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280 rem
Dec 29, 2009 19:56:27 GMT -5
Post by kopodd on Dec 29, 2009 19:56:27 GMT -5
I am considering getting a Browning X bolt in a 280 Rem. First, what is the consensus of the X bolt over the A bolt? Second, why is the 280 Rem so unpopular? As far as I know, it can do anything the great 270 can do and most the things the 30-06 can do, ( bullet weight availability). But overall it seems like a great cartridge and I'm surprised I don't hear more about it. Any thoughts welcome
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280 rem
Dec 30, 2009 0:04:32 GMT -5
Post by mountainam on Dec 30, 2009 0:04:32 GMT -5
It's unpopular because it is loaded to a lower pressure than a . 270 because it was originally designed for the Remington 742 Woodmaster. Th fact is that it is better than either the .270 or the .30/06 if you hand load. The twist is faster than both the .270 or .30/06. It is very popular with handloaders in it's standard form or the .280 Ackley Improved wildcat which wails the bullets to within 35 fps of a 7mm Rem Mag. As a matter or fact the M1 Garand was originally designed in a .276 Pedersen which is identical to the .280 Rem. It kicked the .30/06's tail in all the military trials at Aberdeen Proving Grounds, but a couple of arrogant generals didn't want to be bothered with the facts and demanded that it be issued in .30/06 cal. They didn't want to inventory another cartridge. I shoot a 6mm Rem. It's a superior cartridge to a .243 Win. yet it is all but obsolete. What's popular isn't what's always better. 7mm cartridges are inherently accurate. I don't know if Browning uses the same twist as Remington so beware. If I have a choice between a rifle with a 1/10 or a 1/9 twist, I'll always go with the 1/9" because the extra centrifugal RPM adds to the terminal damage. I'd check out the Remington 700 unless they lost faith in the round also.
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280 rem
Dec 30, 2009 1:05:38 GMT -5
Post by Tarheel on Dec 30, 2009 1:05:38 GMT -5
I like the new X-Bolt. You can cycle the bolt while on safety. Also it has the 4 screw base which should be stronger. The X-Bolts seem to be more streamline and lighter. I have an A-Bolt Medallion 280 with a 26" barrel and it shoots the 139gr Hornady Custom SST's like a dream. Like mountain man said Remington goofed when the 280 was introduced but, it is starting to make a good come back.
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280 rem
Dec 30, 2009 11:25:05 GMT -5
Post by ozark on Dec 30, 2009 11:25:05 GMT -5
The 270, 280 and the 06 are all excellent. For that mattee so is the .308 and others. It is fine to have a preference but to claim one was superior over others would have to be questioned. The .308 broke all the records set by the 06 in National match competition and is clearly more adaptable to semi-auto firing than either of the others due to a shorter case. I love the .342 and I am aware that the 6mm is claimed to be better. We are blessed with a selection of many many execllent cartridges. I am sure that the accuracy of some of each caliber is better than some of the other calibers. With the great cartridges we have to look at the individual rifles to decide. Nothing wrong with any of the cartridges mentioned but there could very well be something wrong with the rifles. You have as good a chance of getting a good .280 as a good 270 or some other.
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280 rem
Dec 30, 2009 14:16:59 GMT -5
Post by mountainam on Dec 30, 2009 14:16:59 GMT -5
Sorry Ozark, I meant to say "ballistically superior". I don't have a preference for any long action cartridge for whitetails at all, but given the three listed rounds the .280 is ballistically superior to the other two when loaded to 54,000 CUP's as is the 270. The .308 broke the records because that's the only round they will allow you to use. A year or so ago in my American Rifleman magazine they did a head to head test of our .308 match service rifle against the Swede's 6.5 X 55 Match rifle. The .308 was soundly beaten by the 6.5 X 55 Swede in accuracy, flat trajectory, velocity and lower recoil which makes it ballistically superior to the .308 Win. As for the .243, Winchester just necked down the .308. It doesn't take more than a quick look at the 6mm Remington to see that a lot more engineering has taken place. The longer neck, the sharper shoulder and the larger case capacity make it a ballistically super round. None of this matters if we rib shoot a whitetail at 80 feet. None of us could match up the above mentioned cartridges with the wounds at that distance. It's only at the fringe of a cartridge's range do the differences show up. It always stirs debate at deer camp if only to point out to your pals how little thought that they put into choosing a cartridge. It would be one dull deer camp if we all had Savage 10 ML's that used Barnes BO's. Then our skills would be up for debate and none of us want that. Good Shooting!
