257 roberts

bearhunter said:
The 6.5x55 or any of the 6.5 cartridges with similar case capacities will do anything the 257 Rob will do, and some "addicts" even claim it will do it better. IMHO that's a "mindset" when it comes to field results.

The one thing the 6.5 caliber has to its advantage presently is that there are a lot more bullet designs available for it, from more manufacturers than .257 caliber

One thing about both calibers is when "case capacities" exceed "bore capacities" pressures climb dramatically and leade erosion becomes drastic.

I've had 25-06 and 6.5-06 rifles with started losing accuracy after less than 800 rounds and had to have the barrels set back and the chambers recut due to erosion from maximum loads.
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The faster twist, which can handle heavy for caliber is the benefit. They can shoot light bullets just as good for varmints, and have the option for heavy for larger game, just a bit more versatile.
Same beef the 6mmRem and 243 had decades ago.
I have one 257, it's a Wetherby, it's a hammer on deer with 110-120's going rocket velocity, I wouldn't even shoot anything lighter in it, it would just be too fast and messy on anything lol
 
bearhunter said:
The 6.5x55 or any of the 6.5 cartridges with similar case capacities will do anything the 257 Rob will do, and some "addicts" even claim it will do it better. IMHO that's a "mindset" when it comes to field results.

The one thing the 6.5 caliber has to its advantage presently is that there are a lot more bullet designs available for it, from more manufacturers than .257 caliber

One thing about both calibers is when "case capacities" exceed "bore capacities" pressures climb dramatically and leade erosion becomes drastic.

I've had 25-06 and 6.5-06 rifles with started losing accuracy after less than 800 rounds and had to have the barrels set back and the chambers recut due to erosion from maximum loads.
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Yes, that also steered me away from 257, 25/06 as well to a 6.5. Bullet selection for 6.5 has alot of options.
 
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Rod said:
I'm also a fan of the 257 Rbts. I have only one rifle in this caliber, a 1953 Winchester M70.
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I gotta ask about your model 70. A friend of mine bought one identical to yours for his wife who was a smaller lady and he figured the 257 was a milder choice. When he tried it out he told me it kicked harder than his 7mm mag Sako. The model 70 had to weigh 9 lbs loaded and I can't figure why recoil was an issue unless bore was undersized? Is yours unruly for recoil? Just curious.
 
Hitzy said:
The faster twist, which can handle heavy for caliber is the benefit. They can shoot light bullets just as good for varmints, and have the option for heavy for larger game, just a bit more versatile.
Same beef the 6mmRem and 243 had decades ago.
I have one 257, it's a Wetherby, it's a hammer on deer with 110-120's going rocket velocity, I wouldn't even shoot anything lighter in it, it would just be too fast and messy on anything lol
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Now you're being presumptuous. Any twist rate you desire in any caliber can be had with custom barrels. You're right about off the shelf rifles though.

I believe your 257 Weatherby is a hammer on Deer, because my 257 Roberts with the same weight bullets loaded to the pressures my rifle will handle safely, will do the same thing and I'll bet there isn't a Deer, alive or dead that would notice a difference.

The only reason most Weatherby cartridges can handle the case capacities is due to a lot of "free bore" Not all of them though.

I built one with a "custom" reamer I picked up at the Saanich Gun Show and a take off barrel from a 25-06 from the same show, all on a Remington 700 long action receiver with a magnum bolt face and the feed rails ground accordingly.

The chamber in this rifle, with a 1-10 twist only allowed for appx .050 jump before the ogive entered the leade area. There was no way I could use anywhere near maximum loads suggested in any manual with that rifle.

It was "overbore" capacity and pressures built up much faster than the 25-06 with any bullet weight I shot out of it.
 
