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What 280 for hunting?

spm815
I used to own a 742 in .280 and really liked the cartridge. The 742 went the way of many 742's, so now I am looking for another rifle in that caliber. I would prefer a bolt. The primary use would be whitetail hunting. Does anyone have a preference of one rifle over another? Thanks.
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8 comments

Date Votes
  • gskyhawk
    we as in my brother and I have had several different Rugers and 1 Rem. in 280 all have been fine shooters , i don't think you can really go wrong with any of them as long as they are from one of the mayor name brands,, I would look for one that has the features that you like, ie stock design , maybe a hinged floor plate , maybe a clip ,, things along those lines ,,,, one thing to remember is that Rugers come with scope rings where most of the other brands you have to buy the mounts and rings..

    you would also want to decide what kind of barrel you want , is it going to be used for a lot of walking type hunting then a light weight barrel will cut down on the weight of the gun , if most of your hunting is from a stand then maybe a heavy weight barrel would be better
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  • bperdue21
    if they still make the remington 700 mountain rifle in it, that would be my choice. the recoil is heavier, but if you walk alot, you will be much happier with it than the ruger. mine is HEAVY. according to the 25th edition blue book, they no longer make the 280 in the regular bdl or adl. they do apparently still make it in the mountain rifle.

    I'm not an expert, but i did stay in a Holiday Inn Express last night.
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  • r_himmelreich
    I've owned 3 280s. The first was a Ruger 77 standard weight. Loved the rifle but wanted a Rem 700 to match my other rifles. I bought a Rem 700 SS/DBM with a 24" sporter barrel. It was a tack driver but decided I wanted a lighter rifle for the amount of walking I do while hunting and I did not like the detachable magazine. I recently picked up a used Rem 700 mountain rifle with a hinged floorplate and will never get rid of it. The point is you can find exactly what you want. 280s can be hard to find in the exact configuration you want but take your time - you'll find it. BTW: Remington still makes the 280 in their mountain rifle but only with the detachable box magazine.

    RH
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  • ern98
    I went to the auction site and searched for "280" rifles of all sorts. Rejecting high end, over $1500, and single shot rifles leaves you with the Browning A bolt, the Rurger and several types of Rem 700. I have nothing bad to say about the Abolt, but I just haven't gotten used to their looks. The above advise about the Rem mountain rifle is good, but then again so was the advise about the built in scope mounts on the Ruger. So you will have to use cost and what the probable use will be to decided on between them. You could also just haunt the auction site waiting for a reasonably priced custom to come on the market. One other thing, do not buy an older Ruger. Years back their barrels weren't worth squat, now they are fine. You should be ok with any Ruger 77 MkII just don't go for an original 77 unless you are willing to rebarrel. For that matter any 30-06 or 270 can become a 280 with a new barrel. Just about any aftermarket barrel, from a name maker, will be loads better then any factory barrel, generally speaking.

    ***I wasn't trying to suggest that all early M77 Rugers had bad barrels, but that there were enough that rebarreling should be kept in mind if you are unlucky enough to get stuck with one.
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  • gskyhawk
    ern98 not all of the older Ruger barrels where bad it was more a hit and miss type deal than anyhting, my Ruger is a 77V which is a tang safety model with a heavy factory barrel and it will hold sub minute of angle out to 300 yards , usually around 2.5 at 300 yards is the norm for that rifle , the other Ruger is a 77R , tang safety and it will do under 1" at 100 yards no problem ,
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  • DONDALINGER
    SPM, I have the Browning A-bolt Stalker in .280 and it is an awesome weapon. I read below you don't care for the look of the A-bolt. That is fine, there are many guns I do not particulalry favor. However, I will say the A-bolt is a fine tuned, "slick as glass" rifle. Mine shoots good groups at 100 yds with handloads and factory, although it doesn't give cloverleafs, it strings the shots vertically every time. I'm talking a 5 shot vertical string about 3/4 to 7/8 of an inch long. Still excellent accuracy, just vertical. I like the smooth as silk bolt, short bolt throw, adjustable trigger and detachable box magazine connected to the hinged floor plate. Definitely one of my favorite deer rifles. My .02.[:D][:D]

    "They call me Don. Dr. Jason Donald Dalinger."
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  • DONDALINGER
    OOPS! My mistake. It was ern98 that had not gotten used to the A-bolt looks. [:0]

    "They call me Don. Dr. Jason Donald Dalinger."
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  • surekill
    You also get it in the Encore 24" barrel, thats if you only want 1 shot [:D] I love mine taken mulies / whitetails out to 300 yards.

    GET~R~DONE!
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