thompson center guarantees 1" group at 100 yards. i agree with the 7mm-08..my 12 y/o, after she shot it, was like..."didnt even feel the kick." and she was hesitant at 1st...she thought i laid a cannon in front of her. lol good times

Tikka guarantees a 1" group at 100 yards too. I would get the Tikka T3 .270

There are a lot of "good" inexpensive rifles out there right now.

Spend your money on good glass !

The Tikka is a sweet rifle and you won't find a slicker action. But unfortunately they don't make it in a .280 (I just looked at their catalog).
The Browning A bolt would be my second choice.

If you are really set on getting the boy another rifle then I'm sure you'll make a good decision ... but I'd seriously consider just getting another stock for the rifle you have. Maybe you're put off by the short barrell on the compact?

Restocking is a great option on some guns, as Ive done so myself, but I almost get the feeling the OP is looking to move up in power and caliber as well. For giggles, you might also look at the 7mm Rem Mag. Its very popular, wellestablished, still a mild-moderate recoiling rifle. Its a step up from a 280, though not huge. With the great recoil pads that they put on the new rifles now, its very tame.

on the contrary, its a step down with more powder? 280 is a neck down 30-06? something

A 280 Remington, aka 7mm Express, is a necked down 30'06. A 7mm Remington magnum, is a step up in powder capacity, and ballistics. I'm not sure where you would get that its a step down.
Federal Ammunition Load# 7RA 150gr powerpoint, MV 3110 FPS, 3221 Ft-Lbs of energy.
The same bullet, in a 280 Remington, Load#280B is 2890FPS, 2782Ft-Lbs energy.

Ok, lets drop to 140gr, 3150FPS for the 7mm mag, and 2900 for the 280.

In 160gr, the 7mm mag, 2950FPS, the 280, well Federal doesn't offer that weight. I went to Hodgdon Powder's website, and the best data they have for 160gr slugs, is a full 200FPS less, then the 7mm Mag.

So in closing, the numbers speak for themselves. It holds more powder, a little less efficient, pushes bullets out 200fps faster, and, though the 280 is a great round in my opinion, the 7mm rem mag is alot more popular and easier to find ammo for.

I am with you on that I shoot a 280 mountian rifle and would love one of the cdl ss models. have you checked gun broker for any. My wife shoots a 7mm08 in a model 7 lss. I use the same bullets adn its a blast. good luck looking for one as they are hard to find.

well i was just thinkin that 7mm(.275591, had to google for the long number, i aint trying to act like i know or anything..hence all the "?")and a .280, actually a .284? so it would be a smaller bullet? with more powder?