What factory load

[belly-deep]

Would any of the 3 calibers ive mentioned Not be suitable for mulie or elk?

The 6.5 creed and Roberts are a little light for elk but would work with good bullets. Just avoid extreme angling shots. Lots of elk killed with 243 s here in MT. Not ideal but it wouldn't keep me out of the field if it was all I had.

 

[Blinginpse]

The 6.5 creed and Roberts are a little light for elk but would work with good bullets. Just avoid extreme angling shots. Lots of elk killed with 243 s here in MT. Not ideal but it wouldn't keep me out of the field if it was all I had.

Well I felt they was likely lil small but wasn't sure. If ever get to do that and end up using gun I just use the 7mmSTW

 

[Carlin59]

Belly-deep, clearly you are very well versed in ballistics, have access to a chronograph, shoot frequently, and are a really involved/invested shooter, which is fantastic. We personally are on the same page in many ways: I love researching ballistics, testing different loads for field performance, and also believe that the minimal per-round cost of premium vs. standard ammo is negligible. I still contend you would be surprised at the number of small shops (in WI at least) that have a dusty box or two of .280 (or even 7mm Express) on the shelves east of the Mississippi. Remington made the the 760/7600 pump in .280 for 21 years, and the 740/742/7600 auto in .280 for 46 years. Those are two very popular models back east, so ammo availability back there reflects that. I agree that purchasing ammo online is the way to go, but since the OP is asking questions online on his behalf, the end-user (father) may not be very computer-literate. You are correct that the Power Point is not currently listed in .280, but it was in the past: http://www.gunauction.com/buy/12025583 (these are typical of the dusty old boxes still on shelves back home). I have shot several .270s for 20 years with a dozen different factory loads, but zero experience moving up .007 inches to the .280. I personally don't believe most eastern woods whitetail hunters shooting 200 yards or less will ever notice a difference between listed velocity and actual. A slow .280 isn't much different than a 7-08, which is still a great whitetail round.
I agree that standard prices of .280 don't vary nearly as much between premium loadings and standard loadings as do more common rounds due to the lower production volume. However, standard loadings go on sale on a regular basis, where premium loadings rarely go on sale. Case in point, you can buy .280 Core-lokts on sale at Cabela's right now for $25.17 after rebate. That is a 41% savings over the premium loading you used in your illustration. Again, I personally wouldn't base my ammo purchase on saving $10-20, but for some guys that may be a consideration worth pointing out.
At the end of the day we don't have enough info on what the end user values or desires in cartridge performance (deep penetration? bottom-line cost? ballistic profile? rapid expansion? special coatings on the bullet or cases? high weight retention?) to truly provide the best match in factory ammo to the end user. Instead, everyone has provided anecdotal results of .280s they have had experience with. I think the best response to the OP (that no one gave so far) is: "get your hands on as many different types of .280 factory ammo as you can, and find out what your father shoots the best in that particular rifle (since that is what all the matters in the end), and buy a bunch of boxes of that". Even if that ends up being a basic round like the Core-Lokt, it will still do fine at .280 velocities (or 7-08 if they are below list velocity) at woods ranges on whitetails, and the end-user will have lots of confidence knowing that is the loading that shoots best out of his rifle. Belly-deep, no hard feelings, I think we are just answering this question from two different perspectives. I tried to give the one concurrent with what I grew up seeing work a million times in the whitetail woods: guys who don't spend a lot of time worrying about caliber, bullet weight/type/maker, and consistently pile up nice whitetails. This isn't the view you or I personally share, but judging by the fact the end-user is ok with being handed a set-up rifle and having his ammo chosen for him, I (perhaps unfairly) lumped the OPs father into this category of hunter (which isn't a knock, just different than how many of us on here view setting up a rifle and choosing a particular load). End of the day, I hope the OP has gathered some useful information that will allow him to make an informed choice(s) on what factory ammo would be a good starting point for his father and his new .280.

 

[Blinginpse]

I asked him yesterday if he wanted me to get the rounds. He said he would. If was I I would buy a box of the "better rounds" to try and if gun liked them then I'd buy 3-4 more. That would last as my dad doesn't shoot much other than to kill.

He's a very particular man and honestly am surprised he took that gun. He's beloved Browning BAR 270 is his huckleberry. Doesn't surprise me he wants to pick his own rounds.