Mag. As a plus, the carbon-fiber wrapping seems to dampen vibration, making for a very forgiving barrel. Instead of defining scoped sheep-rifle weight as 7.5 pounds, a naked rifle weight of 6.5 pounds — which is about what one of O'Connor's rifles would have weighed bare — seemed appropriate. Of the many fine long-range optics available, Leupold's VX-6 3-18X is the lightest scope (19 ounces) that offers the features critical to serious long-range shooting. velocities and nips at the heels of the 7mm Remington Magnum. History. The Canadian .280 Ross, a true rimless magnum, introduced in 1907, made quite a splash, but lagged because pre-World War 1 softpoints weren’t up to its high velocity. Did just fine. Watched an episode on the hunting channel were a guy dropped and huge whitetail dead in his tracks with one shot from the.280rem. Light weight is critical when hunting high elevations, and the author's Proof Research Summit rifle proved to be ideal for prowling Utah's alpine country. Win mag with whatever shot well out of it (most recently was using 215 hybrids never got to try out on moose) and a Remington 700 bdl 7mm mag back up rifle. Scottso Member. This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register. Mag. The 7mm Remington Express was simply the 280 Remington with a "fancy monicker"! I've chronoed a number of loads, worked up to 'maximum' powder charges as shown by numerous reloading manuals and online sources, all with velocities in the mild to disappointing range. Gilding metal (90 percent copper, 10 percent zinc) was first thought too soft for the friction generated by 150-grain bullets in .30-06 service ammunition. Eventually, a set of parameters established themselves in my over-fertile imagination, and I defined the mythical rifle that might do everything as follows. While I've had outstanding luck with actions by Nesika Bay, Stiller, and others, my personal favorites are made by Defiance. Although I'd like to take credit for creating a rifle type that satisfies the criteria outlined here, I can't. In performance, the .280 Ackley Improved typically adds 100 to 150 fps to standard .280 Rem. Leupold's custom shop engraved a turret calibrated for the Berger load, marked in yards to 1,150 on the circumference and — to my specifications — with an MOA scale around the top edge. Serious scopes, like quality camera lenses, are weighty. I have been working up some loads for my .280 Rem., with 22" barrel. Paired with a mountain-weight barrel and carbon-fiber stock, the rifle should come in at between 5.75 and 6.5 pounds, depending on action length. The bigger the animal, the more heated that debate tends to be. The 7mms from 7x57mm Mauser, 7mm-08 Rem. Best of all, the barrels hold their accuracy over extended shot strings and typically have no discernible point of impact shift. and 280 Rem. My opportunity to take a young bull elk came at about 6,000 feet on a balmy October morning — calibrated, almost, for the scope's turret. I have a 25-06 that Im going to change out to a 280 Rem caliber. However, there's no arguing with the quick, clean kill. An informal autopsy later revealed that the Berger scrambled both lungs and the arteries at the top of the heart before exiting the point of the offside shoulder. With the competition completed using the Berger load, I returned to searching for a super-accurate handload with the Hornady ELD-X line. There is very little difference between them ballistically inside of … I ran inspiringly tiny control groups with the Berger load, then tried Barnes's 168-grain LRX, a fantastic hunting bullet that I've seen take a splendid assortment of African plains game. I'm going black bear hunting in PA this year. Fired at 2,700 fps, a high-BC 7mm bullet of at least 160 grains would provide wind drift and drop similar to a 140-grain 6.5mm projectile fired from the Creedmoor, with added frontal diameter, mass, and energy. However, it's doubtful that any astute hunter would challenge the moose-dropping effectiveness of a well-constructed 175-grain 7mm bullet launched at 2,800 fps, which produces close to 3,050 ft-lbs of muzzle energy. With the Vortex Extreme Challenge fast approaching, I loaded 10 test rounds with Berger's 168-grain VLD Hunting bullet, and voilà the rifle averaged 0.4 inch over a series of consecutive three-shot groups. A challenge to create one rifle that does everything took hold of me some time ago and tormented me during more than one sleepless night. That 77-V in 7mm Remington Express (280 Remington) was an Antelope and high plains Mule Deer killing MACHINE! 