What factory load

Blinginpse · Oct 3, 2015

Got a xbolt 280 Remington need shells for. Had it bout 4 months not left the box. Any shells you would recommend. Will be a whitetail gun that will give to my dad. Not had much history in a 280 besides reading. Any thoughts on shells?

Also have a 6.5 creedmor in xbolt never left the box that need to shoot be and a 257 Roberts in abolt. Any ideas on the creedmor too?

Need scopes for em all but been no hurry really

belly-deep · Oct 3, 2015

The most accurate factory load I've shot in three different 280s is the Federal Premium 150gr Nosler Partition.

The thing about 280 factory loads is, even the cheap stuff isn't all that cheap compared to similar loads for a 270 or '06. For only a couple bucks more, you can usually be shooting top of the line ammo.

next30years · Oct 4, 2015

I have a Remington M700 280 that likes the Nosler 140 BST. Great whitetail round.

Midwayusa.com has Winchester 140 BST and Federal Premium 150 PT for about $30 a box. I would also not hesitate to use the Hornady Superformance or Federal Fusion on whitetail.

Can't go wrong with Swarovski or Zeiss and now Leica for just about any budget. Very quality glass. On the low end, the Zeiss Terra or Conquest, in the middle Swarovski Z3 or Leica ER5, and on the high end . . .

I can vouch for the Zeiss Conquest 3-9x50 on my 375 H&H and a 3-9x40 on a 7mm-08, a Swarovski Z3 4-12x50 on my 270 Win, and I plan on putting a Leica ER5 1.5-8x32 on my 280 for next season.

Good luck.

Blinginpse · Oct 4, 2015

I have a conquest on my smokeless muzzleloader and love it. Figure that's what I will go with as money allows. Seems the terra isn't liked as much as the conquest?

Dougfir · Oct 4, 2015

Seems like any Federal premium option with a Nosler bullet ends up being accurate.

Laelkhunter · Oct 4, 2015

Remington Core-Loc seems to be accurate out of every rifle I have ever seen it shot out of (I run the Public Shooting sight-in days at the Sheriff's Range).
Just about the least expensive factory ammo out there, and it will do nicely for White tail hunting. Nikon scopes are hard to beat for value, or if you want to spend more Swarovski is my recommendation.

Dougfir · Oct 4, 2015

Laelkhunter said:
Remington Core-Loc seems to be accurate out of every rifle I have ever seen it shot out of (I run the Public Shooting sight-in days at the Sheriff's Range).
Just about the least expensive factory ammo out there, and it will do nicely for White tail hunting. Nikon scopes are hard to beat for value, or if you want to spend more Swarovski is my recommendation.

I always felt the same, until I got my new M-70 (7mm-08). It hates Core-Lokts. Shoots about a 2.75 inch group at 100 yards. It hates several other loads that I've tried as well, but 140 gr NBT's shoot .75" It's my first picky rifle...

Blinginpse · Oct 4, 2015

I got the gun tonight. Gonna give to dad in the morning to use. I will go to local gun shop see what I can dig up

Carlin59 · Oct 4, 2015

Local availability is always a consideration. Every mom and pop sells core-lokts, they are cheap, tend to shoot well in most rifles, and are great for whitetails. Scope recommendations really need an acceptable price range from the OP to provide helpful suggestions. Nicely done on helping set your dad up with a great gun!

husky390 · Oct 4, 2015

The "Blue Box" of Federal Soft Points have always worked well for me accuracy wise. I haven't shot game with them. I can tell you that a 100gr Barnes TTSX does a number on Whitetail in .257 Roberts.

Blinginpse · Oct 5, 2015

Carlin59 said:
Local availability is always a consideration. Every mom and pop sells core-lokts, they are cheap, tend to shoot well in most rifles, and are great for whitetails. Scope recommendations really need an acceptable price range from the OP to provide helpful suggestions. Nicely done on helping set your dad up with a great gun!

Dad has a Nikon he will put on the gun bthen when he gets tired using it I'll put my on scope on. Likely 3-450$ range. Which that price range also goes toward the 6.5 and the 257. I try to afford decent glass

husky390 · Oct 5, 2015

I'm pretty happy with my Leupold VX-II CDS in 3-9x.

belly-deep · Oct 5, 2015

Carlin59 said:
Local availability is always a consideration. Every mom and pop sells core-lokts, they are cheap, tend to shoot well in most rifles, and are great for whitetails. Scope recommendations really need an acceptable price range from the OP to provide helpful suggestions. Nicely done on helping set your dad up with a great gun!

Try finding 280 at a mom and pop. "Local availability" left the 280 station long ago. And quite frankly, the poorest reason to pick a load. Accuracy, velocity, and bullet construction trump by a long shot.

belly-deep · Oct 5, 2015

Laelkhunter said:
Just about the least expensive factory ammo out there, and it will do nicely for White tail hunting.

True for common rounds, not so much for the rare birds like a 280. As I said above you can upgrade to premium ammo for very little with a 280.

cuerro viejo · Oct 5, 2015

Cooper canyon ammo on the creedmoor. 139 Lupas and 130 vld shoot really well in mine.

Carlin59 · Oct 6, 2015

belly-deep said:
Try finding 280 at a mom and pop. "Local availability" left the 280 station long ago. And quite frankly, the poorest reason to pick a load. Accuracy, velocity, and bullet construction trump by a long shot.