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280 rem
Dec 30, 2009 15:42:28 GMT -5
Post by artjr338wm on Dec 30, 2009 15:42:28 GMT -5
Like Ozark said the .280 was a great idea that for what ever reason simply never attained the level of popularity it should have. Most likely allot of the .280s cause for a lack of popularity can be found in Remington's advertising of it that tended to confuse, coupled with Rem loading it to some what anemic velocities.
Started out the 280 Remington then REm re-named it the 7mm Express Remington, then was re-renamed the 280 Remington, so its kinda understandable how shooters might have shied away from it.
It is still, in a great many fans of 7mm cartridges, one of the best that can be had of all the various 7mms. Great bullet selection, excellent velocity, a economical round for reloaders as components are reasonably priced, doesn't use allot of powder, and can be used on anything with antlers in North America.
I have a 7mmSTW and I am a huge fan of the 7mm. Although I love my 7mmSTW, the rifle I have chambered in it a Savage 116SF is simply to heavy for use hunting in the mountains. It is none the less a scary accurate rifle.
I have planed on selling it to raise funds for a new rifle again in 7mm/.284 (because I have nearly 1000 bullets in .284) for a long time, but along came the 10ML-II and i kinda put that on the back burner so to speak. After a whole lot of research I narrowed my choice down to either the .280 Remington or the 7mm Rem/mag both excellent cartridges with the Rem 7/Mag being the most popular off all belted mags and also I THINK, the most popular 7mm cartridge there is. And when I do research a rifle caliber, I try to find as much negativity about it as I can in terms of its accuracy potential, performance on game and so on. After going to every website i could find and searching the web high and low for posts about the 280 Express Remington I was extremely impressed by the lack of negative info concerning it.
Especially if you reload and plan on reloading for the .280 Rem if you buy, the .280 is based on all I have ever read, seen, heard and know of a caliber every bit as good as the .270 or 30-06.
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280 rem
Dec 30, 2009 21:34:44 GMT -5
Post by bigiron on Dec 30, 2009 21:34:44 GMT -5
Browning lists the 280 as a 1-10 twist in the X-Bolt. I have a XB in 270 and I really like it. Seem to be getting very high velocities w/140gr Accubonds. Anyway, the 280 is a great handloaders round. A major factor in the popularity is the fact that the 280 was brought out in 1957. The 270 in 1925,32 yrs. is a pretty good jump and somwhere along the way Jack O'Conner had many good things to say about the 270. No animal would know the differnce hit w/either one.
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280 rem
Dec 31, 2009 11:57:09 GMT -5
Post by whelenman on Dec 31, 2009 11:57:09 GMT -5
I've had one 280 along the way and might see one again sometime. It's a good round. What I remember most about it was somewhere reading the comment that the 280 will propel a 140 grain bullet to the same velocity that the 270 does with a 130. A deer would never know the difference but any small improvement on the 270 is saying something after the long track record the 270 has shown.
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280 rem
Jan 4, 2010 20:51:25 GMT -5
Post by Tarheel on Jan 4, 2010 20:51:25 GMT -5
If you get down to brass tacks, you could set a 270, 280, and 30.06 with 130, 140, and 150 bullets of the same profile 2" High at 100yds and your only talking a couple inches of drop difference at 300yds. One of the draw backs of owning a 280 is the smaller selection of factory ammo, 140 to 160 grain bullets. Whereas 55gr accelerators to 220 gr round noses are available for the old '06. There is nothing a 280 can do that a 30.06 can't do better. IMO
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