Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters 257 Roberts 90gr Sierra update

Went to the range with the FN yesterday.5 shots 100yds!They love paper ingwe.I'm tempted to use them for deer. [img:center][/img]

Not too shabby! What's your load?

Didn't get in on your earlier thread but unless Sierra has changed the design radically those 90 gr. HPBT bullets are very frangible.

My info is admittedly dated, I used to use them in the mid-70's out of a .25-06 on jackrabbits because a couple of articles had listed them as being so fragile as to be almost explosive. They really did a number on jackrabbits. A hit anywhere in the body would explode them and a bloody rag would shoot up 10-12 feet in the air. There truly wasn't much left but a wide red spot in the snow with any kind of decent hit. Even at that they'd probably put an insta-kill on a deer if you stuck it in the ribs.

They were definitely accurate, all of the Sierra HPBT's I've used from .224 through .308 caliber have proven outstandingly accurate.

I know their .243 85 HPBT is a respected deer bullet but just passing on this info on the .257 90 grainers from my several year old experience.

Sierra said they would be fine on deer as long I didn't shoot thru shoulders.He said they were the equivalent of the 243 85 HPBT.The load was 45grs of IMR 4350.

Nice load and nice shooting. I may give the 90s a try.

Ernie

I've been under the impression the 90 grain Sierra's were a game bullet so this surprises me somewhat.

My cousin and l used to use them on woodchucks from the Roberts. They were bombs....and very accurate. But since grouping ability has nothing to do with terminal performance...and varmint bullets aren't intended fot hunting larger game, l used tougher bullets from the Roberts for my deer hunting. This worked everytime l tried it.

Had one that didn't make it all the way thru a lengthwise shot on a rather large rabbit at about 10 feet once, out of a 25-06 they shot great and man they would blow things up but massive penetration was not their strong suit.

Easily the most eloquent razor blade I've read in a long time on the 'fire...

Bellydeep: Not intended to be harmful (grin).we all love accuracy but sacrificing reliablee terminal effect for fractional gains in grouping doesn't seem like a good deal to me and never did.

I talked to Sierra when I built a reduced velocity load for my kids in a .250-3000 and used the same bullet. So far we are 2-0 on average sized does at 50 yards and 125 yards. The kids have grown up enough that I am using full power 100gr bullets from here on out and the balance of the reduced velocity will be used for practice and groundhogs, but there was nothing wrong with these bullets at around 2500fps (book velocity) on broadside shots.

Redleg you said all the operative caveats...250 savsge (14"twist?), 2500 fps, reduced velocity and smallish deer with rib shots.l am sure they worked fine under those circumstances for the kids.

This a far cry from the same bullet driven a full 3200-3300 fps in a full house Roberts load and a 10 twist, used in general hunting for deer that may weigh 200-300 pounds on the hoof. For that l see no reason not to use a heavier or sturdier bullet.

Nor would l ever pick a bullet based on cherry-picking lung shots. I would want something more capable under a wider range of shot opportunities.

Bob - I agree totally and the shots were carefully planned and selected, just adding my experience to the conversation. I always agree with the philosophy of having more bullet than you think you'll need for those times things don't work as planned. For teh record, my default bullet is still the Nosler Partition for 90% of the time on big game. Of course that can start a whole other arguement...

Redleg we are on the same page...l understood.

Case in point, I shot some hedge apples for sighting in and have done likewise numerous times. I've killed plenty with rifles that have never seen paper.

Bullets matter and I prefer bullets that work when everything is wrong. Lots of sheit works when everything is JUST right.

If you can hit an hedge apple at whatever distance, you can kill a deer.

For me, it's caliche rocks - all sizes and distances. And no field dressing needed!

Here's what Sierra says:

.25 CALIBER (.257) 90 GR. HPBT
The 90 grain #1615 Hollow Point Boat Tail bullet was designed originally as a varmint bullet, but it has taken on an expanded role. This bullet is extremely accurate at all velocity levels, making it suitable for the entire range of 25 caliber cartridges. It will perform as a varmint bullet at high velocities, but it may also be used on medium game from smaller-capacity cartridges, such as the 250-3000 Savage and 257 Roberts.

BC is about .260.

A lot of folks think Sierra can't make a good big game bullet, even when they try

People get TOO hung up on accuracy for accuracy's sake.

Cost is another factor I'll not even begin to touch.

When one is brought up on Hornady Interlocks, then on to monometals... the idea of using a designed varmint bullet that MAY be used as big game bullet just does not make a lot of sense to me.