Need Advice - Caliber Selection

[dawei]

I'm trying to decide which of the following  (270, 280, or 7mm/aught eight) NEF® rifles to buy for my son & myself. Primary use would be for long range (200yds+) Mule Deer & Blacktail Hunting. In my son's case it would also serve as an Elk rifle.

The 270 is way popular I know. My son is an avid 7mm fan; hence the 280 & 7mm/08. I know that there are a lot more .284 bullets available than .277.

Which one of these choices, and only these choices; would you recommend & why. I look forward to your replies.

[aulrich]

As for cartridge selection all three are capable of doing what you ask of them, the 270 and 280 have a power advantage over the 7-08 but not much.  So likly the deciding factor is going to be configuration. This is were the 280 has an advantage over the other two.

The 280 comes with a 26" tube the 270 and 7-08 come with 22"  that 4 inch difference adds some performance, do a search and read about the performance some guys are getting.  And depending how big your son is a youth 7-08 could be just the thing.

[Norseman112]

I would go with the .280 as well.

Norse

[myarmor]

Same here=280

[DanielWGriggs]

Do you reload?
if yes then the .280
if no then .270

I have been wanting to send in a frame and get a .280 and 30.06 and .44 mag barrel. Money is tight or it would be done.

The .280 is touted as the nonmagnum magnum reaching nearly the 7mm mag performance. I just like the looks of the ballistics for longer shots/flatter trajectory than my current .308.

The advantage of the .270 is that you can buy cartridges almost anywhere if you don't reload.
The 7-08 although interesting and less kick than a .308 would still be hard to find factory ammo for in some areas.

[Mac11700]

I'm trying to decide which of the following  (270, 280, or 7mm/aught eight) NEF® rifles to buy for my son & myself. Primary use would be for long range (200yds+) Mule Deer & Blacktail Hunting. In my son's case it would also serve as an Elk rifle.

The 270 is way popular I know. My son is an avid 7mm fan; hence the 280 & 7mm/08.I know that there are a lot more .284 bullets available than .277.

Which one of these choices, and only these choices; would you recommend & why. I look forward to your replies.

First off...there are many great bullets to choose from for the 270...and it has accounted for many heads of game taken since 1925...and will kill elk just as dead as the other choices..if you go this way..the longest barrel you can get right now is the 23" Ultra-Comp..unless you rechamber and rebore out a 25-06 26"barrel

Secondly..just limiting yourself to the 270's and 7mm's..isn't really needed..the barrel accessory program is a big plus to helping with these types of decisions..there are better suited chamberings available for dual hunting tasks..( ie..the 30-06...or rebore a 25-06 up to larger caliber)

Staying with your caliber choices..I would opt for both the 270..and the 280..because..#1 I'm a big 270 fan...#2... of the newer bullets available to it... and that it doesn't give up as much as most folks tend to think..even with the 22 or 23" barrels..and top notch factory ammo is available from many sources..that use these new bullets...and #3...because I can have both fitted to 1 frame and be ready to go for any situation I run into..If you reload..look at the reloading manauls carefully and compare the 2 with several different manufactures and you will see what I mean..now...if all of your hunting will be done with handloads using the heavier bullets the edge would most certainly favor the 280..and.. if you will be looking at 400 yard shots at elk the heavier bullet is the way to go...so..I would opt to have that available the 280 Remington...it would be  hard to beat the 175 Grain Nosler Partition at 2800 FPS...in a Handi...and it's hard to beat the 270 for deer too...with the lighter bullets...so...get both...and enjoy......

Mac

[.308]

 Which one of these choices,  and only these choices; would you recommend & why.

280 Rem., more barrel = more velocity = more energy. + More boolit choices.

[MSP Ret]

.280 Remington would be my choice, hands down!!!....<><.... :grin:

[knight0334]

280...  

can do anything the 270 can do..   plus you can get the 26" barrel for it..  

[hellacatcher]

I kind of like the 7-08. It sure can dump a deer.

[quickdtoo]

In my son's case it would also serve as an Elk rifle.