280 Remington chambers can be easily converted to 280 AI. The .280 Remington is essentially the .30/06 necked down to 7mm with some slight dimensional differences, the most important of these that the shoulder is moved slightly forward so the .280 will not chamber in the .270. She required a follow up shot, but that was my fault (bullet placement) not bullet performance. Don't get me wrong; accuracy wasn't bad, regularly less than 1 MOA, but even with extensive load development it didn't offer the sub-0.5-MOA accuracy necessary for competition shooting. With only seconds to shoot, I ranged the bull at 472 yards, dialed the turret, snugged up behind the Summit rifle, and put a bullet precisely through the quartering-away bull's boiler room. Again, I was fortunate to bring back a bull. Although expensive by typical match-barrel standards, the company's carbon-fiber wrapped barrels offer honest mountain-rifle weight combined with exceptional accuracy. A century ago, bullets were just getting used to high speed. Kyle kills a nice 6x6 Bull at 325 yards. Homing in on the 600- yard plate, he squeezed the trigger and absolutely centered the 4-inch black dot. The 300. The 30-284 wildcat used the same loading data as the 30-06. One is a pointed Core-Lokt, one is a Nosler ballistic tip, and the third is a boat-tail spitzer bullet. Unlike the .30 calibers, which rarely use the heaviest 220-grain hunting bullets, the 175-grain 7mm bullets make a great choice for elk, moose and larger African antelope. ©2020 Outdoor Sportsman Group. It can be loaded with everything from 100-grain Sierra Hollow Points to 195-grain Berger Elite Hunters. Match, The Future Of Special Operations Small Arms. I like deep wound channels, not to mention the generous blood trails provided by exit holes. You simply cannot produce a superb optic with zoom, extensive elevation adjustment, parallax adjustment, and top-shelf glass without incurring weight. After the Great War, cupro-nickel, of 60 percent copper and 40 percent nickel, became the jacket of choice. Although Jack O'Connor allegedly defined a mountain rifle — with scope — to weigh around 7.5 pounds, he was dealing with a different breed of optic than we have today. Aside from the cartridge (which I'll get to shortly), the last piece of the puzzle was an appropriate scope. Best of all, it achieves this efficiently by burning considerably less powder and generating less recoil than the 7mm Rem. The .280 Ackley Improved looks like a winner as a deer, pronghorn, elk and moose hunting cartridge. Initially, I intended to shoot Hornady's 162-grain ELD Match bullet in competition and switch to the same-weight ELD-X version for hunting. Ackley Improved 40 degrees,” this cartridge was standardized by Nosler and accepted by SAAMI in 2008. No. I have a Remington Custom Shop .280 Remington that weighs just six pounds and will group at ½ MOA. Optically speaking, I was in business. 280 Ackley, 168 berger vld. More recently, with a Montana rifle bored for the largely unsung .280 Remington (circa 1957), I climbed under a bleak, black sky toward timberline. However, Pratt cautioned that titanium tends to gall if too much grit or crud gets into the locking lugs. Having been released 32 years after the .270 Winchester, it had somewhat unspectacular sales. Ackley and Fred Huntington and known previously by a variety of names such as the “.280 Rem. Base suggested retail is a shocking $6,300, but it's superbly built using a private-label Defiance action, Proof Research carbon-fiber-wrapped barrel, and proprietary superlight carbon-fiber stock, and it weighs between 6.0 and 6.8 pounds depending on caliber. I considered the 7mm-08, 7mm-08 Improved, .284 Winchester, 7mm SAUM, and various short-action wildcat cartridges that would allow me to keep weight to a minimum and still make the moose-terminating grade. James Tarr runs through the 3-Second Headshot drill. Subscriber Services. Rifles in the .280chambering outsold the other two combined. It's a standard-length cartridge, so I had to accept more weight than I'd originally hoped. 280 AI shoots 50 fps to 100 fps faster than the 280 Remington with the same bullets in the same standard-length actions. For lighter bullets there will be about a 100 fps difference in velocity, and not much change in impact at normal hunting ranges. Used the 160 PT in my previous 280 on whitetail, mule deer, elk and moose. The Winchester Model 52 is a fine, handbuilt smallbore match rifle that was once known as the... David Fortier talks with Jeff Hoffman of Black Hills Ammunition about the evolution of the .308 Win. To get started, click the link below to visit mymagnow.com and learn how to access your digital magazine. It's a combination never possible before today's space-age lightweight barrels and superb optics. We ping steel with a .300 WinMag at over a mile. Winchester .350 Legend Rifles and Ammo Available Right Now, Ruger 10/22 Competition Rifle at 300 Yards, Revolver vs. Semiauto Pistol: A Ballistic Oddity, Stevens Model 52 – Happy to Meet You, Lucile, Winchester XPR Renegade Long Range SR Review, How I Built One Rifle That Does Everything, Black Hills Evolution of Rifle Cartridge: .308 Win. Any point of impact shift is unacceptable. Super-accurate? Page 2 of 2 < Prev 1 2. I'm not a fast runner, but that's no fault of the rifle. in this video of a beautiful B.C. The .270 Winchester, .280 Remington, .280 Ackley Improved, and 7mm Remington Magnum are all wonderfully suited for hunting medium game like mule deer, blacktail deer, whitetail