280 elk clean kill???
 

Is a .280 big enough to killelk
the rifle is a browning abolt medallion with leupold 3-9x50 if it matters

RE: 280 elk clean kill???
 

Mr. Z
The 280 rem is a good elk round,I recomend alot of them to first time elk hunters(that and the good ol'e 30-06)with the 160 gr bullet the 280 is a trure 300 yd+ rifle.
The 280 is where i start my list for elk guns.
BBJ

RE: 280 elk clean kill???
 

I have a 280 and love it, I rarely use it for elk hunting, I mostly archery elk hunt. I have shot a bunch of deer and two elk with it. I shoot 160 grain bullets and it has worked flawlessly.I didn't get an elk with my bow this year so the 280 will get another chance at elk on Sunday.

I shot this elk at 375 yards with 160 grain Grand Slams.

RE: 280 elk clean kill???
 

'nuff said. wow nice bull REG

RE: 280 elk clean kill???
 

With any of the premium controlled expansion bullets, 160 grains and above, you have a great elk round. It packs almost as much punch as the 30-06 which is considered a fine, fine elk round.

RE: 280 elk clean kill???
 

WHAT???????????????????

You mean to tell me that bull was killed with a cartridge smaller than a 300 Win mag?????????

It's not possible I tell you. Simply not possible.

I thought that elk these days required a magnum otherwise the bullets would just bounce right off their hide and the elk would run up the mountain laughing at the poor hunter that even attempted killing it with a 'pea shooter'.







Super fine elk there REG.

RE: 280 elk clean kill???
 

lol!!! i was wondering how long it would take!!!!

RE: 280 elk clean kill???
 

Totally agree here. [:-]

RE: 280 elk clean kill???
 

Are you 4 foot 6 inches tall or is that elk as big as it looks? That is my wifes worst nightmare, because come hell or high water that would be mounted in my living room.

RE: 280 elk clean kill???
 

I hate to say it and face the wrath of the cannon crowd, but yes the 280 is a heck of an elk round. My hunting buddy just bagged a big bull with his Browning A-Bolt in 280. One shot. I am sure he will stay dead too. Its been a week now.;)He has a Shepard scope on his.

I am also sorry about your loss. I lost a younger sister and its a tough deal.

RE: 280 elk clean kill???
 

Amen brother!:D

RE: 280 elk clean kill???
 

Scott, I'm 6'1".

He looks even taller in this photo. Ya the 280 works for me!

RE: 280 elk clean kill???
 

With out giving up your spot. Where did you kill him? (State)

In that second pic you have this look on your face like..... Holy crap, how in the heck am I going to get this thing out of here?

RE: 280 elk clean kill???
 

Southwest Montana, in 2002

RE: 280 elk clean kill???
 

Even if he gave the exact cooridinates of where he killed that elk, he already killed it lol. No one is going to go in and get the biggun...he already got it lol.

RE: 280 elk clean kill???
 

Yeah, I know but that may be a honey hole he knows of that holds other elk of that size. If that one was there you know there are more lke him. I know he had to have passed on his genetics before he fell to the .280.

There is a place in Colorado I hunt that holds a good number of 'book' bulls if one is willing to hunt them. I never knew it until I was able to bow hunt them for the first time (two years total so far). That first year I found out what exactly was in the area and it changed the way I go after them now. I haven't connected with one yet but I have seen them and had them within bow range but the shot never materialized. I aint gonna tell anyone where it is. ;)

RE: 280 elk clean kill???
 

I love the big guns, but my father-in-law and I argue about it sometimes.
He killed a 5X5 bull a few years with a very well placed 140 grain bullet out of his30 year old .264 Win mag at about 400 yards, he says I can take my cannon and stick it up my... Well you know what I mean.
I guess I can't argue with him too much, he's taken more elk with that than my I have with my 300's

RE: 280 elk clean kill???
 

I will soon be in the market for a new gun and the 280 is one I am considering, being a .30-06 shooter only currnetly, how does it stack against that for bullet selection and ease of finding bullets, as well as recoil (kids/wife might be shooting it as well)

--Bob

RE: 280 elk clean kill???
 

Bob the 280 Rem is a great starter gun,the 280 is just about like a 06 but in light bullets.Has about the same performance.


REG,
Nice bull,that shurly is a hog.What part of the state are you from?

RE: 280 elk clean kill???
 

I was torn between the 280 and 06 for my big game gun but picked the 06 because of the variety of factory ammo available was such an advantage. I did not handload at the time. If you reload the selection of bullets is like being a kid in the candy store for either but the number of loads worked up in the manuals still favors the 06.
The new 150 Grain TSX in the 280 makes me think twice however. for an all around big game load it has a great .529 BC and can be pushedat 3000 FPS with less recoil than my 165 Grain barnes 06 handloads.
A member of my gun club was shooting 1/2" groups and says it chronys 3000fps. He used 58 grains IMR 4831in hisWinchester Model 70.

RE: 280 elk clean kill???
 

BareBack Jack, I live in the upper Blackfoot, but I shot that bull a couple of hours south of my home.

I went and shot the 280 today, I'm shooting 160 grain Accubonds this year. They are extremely accurate, I hope to see how they work on elk soon.

