.280 Remington

.280 Remington
.280 Ackley Improved
Specifications
Parent case	.30-03 Springfield
Case type	Rimless, bottleneck
Bullet diameter	.284 in (7.2 mm)
Neck diameter	.315 in (8.0 mm)
Shoulder diameter	.441 in (11.2 mm)
Base diameter	.470 in (11.9 mm)
Rim diameter	.473 in (12.0 mm)
Case length	2.540 in (64.5 mm)
Overall length	3.330 in (84.6 mm)
Case capacity	67.9 gr H2O (4.40 cm3)
Rifling twist	1 in 10 in (250 mm)
Primer type	Large rifle
Maximum pressure (C.I.P.)	58,740 psi (405.0 MPa)
Maximum pressure (SAAMI)	60,000 psi (410 MPa)
Maximum CUP	50,000 CUP
Ballistic performance
Bullet mass/type Velocity Energy 120 gr (8 g) SP 3,112 ft/s (949 m/s) 2,581 ft⋅lbf (3,499 J) 140 gr (9 g) HP 2,839 ft/s (865 m/s) 2,506 ft⋅lbf (3,398 J) 154 gr (10 g) SP 2,825 ft/s (861 m/s) 2,730 ft⋅lbf (3,700 J) 168 gr (11 g) HPBT 2,723 ft/s (830 m/s) 2,767 ft⋅lbf (3,752 J) 175 gr (11 g) SP 2,681 ft/s (817 m/s) 2,794 ft⋅lbf (3,788 J)
Test barrel length: 24 in (610 mm) Source(s): Accurate Powder

The .280 Remington, also known as the 7mm-06 Remington and 7mm Express Remington, was introduced in 1957 for the Remington model 740, 760, 721, and 725 rifles.

History

Having been released 32 years after the

Specifications

The .280 is based on the 30-06 necked down to accept 7 mm (.284 in) bullets, with the neck moved forward .050 in (1.27mm). The neck was deliberately moved forward to prevent chambering in a .270 Winchester rifle, as firing a .280 round in a .270 rifle could cause the projectile to get stuck in the barrel or rupture the barrel due to excessive pressure.^[2]

.280 Remington vs .270 Winchester

The .280 Remington is capable of generating slightly higher velocities in heavier bullet weights (150 grains and above) than the .270 Winchester due to a marginally greater case capacity. However, the ballistic coefficient of equal-weight bullets favors .270 caliber bullets over 7mm (.284) bullets of similar design. In the heavier bullets (150 grains and above) of similar design, the .280 Remington has a slight edge in muzzle energy.^[2]

With equal-weight bullets of similar design, the .270 Winchester surpasses the .280 Remington's long-range velocity and energy due to the 270's higher ballistic coefficient according to Federal's ammunition catalog. There are also many more factory loads available for the .270 Winchester over the .280 Remington at a lower price point due to the .270's much greater popularity.^[2]

Renowned for being a strong advocate of the .270 Winchester, gun writer Jack O'Connor's last rifle was a Ruger M77 restocked by Alvin Biesen but this time chambered in .280 Remington, which tells about the high regards O'Connor had on the cartridge.^[3]

.280 vs .30-06

The .280 Remington is capable of developing energy nearly equal to the .30-06 Springfield, but with lighter bullets having a better ballistic coefficient. The .30-06 produces more energy than the .280 with bullets heavier than 180 grains, though .284" 175-grain bullets have a high sectional density of .310, compared to the 30-06 180-grain bullet with a moderate sectional density of .271. The .280 is suitable for hunting any game in North America with good shot placement.

.

Most American rifle and ammunition manufacturers catalogue the .280 Remington.[2]

The .30-06 is substantially more popular and manufacturers thus offer a much greater selection of loads at a substantially lower price point.

While it is true that a .280 Remington case can be formed from a

.280 Remington vs 7x64 Brenneke

In Europe the .280 Remington is not popular in bolt-action rifles since it competes directly with the 7×64mm, which is of the almost exact same size as the .280 Remington but has slightly more power, because of having a slightly higher maximum allowed chamber pressure and a slightly higher case capacity. The twist rate for the 7x64 is 1 in 8.66 inch against 1 in 10 inch for the 280 Remington. Nearly every European rifle producer offers the 7x64 as a standard caliber.

The .280 Remington does, however, have a larger than expected number of European users in imported self-loading rifles such as those by Remington.

.280 Ackley Improved

One of

earliest wildcats was the 7mm-06 Improved, which was made by necking down the .30-06 Springfield case and fire-forming it to have less body taper and a 40-degree shoulder angle. Soon after the .280 Remington came out, and began providing factory loaded ammunition and rifles for it. Use of commercial ammunition needs to be verified as SAAMI. Older chamberings (pre-2011) could be non-SAMMI (Lee factory dies clarify that their dies are the old version). Handloaders using the SAMMI spec full length sizer, can be adapted to the older chambering, as Redding required use of a custom deeper shellholder (.014 deeper or .014 space between shellholder and bottom of die). Published loading data has increased as have bullets and powders, the original .280 Remington and the .280 Ackley variants are options for long range hunting and precision shooting.

See also

• 7mm Weatherby Magnum
• 7mm-08 Remington
• 7×57mm Mauser
• 7mm Remington Magnum
• 7×64mm
• 7 mm caliber
• List of rifle cartridges
• Table of handgun and rifle cartridges
• Delta L problem
• Sectional density
• Ballistic coefficient
• 7mm-06
• .280 British
• .280 Ackley Improved

References