The .280 Remington Should Have Been...

This story was initially revealed within the April 1989 subject of Outside Life.

Jack O’Connor didn’t invent the .270 Winchester, however he would possibly as effectively have accomplished so, as a result of for greater than 30 years he carried on a one-man cam­paign that remodeled the .270 into one of the widespread sporting cartridges of the twentieth century. 

Within the pages of Outside Life, O’Connor preached the virtues of the .270 so forcefully that his title grew to become so en­twined with the .270 that even right this moment, we are able to scarcely converse of 1 with out the opposite. 

It’s common for many who write about taking pictures and hunt­ing to espouse a favourite automobile­tridge, a weak point that’s typically forgiven. O’Connor’s love affair with the .270, how­ever, was not average. In time, it led to criticism as a result of he gave the impression to be ignoring different worthy cartridges. 

Many readers and critics failed to acknowledge that Jack O’Connor had launched into a much more necessary program than merely establishing the supremacy of a single cartridge. That O’Connor was a gifted author can’t be disputed, however by inclination and coaching, he was additionally a instructor. Earlier than be­coming the Taking pictures Editor of Outside Life, he had been a school professor. It was solely pure for him to comply with his educating instincts, and his aim appears to have been to coach all shooters and hunters. It was to be his grandest achievement. 

The Nice Communicator 

Had O’Connor arrived on the scene 50 years earlier or 50 years later, his mission would have been hopeless or level­much less. Because it was, he was completely timed between the outdated and the brand new. His stage was the shaky and considerably lonely bridge between the 2 nice eras of American cartridge design. 

When O’Connor was a teen, the basic American looking rifle was lever-operated and lobbed portly projectiles at stately velocities. In line with each custom and logic, one used massive bullets for giant sport, and it mattered little that the rifles kicked like thunder, had been heavy to hold and nearly nugatory at ranges be­yond 200 yards. The large, slow-­shifting bullets with their dromedary trajectories made long-range taking pictures a guessing sport at finest. In Europe, how­ever, gunmakers had already acknowledged bolt-action rifles because the power of the long run and cartridges had been being com­pared on the premise of velocity quite than measurement. 

A light-weight rifle, firing gentle, high-velocity bullets was a tough proposition for American hunters to compre­hend, however O’Connor noticed the benefits and set about reed­ucating the general public. He was a son of the West and as such had nearly limitless oppor­tunities to hunt deer and ante­lope plus his beloved sheep. Whereas he was nonetheless a younger man and simply starting his writing profession, he had already accu­mulated what many others would think about a lifetime of looking expertise. Among the many classes he had realized had been that exact bullet placement is probably the most environment friendly technique to kill massive sport. Something that inter­fered with a well-aimed shot­extra recoil, an inaccurate rifle or a rainbow—formed bullet path-was counterproductive to good looking. He believed {that a} worthwhile looking rifle needed to be gentle sufficient to hold up a mountain with out getting a rupture—he coined the time period “mountain rifle,” flat-shooting sufficient to take a lot of the guesswork out of distant tar­will get, delicate of recoil in order to keep away from such acquired sins as flinching and set off jerking, and correct sufficient to make sure hitting a small goal at goodly distances. 

His very first column as Taking pictures Editor of Outside Life  appeared in November 1939, and from the start he left little doubt as to the place he stood. “My competition is that the .30/06 is just too a lot gun for the typical hunter, who fires solely three or 4 containers of high-power ammunition a 12 months.” 

He then went on to sing the praises of not the .270, however one other favourite, the 7×57 Mauser. It was in the course of the years following World Conflict II that O’Connor zeroed in on his readership. Returning G.I.s needed to purchase weapons and go looking, and Jack was their guru. He was in full strut then and his assume­ing about looking rifles scored a strong hit with 1000’s of shooters. 

4 Debuts 

By 1957, the .270 had turn out to be so en­trenched within the minds and hearts of hunt­ers that it appeared nearly un-American to introduce a brand new however related cartridge. That’s the 12 months —— 1957 —— that the .280 made the primary of its 4 debuts. And an inauspicious starting it was. If ever a cartridge may have died aborning, this was it. Even the gun writers, who usually stirred up a tidal wave in a tin cup when saying a brand new cartridge, had a tough time thrilling them­selves in regards to the Remington .280. 