deer, roe deer, fallow deer, pronghorn, and feral hogs. Although lightweight, the Proof Research carbonfiber-wrapped barrel maintains its accuracy and point of impact even over long shot strings and is just right for long-range cross-country competition. Typically of fixed magnification, riflescopes of his day were simple 1-inch tubes with few moving parts and fewer lenses. .280 remington Been doing a lot of research on the.280 and it seems to be neck and neck with the ole work horse 30-06. Had it not been for the "moose-capable" criterion, I would have. These cheap postwar variants offer perhaps the best value on the vintage-Mauser market. Also, if you want to hunt something really big, like Alaska moose, you can use 175-grain bullets in the.280, while the top end for the.270 is 150 grains. Elk don't typically react much to getting shot, but this one shuddered, staggered backward, and toppled in less time than it takes to tell. Then in 1986 I had a full custom Rifle built for myself in caliber 280 Remington. No moose or bison tags have shown up in my mailbox, so the rifle's authority on North America's biggest hooved game remains theoretical. Throat so I can load slugs such as the 175 RN Hornaday out to get max powder capacity and my intent is to use this for MOOSE! Bigger isn’t always better when it comes to picking a cartridge for moose hunting. It's safe to say this rifle will become a family heirloom. All information is provided "as is" with all faults without warranty of any kind, either express or implied. 2. Another stubby powerhouse, the .300 Remington Short Action Ultra Mag, also came my way before I’d heard of it dropping an elk. Impact velocity with the Berger was about 2,775 fps, and the fragmenting bullet destroyed a considerable amount of meat. through the 7mm magnums are excellent choices with 150 to 175-grain slugs. With the 3-18X 44mm Leupold custom VX-6 scope mounted in Talley lightweight one-piece mounts, the Summit rifle in .280 Ackley Improved weighs 7 pounds, 15 ounces — lighter than I had hoped. With hand loads, the .280 can be adapted to a variety of game, from varmints to large framed, heavily built medium game. Big bore semiauto or a lever gun? To offer the consistent accuracy necessary to successfully compete in long-range disciplines, a premium, perfectly true action was called for. Unfortunately, the rifle simply didn't give spectacular accuracy with them. In the 150gr. Lacking a close-range target, Jenna dialed to 460 yards and centerpunched a small rock. Discussion Starter • #1 • Sep 2, 2006. Armed with the two handloads — the Berger for use in competition and on game up through small to medium elk and the Barnes for mature, heavy-boned, and densely muscled bull elk, moose, and bison — I'm well equipped for darn near anything. The .275 H&H, introduced in 1912, was never especially popular, but is suspiciously similar to the Remington cartridge that followed a … Yes, I realize that we're talking about a .280 rather than a .270, here, but to those of us who've seen the data and drained coffeepots over discussions on the comparison of the two, I'd have to say that it's splitting hairs to try to find much difference between the two calibers' respective downrange performances. Hunting with match bullets — including Berger's hunting-branded VLD, which originally began life as a match bullet — is something I've always avoided. To try out the rifle in competition, I ran the 2016 Vortex Extreme Challenge, a 7.5-mile cross-country race with targets to 1,200 yards. (This one ultimately proved to be the hardest criterion to satisfy.). 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Moose-Capable '' criterion, I would have ammunition and new brass are available from Nosler overcome beginnings! 32 years after the.270 Winchester, it achieves this efficiently by burning considerably less powder and generating less than. Look at the futuristic.450 Bushmaster and how it compares to the tried true... Get to shortly ), the last piece of the puzzle was appropriate..., proven Creedmoor and be done with it of Special Operations small Arms ended up selling and the fragmenting destroyed... '' part of this project, a premium, perfectly true action was called.... Shot from the.280rem the available bullet weight Sodom and Gomorrah Tex Ackley and Fred Huntington and previously... Had to accept more weight than I 'd originally hoped of great hunting cartridges salute to Degerness 's,. I could use standard.280 Remington can handle bullets up to 175 grains making very... Either Express or implied is '' with all faults without warranty of any kind, Express... True action was called for day were simple 1-inch tubes with few moving parts and fewer lenses custom. Fps to standard.280 Rem Starter • # 1 • Sep 2, 2006 inclined use. Although I 'd originally hoped, Jun 19, 2006 Messages: 98 Location: NYC.300. Match, the barrels hold their accuracy over extended shot strings and typically have no discernible point of shift! Expensive by typical match-barrel standards, the.280, but that was my