Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Custom Rifles & Wildcats Questions on the 257 STW

I'm curious about the 257stw. I have no experience with it and don't really know anything about it. Other than it is the 7mm stw case necked down and it shoots fast and flat. IS it accurate,finicky,hard to load for (pressures). Tell me about it.

I'd also like to know...

so ttt

It's hard on barrels!

I thought about having one built sometime ago and after reading a couple of articles I decided against it for a couple of reasons....(1) unless you're willing to go to a 28" barrel you give away a lot of the performance and (2) you might as well build two at the same time as one will be back at your gunsmith's being rebarreled half the time.

However, if I had a ranch in Texas where I could hunt out of one of those custom elevated blinds with windows, rolling chairs, TV and air-conditoning I'd have one built up like a one of the 1000-yard rifles -- 30" haevy barrel, beefy single-shot action, one-pound trigger with a weight ob about 25 pounds with a big Nightforce-type scope on it.

Do a Google seach and you'll find some articles.

I have a rum action I am thinking about building one on. Haven't decided to do it yet but its a thought.

I had a 257 STW for years, it is fast and flat shooting. I find the cartridge to be sensitive with loads and pressure. The 257 STW is not for a novice reloader, loads need to be worked up carefully, I've knocked out a few primers! With 100 gr TSX's and some RL25 you will have a great flat shooting rifle. Go with a cut rifle barrel or a broughton to help on barrel wear, use a PT&G reamer, blue printed 700 action, and everything should work fine.

Why not a 6.5STW,with the new 120gr and 130gr TSX'S,mine is going to WHOOP the HEll out of some critters.

Why not a 6.5STW,with the new 120gr and 130gr TSX'S,mine is going to WHOOP the HEll out of some critters.
My gunsmith here in Dallas built 1 for a gent earlier this year,his 1st loads with 100gr bullet was chronoed at 4105fps.Doc told me he would probably never use that reamer again,until I was there when the guy came in and was telling him about it.I told Doc I've got to have 1.So we're building 1 for me.I spoke to him again and now he's trying the new 6.5 TSX'S and I can't wait to find out the results of how they worked out.

Unless you shoot it fast enough to get the barrel extremely hot it's not much harder on barrels than some of the other hotrods.. Obtain a quality barrel and don't get it hot. You should be able to get 1000-1200 rounds down the tube before a rebarrel..

It's not that hard to reload for but like others have said you have to work up slowly and pay attention.. USE a chronograph when you do..

I built one for myself about 7-8 years ago.. It IS fast and accurate and I can't wait to get to SD and begin an antelope quest.

Whoa.. That, IMHO, is TOO much speed/pressure..

What kind of speeds can I expect out of it?

I would be happy at 3800fps with 100gr .257 bullet and I think its do able.

You have another great option. I had custom 257 Weatherby's with zero freebore, and shot the 100's at 3800 with extreme accuracy, it is however rough on brass.

Now I have two custom 7 STW's. I shoot the 120g barnes tripple shock at 3800 fps with groups in the 3's with IMR 7828 with a Win Mag primer. This is the third 7 STW that I shot the 120's in. When the 7 STW first came out, I worked up a load using R#22 with the federal 215, and was shooting bug holes while working up loads in the fireforming process with the old NOsler 120g Solid Base lead tip bullet which were great on deer.

400 yards is a chip shot with the 7 STW in this load.

I have shot a lot with the 140g Nosler C/T bullet at 3600fps, and this bullet has never failed brothers and I on deer; no one has ever had a whitetail take a step after being shot with this load, near or far.

Can anyone tell me where to find info on case dimensions for the 257 STW? I've Googled and Yahooed and looked all over. I still ain't found any info. None of my manuals have any info. I did find some load data and history from Layne Simpson's article in Shooting Times. Got a friend who needs some 7 MM STW brass necked down to 257 and I want to be sure to get it trimmed to the correct length. Is it the same as the 7 MM STW?

Why not just go .257 wby?

When I had my .257 wby built, my smith asked me moments before he started chambering it if I wanted to go 257 stw. I looked rather quick and I THINK the .257 wby out runs it..

I think the STW is a tad faster. I started out looking for some dies for a friend in 257 STW here in the classifieds. I found an almost new set as well as a Sendero barrel with 100 rounds since rechamber to 257 STW. Thought I'd give it a try also.

my 257 STW was just a tad faster than a 257 wby and frankly I think was mostly due to barrel length. I was gettin' around 3800 with a 27" barrel and 100gr. mollied tsx. I think the STW might be good for an extra 75 to 100 fps over the wby. Anybody pushin' it beyond that is probably runnin' way too much pressure. Loved mine when I had it, but wouldn't bother with one again. If I wanted the speed I'd just run a long tube 257 wby and be done with it.

hmmm.....I thought the STW was a couple hundred fps faster than the Roy.

Actually, that's fairly close.

Just checked a quick loading between the two. (both w/26" bbls)

Nosler - 100 gr Ballistic Tip using RL-25 = 3806 fps. (STW, article info)
Nosler - 100 gr Ballistic Tip using AA3100 = 3602 fps (Wby - Nosler reloading book #6)


Similar bullet - 100 gr SBT averaged about 3450+ with one particular load using IMR 7828 reached 3659 fps.. (Lymans, new edition, Wby)

There's less difference in speed w/85 gr bullets; about 90fps..
About the same difference using the extremes in the 115 gr bullet sizes..

It appears that IMR 7828 gives, on average, the highest velocity in the Wby rounds..

I am not sure about the 257 STW but I know Layne Simpson has reduced many of his initial loads for the 7 and others. The original loads were in the nothing blew up so must be OK category.

Google the "257 Hot Tamale" for some more info on the 25.

Gee, wonder why? Oh, wait, this is AFTER he used such to make a place for himself in the glossy mags. Gotcha....................