7/08 will recoil slightly less than a 280. One thing you have to remember is the lightness of the gun/calibre. The 7/08 is usually lighter than a 280, as the 7/08 can be on a shorter action than the 280. Also, as stated earlier, recoil is subjective. That what you will feel at a targer range, is not the same in the field. However, the targer range recoil CAN lead to flinching, which no one wants. You can drop one step down to a 7mm mauser, a little less recoil that a 7/08 in the same weight rifle, and the most famous elephant hunter ever, Bell, shot all his with a 7mm mauser, with the 173 grain military bullet. Which probably went around 2400 fps. Should be OK for elk/moose. Placement is everything. An 300 winchester placed poorly, is not as good as a lighter calibre placed correctly. You can approximate lighter recoil by reloading, which is a lot of fun and make that 280 into anything you want. And the price of ammo today will quickly pay for a simple reloading outfit.