Looking for info on a canadian ross rifle ?
- Thread starter 50calguy
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The ammo for the .280 Ross was not belted, friend, it was semi-rimmed with a long, tapered casing: excellent feeding and all the advantages of rimmed-cartridge headspacing.
Loaded ammunition has not been available since about 1935, if you are looking at North American stuff. The British loaded it up to about 1966, but it was Berdan-primed.
Now that your heart is broken, I can send some good news: it is an easy cartridge to make. You start with .300 H&H Magnum brass and chuck the cases into a lathe and turn off HALF the thickness of the belt. Now you full-length size the stuff, trim to length and load it up. On firing, the case body will expand concentrically and fill the chamber, thus sealing it. As an alternative, brass IS manufactured in Australia and it is available here, just rather horridly expensive. Yes, I'm cheap!
You can load the cartridge with standard .284" bullets. There is a legend that the .280 was loaded with a .287" slug, but the only cartridge I have found which conforms to this is a single round of .28 Ross experimental ammunition. ALL of the original .280 Ross ammo I have (including a full box of King's Norton, made for Gibbs before the Great War) has bullets in the .283" to .284" diameter.
Ross used his own form of rifling in these rifles and it stands up very well when you consider that much of the old ammunition was loaded with highly-erosive varieties of Cordite. Just to be on the safe side (not wanting to waste powder) you likely would be best to stay with a flat-based bullet. Flat-based bullets obturate better than boat-tails and the upset will seal even a worn bore.
Ross loaded this cartridge extremely hot, all the way to 3000 ft/sec with a 180!!!!! Yes: hotter than a 7mm Weatherby! But your rifle now is very close to a century old, so I would stick with the loads in Barnes's COTW. Barnes recommends 60 grains of 3031 for 3000 ft/sec with a 140: pretty darned close to a good load for a 7mm Remington.
BTW, a commercial Ross .280 HAS exactly the same problems as regards correct bolt assembly as does the Mark III military rifle, so BE WARNED.
There are a couple of other threads on the go right now in this forum which discuss this.
As to value, I can't say. All I know is that I really want one while I'm still in shape to take it to the range!
You have a Very Nice Toy. Enjoy!
.
Loaded ammunition has not been available since about 1935, if you are looking at North American stuff. The British loaded it up to about 1966, but it was Berdan-primed.
Now that your heart is broken, I can send some good news: it is an easy cartridge to make. You start with .300 H&H Magnum brass and chuck the cases into a lathe and turn off HALF the thickness of the belt. Now you full-length size the stuff, trim to length and load it up. On firing, the case body will expand concentrically and fill the chamber, thus sealing it. As an alternative, brass IS manufactured in Australia and it is available here, just rather horridly expensive. Yes, I'm cheap!
You can load the cartridge with standard .284" bullets. There is a legend that the .280 was loaded with a .287" slug, but the only cartridge I have found which conforms to this is a single round of .28 Ross experimental ammunition. ALL of the original .280 Ross ammo I have (including a full box of King's Norton, made for Gibbs before the Great War) has bullets in the .283" to .284" diameter.
Ross used his own form of rifling in these rifles and it stands up very well when you consider that much of the old ammunition was loaded with highly-erosive varieties of Cordite. Just to be on the safe side (not wanting to waste powder) you likely would be best to stay with a flat-based bullet. Flat-based bullets obturate better than boat-tails and the upset will seal even a worn bore.
Ross loaded this cartridge extremely hot, all the way to 3000 ft/sec with a 180!!!!! Yes: hotter than a 7mm Weatherby! But your rifle now is very close to a century old, so I would stick with the loads in Barnes's COTW. Barnes recommends 60 grains of 3031 for 3000 ft/sec with a 140: pretty darned close to a good load for a 7mm Remington.
BTW, a commercial Ross .280 HAS exactly the same problems as regards correct bolt assembly as does the Mark III military rifle, so BE WARNED.
There are a couple of other threads on the go right now in this forum which discuss this.
As to value, I can't say. All I know is that I really want one while I'm still in shape to take it to the range!
You have a Very Nice Toy. Enjoy!
.
It may not even be necessary to alter the belt - some rifles will accept the H&H case with the belt intact. The case will expand foreward of the belt.
As mentionned in one of the other threads, a .280 could be worth from $200 to $2000.
These are very well made rifles, a premium rifle in their day. Given what most other hunting cartridges were like in 1910, the .280 Ross was like the hammer of Thor.
As mentionned in one of the other threads, a .280 could be worth from $200 to $2000.
These are very well made rifles, a premium rifle in their day. Given what most other hunting cartridges were like in 1910, the .280 Ross was like the hammer of Thor.
I should mention that although some people think their .280 Ross sporter is worth $2000, the number of people who would pay more than $1000 for a nice one is pretty limited indeed.
People need to put a realistic price on them to actually sell them.
Remember that they are really only a collector's item unless you are a knowledgeable reloader or luck into a supply of Kynoch ammo.(which is probably worth too much to plink with much)
I see there is one for sale now for $1500, with one unclear pic from about 6 feet away, missing sight parts etc. I wish him luck.
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Just another thought with respect to loading with formed H&H cases... The original used a semi rimmed case, and I assume that the semi rim was involved with headspace - although I do not know this for a fact. If you are forming brass, there is no semi rim. Might be an idea to headspace off the shoulder, as for rimless.
Also older Kynoch ammunition, with the corrosive Berdan primers might be mercuric as well. This can result in a one shot - throw the case away situation. Mercuric primers can contribute to case rot.
Also older Kynoch ammunition, with the corrosive Berdan primers might be mercuric as well. This can result in a one shot - throw the case away situation. Mercuric primers can contribute to case rot.