One of many issues was unhealthy timing. The Fifties had been growth years for the gun indus­strive. The trade took benefit of revenue­in a position instances by introducing a flock of latest weapons and calibers. Thus, the .280 received misplaced amongst a dozen or so new rounds launched in the course of the late Fifties. Among the many new automobile­tridges had been such seductive numbers because the .243 Winchester and the .338 Winchester Magnum. By comparability, the .280 didn’t supply a lot. On paper, it seemed like a cross between a .270 and a .30/06, and it didn’t even dare to look totally different. In spite of everything, it was nothing greater than a .30/06 case necked down to carry a .284-diameter bullet. Or was it only a .270 case necked as much as .284? Truly, the .280 was so much like the .270, each in form and title, that it had been purposely designed with a barely longer shoulder in order that it couldn’t be by accident chambered and fired in .270 rifles. 

Most damaging of all, maybe, was the pathetic undeniable fact that the .280 couldn’t com­pete on even phrases. The .270 had earned its stripes in correct bolt-action rifles, the .280’s preliminary companion piece was Rem­ington’s Mannequin 742 Autoloader. From the advertising and marketing standpoint, this mix could have made some sense, however predicting what hunters will purchase is at finest a guess, and Rem­ington almost crapped out on the primary move. Later, the .280 was united with Reming­ton’s Mannequin 760 pump-action rifle however, once more, the mix didn’t catch hearth. Phrase received round that the .280 was “loaded down” in order to be much less disturbing to pump­motion and autoloading rifles. Potential patrons stored a disdainful distance. 

A Remington govt, who was in­volved with the .280 undertaking, later instructed me that chamber pressures had been within the 47,000 kilos per sq. inch (psi) vary. The .270 was loaded to the 51,000 psi degree, thus making the .280’s efficiency all of the extra spectacular. Regardless of comparatively low strain, the brand new spherical carried out effectively. 

He additionally instructed me that the .280 was one of many least temperamental cartridges to professional­duce that he had ever labored with. Insiders at Remington had been quickly to comprehend that the .280 was a wonderfully balanced cartridge, however such effective factors of inside ballistics are usually unappreciated by the taking pictures public. 

Those that bothered to take a peek on the ballistic tables found that even when not boiling up a full head of steam, the .280 launched a 150-grain bullet at 2,900 fps, which was a full 100 fps quicker than the speed listed for the .270 with a bullet of the identical weight. 

Early on, the .280 was provided with a selection of 4 bullet weights: a 165-grain quantity at 2,820 fps, 150 grains going 2,900 fps, one other weighing 125 grains touring at 3,190 fps, and a stubby slug of 100 grains that left the muzzle at a really fast 3,570 fps. I’m instructed by an old-time Remington in­sider {that a} gun author of that period persuaded the powers that had been that the .280 might need a future as a varmint cartridge. Therefore the light-weight bullet. However varmint hunt­ers don’t wish to be seen in public with au­toloading rifles, so the sunshine bullet was doomed from the beginning and was discontinued after a number of years. 

Ultimately, a dim gentle got here on for Rem­ington’s decision-making workforce, and somebody reckoned that possibly it wouldn’t be such a foul concept to supply the corporate’s bolt­motion rifle, which was then the Mannequin 721, in .280 chambering. Truly, it was a gained­derful concept, however alas, as soon as once more, the tim­ing was all mistaken. By then the status of the .280 had sunk to such a sorry state that even when it was united with a bolt rifle, gun patrons yawned and seemed the opposite method. Truly, I’m not being honest by saying that the .280 had a foul status. It’s extra correct to say that the poor automobile­tridge had no status in any respect. As was the case with Cinderella, nobody even bothered to take a re-evaluation. 

Throughout the early Sixties, the Mannequin 721 was phased out and changed with Rem­ington’s Mannequin 725 bolt rifle. Throughout its temporary tenure, which lasted from 1958-61 or there­abouts, the Mannequin 725 was cataloged as out there in .280, however so few had been bought on this caliber that the rifles at the moment are collec­tor’s gadgets. The Mannequin 725 gave technique to the Mannequin 700, which was initially provided in .280 caliber, however after some time Remington gave up, and the .280 was seemingly as useless as final week’s fish. By 1978, the one selection from Remington in .280 rifle was as soon as once more the Mannequin 742 autoloader. Two years later even that choice was gone. 

