RE: 280 Rem or 7mm WSM
 

I don't judge a cal. by how many loads are available for it! I judge it by, "if" the "right load" is available for the intended purpose of that cal.. In this case, YES 150 grain loads are available for the 280 at most gun shops around here, so i don't care how many loads the "other" cal has!!

Once i find a brand and style for MY rifle, i buy up several boxes of that ammo ahead! So, i also don't care if every Wally World carries that ammo or not either!!

For deer and blk bear sized game, a 280 is perfect for the job, and the 150 grain loads are up to the task. Even if 160 grain were available, i wouldn't buy them anyway! 150's are plenty tough for deer sized animals, and premium 140 grain bullets (Nosler partitions) will also easily do the job!!

Drilling Man

RE: 280 Rem or 7mm WSM
 

DM and Popeye..I don't buy anything at Wally world unless its current WSM ammo or shotgun ammo on sale. You may feel differently if you ever get on a plane and hunt somewhere else and your baggage containing your handloads gets separated from your rifle. Wally world may be the only "store" you can buy ammo from.

RE: 280 Rem or 7mm WSM
 

oldelkhunter,

That is a possibility, but it's just as feasible that i could be "seperated" from my rifle!!!

"If" i was that paranoid, i'd just forget EVERY caliber except the 30-06, as there's NO question that, that's my best chance of finding some ammo about anyplace!!

The truth is, in all the fly in hunts i've been on, (includeing one where i changed planes 5 times) non of the above has happened!!!! AND, i'd still not buy one 7mm over the other because of it.

BTW, i don't know where you go hunting, but there "aren't" any wally worlds where i go hunting!! OR, much of anything else for that matter.

Drilling Man

RE: 280 Rem or 7mm WSM
 

DM, the original intent was helping Treehawk decide between a 280 and a 7 WSM. I have them both and don't feel there is any comparism. The 7WSM flat out beats it rather badly in all areas . The inference to Wally world is since they are so common in most areas one could find ammo that is popular. The Wally World 1/2 mile from my home has tons of 7 wsm ammo but shockingly no 280 ammo. Basspro shop which is 80 miles from my house has tons of 270 7 and 300 wsm ammo and again shockingly no 280 ammo. After speaking with the guys at the counter who granted are no wizards they are telling me that if its not short mag Rem or Win sales are down the tube. I hunt out West and wherever time and money allow me and yes even out west there are Wally Worlds and less and less real gun shops.

RE: 280 Rem or 7mm WSM
 

oldelkhunter,
My intent wasn't to start a fued. I was trying to point out that there are places other than the large super stores to buy ammo.

RE: 280 Rem or 7mm WSM
 

Popeye, everyone has their own opinion of what a caliber can and can't do. If we shot the same caliber what fun would that be.

RE: 280 Rem or 7mm WSM
 

Thanks for all of the input. I like winchester model 70's and am leaning towards the 7mm WSM only because it is offered in a lot of variations in that caliber. If I was to go the 280 Rem route I would want to probably rebarrel a model 70 receiver which is probably more than what I want to tackle at this time. This may be a project to take up down the road when i have a little more$.

Again, thanks for all of you responses. I appreciate it.

RE: 280 Rem or 7mm WSM
 

Many have stated that the 280 doesn't have many loads available for it. I did a quick check of the major ammo manufacturer websites and came up with the following.
Remington-140 & 150 Pointed soft point core lokt, 165 soft point core lokt.
Winchester-140 Ballistic SilverTip & Fail Safe
Hornady- 139 SST light Magnum
Federal Premium-150 Nosler Partition, 160 Trophy Bonded, 140 Ballistic tip, & 140 Nosler Solid base
Federal Classic-140 Speer Hot Cor, 150 Soft Point

That is a total of 12 factory loads. Through several internet websites other variations that have been discontinued are still available. I also checked at my local Wal Mart and they had the 140 & 150 Remington loads on the shelf. Pretty much all they carry are remington loads in any centerfire caliber.

I have a 280 with a 25.5" barrel on it. The barrel is a Douglas. With RL19 and the 140 Ballistic tip I reach an hones 3097 fps. I used my chrony and that is 15 feet from the muzzle. My favorite factory load is the winchester ballistic SilverTip. That load chrony's 3011 out of my rifle. If you plan on hunting critters bigger than deer, pronghorn, black bear, or caribou I would opt for a larger caliber. The 7MM WSM will not kill a deer any faster than a 280.

RE: 280 Rem or 7mm WSM
 

Your not comparing apples with apples. Look at the newest Hornady reloading manual and look at a 7WSM max speed with a 139 grain SP 3300 fps. this from a factory barrel that is 24" long. No it will not kill a deer any faster but it will shoot flatter and hit with more energy on a larger animal. I am getting 3150 with factory loaded 150 grain bullets WW Powerpoints.