I own a Ruger M77 MarkII in .280 caliber. It is a really sweet shooting gun. By far the best shooting deer rifle I have ever owned. I usually shoot Winchester Ballistic Silvertip in 140 gr. or the Hornady Light Magnum in 139 gr. Both of these cartridges have almost identical ballistics and groupings with my gun. However I am planning a combo whitetail/elk hunt in Canada this fall and I'm thinking I need to shoot a heavier bullet for the elk(160-165 gr.). As cartridges for this caliber run in the $25-$30/box range, I do not want to have to buy 10 boxes of shells to determine what shoots good in my gun. Has anyone had any experiences with this gun/load combination and what brand seems to work?
If Hornady loads the light mag in thier 154 grain, that would be ideal. I have used that bullet for bigger game with good success. I also like the 175 grain.
thanks for the info. As far as I know the only weight that Hornady loads in this caliber is the 139 gr. That's the only thing I've seen anyway. I'll look on their website though. I really like the Hornady Light magnum. that's the problem with this caliber, you just don't have a whole lot of choice.
I'm thinking I need to shoot a heavier bullet for the elk(160-165 gr.). As cartridges for this caliber run in the $25-$30/box range, I do not want to have to buy 10 boxes of shells to determine what shoots good in my gun. Has anyone had any experiences with this gun/load combination and what brand seems to work?
I agree with your thinking that you should use a 160 or 175-grain bullet in the .280 to shoot elk. I do, however, challenge the idea that someone else can tell you what is going to shoot best in YOUR gun, because all guns are individuals. It is possible that a person could suggest a factory load that turned out to be outstanding in your rifle too, but it is a crapshoot!! Start off with something with a bullet that's up to the challenge, like a Win. Failsafe, a Nosler Partition, or the new Remington BONDED Corelokts. At least this way you'll know for sure that the BULLETS are up to the job.
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CALIBER/GAUGE.280 REM 150 GR NP $26.99 .280 REM 160 GR. TB $27.99
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Item notes
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Federal® Premium .280 Remington Rifle Ammunition
Built to take on medium to heavy big game animals, this .280 ammunition offers the perfect velocities and energy for whatever you hunt. 20 per box.
Available:
150 Gr. NP
160 Gr. TB.
Key: NP = Nosler Partition, TB = Trophy Bonded.
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58.5 grains of IMR7828 (Nosler Manual)..Remington Case Federal 210 primer 160 grain partition .020 off the lands. I get 2850average chronographed out of this combo and it is OK for Elk. Work up this load carefully in your rifle. Pretty limited offerings as far as loaded ammo goes so shoot for premium bullets first..if you can't find some then use Hornady as a last resort.
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Remington has a 165 gr. roundnose load that I wouldn't use on elk. I have used the Federal Premium 150 gr. Nosler Partition load in my 280 and it was a good grouper. Winchester offers the Fail Safe in a 140 gr load and discontinued it in the 160. However, several mail order outfits still carry the 160. My elk load is a handload with either the 160 gr. Barnes X or the 175 gr. Nosler Partition. Do not use the Ballistic Silvertip to try and take an elk, it will not hold up on that size of game.
Yea I haven't had any luck with Remington loads in my gun. Pity too since Remington is the cheapest and offers the most variety. I did order some Federal 160 gr. Vital Shock trophy bonded bear claw. This is the biggest grain anything I can find. I do like the bonded part though. Do you think the 150 gr. Nosler Part is a good load for elk? I don't expect to be making any terribly long shots as the area I will be hunting is fairly thick. I'll have to try and find the Fail Safe 160 gr. somewhere though. My gun does like Winchester. Everything Winchester I've shot in it anyway. I've had good luck with the Ballistic Silvertip with deer but I'm like you I don't think it's something I would want to be shooting at elk with. From what I've been reading on that bullet, it's either a love it or hate it thing. Some people have had really bad luck with it. I'm beginning to realize that reloads are the way to go with this cartridge. There just isn't much available in factory loads. Thanks for the info. Sure saves alot of hit or misses when you get everybody's experiences.
.280 loads for elk?
