What caliber for my new barrel?

[Mossyoak44]

I just aquired a new .284 barrel blank with a 1:8 twist. This is going to be a hunting rifle build for deer and elk mostlyout to 400 yards or so. I was wanting a 280 remington but dont know if it will work okay with that twist rate. Will a 280 remington be okay with a 1:8 twist? If not whats another good option?

 

[surgeon260]

With that twist, I'd be chambering a 7 Rem Mag to shoot 180/195 Berger's.

 

[Spock]

What bolt face are you limited to? Personally you can't go wrong with the 7mm Rem mag still a great round and if you lose your ammo bag almost any store will have some sort of rounds for it. 28 Nosler is a pretty kick ass new factory entry into the caliber as well. Both would do well with that twist. 1:8 is made for the heavies so you want plenty of oomph behind it. Lots of semi wildcat 7's out there as well. 280 Remington may not be able to take full advantage of that faster twist.

 

[Mossyoak44]

Thanks for the imput surgeon 260! Spock I don't have a action for it yet so no holds there yet. Im still new to the custom side but is it possible to go from 1:8 to a 1:9 twist? If not 7mm Rem mag might be the most logical choice.

 

[surgeon260]

No, you can't change a barrel's twist once it has been rifled. I would recommend finding a quality gunsmith and he will be able to walk you through the build process.

 

[Mossyoak44]

Thanks surgeon260. Yeah I didnt think you could but thought I'd ask anyways. Now its deciding on what caliber for that twist.

 

[JC Steel]

28 nosler would be awesome!

 

[wrhunter]

While a big magnum would be great for launching the heavies you don't necessarily have to go that route just because it's a 1:8" twist. You can still make use of it in a .280ai, 284, or a smaller magnum like the 7 wsm or saum. I doubt you'd be in any risk of over stabilizing the 162 / 175 / 180 class bullets. Just be realistic about how you want to use the rifle.

 

[Mossyoak44]

Thanks wrhunter! I was thinking about the 280ai and 284 too. Ive read great things about both them and will a little more research on them. If I go that route or 28 nolser like jc steel suggested id defiantly have to reload which im not opposed to.

 

[TC308]

I'd go to some sort of mag to so you can shoot the 195 Berger. I've built a couple 28 noslers and collecting parts for my own but it's not as straight forward as a build as some because of the cartridge physical size. Takes a little planning and specific pets to take advantage of it's potential.

But you could do a 7lrm or 7 saum/wsm and still get decent velocity with the 195. Or use the 168 Berger and have a laser beam. Either direction, the 1:8 twist shouldn't hurt you.

 

[Sheldon N]

An 8 twist barrel would be fine for a straight 280. The only thing it limits you on is being able to shoot lighter weight bullets really fast because at some point they will spin so fast they will simply blow apart as you fire them. That's more in the neighborhood of 130 grain bullets at 3400 fps or something crazy like that. Shooting a heavier bullet is a better match for an 8 twist barrel since it has enough twist to stabilize even long heavy bullets like the Berger 195g.

Lots of good suggestions above with the bigger/faster magnum calibers. However keep in mind that if you're only shooting to 400 yards any of these is WAY more than adequate, even your straight 280. If you build too big of a magnum caliber hunting rifle it might not be much fun to shoot, and a 28 Nosler on deer is overkill.

I shoot a 280AI and it's a hammer even out past 1200 yards, but there's nothing wrong with a straight 280 and you can find hunting ammo on the shelf most places (though I guess you can shoot 280 hunting ammo in a 280AI). Only thing is that a 280AI forces you into reloading, so you have to decide if you want to go that route.

 

[Mossyoak44]

Appreciate the ideas TC308, the Nosler 28 is very appealing but might be overkill for me at this time. I wouldnt mind one down the road.

Sheldon N how is accuracy in a 280ai shooting 280 Rem hunting ammo? I would like to reload and the 280ai seems like a fun way to go.

 

[SHwbyfan]

a 28 Nosler on deer is overkill..

That's like saying "I have too much money." No such thing as too dead. Plus it adds room for error in shot placement.

 

[Jibnast]

I did not see it mentioned but the 7STW is another option for long action. I would not go with a 7WSM due to it is nearly impossible to get factory brass for right now.

 

[Sheldon N]

Sheldon N how is accuracy in a 280ai shooting 280 Rem hunting ammo? I would like to reload and the 280ai seems like a fun way to go.

To be honest, I've never tried factory ammo in my gun since most of that is low BC bullets in the 140-150g class. I fireformed brass with 162 Amax's and they shot very well and I shoot 180 Bergers as my 280AI load.

280AI was the caliber that got me into reloading and it's been a fun one to shoot. I load with H1000, 26" barrel with a 180 Hybrid going 2820fps.

 

[NovaHunter]

.284 is a great round, but last I saw it also is hard to find brass for unless you want to buy 6.5-284 brass and neck it up.

A friend of mine has a 280AI and has had alot of success with it. Nosler makes brass for it, but you could always fireform .280 Rem in a pinch if you needed too.

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[kabarNC]

.284 is a great round, but last I saw it also is hard to find brass for unless you want to buy 6.5-284 brass and neck it up.

A friend of mine has a 280AI and has had alot of success with it. Nosler makes brass for it, but you could always fireform .280 Rem in a pinch if you needed too.

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I shoot 284 winchester currently and love it. With a moderate load of H4831SC I'm getting 180 Bergers to 2700fps out of a 26" 1:8 Bartlein. Brass is readily available at bullets.com, load and go.. One of the easier calibers I've worked a load up for. This is absolutely not going to have store bought ammo available tho.

 

[Mossyoak44]

Thanks Sheldon N for the info and recommendations. Defiantly loving the 280ai potential.

NovaHunter and kabarNC I appreciate the assurence of the 284 win. I think my decision will come down between the 280ai and 284 win. Im looking forward to get into one of these calibers and have a sweet hunting rifle.

 

[XTREM HTR16]

I'd build a 7mm Mashburn Super Magnum. 180's at 3,000 fps out of that 8 twist would be spectacular....


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