Anello
Lil-Rokslider
I have a .280 Rem with a 22" barrel. My favorite gun. Plenty of power/velocity with 140's (2900-3050 depending on load). Accurate and very moderate recoil. I love the 7Mag and I love the idea of the 7MM short mags, but have not gone there as I don't have a need based on my experience with the .280 Rem. I know several folks on this site swear by the 7MM short mags in lighter rifles, but with your current set up that might not be an option. Recoil of the 7Mag with lighter platforms is cost prohibitive for me and I hate brakes. As you reload, you may find that the .280 Rem is pretty easy to work with. I have been using IMR 4350 and have solid accuracy and velocity in the 140's and 150's. I have been shooting TTSX's and GMX's primarily and am currently working on a lead load with 150 grain Sciroccos. I agree with your take on 7MM components, too. Another good selling point in this environment.
I've killed a bunch of Deer and pigs with mine, so I know it is plenty of gun for them out to reasonable ranges (0-400 or so). If I could ever stop passing up Black Bears I might have some thoughts on performance there, but I don't, and all the Elk I have killed were with the bow, so I don't have any anecdotal data on .280 Rem performance there either. But, I read a bunch of reports of folks on this site killing Elk with the 7mm-08, so I imagine a 20" barrel in .280 Rem would provide similar ballistic performance, albeit with the ability to use bigger bullets. I like the long action slick feeding for follow up shots with my rifle, so that might garner consideration. All the short mags I have owned over the years (in other calibers) shot great, but didn't feed as well. The last buck I killed with the .280 Rem required a quick follow up shot as it happened quickly, off-hand, so the slick feeding of the .280 was helpful.
Great thread. Thanks to the other posters for chiming in.
I've killed a bunch of Deer and pigs with mine, so I know it is plenty of gun for them out to reasonable ranges (0-400 or so). If I could ever stop passing up Black Bears I might have some thoughts on performance there, but I don't, and all the Elk I have killed were with the bow, so I don't have any anecdotal data on .280 Rem performance there either. But, I read a bunch of reports of folks on this site killing Elk with the 7mm-08, so I imagine a 20" barrel in .280 Rem would provide similar ballistic performance, albeit with the ability to use bigger bullets. I like the long action slick feeding for follow up shots with my rifle, so that might garner consideration. All the short mags I have owned over the years (in other calibers) shot great, but didn't feed as well. The last buck I killed with the .280 Rem required a quick follow up shot as it happened quickly, off-hand, so the slick feeding of the .280 was helpful.
Great thread. Thanks to the other posters for chiming in.