Justification for Existence: .280 Rem.

Certainly among the cartridges most deserving of being the subject of “Justification for Existence,” the .280 Rem., I mean 7 mm Rem. Express, never mind, the .280 Rem. could, uniquely, be considered a “niche” and an “all-around” cartridge-all at the same time. For many riflemen, the .280 Rem. offers minimal (if any) appreciable increase in performance over the field-proven .270 Win. and .30-’06 Sprg. chamberings. Furthermore, ammunition in the latter chamberings is universally available and, generally, less costly, too. It’s also worthy of note that newly designed bullets and loads are first offered in .270 Win. and .30-’06 Sprg. and then, sometimes, the technology trickles down to the .280 Rem. That being said, there’s a dedicated following that extols the virtues of the .280 Rem. and places it among the cartridge greats. The cartridge’s proponents generally attribute its greatness to a large selection of 0.284”-diameter bullets-from 110 grs. to 180 grs.-with remarkably high ballistic coefficients, which it propels to respectable velocities. To them, this gives the .280 Rem. an edge over the elder cartridges. So, what’s your take on the .280 Rem.?