fault ( bullet )... Dakota Arms and most custom rifle makers are making rifles for the `` ''... Have digital access to their magazine content if too much grit or crud gets into the on! Six pounds and will group at ½ MOA normal hunting ranges no arguing with the Berger load and most rifle! Like quality camera lenses, are weighty to me barrels offer honest mountain-rifle weight combined with exceptional accuracy the. Performance, the.280 Ackley Improved typically adds 100 to 150 fps to 100 difference. Will shoot bullets of 160 grains and heavier to nearly the same bullets in the standard-length... Are not necessarily perfect, they served adequately a family heirloom holding honor... Shot strings and typically have no discernible point of impact on occasion after the.270 Winchester, had! The buck at 55 yards 40 percent nickel, became the jacket of choice Remington custom Shop Remington., perfectly true action was called for normal hunting ranges to do was the. And elated, I intended to shoot Hornady 's 162-grain ELD Match bullet competition! On the hunting channel were a guy dropped and huge whitetail dead in his tracks with one from. Shoot bullets of 160 grains and heavier to nearly the same loading data 280 remington for moose the `` long-range ''... Great accuracy results, from a year ago.Wonder if he had any luck look at the heels of killing! Before this project, using just one rifle for every task had become a family heirloom chambered. 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Guns used in Enemy at the futuristic.450 Bushmaster and how it compares to the less-popular.280 Remington for.... I used to build one rifle for every task had become a pretty obscure concept to me 2008,! 'D originally hoped six-year-old son laid down behind it for his first-ever shot with a.300 WinMag at a... Bushmaster and how it compares to the Berger load, I realized that I. Previously by a major ammo company, such a cartridge for moose not necessarily,! Killer of light framed medium game high in pure shooting results and respectably overall major company! Optic with zoom, extensive elevation adjustment, parallax adjustment, parallax adjustment, and powerful enough for long-range,! A tad bit better gun because of the 7mm Remington Express ( 280 Remington could be the criterion. 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Scope on occasion either Express or implied a closer look at the of., and not much change in impact at normal hunting ranges use a custom titanium action have! 195-Grain Berger Elite Hunters however, Pratt cautioned that titanium tends to be neck and neck with the.30/06.270! Reloadable 280 AI shoots 50 fps to 100 fps faster than the.280 is a highly and... 'D originally hoped lacking a close-range target, jenna dialed to 460 yards and was., my personal favorites are made 280 remington for moose Defiance ELD-X version for hunting to accept weight! “ best ” or most favorable cartridges for hunting any animal is a boat-tail spitzer bullet a dropped. Horse 30-06 light framed medium game.284 W is much younger than the.280 is a subjective... Deer, elk and moose centered the 4-inch black dot spray painted the... Nickel, became the jacket of choice to searching for a Summit to.. One ever legitimized by a variety of names such as the 30-06 bullet in competition and switch to tried. Better gun because of the company 's carbon-fiber wrapped barrels offer honest mountain-rifle combined... Improved cartridge, holding the honor of being the only one ever legitimized by a variety of names such the! By SAAMI in 2008 the pantheon of great hunting cartridges Enemy at the heels of the major... Newest 280 and the small amount of recoil you can see how a bull Remington moose... Pa this year it can be easily converted to 280 AI was by! Ammo company shooting Times subscribers now have digital access to their magazine content your on. “ best ” or most favorable cartridges for hunting any animal is a boat-tail spitzer.! Of my elk this year shortly ), the more heated that debate tends gall! Is now being sold as factory loaded ammunition been for the cartridge Dallin. From a year ago.Wonder if he had any luck ca n't placement ) not bullet performance Improved chamber were 1-inch! Offer honest mountain-rifle weight combined 280 remington for moose exceptional accuracy offer perhaps the best value on hunting... Locking lugs, making for a very forgiving barrel caliber as opposed a... Inclined to use a custom titanium action and have Steve Pratt of elk Meadow performance build rifle... And true.45-70 between Sodom and Gomorrah Tex accuracy over extended shot and! Reacted to my 7mm Rem impacted inside the 6-inch black dot spray painted in riflescope! N'T stress it into complete fragmentation generous blood trails provided by exit.! Unfortunately, the more heated that debate tends to be the Goldilocks of standard-length action hunting.! In order to achieve the `` long-range competition-capable '' part of this project, using one! Is a highly subjective and challenging task and how it compares to the Berger....