Mike Webb said:
I gotta ask about your model 70. A friend of mine bought one identical to yours for his wife who was a smaller lady and he figured the 257 was a milder choice. When he tried it out he told me it kicked harder than his 7mm mag Sako. The model 70 had to weigh 9 lbs loaded and I can't figure why recoil was an issue unless bore was undersized? Is yours unruly for recoil? Just curious.
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The reason the Model 70 likely "kicked harder" was because it didn't "fit" the fellows small statured wife.

Same thing happens when you hand a rifle that fits a six foot man to a diminutive 5 foot kid, their balance is off when they shoot and felt recoil tends to feel much worse.

Handing someone a rifle or shotgun with a 14 1/2 inch trigger pull reach, when they need a 13 in trigger pull reach, is a good way to put them off of shooting, shoot poorly and develop an uncontrollable flinch.
 
Mike Webb said:
I gotta ask about your model 70. A friend of mine bought one identical to yours for his wife who was a smaller lady and he figured the 257 was a milder choice. When he tried it out he told me it kicked harder than his 7mm mag Sako. The model 70 had to weigh 9 lbs loaded and I can't figure why recoil was an issue unless bore was undersized? Is yours unruly for recoil? Just curious.
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With any of my pre-64 M70's the kick is a non issue. The design of the stock and the wide buttplate may have something to do with it. She must be holding the rifle incorrectly or some other reason. The rifle weighs less than 9lbs loaded, more like 8 lbs loaded. Even my feather weights,, being quite a bit lighter, are easy with recoil.
 
guntech said:
What powder?

I have never heard of smokeless powder doing such a thing. Are you sure it was your powder that ruined your barrel?
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It was a Higginson's surplus powder called #44, made by Bofors of Sweden for their military cartridges, and closely duplicated IMR3031. It was a great powder until it broke down, I had a lot of it on hand and lost close to twenty pounds.

I had that powder on the shelf for almost ten years before it broke down.

It's the only time its happened to me but when I pulled apart the rest of the ammo I had loaded with the powder, about half of them had solid clumps, instead of loose powder and some of the cases were were green inside, as were the bases of the bullets.

Same acidic smell of other powders I've had turn bad, such as the 47N (vvN160 or oem4350) Eagle Eye had the same powders go bad on him, as did a few others on this site. I don't know if they damaged any of their rifles with it, but some did comment on the solid clump of powder in the case and green case interiors/bullet butts.

I was fairly new to those powders back then and learned a lesson not to load up a lot of ammunition with similar powders purchased from Tom later. Tom wasn't at fault with this powder, it was stable and consistent when he bought it. I called him and warned him to look at the stock he still had on hand. Some of it was breaking down as well, so he scrapped all of what he had left.

He felt bad about it, and tried to compensate me with other powders. Tom and I had been friends for a long time, so it was water under the bridge as far as I was concerned. I miss Tom.
 
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Mike Webb said:
I gotta ask about your model 70. A friend of mine bought one identical to yours for his wife who was a smaller lady and he figured the 257 was a milder choice. When he tried it out he told me it kicked harder than his 7mm mag Sako. The model 70 had to weigh 9 lbs loaded and I can't figure why recoil was an issue unless bore was undersized? Is yours unruly for recoil? Just curious.
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My wife who is by no means a harden or seasoned shooter shoots my M77 257 bob without any issues. No recoil reduced loads or anything ether. I would think a M70 and M77 would be similar in weight as well.
 
Mike Webb said:
I gotta ask about your model 70. A friend of mine bought one identical to yours for his wife who was a smaller lady and he figured the 257 was a milder choice. When he tried it out he told me it kicked harder than his 7mm mag Sako. The model 70 had to weigh 9 lbs loaded and I can't figure why recoil was an issue unless bore was undersized? Is yours unruly for recoil? Just curious.
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There is another fellow here in SJ who had a pre64 M70 in 257R who reported the same thing. Rifle was no lightweight either.

I was disappointed not to get a chance to buy it before he sold it, but in reality I don't want a 9# 257Roberts.
 
