Thanks everyone for your insights. The 280 rem will be my next build. I'll post pics when finished.

I have used a Wby Ultralight in 280 Rem for the last 3 or 4 years. It's never let me down yet. I have only used factory ammunition thus far.

I know a couple of guys who swear by their 280 AI rifles. They are handloading their own rounds.

About same time frame for me too..Had it in Rem Pump 860 then in Ruger#1 (which I still have(wouldn't part with it) Agree with all above

have a rem. BDL 280 , no complants at all.

Only 280 I ever owned was a Ruger bolt gun, a varmint model with a 24" heavy barrel. It was really accurate but gee was that thing heavy to lug around!

Am planning on re-barreling a 98 Mauser in 280 soon, it really is a great cartridge.

I had the late Mickey Coleman in Alabama build me a 280 about 8 years ago. I haven't carried another rifle to the stand since. I'm having a 26 Nosler built just because, but more than likely I'll still carry the 280 when I head to the deer stand.

I've had a 280 in the rotation for quite a few years now. It has been just as effective as any other rifle I shoot "depending on my mood or the situation I know I'll be hunting in. I used to hunt with it a lot back in the days where I would have both a mule deer tag as well as an elk tag in my pocket. It dropped both animals in their tracks with little fuss. Most recently I've picked it back up and have been loading it with 154 SST's this bullet has been very impressive and hits like a hammer. I will most likely be carrying it most days this coming fall

The 280 is considerably easier on the throat area than any of the magnums.

So far I have bought two really nice-looking 7mm Remington magnums, only to find heat-cracking in the throat area once I got them home and took a peek with the bore scope. I still like 7mm Rem mag but would never buy one used, and would really be careful when shooting a new one at the range. In all likelihood, I would shoot my 7 mag most of the time with starting loads - that develop 280 velocities.

This kind of damage is generally not visible if you do not have a bore scope. Peering down the barrel with a light will seldom show this kind of problem at all.


With a 280 one would still be well-advised to be careful, but in general 280's are less prone to heat damage than any magnum, and so are going to be more durable and stay accurate longer.

For my part, I dubious about the extra bit of velocity a magnum offers really being worth the wear and tear on the barrel steel, and having to go out of your way to baby them so that they will not self-destruct.

Reduced loads are the magnum owner's friend.

If you do not mind periodically swapping barrels though, this is not such an issue.

Good photo Charles.

I'm in the second camp on the 7 Rem Mag. Put a big ole bullet in it and push it as hard as it wants to go. Therefore, that rifle only grts brought out on "special occasions".

Several of us predicted 1000 round barrel life, pushing a 180 gr @ 3040 fps.

Have had 2 different .280's still have one I built on a BRNO Mauser 98 action. I would not part with it. Killed numerous deer, hogs, and axis with it. Even killed a Nilgai cow with it, although I felt a little under gunned with that. The caliber seemed to go out of style for a while, but seems to be coming back and getting popular again. I hand load with 140 Accu bonds, and it is sub MOA all day long.

... Fireman what about the .280AI compared to the 7?

and then to the 7mm-08????

I am getting a 280 AI built now, not sure when it will be done.

Note how sharp the edge of the rifling is in that image... There has been very little erosion or wear. This rifle hasn't had very many rounds down the spout, but the previous owner had apparently been rapid-firing it, without letting the barrel cool between shots.

He watched Chuck Connors jacking his model 92 Winchester on "The Rifleman" and thought that it would be manly to do the same thing with his new 7mm mag.

When he couldn't get it to group well, he sold it to some old guy at the gun show. (yours truly) It looked great at the gun show, hardly a mark on it, and peering down the barrel with a bore light showed bright, shiny rifling. When I got it home and ran the bore scope in to see if there was any copper build-up, that's when I discovered that the throat was fried, and took that picture for future refrence. I gave it a chance with several loads, glass bedded it etc. - but it never did shoot very well. In the end, it got a new barrel, there was nothing else to do.

The barrel in my 1885 Winchester in 270WSM still looks new after almost 500 rounds - but I've been shooting mouse loads through it that are equivalent to a 125 grain 30-30 load. - A 130 grain bullet loafing along at around 2100 fps.

Swapping barrels on an 1885 is major surgery, it's not easy or cheap like on a bolt gun. When it goes into the field, it will be set up for full-power loads. The mouse loads are best for casual target shooting though, the paper never knows the difference. It's cheap, fun shooting and quite accurate, contrary to popular belief.

I have a 98 Mauser that needs a new barrel here. It is now chambered in 30-06, but apparently somebody saved money by using cheap surplus rounds with corrosive primers. It looks like a Mosin Nagant down the barrel, a real sewer. That one will be getting a 280 Remington barrel when I get around to resurrecting it. It's a real sweetheart with a butter-knife bolt handle, double-set triggers and a classic peep sight. For now though, it's all Bubba'd up and never makes it out of the safe.

I own the large (7 Rem Mag) and the small (7mm-08) in that list.

Of course the small will make the least velocity, but other factors such as barrel length, bullet weight, and powder choice are major factors in velocity.

7mm-08, 22" barrel, suppressed, 162 gr A-max @ 2635 fps MV

7mm Rem Mag, 26" barrel, 180 gr. Berger VLD Hunting @ 3020 fps MV.

So the 280 would push a 162 gr quite a bit faster than the 7mm-08, but it cannot push a 180 gr as fast as a 7mm Rem Mag. If I were to build a 280 or 280 A.I. it would get fed 168 gr. Bergers, and find where it shoots best not searching for a specific velocity. I'd want the case as full as possible, since that has shown to be a consistent shooter especially in long actions. In any case, I suspect the velocity of the 168 gr out of the .280 would be more than satisfying. It would be a combination that would do anything you ask it to. Long range target to killing elk as kong as you know its' and your limitations.