# 280 Rem



## Finger_Mullet

Building a 1909 Argentine Mauser. Put a new Shilen #1 contour barrel on it at 24 inches. Repositioned the bolt handle and replaced the old safety with a left hand low safety and replaced the worn cocking piece. I am not having the gun blued, drilled and tapped, bolt jeweled, and a new Boyds laminated thumbhole stock. Probably going with a Nikon 3-9x40 scope. Just got the Leupold bases and mounts in the mail today. Should get it back from the gunsmith in 4 more weeks. 

I know nothing about the 280 Rem caliber. Anyone have one? Anyone handload for this caliber? I just bought a TC Venture chambered in 270 Win. I have a handload worked up that shoots 1/2 moa at 100 yards with a Hornady 130 grain SST bullet. I need a good bullet weight to start with. Any recommendations on weight and type. I hate to shoot a 130 grain in it. Maybe a lighter bullet but I already have a 25-06 that smokes a 100 grain ballistic tip and hornady inter-lock. Also have a 30-06 that shoots 150 grain factory winchesters suburbly. 

I have no experience with this caliber and just looking for a few suggestions. I will shoot deer and maybe a pig or 2. 

I am trying not to ask BStarling because he loves big bullets that kick the hell out of you.  Although he has provided me some excellent advice on the rebuild since he is building one himself. Thanks Bill!!!


Thanks!

Darin

I just need some input.


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## cutbait91

i dont have any expierance with that cal ethier but from what i hear its a good one wish i could help more but keep updatin on how it comes out


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## Jackalopehunter

keep in mind that its basically a 7mm bullet, so your weights can be as light as 100grns, and the heaviest im seeing is 175grns. 
what powder are you looking at?
what bullet weight are you looking at using?
personally i have had no experiance with this round, but from what i know about it (reloading manuals i have a tendency to be bored and read em like a novel lol) it sounds like it should be a fairly flat shooting round, as its a 270 with longer casing. It is based on the 30-06 it doesnt really have an appreciable gain in ballistics over the 270 but it does have a greater loading potential because it will use 7mm bullets so the reloading possibilities are wider. from one of my manuals it said that IMR 4350 and H 4831 gave the best results in the 280 rem throughout the range of bullets tested (as in grain weights not distance).
sounds like you have a good choice in caliber, hope it does you well. i know the feeling with bigger calibers, as i weigh in at 140 soaking wet, and i shoot a .308 and at times some of the loads i come up with can be brutal, but then again im looking for the best accuracy possible, so far its 5 rounds in the size of a dime at 100 yds with a 150grn Hornady SST.


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## bstarling

*No Good*

Darin, Those 280's are no good. They don't shoot straight and they don't kick at all. Little girls like em though.

Bill:fishing:


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## Finger_Mullet

Bill,

Is that why you are stepping down from a 338 Federal to a 243 Win?? 
It started as a 35 Whelen then to the 338 Federal and now a 243???
I know you can't handle the kick either. 

When you gonna break down and sell me that mauser?? You know I shoot it better than you do!!!

Darin


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## Shooter

I was gonna say Ain't it time for someone to put their big girl panties on 

All these baby bullets 

Now if ya need to really stop something I will let ya borrow my Browning Lever 358,, of course I like the Oh Crap look when they get hit with a 250 grain deer stopper load out of the 44 mag 

I just hate having to track wounded deer that get winged by baby bullets


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## Finger_Mullet

*Baby bullets?*

If you want to get serious we can discuss the 450 Marlin I sold some time ago. Factory loads were 350 grain flat tips. I handloaded up some 300 grain hollow point pistol bullets for it. Loaded 2 grains over max listing in the Speer 13th edition. 

That gun had a 18 1/2 inch ported barrel and it was light. I still cringe when I just think about shooting that gun. The ports made it so loud that you had to wear hearing protection when shooting it. I had a Leupold 3-9x40 locked down in Leupold mounts with the slip tape. After 8-10 shots the scope would start to creap up. I tightned those screws as tight as I could get it and it still would not stay put. When the gun went off the Butler Creek Scope cover would fly down and rake across my eyebrow. 

Even with the recoil she still shot right around an inch at 100 yards. Way too much gun for me. I think I will stick to the 150 grain or less sissy bullets.

I have never had a deer turn around and laugh after I blasted a 100 grain pill going 3400 fps thru their boiler room. I bet that 130 grain going just over 3000 fps will not get many laughs either.  

Ya'll can have those bunker busting bullets.  I prefer not to wear my big girl panties.


