skiking

Don't go with a magnum anything. You are already borderline with a .280. Pick one of these three .308, 7mm-08 or .270 Win and any game that gets away within 300 yds will be your fault. Get a rifle with a good recoil pad and get in some trigger time.

NCDhunter08

I have several rifles,,including a 280 and 7mm08 love them both,,if you get a model 7 in 7mm08 you will love it,,I have never used mine for bear,,but have2 buddies that have killed black bear with them. My 1st Canada deer was with a 7mm08 it weighed 350, once more it all comes down to bullet placement,,and if you have a large caliber you may flinch. Good luck hunting this year guys

browning2480

If you are afraid of recoil you could also get a Browning BAR. They are gas operated automatics and have less recoil. I have one in 30-06 and can shoot it all day long. I love it and would never own anything else. It is just as acurate as any out of the box bolt action.

Nailezs

Hey guys, thx for all the great advice. First, everyone says to ditch the muzzle brake, so consider the muzzle brake ditched

You mentioned the 300WSM, which coincidently, my boss has a Remington R700 XCR 300WSM for sale(for ~$700) that has been Magna-Ported. Now, my 280 just had the stock hard plastic recoil pad on it, and this XCR has a 1 inch think recoil pad, as well as the Magna-Port modification, so I am thinkin that the XCR shouldn't kick much more than my 280. Would I be correct in assuming that? If so than the XCR would probably be the gun I would get(the price doesnt hurt either).

It was a family member. They were on the verge of bankruptsy and sold all of the gun in their possesion(theirs and mine) together to try and get some money. The bad part is that I didnt even find out until a friend and I wanted to go target shooting, and the gun safe was empty.

The last 2 quotes I completely agree with, and I realize that I might be "shooting" a little high in what I want for a caliber size, but I'm doing it for 2 reasons. The first is that, god forbid, my gun slips or something nudges me as I shoot. If I miss where I am aiming but still hit the animal, I dont want it suffering or running. I want it to go down and stay down. Second is that I know I need to train myself and become used to higher calibers, and I'm hoping this is a good starting point.


EDIT: So I just talked to my family member, and they say they can get my rifles back within 2 weeks. So I'm like "YAY!" because I do love my 280, and will put a Limbsaver recoil pad on it as soon as I get it back. But, my questions about that XCR still stand, because I really want that gun!

skeeter 7MM

JMO anything in NA which to me includes the big bears a 300 is marginal. Now if your like most meaning upto and including moose then your 280 is more then capable. So i say instead of buying a mag ported 300wsm that may or may not be too much for your tolerance to recoil...unfortunately you'll only know this by shooting the firearm in question with approriated hunting loads! The suggestion is use the money you would have spent on the boss rifle and get into reloading. This will allow you to tailor your 280 rem for whatever you may hunt today and in the future. I reload for 2-280's which have seen varmits to canadian moose fall. Perfect excuse to become a reloader to enjoy the heck out of the sport and this great cartridge.

addition of a better recoil pad is an option.

Just food for thought.

PS I can't help but wonder if your eye relief on your scope isn't short either by afforded or setup proper? I've seen this happen a lot! Can also be tightening up and not flowing with the shot...on the range, seated, expecting the shot, etc Weight or size has less to do with it, then technique.

Big Z

I wouldn't mind an extra rifle in 300wsm sitting around for me

Nailezs

Thx for your input! If I do in fact get my 280 back than I will be sticking with that, and getting into reloading might be an option.
As to my scope, I too have been wondering if it is set up properly. But theres not much I can do about that until I get the rifle back. Getting a Limb-saver recoil pad and checking the scope are gonna be the second and third things I do to it, the first being a good cleaning and check over.

Teddee5

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.