280 Rem or 300 Win mag.

[rtv900]

I am going to have a rifle built for me. I am having a hard time deciding on having it built in 280 rem or 300 win mag. I have shot and owned several 300s but about a year ago I started shooting a 280. I have been using a 140g bullet and I have had great results with accuracy. I am going to use this new rifle for general hunting. I will use it in the midwest for Whitetail and out west for Mule Deer and Elk. I am not looking to use it for Moose or Bear. I already have a rifle that I am pleased with for larger game. I really would like to keep the weight down and I can save a little weight with the 280. Not much but a little.

On top of all of this I have really caught the long range bug. I think I can do a better job overall with the 300 win mag but I really find the 280 to be interesting.

Please let me know what you think. Thanks in advance for your help.

 

[James Jones]

I'd go with a 280 Ackley , burn less powder , shoot flatter very good bullet selection , just about everything you need and if you have a gun for heavier game the 280 is a perfect middle man.

 

[rtv900]

James,

Thanks for the reply. Is the 280 or 280 Ackley going to be a good long range cal.? I think it will be great for deer and since I dont know enough about it I ask, do you think it is possible to use it as a long range elk gun? For now and probably for quite awhile I have access to a 600 yard range to practice on so that is what I am considering long range.

 

[landcbeitner]

I'm new here, but I've read that for ethical body (vital) shots on elk one should have arround 1200ft/lbs of energy. To get this out of your 280 or 280 AI you would have to select a fairly heavy High BC bullet like Hornady's 154gr .525 BC. I'm sure you'll find pleanty of bullets that could fit the bill. If you're planning on head and neck shots you can obviously do with much less energy. I'm sure some of the senior members could give a more precise answer.

 

[James Jones]

The 280 Ackley is a great long range gun , for deer the 162gr A-max will work great out to 1000yds and for Elk the 160gr Accubond will be good out to 600yds , you should be able to get close to 3000fps with a 26" barrel and the 160 class bullets , I have heard of guys getting over 3100fps with that but not sure about their pressures.
Untill yesterday I was iffy about usinf the Berger bullets on game at long range but they worked great on to deer I shot running the 140gr 6.5's at 2850fps one deer shot through the shoulders at 944yds and one in the neck at under 500 so you can get better BC bullets with the Bergers.

 

[rtv900]

Ok. That helps. I want to use a 280 but I had the feeling the 300 would be better. You have helped convince me that the 280 will work for my needs. I own a standard 338 and a few 375 H&H so I am covered on the heavy end (for me at least) for now. I like the idea of a flat shooting cal and I think the 280 Ackley sounds like the way to go. I hunt deer a lot more than elk. Non-Res. Elk tags get expenseive and most of the guys I hunt with cannot afford that so we Whitetail and Mule Deer hunt instead. I however wanted to make sure I could get my once a year shot on an Elk if the shot presented itself. Sounds like I can with a 280 Ackley.

Now for the gun. James, I saw that you suggested a 26" barrel. I was going to get a 24" for the 280 rem. Is a 26" better for a 280 Ackley?

 

[James Jones]

The 24" barrel will work fine the 26" just lets you squeez that last extra bit of velocity out of the case , I have an uncle that shoots a Holland built 280 Ackley with a 22" barrel and loves it , he shoot 150gr Ballistic Tips at everything under 600 lbs out to 800yds. The gun started out with a 28" barrel (Rem varmint conture) and it was heave so he has 4" wacked off to drop some weight and only lost about 100fps with his load of R-22 the next year he wacked off another 2" (1" off chamber and 1" off muzzle) and only lost 40 fps.

That little extra velocity will not kille your energy at long range so its not that big of a deal , especiay since the bullets will likely shoot better at a bit lower speed

 

[338hammer]

280Rem Vs 300 Win Mag

For what its worth.

