BRNO VZ24. BR 91. 257 Improved

Deerdr

Deerdr

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Well I just got another Beauty...Action is a VZ24 BRNO....Professionaly Sporterized..Varmint weight barrel .693" at muzzle, Deep rich blue, beautiful Classic walnut stock....25" barrel. The calibre designation on barrel says .257 Impr....Can you fire form brass from 257 Roberts? Is this Ackley Improved? Are dies available? All these rifles came from a man who was a VERY fussy target and Varmint shooter, What have I got here? Respectfully Jim. Oh I forgot...it comes topped with a Weaver K12 C-3 With AO. Scope is in beautiful Condition, and ultra clear.
 
Well Jim, you should ask the man who owned it. If it was from an estate then he must have some kit and brass laying around. While it is mighty tempting to think it is a .257 Roberts Imp. and to just fire a regular .257 Roberts through the thing, it would be wise to do a cast of the chamber and get a definitive answer.
 
Thanks for Reply 1899....I usually do that, but this estate is 3x removed from Original Owner, who passed 25 years ago...the subsequent owners were not firearms people, so no STORY. Original owner had several firearms, all high quality, little used, and set up proffesionaly.
 
Perhaps someone could respond to this:

Take an empty .257 Roberts shell and see if it fits into the chamber. If yes, then make a .257 Roberts dummy round and see if it cycles properly. If yes then make another .257 Roberts dummy and seat the bullet out far enough to touch the rifling. If all of these are successful then use the COW method to fireform a .257 Roberts shell.

Anyone have some thoughts on that?

Or just get the chamber cast. :)
 
Doc, the only 257 Imp that I am aware of is the Ackley and if it were different it is supposed to be indicated. Having said that it is always better to be safe than sorry, so 1899's suggestions make perfect sense to me. If the chamber is in fact an AI and has been done correctly, it will headspace on a factory cartridge and you should be able to feel and see it on a factory loaded cartridge. You should also be able to fire factory ammo in it.
 
There are two 257AI's, the more popular has a 40 deg shoulder the other is 28 deg. you can try a factory round, it should give you an idea of the chamber dimensions. While you can fire form most AI's with standard factory ammo, best results are achieved if you use a specific fire form load where the case is tight against the bolt face and the bullet is seated well into the lands. I use the following fire form load with my 257AI Cooper and have never lost a case, Nosler 115 gr Ballistic Tip over 31 gr of IMR 4895, oal in my case is 2.9940. In fire forming it is best to use the heaviest weight of bullet for that caliber over the minimum recommended powder charge for the fastest powder listed. I fire formed 50 cases in one setting and the group measured 5/8", my fault, I was getting a little sloppy towards the end, 1/4" and better groups for this rifle and caliber combo are the common.
 
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OK. OK UGLY I'm still tryin' the Photo bucket thing, not much luck, I'm a Bushman, not a technical guy...But I wanna be a BIG BOY, so I'm tryin...Jim
 
I just sent pics to a fellow nutter...we'll see what happens, and should I really shoot a 257 Roberts in the Improved? Wife and I both threw up our hands over photo bucket, and dial- up.
 
Deerdr said:
I just sent pics to a fellow nutter...we'll see what happens, and should I really shoot a 257 Roberts in the Improved? Wife and I both threw up our hands over photo bucket, and dial- up.
Click to expand...

Shooting a 257 Roberts in the Improved is as easy as shooting the Roberts in its own chamber.... nothing to fear.
I've done it for decades with three different rifles as its the quickest and most simple way to form the cases.
You will be pleasantly surprised at the difference, my 257 Roberts usually needs case trimming after three firings and the Ackley Improved rarely needs trimming.

If however you should decide to part with it I would be seriously interested... ( just saying ).
 
I'm back...all is good...Shot a 257 Roberts outta the BRNO Improved, off my deck at 100 yard Gong...Hit it...mitta been a bit flinchy but 2 pound crisp trigger helped, kinda surprised me.Very Clear scope...Sent Rifle and a before and after pic of 257....any way Big Ugly I didn't think at 70 I would cave in to peer pressure...Guess it never goes away. LOL Thanks for all the Tips, and if Zuke sends pics,he gets another free 10 minutes in my parts bin...Jim
 
2lb...clearly too light for an old pelter like you on dial-up. I'll take it off your hands to keep you from having the big one fighting with Photobucket.
 
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