After almost 1 / 4 of a century of just about whole failure, most arms makers would have given up on any cartridge. However the cartridge had followers inside the firm who knew that it was too good to be for­gotten. They had been additionally getting some posi­tive suggestions from hunters who inspired them to hold onto the .280, even when their grip was getting weaker. 

One factor they determined was that the title is likely to be mistaken. They’d good luck once they modified the title of the ill-fated .244 Remington to the 6mm Remington, and made a number of technical modifications. Maybe a change of title is likely to be all that was wanted to present the .280 a brand new begin. Thus was born the 7mm Remington Categorical. 

I believed it was a fairly good title and instructed the parents at Remington that they may, eventually, have a winner. They had been so over­joyed on the prospect that in 1981, once they launched their new Mannequin 4 auto­loading rifle, they made it out there within the “new” chambering. Again in 1979, once they launched the 7mm Categorical, they sweetened the kitty by providing a 150-grain bullet loaded to 2,870 fps. Finally, the .280 (7mm Categorical) was being fac­tory-loaded to its potential and simply out­operating the .270 Winchester in an identical bul­let weights. By that point, I’d been looking and goal taking pictures with quite a lot of .280 rifles. Each time I bumped into somebody put on­ing a Remington badge, I lobbied for a bolt rifle. 

By then, different gunmakers had recog­nized an excellent factor and had been providing good bolt rifles with .280 markings. I used to be instructed {that a} Remington-made bolt rifle was to be forthcoming, however on the eleventh hour, a minor catastrophe struck. 

It appears that evidently the 7mm Remington Ex­press and the 7mm Remington Magnum tended to confuse some folks. A hunter would ask for a field of 7mm Categorical Ammo however he generally received 7mm Magnums in­stead, or vice versa. Apparently, this oc­curred in massive retail chain shops, the place clerks are inclined to know little about weapons and care even much less. There’s no technique to chamber a 7mm Magnum cartridge in a 7mm Categorical rifle, however you may load the 7mm Categorical (.280) spherical in a 7mm Magnum rifle. If all the fates are in opposition to you it would even hearth, with very disagreeable outcomes. That is the form of factor that gunmakers don’t need to hap­pen, so by 1983, the 7mm Categorical was historical past. 

Learn Subsequent: The .270 Winchester: How Does this 100-Year-Old Cartridge Hold Up Today?

That meant that it was time for but an­different title change. However may any cartridge survive three debuts? The parents at Reming­ton had had good luck with the .22/250 and .25/06, which had been merely named after their wildcat ancestors, so why not strive one thing like 7mm/06? This made sense, as a result of, in spite of everything, the .280 Remington or 7mm Ex­press was nothing apart from the .30/06 necked right down to 7mm. And so the 7mm/06 Remington got here into being, however not for lengthy. 

I’m instructed that some handloaders, who tried making 7mm/06 ammo out of .30/06 brass received themselves into headspace prob­lems, so Remington deemed it prudent to take away a number of the temptation by drop­ping the title. Truly, it’s straightforward to con­vert .30/06 brass to .280, supplied you recognize what you’re doing. At this level, the title­givers at Remington ran out of concepts and reverted to .280 Remington, which has been used ever since. There’s justice on this be­trigger the .280 was a fantastic cartridge all alongside, however larger than the .270? 

Handloading the .280 

I got here by my first .280 again about 1971. I used to be having a customized looking rifle constructed by Clayton Nelson. As a result of this was to be my first rifle by a big-name stockmaker, I needed every thing to be one of the best. Particularly so, as a result of I deliberate to make use of the rifle for lots of looking. Again then, no less than half of all customized rifles had been chambered for the .270, however I wasn’t satisfied. Even at that tender age, I had owned quite a few rifles in .270 and had used them with nice suc­cess on quite a few big-game hunts. However I’d studied the .280 ballistics, and from each method I checked out it besides one, the . 280 made extra sense than the . 270. The lone exception was the paltry number of bullet weights in factory-loaded ammo that was out there on the time. Again then, how­ever, I handloaded each spherical of ammo I fired at sport, and from the reloading stand­level, the .280 provided some distinct advert­vantages. Not solely may it’s loaded to its full potential, however there was a fantastic num­ber of various 7mm bullets, ranging in weight from 100 grains to 175 grains, with plenty of selection in between. This provided extra flexibility than was doable with a .270. This additionally meant that the .280 may do each­factor the .270 may do, plus some issues it couldn’t do. 

