.280 Rem

[Scibaer]

maybe i missed them, but i dont see many handi holics talking about the 26" .280 rem.
 im looking for another rifle, and my attetion was drawn to the 280 because of the barrel lenght.
any good or bad comments about this caliber. good shooter in a handi ? opinions on the 280 round itself ?
 

[Foggy]

As a cartridge you can't ask for better. I think 7mm is a great choice I have shot them and even owned one  a rem lss bolt gun  ugliest rifle I ever saw  never could bring myself yo shot it. I think the 7-08 & 7 mag has taken the thunder but IMHO it's as versatile as a '06. (that's going to leave a mark). there's a wide range of bullet to reload oh  280 Rem. I'll be sending my frame off before Christmas.

[quickdtoo]

I have one that shot real good as a plain 280,  I had it rechambered to 280 Improved, still shoots great, now have another one, it's one of the good ones to have that covers a lot of bases in the field. Think of the 7x57 or 7mm-08 with a little more git up and go, actually right on the heals of the 7mag, kinda like the 30-06 is to the 308.

Tim

http://www.gboreloaded.com/forums/index.php/topic,42045.msg241017.html#msg241017

[MSP Ret]

I also like the .280's, a great caliber that can do it all and do it well. I have a 7x57 Handi and 2 .280's, a 26" barreled one and a 19" barreled version I call "Thunderboomer". I hunted with the 19" gun in Maine last week and did not see a deer (in the woods) but I felt confident out to 200+ yards sighted in about 1" high at 100 yards. I have a Simmons Red Dot on it and it is very accurate and a very handy Handi, good for the dark "greengrowth" spruce and fir thickets and swampy areas as well as long shots, if you ever get one where I hunt ....<><....

[Brett]

It's a great caliber, especially if you roll your own because of the multitude of 7 mm bullet designs available.  I think just about everyone on this board who owns a Handi in .280 Rem has experienced good accuracy, including myself.   I can shoot 1 1/4" groups off of a makeshift rest using Remington Core-lokts (sp?) with mine. With a better rest (and a better marksman) could no doubt do better. 

[Lead Poison]

I sighted in a Handi 280 for a friend of mine. It shot extremly well using Federal Vital Shocks with Nosler 140 Accubonds.

When my friend asked if I wanted to hunt with it, I of course said "yes". From 239 yards, I killed 2 deer in just the time it took to load and shoot the second deer.

He has since used it, and has killed 2 more deer. One he shot from 215 yards.

The 26" barrelled 280 is one of the very best Handi rifles made in my opinion!!!

[Mac11700]

Yup...the 280 is an excellent rifle...Some have had problems with them...just like any other barrel...but...mine was an excellent shooter

Mac

[Scibaer]

ok, so let me ask the next question. why does NEF offer the .280 in a 26in. barrel and not offer other calibers in the same barrel lenght ?
does this round need to have the longer barrel to preform well ? or is the longer barrel just an oversite by NEF ?
and, all these questions are about me upgrading from a .243.. i'm not that confident ( no flaming please, its a fine round ) that the .243 will do all i want it too, so i want to move up..
 will the .280 do all the .243 will do ? better/worse/i'm nuts ?

[RickC.]

Well, I was going to post pics of a couple of my groups but Mac's are better!

 Scibaer, those are fair questions.  I bought a .280 because I wanted a fast, flat-shooting 7mm without having to deal with the noise, recoil, etc., of a magnum.   My current load with the Speer 145 gr spitzer averages 2998 fps, and I had a couple in the string go 3020.  If you can find some honest numbers on the 7 Rem Mag, I think you'll be impressed with the .280 Rem.  The Speer manual says something to the effect that if you own a good .280 there's no reason to trade it for any of the 7 mags.  In medium weight bullets for whitetails, the difference in the .280 and 7mm Rem is very small.

  I've only done the washer thing to my .280, and I've shot several 100 yard groups under 1/2".

  3 of the last 4 deer I've killed have been with that load in the .280, and it's been impressive.  The longest shot was 172 yards, the shortest was 60 yards, two were broadside shots, the 60 yard shot was quartering toward me.  On the 172 yard (measured with a rangefinder later), the bullet went through both shoulders and the deer went about 50 yards before piling up-- the other two were bang-flop, pass-throughs on all. All 3 deer were in the 150-160 lb range. 

  With the 26" barrel it's not quite as "handy" as the other handis, but it's still shorter overall than my Weatherby Vanguard.  Unless you're in a small shooting house that's not really an issue in the field, and the long barrel lets you maximize the .280's potential.

 Nothing against the .243, but this 7mm is more potent deer medicine without being overkill and the .280 Handi is pleasant to shoot.  Hope that helped. 


                     
                                                 Rick

[aldar]

I own both the .280 and a .243, both are Handi's. I absolutely love the .280Rem. I can shoot it all day long and never have a sore shoulder. it can reach out to 300yds and beyond if needed. i load mine with RL22 and 139gr Hornadys and if i do my part, can put 3-5 rounds all touching each other at 100yds. Can't say the same for the .243 though, but it's accurate enough. the 26" barrel on the .280 doesn't really look like its 26" or feel like one. I consider the .243 a good 200yd gun with a well placed shot on deer. with the .280, i wouldn't hesitate on deer or larger animals out to 300yds.