My 257 is in a Sako AII with a Douglas barrel 1-10 twist. The only drawback is the leade is very long and to get the best accuracy I have to shoot heavier bullets loaded beyond the mag length capacity. I shoot 117-120 gr from it only. When loaded O.A.L. to fit in the mag the best I could get was just sub 1 inch whereas if single loaded long it was a .4-.5 inch gun (best group was 5 in 0.2”). Still a nice light good fitting gun with just the right amount of punch for most hunting. Mine is in a plain walnut stock with flush fitting sling mounts for that clean minimalist look. I pillar bedded the action and free floated the barrel. I load .30-06 brass by first setting the shoulder back with a .308 FL die then using a small tube cutter for most of the excess. I then full size in my 257 die then final trim for length. I was worried that the shoulder of the ‘06 was now neck and used to neck ream but found that it wasn’t required.
 
SuperCub said:
There is another fellow here in SJ who had a pre64 M70 in 257R who reported the same thing. Rifle was no lightweight either.

I was disappointed not to get a chance to buy it before he sold it, but in reality I don't want a 9# 257Roberts.
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Were it not for collectors values and me appreciating original condition, the pre 64s I've had would all have pads on them. And don't much care for the stock shape.
 
SuperCub said:
There is another fellow here in SJ who had a pre64 M70 in 257R who reported the same thing. Rifle was no lightweight either.

I was disappointed not to get a chance to buy it before he sold it, but in reality I don't want a 9# 257Roberts.
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The weight of a pre-64 M70, standard rifle, in 257, is no different than the 30-06, 270, 243 etc. A slight difference may occur with the weight of the stock or smaller bore dia but minimal at best.. With these pre-64's all in a row I can't tell the difference when picking them up until I read the barrel script. Hunting, I use the factory style Winchester leather adjustable military style sling and this works for me.

The stock design, referred to as the NRA stock, when held properly handles the recoil remarkably well. When I shoot my 300 H&H it's great, as is my 300 Win Mag, 264 WM and even the 375. The only one I have to pay attention to is my 338. Must keep my cheek tight on the stock or it'll smack me a bit. My feather weights are a quite a bit lighter but, again, with the NRA stock they handle the recoil very well and don't notice any difference between standard and FW.

The one pre-64 M70, I have, that is quite heavy is my 220 Swift. It has a heavy 26" stainless barrel and a Lyman 15X Super Target Spot scope. It's heavier than the rest alright.
 
Potashminer said:
From the picture - as if most of the "new" 257 Roberts neck is made from the parent 30-06 shoulder - that might or might not be an issue - depending on brass thickness and chamber clearances?
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That could very well be the case. Not insurmountable, but still another step. I don't have a FL 257R die to push that into and find out.

I use a Lee collet die and a bump die for all my loading.
 
270 totheend said:
My 257 is in a Sako AII with a Douglas barrel 1-10 twist. The only drawback is the leade is very long and to get the best accuracy I have to shoot heavier bullets loaded beyond the mag length capacity. I shoot 117-120 gr from it only. When loaded O.A.L. to fit in the mag the best I could get was just sub 1 inch whereas if single loaded long it was a .4-.5 inch gun (best group was 5 in 0.2”). Still a nice light good fitting gun with just the right amount of punch for most hunting. Mine is in a plain walnut stock with flush fitting sling mounts for that clean minimalist look. I pillar bedded the action and free floated the barrel. I load .30-06 brass by first setting the shoulder back with a .308 FL die then using a small tube cutter for most of the excess. I then full size in my 257 die then final trim for length. I was worried that the shoulder of the ‘06 was now neck and used to neck ream but found that it wasn’t required.
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Not dissing you, but you're doing it the hard way.

The 257 Roberts is based on the 7x57 Mauser case and they're still readily available. The 6mm Rem, 6.5x57, 8x57 will do the job as well, only much easier than processing 30-06.

If you've got lots on hand and don't mind the time and aggravation, I can see using 30-06 or similar cases.
 
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