I am sure someone has experience with one or both of these. I understand the actual differences (280 based on 30-06 and 7mm-08 on the 308)in the cartrages. I would like to know how different they in performance and recoil. Is there enough difference to consider owning both or are they too close.

Choose one based on performance differences. Both are excellent calibers IMO and are favorites of mine. I own a 7mm-08 and may own a .280 soon. Not because of ballistic differences, but because I like them.

I just bought a 7mm-08 Browning A-Bolt Micro Hunter. I am real happy with it. It shoots nice, the recoil is ok, and it is nice to carry.
Just my 2 cents worth.

Mike

The 280's main advantage to my thinking would be the ability to handle heavier grain bullets for larger game. Both awesome cartridges.

If you are starting out with your gun collection there is really no reason to buy both.

The differance in performance is that the 280 will fire a 160 grain bullet at about the same speed as the 7mm-08 will fire a 140 grain bullet. Or about 200 fps faster with the same weight bullets.

With the same bullets there will only be about a 4 inch differance in trajectory at 400 yards.

The big advantage the 280 has is that there is factory loaded (big four) ammo available with heavier than 140 grain bullets should you want to hunt bigger than deer size game.

i second bigbulls.not much difference at all.

You didn't say, and no one has asked, what do you plan to hunt with these cartridges????

If it's deer or blk. bear, then they are pretty much equil. For something bigger, then you need heavier bullets, and for bigger game it's best to have those heavies bullets driven a bit faster, like a 280 Rem. will do!

I really like my custom light weight 7 Express Rem.. (.280 Rem.) I've put a lot of meat in the freezer with it!

Drilling Man

Between the 280Rem. and the 7mm-08 I'd pick the 280. The 280Rem. has a little better selection of ammo, including heavier bullets in factory ammo available.
For a short action rifle I'd go with the 308Win. vs. the 7mm-08. Again, a better selection
of ammo for the 308.

Like the others have said the only advantage of the 280 is its ability to handle the heavest 7MM bullets. I have both because I could not decide wich ONE would be better Really though my 7MM-08 is a Savage Scout rifle with a 20 inch barrel while my 280 has a 26 inch barrel. For deer I load them both to the same FPS with 120 or 140 grain bullets. For Elk I would load the 150 Partition and for moose the 175 grain bullet like the Speer Grand Slam. Just My Opinion. A good 140 grain bullet would probably do it all with either rifle.

I believe I read in one of the gun rags that both the 280 and the 7mm08 were losing in the "popularity race" and manufacturers were considering no longer chambering rifles for them in a few years. Has anyone read the same thing?