| Retail Ammo By Grains and Velocity | |||||
| Brand | 139/140 | 150 | 156 | 160 | 165 |
| Cor-Bon | 3000 | – | – | – | – |
| Federal | 2990 | 2890 | – | – | – |
| Hornady | 3090 | – | – | – | – |
| HSM | 2800 | – | – | – | – |
| Norma | – | – | 2790 | – | – |
| Nosler | – | – | – | 2775 | – |
| Remington | 3000 | 2890 | – | – | 2820 |
| Winchester | 3040 | – | – | – | – |
Factory ammunition is readily available for the 280 Remington from Cor-Bon, Federal, Hornady, HSM, Norma, Nosler, Remington, and Winchester. Excluding the designer factory ammo, the cartridge is well covered from multiple manufacturers near the $28/box mark.
Generally speaking, 175 fps separates the 280 Remington from the 7mm Remington Magnum at the lower end of the bullet weight spectrum, perhaps 125 fps at the heavier weights and most of the magnum loads cluster around the 160+ bullet weights and represent approximately 20% greater powder charges. My points are that the 280 Remington is not an anemic round and that you don’t have to reload it to get solid performance.
And yet we press on…
My wife handed me a small plastic bag full of “Chocolatey Triple Delight”, chocolate covered popcorn… which has something to do with a weight loss bet. Never mind the humiliation of eating chick junk food, this stuff gave me a sugar rush that had me typing like that guy playing the piano in the 1936 classic movie “Reefer Madness”.
After some preliminary research, a list of workable powder types and bullets was drafted. They are all bullets I’ve utilized with other 7mm cartridges of similar or greater potential and I was able to squeeze in some good, but less frequently used powder types.
The fact that 5 of 7 are boattail design is coincidental, although boat tail bullets do tend to have the best ballistic coefficient and long range potential was high on the list of things to explore with the 280 Remington. In retrospect, I probably would have gone with more flat based bullets and maybe conserved a bit of powder capacity.
I was concerned that the Remington 700 Mountain SS’s 22″ barrel was going to diminish the final handloading results, but virtually all of the reference data appearing in mainstream manuals was also the product of a 22″ barrel, with the exception of the Nosler manual that based its results on a 26″ barrel. After clocking rounds, I was perfectly satisfied with the recorded velocities.
Warning: Bullet selections are specific, and loads are not valid with substitutions of different bullets of the same weight. Variations in bullet length will alter net case capacity, pressure and velocity. Primer selection is specific and primer types are not interchangeable. These are maximum loads in my firearms and may easily be excessive in others. All loads should be reduced by 5%, and developed following safe handloading practices as represented in established reloading manuals produced by component manufacturers. Presentation of these loads does not constitute a solicitation for their use, nor a recommendation.
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Cartridge: 280 Remington |
|
| Rifle: Remington 700 Mountain SS | Max COL: 3.330″ |
| Bullet Diameter: 0.284″ | Primer: CCI 250 |
| Barrel: 22 “ | Reloading Dies: Hornady |
| Max case length: 2.540″ | Group distance: 100 yards |
| Bullet |
Bullet Weight Grains |
Net Water Capacity H2O |
COL” | Powder Type |
Powder Charge Grains |
Muzzle Velocity FPS |
Muzzle Energy Ft-Lbs |
100 Yard Group Size 3 Shot “ |
|
| Sierra Pro Hunter | 120 | 63.3 | 3.230 | RL17 | 59.0 | 3305 | 2911 | 0.8 | |
| Sierra Pro Hunter | 120 | 63.3 | 3.230 | H414 | 60.1 | 3358 | 3005 | 1.2 | |
| Hornady SST | 139 | 60.5 | 3.330 | H4350 | 57.0 | 3095 | 2957 | 0.9 | |