Its truely what you are actually expecting.
There is absolutely no comparison between the two cartridges under any catagory. I have been a life long handgun hunter. ALong with this, I have carried a 300Win Mag as my backup. With 6.5X20 Leupold I built it for my wife. Actually I use to carry the rifle to the top of the hill and switch with my wife who carried my handgun. Every time she or I touched the trigger on the 300 something fell down. No exceptions. I decided on the 300 Win Mag decades ago because it was the minimum caliber and energy allowed by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game for Bison hunting. AT the time is was as flat shooting as anything and hit harder than most. To date, various configured 300 Mags are winning different disciplines of long and ultra long range competitions.

I am a hunter exclusively these days and haven't competed in years. There has been a dialog for years regarding the merits of the 7 Mag vs the 300 mag from many including my best friend who carries a 7 Mag and always has. That discussion is no more when we put the two on a chony and he saw the 300 chewing up his 7 mag with the 300 using heavier bullets going much faster. He now carries a 375 Ultra and I carry a 338 Gibbs alternative in my handgun.

280 Remington is a very fine useful cartridge however. I just never had a use for the cartridge.

Not sure if you already have an action for your project. I would go to mcgowenbarrel.com and look around. They will be coming out with several actions for the market by April first. These are precision actions and I have several barrels and no one is making a better product so am really looking for a very affordable action with the same quality as those barrels.

300 Win Mag every time
338

 

[JD338]

RTV900,

I have a M700 with a Hart #5 24" flutted, chambered in 280AI.
I am shooting the 160 gr AB with excellent accuracy, avg MV is 3019 fps.
You will really like the 280AI, pushing 7mm Rem Mag performance and enough for deer and elk.

JD338

 

[winmagman]

RTV

If you like the 280 or AI, you might want to look at the 7mm WSM. Same or better velocities and can be built on a short action which will save a little on weight. And no need to fireform brass.

Chris

 

[landcbeitner]

There has been a dialog for years regarding the merits of the 7 Mag vs the 300 mag from many including my best friend who carries a 7 Mag and always has. That discussion is no more when we put the two on a chony and he saw the 300 chewing up his 7 mag with the 300 using heavier bullets going much faster. He now carries a 375 Ultra and I carry a 338 Gibbs alternative in my handgun.

I've never heard anyone argue weather the 300 mag could shoot a heavier bullet faster than a 7mm mag. There's pleanty of reloading manuals that will give very specific information on velocities. What I've heard guys arguing about was long range ballistics and weather the 7mm had enough energy at extreme range. You'll notice the a .284" 168gr Berger has a BC of .643 and a bullet of the same weight in 30 cal by the same company has a BC of .512. but it can be fired at 3300+fps instead of 3000+fps for the 7mm mag. At closer ranges there would be no comparison in ballistics or energy, however long range ballistics (and long range energy) in this case would be in favor of the 7 mag. To get a simular BC out of the 30 cal (sticking with the same make of bullet) you'd have to step up to the 210gr with a BC of .631 (close enough to .643 for the sake of argument). The 210gr could shot fast enough to be real close ballistically, but at extreme range the 7mm would again have a slight advantage. This is where the arguments I've heard come from, wheather or not the 7 mag has enough energy (at what ever range) for what you're expecting the bullet to do. I don't mean to ramble I've just never heard of anyone being shocked by the fact that the 300 win mag can fire a heavier bullet faster than the 7mm mag, perhaps we're just running with different crowds.

 

[rtv900]

I think the 280 is going to do a good job for my needs. I understand that the 280 and 300 are different in many ways but those were the two that I thought would be good for what I am doing. They both have a lot of bullet offerings and are flat shooters. I am now convinced that the 280 will be a good choice. I am looking into how to load the 280AI. Once I get some more info on that I think I am going to place the order for a new gun.

 

[rtv900]

Thought about it some more last night. Dicided that I am going to order a new rifle today. Its going to be a Rem 700 platform. It will have a 26" fluted barrel, blind mag. custom LOP in 280 Ackley with a little engraving. Hopefully I can have it by May or June.