Remington 280 Mountain Rifle-Thumbs up? or Down?

bucksducksandtrucks · 02-23-2007, 09:31 PM

I am considering a 280 Remington Mountain rifle. Has anyone got the lowdown on the "shootability" of the gun and its good/bad points? I would really appreciate any info you can give me.

bsteve · 02-23-2007, 10:55 PM

I've had a M 700280 Stainless Synthetic Mtn. Rifle for about 15 years. Great gun ,great cartridge.

bucksducksandtrucks · 02-23-2007, 11:05 PM

Thanks for the feedback! Can you tell me anything about the round itself? Balistically, it should be compariable to a .270 down range shouldn't it?

skeeter 7MM · 02-24-2007, 01:11 AM

Thumbs up on both accounts. My partner had a mountain rifle chambered in a 280 rem and it was a nice handling/shooting rifle. Though he likes browning better and opted to trade it for medallion chambered in a 280 rem.

Ballistically from a reloader perspective it is slightly better then the 270 win and with the .284 class bullets selection a better choice imo for larger game such as elk or moose.In fact as reloader Iprefer it to the popular 3006. As a factory ammo user not much difference but selection is more limited as is availability.

If using factory ammo check availabilty of 280 rem offerings before you buy. Here you can buy a number of 280 remdeer loads but for larger you are paired down to 150 gr Nolser parts or 140 failsafes(which is not being produced anymore).

IMO really excels as a reloading cartridge.

crimedog · 02-24-2007, 06:11 AM

Thumbs up although I like a little more heft. The 280 is everything the 270 should have been, bullet selection is great vel is great.

Rootsy · 02-28-2007, 08:27 AM

Lot of muzzle jump due to the light barrel but otherwise she's a winner... Mine began life as a 25-06... with barrel issues... so on went a Shilen, a bit heavier in contour, rechambered for 280... no regrets here... though she does take back seat to the 700 i put together a few years back...

apexpredator · 02-28-2007, 05:47 PM

Great round,it excells w/ 160gr. bullets, try Hndy 162 sp w/ some H4831 or IMR 4350.

TerryM · 02-28-2007, 06:05 PM

I consider the .280 superior to both the .30-06 and .270. Very nice balanced round when you look at trajectory, energy, recoil.

358WINMAN · 03-01-2007, 12:40 PM

.280 is a handloaders dream. You can make this round do alot of things from varmints to moose. I had a .280AI built and it is an absolute gem of a cartridge in respect to accuracy and energy. Its only about 6-8% more than the .280 rem. I had a .270 Rem Mountain Rifle and used it for several years. It accounted for plenty of deer and antelope. Light, accurate and reliable.
The .280 could be a one gun battery for a guy who handloaded anddidn't hunt big bears.
Honestly, I think a .280 rem with a 160 or 175 grain pill like a Noseler Partition, Swift A frame or Barnes TSX would do in a pinch on a nasty bear!
Get the rifle, you won't regret it.

ejpaul1 · 03-01-2007, 05:32 PM

My pal has one and it is an awesome rifle. It does lack though in the FPS department, might just be his rifle. He really cant get much more than 3075 out of it with 140 grain spitzer BT's. For some strange reason, his 270 can blip 3200 without a thought with 130 grain bullets. Does the extra FPS make a big difference? Naw, but he thinks so. I like them both and would only prefer the 270 for ease of finding factory loaded ammo. Other than that, the 280 rem is wonderful! EJ