The Clayton Nelson rifle arrived two days earlier than I used to be to depart for my first African safari, so I loaded up a batch of ammo with 140-grain Nosier Partition bullets arid received the rig sighted in. With 57 grains of IMR 4350, the chronograph readings averaged 3,065 fps and group sizes, as I recall, had been about 1 ½ inches for 5 photographs at 100 yards. I may have elevated the powder cost by a pair qf grains and nonetheless been inside protected strain limits, however I left a little bit of slack in case the African local weather heated my ammo and jumped pressures.

I took three rifles on that first journey to Af­rica. My plan was to make use of a .458 Magnum on the damaging stuff, a 7mm Remington Magnum on the medium sport and the .280 solely on lighter antelope. I shot a variety of sport on that month-long journey and shortly realized that there was no discernible distinction be­tween the .280 with 140-grain bullets and my 7mm Magnum with 160-grain bullets. Someday, as an illustration, I shot a zebra with the 7mm Magnum, and it went down al­most in its tracks. This made me blissful be­trigger zebras are robust critters and might carry a variety of lead. The following day, I occurred throughout one other effective zebra, however all I had at hand was my .280. It killed the massive stallion simply as neatly because the 7mm Magnum. On an­different day, I took an amazing sable bull with the .280, and a day or two later I used the identical rifle on a pleasant kudu with effective re­sults. These are muscular antelope in regards to the measurement of a North American elk, however each went down with one shot. The kudu was operating after I shot and I feel that the .280 killed him in midbound. He was useless when he hit the bottom. On the finish of the safari, I gave the 7mm Magnum to my professional­fessional hunter together with a goodly sup­ply of ammo that there’d been no use for. The .280 had accomplished all of it. 

One other time, Fred Huntington and I hunted bongo within the Sudan. Bongo are thick-bodied antelope which are in regards to the measurement of a yearling Angus steer. They’re robust to hunt and stay within the densest jun­gle. Our clothing store insisted that we carry nothing lower than .375 H&H Magnums, however Fred and I took our .280s. We killed three trophy bongo with 4 photographs, and the additional shot actually wasn’t wanted. Our bullets had been 160-grain Speer Grand Slams.

Throughout the mid-Nineteen Seventies, I did a variety of sheep looking, in Asia in addition to North America, and totaled some 15 head inside a number of years. All had been shot with the identical .280 and all however one with 140-grain bullets. The ex­ception was a desert ram I took in Arizona with a 160-grain Nosier. The rationale for utilizing the heavier bullet was in order that I may examine its efficiency with the lighter bullets I’d used on different sheep. I couldn’t detect any distinction. 

One other time, I used a 160-grain bullet when looking elk in New Mexico. A pleasant six-point bull stepped right into a clearing about 200 yards away and was useless earlier than he may flip round. Regardless of these successes, I’ve settled on 140-grain bullets as one of the best all-around selection for the .280. Simply because the .270 is at its finest with 130-grain bullets, the .280 is finest with the 140-grain bullet. 

One of many the reason why the .280 performs so effectively with a 140-grain bullet is that the load is so shootable. Recoil is comparatively delicate, the trajectory is flat and impression en­ergy stays excessive at lengthy vary. As a result of the cartridge is straightforward to shoot, bullet place­ment tends to be glorious and that, within the last evaluation, is what kills massive sport. Utilizing the 140-grain load lets you be a greater marksman. 

One time when Fred Huntington and I had been looking sheep in Iran, a flock of crows settled in some timber about 250 yards from our camp. Having nothing higher to do, I steadied my rifle over a boot and picked a crow off one of many prime branches. The crows cawed some time after which settled down once more, so I shot one other. The Iranian guides and camp helpers had by no means seen such shoot­ing and received so excited that they forgot to say their prayers. The cook dinner was so im­pressed that he rewarded me by fixing the primary eatable meal we’d had in two weeks. 

It’s within the space of accuracy that the .280 shines a lot brighter than the .270. Don’t get me mistaken, the .270 is definitely accu­price as a looking cartridge, however in head-to-head accuracy comparisons it comes off in final place. That’s why the .270 has by no means been critically thought-about as a goal spherical for brief, medium or long-range competi­tion. A number of years in the past, Winchester tried to introduce the .270 to focus on shooters and provided its Mannequin 70 heavy-barreled tar­get rifle in .270 chambering. Nobody took the concept critically, and so few rifles had been bought that right this moment they’re among the many rarest of all Mannequin 70s and far wanted by collectors. 