[quickdtoo]

Glenn,

The 25-06 Ultra has a 26" barrel, and the new 7mm Rem Mag and 300 Win Mag are both 26" also, hopefully there will be more in the future, we've been asking for them for a loooong time.

Tim

[Mac11700]

ok, so let me ask the next question. why does NEF offer the .280 in a 26in. barrel and not offer other calibers in the same barrel lenght ?
does this round need to have the longer barrel to preform well ? or is the longer barrel just an oversite by NEF ?
and, all these questions are about me upgrading from a .243.. i'm not that confident ( no flaming please, its a fine round ) that the .243 will do all i want it too, so i want to move up..
 will the .280 do all the .243 will do ? better/worse/i'm nuts ?

No...the longer barrel isn't an over site by NEF...It and the 25-06 have always had them...Most longer barrels will utilize the current ammo better than a short barrel...and it has been the way they have some them since they came out...and like Quick has already said...we have been asking for the longer barrels in all of the standard calibers for many many many years...but...thru their surveys they have conducted at 1 time or another in the northeast...they came to the conclusion (wrongly) that every one prefers the shorter barrels...

Cut the 280 back to 24" and for factry ammo ...and you'll have the 7x64 Brenneke  which they used to offer...cut it back to 22" and you have the equivalent to a 7-08 or a little less... As a varmint round...the 243 will run circles around any of the 7mm's NEF have offered...and depending on how big a deer you shoot or how far...or at what angle...the 280 can reliably do better...Once you step up to larger game...or to tougher game...it  will surpass the 243 any time..This isn't slighting the 243...many folks have used nothing more and have taken an extraordinary amount of deer with it successfully...But...like any cartridge...it has it's good points and it's weaknesses as well...The 280 will kick harder as any larger cartridge will...It lends itself wonderfully to hand loading...and there is a wide assortment of factory & custom ammo available for it...For deer and smaller game...the 243 is a very good choice...and there is some very good ammo available for it as well...Loaded with a good bonded bullet or partition or x bullet...it will surprise many folks on how well it will do...but it's main weakness is bullet mass....for the given twist it comes in...As a varmint round...it is very hard to beat and has been used a-lot for some very long shots at them...

If you feel you want to step up to a larger caliber...the 280 is a great choice...so too is the 7-08...as well as the 270 Winchester or even the 30-06...all of these will work just as well...if not better in capable hands at more odd angles you might get while deer hunting...and will work on larger game better than the 243..If you want to stay with the 243...know it is one of the most widely used dual purpose cartridges around for varmints and light skinned game...The others I mentioned will work as varmint cartridges as well...but truly shine for deer sized animals and up...of the others I mentioned...IMHO the 270 Win loaded with 90 grain hollow points is a excellent varmint gun...I've used it extensively before and is a excellent coyote round..

Mac

[Scibaer]

well then, its sounds like the .280 is a better choice for the type of hunting i do. and loaded correctly it will work fine for yotes too.
 after i get the 45-70 project done, i'll start working on the .280. maybe try my hand at barrel fitting this time around.
  not there is anything wrong with the other choices, i just am looking to get away from the 22in. barrels and currently i see the .280 is the only one offered in a 26in.
i didnt see the ones Tim mentioned on the NEF site, but i dont think i would want a 7mm mag anyhow...
is the .280 concidered a wildcat ?

[quickdtoo]

The 7 and 300 mags are 2008 offerings, I'll know when this week sometime, likely in the spring. The 25-06 is listed on H&R's site in both Ultra and Handi, as well as the on the Ultra accessory barrel list.

Tim

http://hr1871.com/Firearms/Rifles/hunter.aspx

http://hr1871.com/Firearms/Rifles/youth.aspx

http://hr1871.com/Support/accessoryProgram.aspx

[Dave Allen]

hello..i'm going against the crowd on this one..i had a 25/06 ultra..sold it last winter..got memory loss i guess..picked up a 280 a few month's ago & was reminded of why i don't like the 26" barrel..to me i don't like how the rifle balance's..it feel's..end.. heavy when taking standing or kneeling shot's..they feel good @ the bench on bag's..when packing around in the field i prefer the 22" barrel...then again..i might not be as tough as some out there..i think the long barrel take's away from some of the handiness of a handi..when i shoulder my 243 it feel's good..i fully expect folk's to disagree with me that's o.k.

[Scibaer]

not at all, i asked for opinions and i expect them  .. toughness aint got anything to do with it Dave. balance and feel matter too. question thought, have you tried adding some weight to re-balance the rifle ? i personally dont have any problems with end heavy feel of the longer barrel, im a big guy at 320 pounds and 6 foot 4 so that may make the difference too, i dunno.
 but, how did you like the performance of the .280 as a round ?
either way, thanks for the counter point to this discussion ..

[Dave Allen]

scibaer..i never got a chance for a kill with this rifle..i recently sold it..i know i feel guilty sort of..i will re-invest probably in another handi..maybe the 7mm/08..because of the shorter barrel..after getting the rifle zero'd with factory ammo..shot decent..i played around shooting freehand..in a crouched position..sitting shooting with my elbow on my knee..it's not that it's heavy..it just didn't balance to my body..5,10"..180 lb's..i had a 22/250..22" barrel..& have a 243..22"barrel..& they felt-feel good..i have alway's said here & on another forum i visit that i like how a handi feel's in my hand's..i'm willing to put up with some quirk's with these rifle's because of that..i'm sorry guy's the 26" barrel just doesn't do it for me..good luck !!