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## bstarling

I think I'm back up to a 308 but gonna shoot 220 grain bullets.  None of those eni teeni baby bullets for me.:--|

Bill


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## Jackalopehunter

bstarling said:


> I think I'm back up to a 308 but gonna shoot 220 grain bullets.  None of those eni teeni baby bullets for me.:--|
> 
> Bill


you can have em, send all your eni teeni 150 grn 30 cal to me  ill put em to good use


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## chriscustom

7 mag nuff said


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## Finger_Mullet

*7mm Mag*

Lets not get started on a 7 Mag. I heard enough about it on another website.


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## Shooter

Lets be honest here, any of the above cal.s will drop any whitetail in the Southern areas. 

270s are a great flat shooting round as are 7MMs but for only shooting out to 100 yards or so 30-30s have dropped more deer than most other rounds.

For shooting out past 100 yards 30-06 has more different types of factory loads and can be picked up at any store than all others. They have anything from 100 grain lead to over 220 grain loads but the 168 boat tail is the best round for this cal and can be found in hunting rounds.

300 Win Mags are way over kill as the 45-70 I saw one doe cut in half with 

If you hand load then the world is wide open and you can make any cal do anything you want.

Just make sure what ever cal. you pick you are able to find ammo for it later, trust me just try finding 358Win. and when ya do it usally runs $45.00 or more a box


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## Elkhunter

I have a Ruger 280, had it about 10 years now.
I have only ever used Factory ammo in it and found it to be for the most part unreliable.
Shot many rounds through it and at 165g factory Rem and Winchester loads the barrel heated up quickly adding to the in-accuracy.
The gun came factory I think with 5# trigger which for me was to heavy.
I tuned the trigger down to about 2.5# but it was very sensitive and unsafe.
Had to settle on 3# which I don't care for, but couldn't do any more with since I was going to spring for a custom trigger.
I feel like with more work, custom loads, a New trigger, I could make it a shooting machine..... But why do that when my Rem .06,1.5# trigger, 165g Boat tails @ 2800 fps holds 3 rounds in a quarter size group at 250 yds.
I guess my point is like others I have several guns. I really doesn't matter to me whether it is a white tail, mule deer, elk, pig, etc.... When I reach into the cabinet to get a gun I get my most reliable one.
For me that is the .06.


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## Finger_Mullet

*Good points*

Shooter,

Excellent points on the availability of factory ammo. In my neck of the woods all ammo was hard to find last year. It is getting easier. The prices have skyrocketed. That is what led me back to relaoding again after many years of not reloading. I find it more satisfying to shoot something that I handloaded to my specifications. I have never loaded for one of my rifles that I could not achieve sub moa. But years ago ammo prices were low and I could not justify the difference in price especially if I was just going to load a box here and there. Now I just load up 100 of each and then reload when that supply gets low. 

I also agree that pretty much any cartridge mentioned will quiet effectively and humanely kill a deer. Although you are not taking into consideration my ho'ism of "wanting", "needing" if you will, the need for multiple guns in multiple calibers that "fill" or "suit" my hunting situtations. You know as good as I do that the 25-06 is best suited for my stand overlooking a green field where shots can reach up to 300 yards. And the need for my 270 for another stand in the pine thicket where shots can reach just under 200 yards. And the other stand......... And the other stand................. Actually there is some sanity to this madness but I am sure no one will understand. 

You know how things go. Actually in this gun I did not get to choose the caliber. It was chosen by my brother-in-law before he gave me the 1/2 finished mauser. I am just trying to gather a little info on the 280 Rem since I have never shot one. I have a 30-06, 25-06, 270, 6mm Rem, 30-30 and now a 280 Rem. I just close my eyes and grab one out of the gun case when it is time to go hunting.

Thanks for all the great replies!!


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## SteveZ

Finger_Mullet said:


> Actually there is some sanity to this madness but I am sure no one will understand.


Yeah, I think I do. When I gave up rifle hunting years ago I had 16 big game rifles of various calibers from .243 to .338. One of 'em was a nice .280. I don't remember the specifics but I am sure I used a stiff load of H4831 behind a Sierra 140 gr bullet. As I remember it chronographed just a bit slower than my pet .270 load of 62 grains of H4831 behind a Sierra 130 Spitzer BT in Winchester cases. So....the .280 is just about like the .270 with "deer" bullets. If I was gonna shoot anything bigger I'd go with bigger bullets...150 in the .270 and 165 in the .280. Or go to a bigger caliber like my .338. Sure did like that one. Only shot two bullets at game with that cartridge but killed a bull elk and a bull moose. Those were the days!


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