Makers of bullets for reloading don’t even hassle to make match-grade bullets for the .270. They make great looking bul­allows .270 caliber, to make certain, however for razor­sharp accuracy, the cartridge has by no means made the grade. The .280, by comparability, is splendidly correct at ranges out to 1,000 yards and has a formidable checklist of victo­ries on the goal ranges to its credit score. One of many causes is that a number of bullet makers who’re tuned in to the accuracy potential of the .280 and different 7mm cartridges make glorious tournament-grade bullets on this caliber. 

The Clayton Nelson .280 is now retired after having accounted for some 200 head of huge sport. I missed some photographs, in fact, however I don’t recall a single animal that received away after being hit. I’ve used a half­dozen or so different rifles in .280 and all per­kind in addition to the primary. In all probability probably the most correct of the lot is a 5Y2-pound (with scope) rig made by the Extremely Mild Arms Firm. Truly, I don’t but know simply how correct this rifle is, however the first three photographs I fired with it hit in a half-inch circle at 100 yards. 

It’s an excellent wager that the blokes who know rifles finest are those that purchase costly cus­tom rigs. Opposite to what you would possibly assume, most prospects for customized rifles aren’t wealthy guys tossing their bucks round, however arduous­working folks, who save their dimes and quarters in order that they will purchase the one rifle of their goals. Naturally, they need the once-in-a-lifetime rifle to chamber one of the best­doable cartridge. For a number of years, the .270 was the caliber of selection. In 1987, how­ever, the final survey I’ve seen, the tables had been turned and the .280 was the extra pop­ular caliber. I anticipate this pattern to proceed.

Manufacturing unit Rifles And Ammo

Fortunately, you don’t must  shell out your beer cash for a customized .280 as a result of it has earned such recognition that almost everybody who makes rifles affords a selection or two on this caliber. Remington, for ex­ample, now affords a minimum of 4 rifles in .280 chambering. They’re the trim Mannequin 700 Mountain Rifle, one other bolt rifle with artificial inventory, plus the Mannequin 7400 autoloader and Mannequin 7600 pump­motion. Remington’s Customized Store additionally of­fers, on particular order, fancy .280s with handmade shares, and the tack-driving 40-X goal mannequin. 

Ruger has lengthy provided rifles in .280 and now affords the chambering within the Mannequin 77 bolt rifle and the fashionable Quantity One Single Shot. This 12 months’s catalog from U. S. Repeating Arms lists no fewer than three totally different variations of the Mannequin 70 bolt gun in .280. Likewise, Kimber was fast to supply its handsome new Mannequin 84 Huge Recreation rifle in .280, and the very distinctive look­ing Dakota M-76 additionally is available in .280. The checklist goes on, and anybody who can’t discover a rifle in a .280 that he likes is mighty arduous to please. 

The ammunition image is about the identical. For years, I begged Remington for a 140-grain bullet within the .280 and at last it has granted my want. Remington affords 4 totally different bullet weights-120, 140, 150 and 165, and Federal hundreds a 150-grain Nosler Partition bullet within the Premium line. Fed­eral additionally imports Swedish-made Norma ammo, which features a .280 loaded with a 150-grain bullet. The blokes at Winchester don’t deny that they’re occupied with loading the .280, most likely of their new upscale Supreme line. 

In final month’s column, “Beginning of the .270,” after we mentioned the mysterious circumstances that led to the event of the .270, we questioned why the parents at Winchester didn’t go for a 7mm bullet ( .284 caliber) quite than the oddball .277 measurement it did choose. Selecting a .284 bullet would have been a wise choice, and would have been totally as profitable because the .270, probably much more so. Very probably, they’d have named the brand new cartridge the .284 Winchester, which is the bore diame­ter, and has a pleasant ring, or they may have rounded off the quantity and referred to as it the .280 Winchester. Both method, the brand new 7mm cartridge would have been championed by Jack O’Connor, as a result of it will have been his splendid cartridge. He instructed me so himself. 

Again after I was having the Clayton Nel­son rifle constructed, I instructed Jack what I had in thoughts, and naturally, he needed to know what caliber it was to be. I fibbed a bit and instructed him it will be a .270, figuring he can be happy. 

“Don’t do it,” he demanded. “Have it made a .280 Remington. It’s a greater caliber.”

 

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