Is 22” 280 Remington a Handicap?

[rmarshall]

Like the post says, is a 22” barrel a handicap on a 280 Remington? I’d like to get full potential out of this gun. I know everyone seems to be going short barreled, I’m not that guy. I have powders to achieve velocity and accuracy. Most importantly accuracy is number one, but I don’t want to not be getting all the 280 rem has to offer. I know I can load it safely to 270 win pressures and that makes a difference, but then again maybe a mighty 7mm-08 will do all the 280 can do? I do love the 7-08. Thoughts?

 

[jimh406]

I think your answer is compare the difference between 308 and 30'06. That information is probably more widely available.

280AI is a bit more than 280 and a bit more than 7-08. Will it make a difference, probably not, but will be faster.

 

[Tobey]

I cut my 24" 280 to 22" when i started shooting suppressed. Lost maybe 40 fps. I run 160 partitions with a stiff load of 7828ssc and a mag primer, extremely accurate and velocity is up there with the ackley dudes. I have 7mm-08s too and really like both, as stated above I think they have a similar relationship to the 308 vs 30-06. I feel the 280 really shines with 160s and up, lighter bullets and the 708 gets it done just fine.

 

[Unckebob]

I cut my 280AI down from 24" to 20". I think I lost 100fps.

Are you getting 100% of what you could get? No
1) get a 280 AI
2) get a longer, heavier barrel

But, I think you are unlikely to see any real world hunting difference. If you like the rifle and can kill what you need to kill, why worry?

Secret: I use 280 REM all the time in my 280AI. Ammo is cheaper and uses less powder on my reloads.

 

[sierracharlie338]

I would suggest defining what your range of shooting will be. Are you like most people who shoot inside of 400 yards or are you REALISTICALLY shooting at animals past 500? I would say unless you are the latter, then the 22 inch barrel would do everything you want it to do.

The short answer is yes you will sacrifice something over a longer barrel (maybe alot or a little depending on your goals) but it will still be usable.

 

[Kimber7man]

Generally speaking,

A .280 is 100 yards farther than a 7mm08 meaning with like bullets, what a 7mm08 will do at 100, a .280 will do at 200.

A .280AI/7SAUM/7mag is 100 yards farther than a .280

 

[Jason Snyder]

I killed a lot of stuff with a Remington Mountain 700 with a 22" barrel in .280. I never felt handicapped.

 

[280rem]

Just like Jason said, I’ve killed a truck load of stuff with 22” barreled 280 rem. Never felt handicapped either. Is it all you can get out of 280, absolutely not. I have a 26” barreled cooper than chronos higher velocities than a 24” barreled 7mm mag. Some barrels are faster than others. I would guess the 26” 280 barrel happens to be a fast one and the 24” barrel 7mm mag happens to be a slow one. My 22” barrel 280 chronos slower than a 22” 280 “should” but I don’t think any animal has ever noticed the difference.

 

[Tmac]

Had great results with a 22” 280 Rem. Traded it for a stainless steel 280 Rem that happened to have a 24” barrel. Were pretty much the same to me. If I hunted mostly open country 24” would be my pick, otherwise 22”.

But I would not feel handicapped to any meaningful degree with a 22” in open country either. I am not an ultra LR guy. I prefer to stay under 400 yards and not shoot past that unless things are perfect, with a 600 max. So 50-100 fps more at the muzzle is not a huge deal for me.

But you said you wanted to get full potential, guessing you are referring to velocity? Maybe 26” would be your jam.

 

[leachguy]

I'm currently taking apart a 270 I put a 20" barrel on and I loved it. It was lightweight, handy, and I still had great velocity with it. I'm putting the 22" barrel it came with back on and selling the gun to my brother. If I were keeping it I'd even consider chopping it down to 18.
In your case with the 280, it's still a 280. A 22" 280 is is still faster than a 22" 7mm-08. I see no handicap.
I prefer short barrels to make the gun more compact and easier to maneuver. If you are worried about the velocity just burn more powder in a larger case.

 

[Hillclimberwv]

In my 22" 280. A healthy dose of imr 7828ssc under a 160gr sierra hpbt gets me 2900fps. Its a stable load and not close to pressure. It does recoil a bit more than my 7mm-08 but never noticed shooting deer. Only reason i have the 7mm-08 was a cheap deal that i can beat around in the tractor or side by side on the farm. If im actually hunting i grab the
280 everytime.

 

[BAKPAKR]

I had a Remington 700 KS clone put together last year in 280 AI. I was back and forth between a 22” and a 24” barrel. I ended up going with the 22”. It is a nice handling rifle and I am getting really good velocity with RL26.