280 rem with bergers

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richarde270

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I just bought a Ruger in 280 rem and was thinking of 140 to 160 grn bullets for Moose .I have never used Bergers but I hear good things .
Any thoughts on the Bergers compared to Nosler Accubonds
And any recipies for the .280 would be greatly apprieciated.
 
richarde270 said:
I just bought a Ruger in 280 rem and was thinking of 140 to 160 grn bullets for Moose .I have never used Bergers but I hear good things .
Any thoughts on the Bergers compared to Nosler Accubonds
And any recipies for the .280 would be greatly apprieciated.
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Welcome to the 280 fraternity, you will like this caliber if you don't try to strech it's abilities. For deer size game 140 to 160 grain bullets are perfect. For moose the lightest I would go is 160 and wouldn't hesitate to use the 175gr bullets in a pinch. I use the 150 Partition in mine but only hunt deer with it. The suggestion of using Bergers for hunting is not a good one from my experience unless you are talking deer size game at very long range because the bullets blow up at shorter ranges, I have not taken game with them and don't use them but my hunting buds tried them in the 300 RUM (210gr) and the 7mm Dakota (180gr), they both report extraordinary expansion at very, very long ranges, this indicates that even at low velocity they overexpand so my opinion is use the Accubond or Triple Shock in the lighter weights and go for conventional bullets in the heavies like the 175 Sierra SBT, in any case the moose is large animal that you might have to shoot from a bad angle so use a heavy bullet. Good powders in the 280 are IMR 4350 but lots in this burning range are excellent.
bigbull
 
Go ahead and use the 168gr Bergers on everything you would use a cup and core bullet on. At the 2850fps you will get with it, it performs well. I shot some deer with Bergers in this velocity range and they worked fine.
The Accubond is a great bullet and I would shoot anything short of brown bears with a 140gr Accubond at the 3050fps you should get. I used 140gr Accubonds in my .270 quite a bit, and saw over 30" of penetration thru spine and shoulder blade on a 20" black bear with my gun (now Supercub's) and load.
Try 4350, 4831, RL19, and 7828. They all work well in that cartridge.
 
Go ahead and use them. I've use the 160 gr Accubond on everything from a coyote to moose with no problems. I like IMR 4350 and RL 19, but others will work just the same.
Have fun and great choice on the 280.
 
Bergers would likely work, but moose are big and penetration isn't the VLD's strong point. With so many accurate hunting bullets out there today (Accubonds, TSX, TTSX, GMX, Partitions, Interbonds, Interlocks, etc) I dont see the real need to shoot a thin jacketed match bullet at game, especially bigger critters like moose. Tuck a Berger behind the shoulder and it should do the job though.........although a friend didn't have great performance with his 300 Ultra & 210 Bergers on an elk.....:runaway:
 
Sorry no Berger experience but shot a few moose with Rem Cor'loc & Horn 150 Interlocks. Found best powders in my gun were the slow stuff like 4831 & 7828!
 
I am shooting the 154 Hornadys in front of H4350 and I am getting MOA or better at 100 yards. I plan to stretch that a bit this week and see how they perform accuracy wise. I have not shot any game with this bullet yet, but others with experience have told me it works good on medium to large game. I will let you know later this year...I hope!
 
Lapua Naturlis solids are working exceptionaly, 7mm 160 grain. Not necessary fo rdeer, but with 98% weight retention and expansion, are suitable for moose.
 
Bergers

I am sorry but I don't think thin jacket target bullets make good hunting bullets. Berger would like you to believe they will work and some guys have been lucky using them,but when push comes to shove, with velocities approaching 3000 fps - Thin Don't Win.
Heavy jackets or no lead bullets will almost always be the best for hunting.
IMHO
 
I have been hunting pretty much exclusively with my .280 since 95. I have had great succes with Hornady 154 gr interlocks and 150 gr Nosler partitons. A few years back i started using 140 gr Partition and have used it exclusively since. I use magnum primers and a stout load of imr 4831. I have shot deer,elk, moose and bears with it.Short or long range they just work.Lots of premium bullets out there nowadays so find one your gun likes and don't look back. I shoot Bergers in my 30 06 but only at paper, my hunting loads are 165 gr partitions.
 
Broadside in the ribs and the Bergers will be great.
400 yards out and still great.
50 yards steep quartering away shot..not so much.

Moose are big and the 280 is a magnum in every way, but name.
Of the two you mention I would suggest the Accubond.
 
ricochet said:
I selected H4350 also - shooting from a 22" Rem Mtn rifle so my theory is that a faster-burning propellant will maximize velocity vs a 24" or 26" barreled rifle. You may find the 160gr bullets long. My 'go-to' loads are 120gr Barnes TTSX and 140gr Nosler Accubond. For Moose I'd stick to the 140 accu.
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I believe that it's been documented that the "faster" or "slower" means very little, if any, velocity diff in rifles of various barrel lengths. The "faster" or "slower" has more to do with the speed of the pressure spike when ignited.
 
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