That doesn't eliminate the 7mm-08 or .270, but it sure makes the .280 a much better choice of the three. :agree: :agree: :agree:

[dawei]

As for cartridge selection all three are capable of doing what you ask of them, the 270 and 280 have a power advantage over the 7-08 but not much.  So likly the deciding factor is going to be configuration. This is were the 280 has an advantage over the other two.

The 280 comes with a 26" tube the 270 and 7-08 come with 22"  that 4 inch difference adds some performance, do a search and read about the performance some guys are getting.  And depending how big your son is a youth 7-08 could be just the thing.

Thanks aulrich. My son is an adult , 34YO, 6'2", 210#.

[dawei]

You guys have confirmed my suspicions, now which of these & why?

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=3138415

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=3138441

[quickdtoo]

The wood stocked model is easier to work with if you need to do any forend tuning, it would be my preference. The syn model would be a better choice for wet side hunting, though. They're both available at WM's supplier right now.

[dawei]

auldrich, Norseman112, MyArmor, Knight0334, DanWGriggs, Mac1170, .308, MSP Ret, Hellcatcher, & quickdtoo thanks for all your help!  :grin:  :grin:  :-)  :-)

[.308]

Comes down to personal preference, either one will do. For me ugly does it. I like my ugly Glocks and I like my Handi's ugly, too. Synthetic

[myarmor]

auldrich, Norseman112, MyArmor, Knight0334, DanWGriggs, Mac1170, .308, MSP Ret, Hellcatcher, & quickdtoo thanks for all your help!  :grin:  :grin:  :-)  :-)

No problem Bro that's what we are here for. :grin:
Personally I like synthetic stocks for many reasons. Especially when hunting, you don't have to treat it so dainty you know? It's rugged and workable. Then the laminated stocks for target work. These are great firearms with a lot of possibilitys in variation. Have fun, and keep us up to date as to how it shoots.

[cwlongshot]

 Which one of these choices,  and only these choices; would you recommend & why.

280 Rem., more barrel = more velocity = more energy. + More boolit choices.

Most of its best atributes have been mentioned, ..... get the 280 Remington!!!

[Mac11700]

dawei:

Your Welcome... ...Glad to help...

My choice on your stock sets is the Laminates that are available from NEF....while the pallet wood can be made prettier...and the synthetic is a better choice for being a knock around gun and in wet weather..I don't personally care for either one.To me the pallet wood is down right obnoxious looking...and the synthetic feels cheaply made.If I am going to have any wood stocked gun..it has to be checkerd...and if it is synthetic..it needs to feel better made..simalar to a McMillian,or at least like a Bell & Carlson Medalist type..It is very strange to me why NEF elected to take the 280 out of the Ultra line and not offer it with the Laminates anymore..but stranger things they have done in the past...

Get either one...and sell them here on the forum and order a nice set of laminated ones...call them and ask what is available to purchase...it does add to the cost of the rifle..but it does make them look so much better ...see for yourself...http://www.graybeardoutdoors.com/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?t=74894

Good luck with them...I know you'll enjoy them..and let us know how it all works out for you and your sons..

Mac

[myarmor]

I wondered the same thing too Mac. About NEF taking out the 280 in the Ultra config. That was just this year to, wasn't it?

[Mac11700]

Yup..also..they aren't replacing the roll stamping cutters either..so the stamping on the barrels will be different too...like what came on my 25-06 Ultra...it doesn't say Ultra..it says Handi rifle..tell me that makes sense..

Mac

[glock29]

I'd personally ditch all those choices and go for the good old 30/06 and use Hornady Light Magnum or "warm" handloaded ammunition.
The 30/06 is a better "combo" cartridge for deer/elk than any of the choices you listed.
150 to 180gr for Deer, then 180gr to 220 gr for elk.
With the Light Mag ammo it nearly shoots a flat as the 270 also.

