Alsatian

I know that Remington makes a couple of rifles chambered in .280 -- the Mountain rifle and maybe the Alaskan or some such model. Who else makes rifles chambered in .280? I ask because my son has evinced a strong liking for this cartridge -- based soley on reading articles -- and I may want to get a rifle for him chambered in this cartridge. I know, I know, very little off-the-shelf ammo for this cartridge is available, and you need to hand load to truly benefit from the cartridge. It wouldn't be my choice either. I may start looking for something reasonable at gun shows down the road and would like to know what rifle make and model to look for.

Rifle Loony

Some say the .280 is the 30-06 better...............

Alsatian

Rifle Loony: Well . . . my son has read stuff written by those people! I have read it too and will buy the accounts. I just think the scarcity of commercially produced .280 ammo is something to take into consideration. To me the convenience of having a rifle chambered in a cartridge that you can buy ammo for in the middle of freakin' nowhere if you lose, run-out of, forget your ammo or even borrow from a fellow hunter is an advantage. Part of my son's thinking, and I respect this way of thinking, is he would like to have something a bit off the beaten path, something a little more distinctive.

To go back to your thought. What I have read says the .280 is better than the .270 because it has more bullet weights available (if you handload). For example, the .280 definitely has 165 grain bullets available, which is likely to be better for elk than the 150 grain bullets of the .270. Perhaps there are even heavier bullets available (it is actually a 7 mm, I think, when it comes right down to it). Additionally, what I read says that if you handload you can get better ballistic performance out of the .280 than the .270. Part of the discussions also say you can get more out of the .280 than the .30-06 by handloading. So, yes, I've heard these discussions, and so has my son, which explains his interest.

Rifle Loony

Never a bad time to start reloading....

Gather a supply of componentry and rock on, but I'm a rifle loony and that's what we do...............

Superpig

Domestic manufacturers that chamber the 280 Remington are: Browning, Remington, Ruger, & Weatherby. I have owned a 280 for over a decade. It is not magic by any means. I have owned 270s & 30-06s in this time period. I think they are all on par with each other and any game animal will not notice the difference if fired on by each round. I have kept my 280 and sold the others. If you have one there really isn't a need for the other two. In my area 280 ammo is plentiful and Federal, Hornady, Remington, & Winchester all load 280 ammo. However, 280 ammo may not be readily available at your local discount store. Also, the 280 over the years has been chambered by just about everyone and if you are looking on the used market and at gun shows you will not have much trouble finding one. If you aren't a handloader and want to be able to pick up ammo just about anywhere you will be better served to buy a 270 or a 30-06. If you like to be different and you don't forget your ammo then by all means purchase a 280 & enjoy it!

bronko22000

The 280 is a great cartridge that never really caught on. Like the 6mm over the 243. Just 2 of the cases were Rem was just a tad behind the marketing schedule. I love my 270 but I'll admit the 280 has the edge just like the 6mm has over the 243.
Probably not quite as versitle as the '06 or 7mm mag but close.
To boost sales, Remington at one point renamed it the 7mm Express. But it still didn't catch on to the public.
I don't think you will be sorry if you get a 280. You could do a lot worse.
You may want to try a search for .280 on gunsamerica.com. They list a bunch of Rugers, Dakota, Cooper. Don't know what your budget is.

DM

Many years ago i built a light weight Rem. 280, and it's done all i've asked of it. Over the years it's put a lot of meat in my freezer, including caribou, white and blk. tailed deer, blk bear ect...

If i was doing it all over again for those size animials, i'd stay with the 280...

DM

redka

Browning makes a 280, bolt action.

TomFromTheShade

The .280 is a fine choice for your son. I would go with something more commercially available, but if he has confidence in the round he is more apt to spend time shooting it and more time practicing. These things will make him a better hunter.

The .280 is basically the 30-06's thinner brother. It is a little smaller in the bullet area, but performs nearly identically under hunting conditions. If that is what he wants it is certainly a great cartridge.

ncpreacherboy1

to answer your original question: ruger, remington, weatherby, browning, winchester, nef/h&r, and t/c encore. ther may be others, these are just the ones that I know of.