RE: 280 elk clean kill???
 

The 280 strikes again! The 160 grain Accubonds work too. Monday Oct. 24th 2005.



My back hurts today!

RE: 280 elk clean kill???
 

Way to go REG! I also like the .280. I killed mine with .270.

RE: 280 elk clean kill???
 

Congratulations REG. Nice bull.

BTW,
I hate you right now!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And I am glad your back hurts!

RE: 280 elk clean kill???
 

Very Nice REG. Congrats!

RE: 280 elk clean kill???
 

Geez, REG. You have killed two "once in a lifetime" bulls - three years apart! When you look at the performance of the .280, the 7 Rem Mag, and even the 7MM-08; they are a lot closer in performance than their case capacity suggests. For every couple hundred feet per second of speed, you gain about a hundred yards more effective range. Any of these rounds, with a good premium bullet and good shot placement, is more than adequate for the biggest bull in the woods. I would just try to limit my shooting to distances where the muzzle energy is still up there around 1500to 1600 foot pounds.

How far were these two lunker bulls when you shot them?

RE: 280 elk clean kill???
 

I just killed a 5x5 elk with a 280 rem. Hes was a young bull anout 500 lbs. I don't know what he scored but the 150 grain corelokt bullet from the pre 64 model 70 featherweight did just fine. he walked 30 steps and collapsed. If I had had a longer shot I would have been more comfortable with a .300 winmag or 7mm rem mag.
okcmco

RE: 280 elk clean kill???
 

Roskoe, actually I killed a bigger one last year than this yearwith my bow. I'll post a picbelow at the risk ofgetting bigbulls reallymad:D. All three DIY on public land. The 280 and 7mm mag are very close, with theFederal Premium 160 grain Accubonds are only 150 FPS different at the muzzle, and the 280 gains on the mag from there. However the 7mm short mag is very impressive 320 FPS faster than the 280 and 170 more than the 7mm mag. Still don't plan on giving up the 280, I shot the first bull at 375 yards, this years bull was at 394, still had about 1650 foot pounds at that range. I generally like to get closer but could not on these two bulls, I waited for a broadside shot and both went down in seconds inside 100 yards.

Ballistics Links:

280

7mm Mag

7mm Short Mag

2004 Archery bull

RE: 280 elk clean kill???
 

Man, REG!!!

You sure know where to find the bigguns!!

I saw many bulls close to that size this year, its just a matter of drawing a tag!!

<<<<<Jealous!!:D

GOOD JOB!!!

RE: 280 elk clean kill???
 

This kind of po'd me but I saw a bull just yesterday that was dropped in one shot by a kid with a 243CAL But hey i kill them with a stick !! The reason I was po'd is I dont think that is enuff gun for elk... 270 on up ...OK

RE: 280 elk clean kill???
 

Nice Elk! what do you guys do with the rest of the animal? that's alot of wasted meat isn't it?

RE: 280 elk clean kill???
 

Salty, the elk was quartered up, it took five longtrips to get him out. That's a hind quarter and the rack on my back. I have never got an elk out whole, it's hard to pick up 500+ pounds!

RE: 280 elk clean kill???
 

Oh, I did not realize you go back for the rest.. I always thought whatever you can back pack out is all you usually take... What happens if you return to find a large bear chomping on your kill?

that is one fine elk BTW... you must need cathedral ceilings to mount that thing!

RE: 280 elk clean kill???
 

Reg my admiration has evolved into raw jeolousy.
Seriously, how many bulls are you passing on to come with elk the size you have taken. I just think based on my limited knowledge of big Elk, are like 1 out of 20 bulls that size?

PS: What would those animals score if measured?

RE: 280 elk clean kill???
 

Salty, yes bears are always a concern, a few years ago a guy in Montanawas killed in by a grizzly while gutting out his elk, they found him the next day half eaten. I shot this years elk about a half an hour before dark andabout a mile and a half from a road. By the time I was gutting him out it was dark, I was alone and all I kept thinking about was Grizzlies, and why I do this so often! There is a lot of them in the area.I quartered up the elk and laid the meat over logs to cool. I came back the next morning to pack it out. I always have my 44 drawn when I return to the meat.

Scott, i only passed a few, this year I hadn't passed any until I shot him. There where five bulls and about 15 cows in a open park, I picked the best one and shot. Ya I'm lucky, but I also was in a place most people wont hike too, especially in the evening. They all score over 300:D.

RE: 280 elk clean kill???
 

Big Bulls " There is a place in Colorado I hunt that holds a good number of 'book' bulls if one is willing to hunt them".

A word to the wise, next muzzle-loading or first general rifle season go to Rowdy Lake.
Stand facing the parking area next to the rail fence surrounding the small lake and look directly to your left.
Look about 3/4ths way up the mountian to the left and spot a medow. The medow is much taller than it is wide. The camp site to your far left has a log at it's entrance, set up your spotting scope and see what you can see.
Be aware that there is an outfitter that hunts that medow and that by the 2nd rifle season he will have chased what you are after out of the medow.
Thanks
Mr-Pirk

RE: 280 elk clean kill???
 

wow, that sounds like an exciting hunt Reg..
congrats on your elk, be safe.