[.308]

tell me that makes sense..
Mac

I can only guess what makes sense to them, first guess would be a healthy bottom line, after that who knows. I spoke with them in the past about the 357 and 44 mags, and was told what 'dogs' they were as far as sales go. That was hard to believe. Dropping calibers like 35 Whelen and 444 Marlin gets me too.  :shock:

[Mac11700]

I'd personally ditch all those choices and go for the good old 30/06 and use Hornady Light Magnum or "warm" handloaded ammunition.
The 30/06 is a better "combo" cartridge for deer/elk than any of the choices you listed.
150 to 180gr for Deer, then 180gr to 220 gr for elk.
With the Light Mag ammo it nearly shoots a flat as the 270 also.

While the 06' is a good choice and certainly one Handi I would opt for..he has already made his mind up on the 280..and hopefully it should work rather nicely....While you can load up the Handi's to much better velocities than most factory offerings...the Light mags from Hornady haven't been very accurate in them from what I've experianced myself and have read about here from others who have tried them..and I have tried them in a bunch of different calibers too..when I had my Winchester mod 70...they were absolute tack drivers..but not so with my Handi's..really strange to say the least...Accuracy wise..I've had better luck with Federals high velocity offerings out of the Handi..definatly not so with my bolt guns when shooting them though...I could never get them to group worth a durn ...like I said...really strange...

Mac

[dawei]

I'd personally ditch all those choices and go for the good old 30/06 and use Hornady Light Magnum or "warm" handloaded ammunition.
The 30/06 is a better "combo" cartridge for deer/elk than any of the choices you listed.
150 to 180gr for Deer, then 180gr to 220 gr for elk.
With the Light Mag ammo it nearly shoots a flat as the 270 also.

While the 06' is a good choice and certainly one Handi I would opt for..he has already made his mind up on the 280..and hopefully it should work rather nicely....While you can load up the Handi's to much better velocities than most factory offerings...the Light mags from Hornady haven't been very accurate in them from what I've experianced myself and have read about here from others who have tried them..and I have tried them in a bunch of different calibers too..when I had my Winchester mod 70...they were absolute tack drivers..but not so with my Handi's..really strange to say the least...Accuracy wise..I've had better luck with Federals high velocity offerings out of the Handi..definatly not so with my bolt guns when shooting them though...I could never get them to group worth a durn ...like I said...really strange...

Mac

Thanks Mac. As I already have a 30/06 & 35 Whelen I didn't include them in my original post. Obviously glock29 had difficulty interpeting what I wrote. My guess is that red ink is really confusing. :shock:  :shock:  :shock:

[Mac11700]

No problem:

 Since you already have 2 great ones...and since your going to buy 2 different rifles...one for your son...and one for yourself...I digress back to my original comment...

Staying with your caliber choices..I would opt for both the 270..and the 280..

The 280 will work fine on elk..so too will the 270...get both and enjoy them equally..they will make a really nice addition to your collection....you should check and see if NEF has any of the 270 Ultra-Comp barrels left...you wouldn't believe how easy on the shoulder it is...and mines pretty accurate too...

Mac

[bajabill]

since you already have a 30-06, I would lean to the 7-08

[kombi1976]

You're right on, dawei.
The 280 is the one. :wink:
7mm-08 is fine as a sheep cartridge and 270 has a long range but the bullets don't get heavier than 160gn.
The stocks on these rifles are known for their hokeyness and poor looks.
Boyds and a few other firms make direct replacements if you can't stand it.
Of course, you could always get the .500 S&W.......  :twisted: :mrgreen:

[Mac11700]

The stocks on these rifles are known for their hokeyness and poor looks.
Boyds and a few other firms make direct replacements if you can't stand it.
 :twisted: :mrgreen:

Nothing Hokey or poor looking here :wink:



Nope...not here either..



Hmmm...don't think this is what your talking about..is it?




Oh...I get it...you must mean what they look like after you get one of these and put on it right?



Naaaa...you can't mean that...  :-D  

Mac

(just couldn't help it   )

[kombi1976]

I meant the dodgy standard wood stocks, not the laminates. :?
And that last baby with the custom walnut stock is gorgeous. :eek: :mrgreen: