Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters 257 Roberts M70 Featherweight XTR

Weeeeell ...

Since the X bullets like some jump to the rifling, if you've got a rifle with a throat too long for the box, it sure makes sense to give them a try.

I never ran any 100 grain X bullets in my last .257 but I shot a lot of 100 grain ballistic tips and partitions in it. The 100 grain ballistic tip over 48 grains of H4831 and Federal 210Ms in WW cases shot in the low-mid .2s which ain't shabby for what amounted to a 700 LVSF converted from .22-250 to .257 Roberts. 100 grain partitions shot the same load, just not quite as accurate. Still well sub MOA.

For the 110 AB, I had my best luck in that gun with RL22 and for the 120 partition, H414.

Tom

Killzone,

I'm sorry but I've not tried the combination of components you have. What has worked for me, of the components you have is the following.

100 TTSX and Ramshot Hunter, 46.5 to 47 gr.
115 BT and either 42.9 gr IMR 4831 43.9 gr H 4831.
120 PT and 45 gr H4831

Maybe this might reduce your component expenditure to find a good load.

Alan

MM:Mine went to Dietrich Apel at Jaegers for a 30/06 box and follower...I got around the long throat issue with a 3" OAL or something pretty close.

Killed a pile of deer, antelope and varmints with that rifle with IMR4831 and a 100 gr Partition at 3150-3200 fps.It did not shoot the 120's quite so well but it did OK with them at 2950 fps.

My second rifle I shot "as is".

my apologies killzone, it was 46.5 grains H4350 in my Kimber select classic.

No worries Jimmy.

Thank you all for the helpful replies, a little fine tuning will burn a lot less powder than a full load work up!

My powder stock is so bad I was pulling bullets from previous loadings yesterday.

Pathetic......

Happy New Year everyone!!!!

Yeah Bob, you did the right thing. I was figuring on getting parts from US Repeating Arms that would have fixed it ( 7x57 box and follower and altering the bolt stop for the longer box opening), but it just kept pissing me off that the bootlips turds at Winchester had so stupidly put it together. LA and Short Box WTF? SAAMI spec I suppose, it worked with WW factory Loads and that was as far as their limited imaginations worked. I got a deal on a couple of boxes of RP factory RN 117's to shoot for brass and they wouldn't even hold on the target but the factory WW RN 117's shot well. Ended up being a safe queen for a few years with about 300 rds through it. Divorce finally prompted the sale of it. My next 257 was M700 Mountain Rifle that was also a SA it didn't shoot for beans either. Not wanting to quit on the bob the last one was a Ruger M77RL Mkll LA, long box with a 20" pencil barrel and it shoots fine. I'll be damned if I can see any difference in the way it kills things compared to the 243 Win at normal ranges. At least the mag box and chamber relationship on 243's work. Magnum Man

I do not shoot the 100g TSX but have shot 117g with H4831. Given the longer bearing of 100g TSX for their weight I will give my H4831 loading

43g of H4831. This is mild load for the Roberts. Barnes list 44g of H4831 as a starting load. So really soft. But that gave the best accuracy ever in my Roberts. I have found H4831 to work well for accuracy at reduced loadings in my Robers with several different bullets of different makes.

Do not be afraid to reduce your H4831 load a few grains in looking for a good shooting load. Also remember Barnes bullets are touchy about how much 'jump' they like before engaging the rifling. Most of the time they do not like to be too close. You can try dropping your COL .003 to .007. It will be Very clear when you find the 'sweet' spot for COL.

45 grains of 4350, and up from there, with most any 100 grain bullet.

"LA and Short Box WTF?"

Magnum: the 257 FWT came out in the early 80's, USRA didn't have a short action until the mid to late 80's.

Yeah southtexas, like I said and Bobin NH said they needed a 3" mag box not a 2.83" box. They could have easily used the same box and follower they put in for those chambered for 7x57. Magnum Man