280 Rem vs 7Mag

[Freezer]

    I picked up a project gun the other day.  It's an Interarms Mk X chambered in 7mag.  After refinishing it and cleaning it I wanted to take it to the range for a load work up.  As I studied the load data I found I can only get one to two hundred fps from the 7mag vs my 280.  In addition the 7 mag uses a lot more powder to acheave it?  The ballistic charts don't show that big of a difference in trajectory 1 1/2 inches at 500 yards.  That said is the extra fps and energy that big of a deal compaired to the increased recoil and powder use? 
    This project gun may be traded for a good Leupold!

[wncchester]

Your impressions are quite perceptive, the differences are real but small.  Deciding if it's worth the difference is up to the indiviual. 

When I bought my last hunting rifle some 15 years ago I looked over the real differences between the big 7 and my personal favorite, the 30-06.  I decided the difference was so small that I stuck with my original game gitter and have never looked back.

Any perceived recoil difference is also small.

[charles p]

Bet your 280 is lighter, easier to carry, and probably has a shorter barrell.  When I was young I wanted all the "magnum" I could get.  At 62, I'd take that 280 any day.

I own 7mm-08, 280, 280AI, and 7mm Rem mag.  I favor them in that order, except when I elk hunt once per year.

[yooper77]

I never fell into the big magnum hype.  I reload and I save huge amount of money for brass and powder with standard cases vs magnums.

I use 243 Winchester, 270 Winchester, 7mm-08 Remington, 7x57 Mauser, 30-06 Springfield, with this I have all the bases covered from Coyotes to Grizzly with the proper bullet, shot placement and within a reasonable yardage.  I also still hunt to achieve the best closest shot, I have no need to shoot past 300 yards for any given game.  I am always able to stalk closer.

yooper77

[Chris Potts]

I have always felt that if you are a good enough shot to shoot game at 300 + yards then a couple of inches defference in tragectory shouldn't be much of a problem.  I'll add that in the field theres not a gun made in any caliber that will make me a good enough shot from field positions to shoot at game at 300 yards.

Chris

[beemanbeme]

While I've never shot at BG at distances beyond 300 yards (with one exception), the Big 7 does handle the heavier weights of metal better than the .280.
The 7-08, .280, and 7RM are all fine cartridges and each fills a niche. You can favor one without putting down another. I have hunted with all three and like all three.

[Chris Potts]

While I've never shot at BG at distances beyond 300 yards (with one exception), the Big 7 does handle the heavier weights of metal better than the .280.
The 7-08, .280, and 7RM are all fine cartridges and each fills a niche. You can favor one without putting down another. I have hunted with all three and like all three.

I will clarify incase my tone came across wrong.  All I really meant was that I don't think that the .280 would be at any significant dissadvantage to the 7mm when it comes to performance in the field.  In my opinion the shooter is the main limiting factor when making shots at these ranges.  Most good guns are capable, and in my opinion most hunters are not (including me).  And honestly if it is a questionable shot with a .280 its probably still a questionable shot with a 7mm.  Like you said though they are all great calibers and it basically comes down to personal preference.

[charles p]

I agree with the post above.  I don't have any rifles that I don't feel an attachment to, and none are for sale.  Always need more.  Hard to say which is better.  Each have their strong points and my favorites seem to cycle back and forth through the years.

[Freezer]

    I've never been a fan of recoil. I hunt bear and deer.  I bought the 7mag as a project gun.  I took it out yesterday to a friends deer camp.  We shot factory Win 150's.  First shot I flinched (not sure of this mag).  Second and third shot were 1/2" and took out the thumb tack target.  My friend being a 7 mag nut decided he wanted to try.  He did the same thing and bought the rifle on the spot.  Heck I just put the trigger in on Saturday.

[beemanbeme]

Well then, ( ) to weigh in, IMO, if a fellow was not interested in hunting the great bears nor hunting where the great bears roam, and didn't have elk on his menu (more about that later), he would hard pressed to find a cartridge that would out do the 7-08 in real world hunting.
That opinion is based on hunting with rifles from .300WM's on down.  The 7-08 just gets the job done with such blue collar efficiency that it's almost embarassing to tell the wife you "need" a new rifle.  If you're hunting deer, pigs, black bear, a 7-08 is all you need.  If you reload and want to go elk hunting, load up a bunch of 160's and go. Just be aware of you limitations. Which you ought to do anyway.
If a man has a good rifle, he, maybe, shouldn't run out and sell it to get a 7-08 but if he's starting out, he'd be wise to start and finish with a 7-08.
From a reloading point of view, they are like a 30-06 in that they are one of the most agreeable rounds you can load for. It hard to find a load that they won't shoot well.  
Low recoil, accurate, easy to load for, readidly available ammo, deadly, the 7-08 brings it all to the table.
In another thread, I told how my son had made a shot on a mulie at 280+ yards with a 18.5" barreled 7-8.  Well, our longest shot ever was a 380+ yard shot on an antelope with a ta-da .280.  But that's another story.

[Muddyboots]

Have them both.  Like them both. Recoil is irrelevant to me. Never met a caliber I didn't like. That is .338 and below....I find it plain fun to shoot different calibers under different field circumstances. Once in a while you will have the need for the extra horsepower and glad to have it. My fav rifle is .300 Win with .280 second, .270 third, 7 RM, .243. 06 doesn't make top 5 since I like the .300 so much I can reload it to do whatever I want. BUT, Encore PH .280 is rapidly climbing the charts. Going elk hunting in Nov. and taking the .300 Win and .280 for muley if I get time. I try not to get bogged down with one caliber, keeps you fresh when reloading!
Craig