mule deer and one black bear with 139 hornady interlocks (flat base), and, no surprise, they worked very well. Haven't recovered a bullet yet though!

RL17 and 120gr TTSX makes my .280 very happy. 3,200+ ft/s 1/2" groups.

From those bullet choices, I'd probably go with the 150 BT's for deer. I believe any of those powders will do well. They all seem to be in the right burn rate zone for the .280. I'd experiment to see which works best for you and your rifle.

The quickload numbers posted earlier in the thread are on the mild side. The .280 needs to use .270 pressures to really shine. You will likely be able to hit 2900 fps safely with the 150's and quite possibly 3000 fps or a bit better. Always work up carefully but holding a .280 to 2700 fps with 150's isn't coming close to realizing its potential.

Just shot a great group today with 58.5 Gr H 4831 154 Gr Horn.
Interlock, Rem 9 1/2 primer RP brass Ruger 280 Rem. 22"

I've settled on the Hornady 139 BTSP over 55gr IMR 4350. 2900fps and accuracy is excellent with five shot average of 5/8". Bullet performance has been great from 15yds to 315 yards. Only bullet I recovered went in a big buck between the shoulder blades going away at 215yds, plowed through a foot of neck bones and ended up at the base of the jaw. The bullet did not shed its core and ended up a bit over 100grains. I'm having a hard time convincing myself I need to try one of the super bullets giving the performance that I've experienced, but the 140/150 Accubond is tempting.

At 2900 fps, the premiums don't offer much over Interlocks.

One of the loads I've taken from Mule Deer....

Dang! You mean I can't use it anymore?

My most often used do it all load for my .280 has been with a 160 gr. bullet, Mostly Noslers anymore with 55 to 56 grains of imr4831 cci 200 or fed 210 with rem cases. From my 22 inch tube velocity hovers right at 2800 fps.

Have worked with 140-150 grain bullets at 2900 to 3000 fps and killed a small pile of animals with them. But those the long, sleek, game cleaving 160 grain spitzers get most of the work from my .280

Interesting stuff