| Hornady SST | 139 | 60.5 | 3.330 | H414 | 57.0 | 3170 | 3102 | 1.0 | |
| Berger VLD Hunting | 140 | 60.6 | 3.305 | RL17 | 55.0 | 3110 | 3007 |
0.8 | |
| Berger VLD Hunting | 140 | 60.6 | 3.305 | RL19 | 59.5 | 3135 | 3056 | 0.6 | |
| Berger VLD Hunting | 140 | 60.6 | 3.305 | H414 | 57.0 | 3207 | 3198 | 0.8 | |
| CT Silvertip | 150 | 59.7 | 3.330 | RL19 | 58.0 | 2959 | 2917 | 1.2 | |
| CT Silvertip | 150 | 59.7 | 3.330 | IMR7828 SSC | 59.0 | 2872 | 2769 | 1.1 | |
| Winchester PP | 150 | 60.9 | 3.255 | RL19 | 59.0 | 2972 | 2943 | 0.7 | |
| Winchester PP | 150 | 60.9 | 3.255 | H4350 | 56.0 | 2892 | 2786 | 0.9 | |
| Winchester PP | 150 | 60.9 | 3.255 | H414 | 56.5 | 2966 | 2931 | 1.0 | |
| Sierra SPBT | 160 | 60.0 | 3.280 | 4000-MR | 55.0 | 2837 | 2816 | 1.2 | |
| Sierra SPBT | 160 | 60.0 | 3.280 | RL19 | 57.5 | 2861 | 2909 | 1.1 | |
| Sierra SPBT | 160 | 60.0 | 3.280 | IMR7828 | 59.0 | 2912 | 3013 | 0.9 | |
| Berger VLD Hunting | 168 | 58.5 | 3.330 | RL19 | 56.0 | 2846 | 3022 | 0.7 | |
| Berger VLD Hunting | 168 | 58.5 | 3.330 | IMR7828 SSC | 58.0 | 2817 | 2961 | 0.7 | |
| Remington PSP | 175 | 59.4 | 3.315 | RL19 | 55.5 | 2713 | 2861 | 1.0 | |
| Remington PSP | 175 | 59.4 | 3.315 | H414 | 53.5 | 2752 | 2944 | 1.1 | |
| Remington PSP | 175 | 59.4 | 3.315 | IMR7828 SSC | 58.0 | 2755 | 2950 | 1.1 | |
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Not starting points by any stretch of the imagination |
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COL is tight. There is a lot of room in the magazine box for long cartridges, but there is not a lot of freebore to play with. In particular, Sierra 160 grain SPBTs could not be loaded to the Sierra Manual’s suggested 3.330″ without bumping the rifling lead. Subsequently, COL was reduced along with powder charges to accommodate the reduced net case capacity.
The thin barrel heated up about 8″ – 10″ ahead of the chamber, about the same as a Weatherby Ultra Lightweight. Approximately eight or nine shots from an ambient of 58ºF to a bit too hot to touch. Maybe it’s the floated barrel or the aluminum bedding frame, but temp seemed less of an influence than anticipated in regard to the Remington’s accuracy. I just don’t like to shoot rifles until their barrel glows, so eight and out until the barrel returned to ambient +10º F. None of the groups were shot cold.
The 1:9.25″ twist worked well all the way up to the long 175 grain bullets and it worked for the lighter weights also. High bullet RPM tends to bring out the weakness in cheap bullets. A term which, fortunately, applies to none of the bullets listed.
Hmmm… What is worth noting?
I really like where Remington has gone with their Model 700 Mountain Rifle SS. With a weatherproof composite stock and durable stainless hardware, it is a tough rifle that will stand up to a lot of use under extreme conditions. The light weight goes directly to its suitability for hunting when coupled with its consistent accuracy.
The 280 Remington cartridge surprised me by significantly outperforming expectations. A little bit of time running trajectory tables and reviewing chronograph data suggests it is an all around North American cartridge from smaller predator hunting up through elk and moose.
As a combination, accuracy is good, recoil is manageable report is sharp but not overwhelming. All of these attributes, plus the Mountain rifles light weight make this a desirable hunting rifle. Price is not in the least bit out of line with a quality firearm. A lot of rifle for a little gun.
Remington’s Model 700 Mountain SS Part 1
Remington’s Model 700 Mountain SS Part 11
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