The ugly duckling: my 280 Rem whitetail gun!

[Iamero]

Well the project is in its final stages of bedding and then it’s time for some range work to see what she’s capable of. The build started because I was sitting in my buddy’s shop a month ago and he had this action that had been sitting on the shelf for years. I finally asked him what it was and he goes “oh, you don’t want that”. “That” was a charter arms 2000 field king long action standard bolt face.

$60 later and some lunch to buy the action, and a whole lot of research, this is what I found on it. It’s a cast action, made for about 2 years by Charter before Mossberg bought them. They came in a handful of calibers in a cheap stock but with an ER Shaw barrel. This was the predecessor to the current Mossberg ATR 100 and is what they based that rifle off.

Well way too much money later, some drastically needed truing work, and a lot of love; here she is.

Built by Chad at 5x5 Precision. 280 Remington:
- trued Action
- Shilen #5 barrel that midway had on their shelf
- Timney trigger (on its way)
- Boyd’s laminate heritage stock
- weatherby vanguard bottom metal
- threaded 5/8x24 with Heathen brake
- cerakoted graphite black
- nightforce scope rail

Should be ready to slay some Michigan Whitetail!

 

[Sniperwannabee]

Is that a era-tac mount I the box? Great mounts

 

[Iamero]

Yea that was there for cerakote for the 28 Nosler he built for me

 

[BuLLet]

Ugly no more!

 

[Dead Eye Dick]

Ugly? Wish some of my handiwork was half as good looking!

 

[10ring1]

Well the project is in its final stages of bedding and then it’s time for some range work to see what she’s capable of. The build started because I was sitting in my buddy’s shop a month ago and he had this action that had been sitting on the shelf for years. I finally asked him what it was and he goes “oh, you don’t want that”. “That” was a charter arms 2000 field king long action standard bolt face.

$60 later and some lunch to buy the action, and a whole lot of research, this is what I found on it. It’s a cast action, made for about 2 years by Charter before Mossberg bought them. They came in a handful of calibers in a cheap stock but with an ER Shaw barrel. This was the predecessor to the current Mossberg ATR 100 and is what they based that rifle off.

Well way too much money later, some drastically needed truing work, and a lot of love; here she is.

Built by Chad at 5x5 Precision. 280 Remington:
- trued Action
- Shilen #5 barrel that midway had on their shelf
- Timney trigger (on its way)
- Boyd’s laminate heritage stock
- weatherby vanguard bottom metal
- threaded 5/8x24 with Heathen brake
- cerakoted graphite black
- nightforce scope rail

Should be ready to slay some Michigan Whitetail!

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Now that's badass. 280 rem is hands down the best whitetail cartridge on the planet for whitetail

 

[Deleted member 113831]

The action looks like a cast copy of a Howa. What hole pattern fit the scope rail?

 

[Iamero]

So it’s a goofy action.

- Weatherby Vanguard/Howa 1500/S&W1500/Mossberg ATR 100 footprint for stocks and bottom metal (need slight trimming on the internal box)
- howa 1500/weatherby vanguard LA scope base
- 20 TPI barrel thread pitch which they normally use a barrel nut but we shouldered this
- 1/4x20 action screws
- Mossberg ATR 100 trigger

 

[gopherslayer]

I’ve got a a magazine article about these when they first hit the market. I’ll have to dig it up and read for nostalgia.

 

[Iamero]

Haha that’s awesome!

 

[TACC]

Well the project is in its final stages of bedding and then it’s time for some range work to see what she’s capable of. The build started because I was sitting in my buddy’s shop a month ago and he had this action that had been sitting on the shelf for years. I finally asked him what it was and he goes “oh, you don’t want that”. “That” was a charter arms 2000 field king long action standard bolt face.

$60 later and some lunch to buy the action, and a whole lot of research, this is what I found on it. It’s a cast action, made for about 2 years by Charter before Mossberg bought them. They came in a handful of calibers in a cheap stock but with an ER Shaw barrel. This was the predecessor to the current Mossberg ATR 100 and is what they based that rifle off.

Well way too much money later, some drastically needed truing work, and a lot of love; here she is.

Built by Chad at 5x5 Precision. 280 Remington:
- trued Action
- Shilen #5 barrel that midway had on their shelf
- Timney trigger (on its way)
- Boyd’s laminate heritage stock
- weatherby vanguard bottom metal
- threaded 5/8x24 with Heathen brake
- cerakoted graphite black
- nightforce scope rail

Should be ready to slay some Michigan Whitetail!

View attachment 7548609View attachment 7548610View attachment 7548611View attachment 7548612View attachment 7548613View attachment 7548614View attachment 7548615View attachment 7548616

I love the stock,
I own a 280 remington mountain rifle that has bern a track driver for 15 years now.

Tell us how it ends up shooting

 

[308pirate]

So it’s a goofy action.

It's not. It's a Howa 1500 action, plain and simple. Charter Arms did not make them. They bought them from Howa. Lots of people did, and Weatherby still does. The Vanguard is nothing more than a rebranded Howa 1500.

It's also not a casting. The receiver and bolt are both made from forgings.

 

[Buck300]

Looks like a deer killer to me

 

[308pirate]

@Iamero that's a sharp looking rifle

 

[BullGear]

Very nice looking. Congrats on the build!

 

[Iamero]

Thanks! Just got it separated after bedding. I have to relieve a little bit around the safety because it’s stuck; but then should be ready to hit the range once it warms up here a bit.