If there is going to be local availability in .280, the end user (the OP's father) will have much higher odds of finding Core-Lokts/Federal Blue-Box/Win Power-Points than any one specific premium loading. Where I grew up in small-town WI, most gas stations/hardware stores will have a little ammo section, and they actually typically do have a dusty box or two of .280 in a basic (Rem/Fed/Win) loading. Just my experience there.
I agree that accuracy, velocity, and bullet construction are all important, but I don't see any evidence that any of the "basic" factory loadings won't meet these criteria. The end goal is a whitetail factory loading out of an '06-class caliber. Pretty hard to mess up velocity and bullet construction. Also, the end-user of this rifle set-up is being given a gun and factory loading by the OP. That suggests he likely isn't all that concerned with wringing every last .1" out of this gun, and wants a simple setup that will get the job done chasing deer. Unless the OP is going to send his dad a box of premium ammo every times he needs one, why not set him up from the start with a basic, (relatively) cheap, (relatively) easy to find factory loading that won't change from year-to-year like many premium loadings do? Although my dad introduced me to everything hunting-related, I now do most of his gear outfitting for him, and try to keep it as simple as will still effectively work. Just my two sense on the subject.

belly-deep · Oct 6, 2015

Carlin59 said:
If there is going to be local availability in .280, the end user (the OP's father) will have much higher odds of finding Core-Lokts/Federal Blue-Box/Win Power-Points than any one specific premium loading. Where I grew up in small-town WI, most gas stations/hardware stores will have a little ammo section, and they actually typically do have a dusty box or two of .280 in a basic (Rem/Fed/Win) loading. Just my experience there.

There are low odds of finding any .280 ammo in a mom and pop store. That's just a fact. To suggest that he should pick load "XYZ" based on "local availability" when local availability doesn't exist is bad advice. On top of that, we live in the day and age of internet shopping, where you can have pretty much anything shipped to your doorstep within a matter of days.

BTW, there is no Winchester Power Point load for the .280 so you must be confusing the ammo you saw with something else.

Carlin59 said:
I agree that accuracy, velocity, and bullet construction are all important, but I don't see any evidence that any of the "basic" factory loadings won't meet these criteria. The end goal is a whitetail factory loading out of an '06-class caliber. Pretty hard to mess up velocity and bullet construction. Also, the end-user of this rifle set-up is being given a gun and factory loading by the OP. That suggests he likely isn't all that concerned with wringing every last .1" out of this gun, and wants a simple setup that will get the job done chasing deer.

Carlin, please tell us how many different .280 factory loads you have shot and your analysis of their performance.

In my experience, the .280 core lokt ammunition has chronographed 150-200 fps below advertised velocity. I've shot it through 3 .280's in the 140gr and 150gr loadings. Accuracy was poor.

Winchester's single loading of the 140gr Ballistic Silvertip shot to advertised velocity on good days (on bad days it shot slow, probably because it is loaded with a ball powder that appears to be Supreme 780, which is not resistant to temperature variation). Accuracy was ok, but not what one would expect out of a Ballistic Tip.

Three different Federal Premium loadings shot a little bit slow, but not enough to worry about. Accuracy was good. On-game performance was as expected with Nosler Bullets.

Carlin59 said:
Unless the OP is going to send his dad a box of premium ammo every times he needs one, why not set him up from the start with a basic, (relatively) cheap, (relatively) easy to find factory loading that won't change from year-to-year like many premium loadings do?

I'll say it again since you must not have done any fact checking the first time. "Cheap" .280 ammo is not cheap. It is about the same price as premium ammo as you can see here:

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/18...ted-soft-point-box-of-20?cm_vc=ProductFinding

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/71...mington-140-grain-trophy-bonded-tip-box-of-20

Why anyone would buy low grade factory ammo when they can buy premium ammo for the same price is beyond me.

If the OP had asked about a .270, .308, or .30-06 I would agree with many of your points. I can't with your generalizations about the .280 however.

6mm Remington · Oct 6, 2015

A 140 gr. Partition or Accubond would be perfect medicine in the .280 for just about anything. Federal loads both as does Nosler. Watch the Nosler Shooter's Pro Shop site and you can find blemished rounds for a great price.

A 6x42 or 6x36mm Leupold scope would be ultra tough, clear, and have the power range for anything from really close to far away. I'm a fixed power firm believer. IN a variable I really like the 2.5-8x-36mm Leupold, the 3.5-10x-40 mm Leupold, or the 4.5-14X-40mm Leupold. The Zeiss Conquest 2.5-10x is also a very very good scope. He would do no wrong with any that I have mentioned, at least in my opinion.

Blinginpse · Oct 6, 2015

6mm Remington said:
A 140 gr. Partition or Accubond would be perfect medicine in the .280 for just about anything. Federal loads both as does Nosler. Watch the Nosler Shooter's Pro Shop site and you can find blemished rounds for a great price.

A 6x42 or 6x36mm Leupold scope would be ultra tough, clear, and have the power range for anything from really close to far away. I'm a fixed power firm believer. IN a variable I really like the 2.5-8x-36mm Leupold, the 3.5-10x-40 mm Leupold, or the 4.5-14X-40mm Leupold. The Zeiss Conquest 2.5-10x is also a very very good scope. He would do no wrong with any that I have mentioned, at least in my opinion.

The zeiss 2.5-10 is my want.

Blinginpse · Oct 6, 2015

Would any of the 3 calibers ive mentioned Not be suitable for mulie or elk?

What factory load

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