The 280 Remington rifle cartridge is based on the more popular 30-06 Springfield cartridge case necked down to accept .284″ diameter bullets and is very similar to an earlier wildcat cartridge the 7mm-06.
Remington began producing the 280 Remington in 1957. They changed the name of the cartridge to the 7mm Express Remington in 1979, and later changed it back when they chambered it in a model 700 rifle.
The 280 Remington cartridge did not catch on in 1957 in the Remington rifle model 742. When the 280 Remington / 7mm Express cartridge was reintroduced in 1979 the one noticeable difference was the advertised velocity increased approximately 100 feet per second.
According to Remington, this was due to the use of slower burning powders that had been developed since the original 280 Remington cartridge was introduced in 1957.
One of the other quirky extensions of the 280 Remington / 7mm Express cartridge is the Remington rifle models 700 and 725 as these rifles do have different rifling twist rates varying from 1 in 9 1/4″ twist to 1 in 10″ twist.
The 280 Remington / 7mm Express is a great cartridge and a great alternative to not using a 7mm magnum rifle with almost equal ballistics and a little less recoil.
Many ammunition manufacturers offer some excellent loadings for this cartridge today that are more than capable of handling any game animal that may exist in North America including moose and bear.
280 Remington Ballistics:
The below 280 Remington ballistics chart shows the following ammo:
Rifle barrel length: 24 Inches.
Ammunition: Hornady 150 grain ELD-X.
Bullet diameter: .284 inch.
Bullet weight: 150 grains.
Bullet ballistic coefficient: .574.
| Range | Muzzle | 100 yds. | 200 yds. | 300 yds. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Velocity (FPS) | 2925 | 2763 | 2607 | 2455 |
| Energy (FT/LB) | 2849 | 2543 | 2263 | 2007 |
| Drop: (Inches) | – 1.5″ | + 1.5″ | 0″ | – 6.7″ |
The below 280 Remington Ballistics Chart shows the following:
Rifle barrel length: 24 Inches.
Ammunition: Winchester 140 grain Ballistic Silvertip bullet.
Bullet diameter: .284 inch.
Bullet weight: 140 grains.
Bullet ballistic coefficient: .485.
| Range | Muzzle | 100 yds. | 200 yds. | 300 yds. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Velocity (FPS) | 3,040 | 2,842 | 2,654 | 2,473 |
| Energy (FT/LB) | 2,873 | 2,512 | 2,189 | 1,901 |
| Drop (Inches) | – 1.8″ | + 1.4″ | 0 | – 6.3″ |
280 Remington Reloading:
Bullet Diameter: .284 Inch.
Maximum Case Length: 2.540 Inches.
Trimmed Case Length: 2.530 Inches.
Primer Size: Large Rifle.
Maximum Cartridge Overall Length: 3.330 Inches.
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