Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles .257 Roberts fav's

I'm down to three I usally find 45-46 grains of H4350 behind a 100 gr pill of your choice seems to work.Right now, I'm shooting 100gr Barnes TSX with 45gr H4350 in the 722 and am getting 3080fps. Shoots really well for me.

5 shot's Kimber 257 Roberts AAA French Select Speer 120gr Grand Slam with RL-22

This has been true for me as well and some burn rate charts show MRP as slightly slower. than R22 What I have read is that the powder starts out the same R22 & MRP but different flame retardents are used on MRP. If you look at the color of both, MRP appears darker to me. I have also heard that R22 is bulk grade which can have +/- 10% lot to lot variation and that MRP is canister grade with a maximum allowable variation of 5%. So R22 can vary as much as twice the burn rate compared to MRP.. This seems true to what I have seen in lot to lot variation, almost none with MRP but some lots of R22 can vary between burn rates from the 4831 range to 7828 or even close to H1000.
I won't stop using R22 but I do want to explore alternate loads with R23 & R16 for the same applications. R16 is very promising being close to H4350 but usually with higher velocities. R16 & R26 are denser so may suit the Roberts well as they have with the 6mm Rem, 243 and the 25-06.

Blowing primers and cracking heads at just 4 reloads with H4895 loads. Either WW brass is junk or those loads are WAY too hot for my post-64.

Bedding didn't help. Might get it pillar bedded. Shoots better in the repaired super Grade stock so far. Time to start over in cooler weather. Sigh...

Tagged.

Any idea what velocity you're getting with those loads? Just FYI, the Hodgdon data shows 38.0 grains as max for the 100 gr. bullet using H4895.

I've always had better luck using IMR 4350 in my Roberts. I had a Browning A-bolt that loved the 100 grain partition and my current Winchester FWT loves the 90 gr Barnes X-bullet (discontinued) and a max charge of 4350. It also loves the 100 gr. Ballistic tip with a max charge of 4350.

42 grains IMR 4350 with 117-grain Hornady = 2850 fps. 100 grain Sierra GK's and 38 grains H 4895 = 3050 fps.

I've been using 44gr of IMR4350 with the 100gr TSX in my old Rem 722. Shoots about 3150 FPS in my rifle and have taken over a dozen critters with that load including Mule and Coues deer and a bunch of antelope. Never lost a critter, never recovered a bullet. Closest shot was 180 yards, longest about 350. Loaned it to a buddy and he killed his pronghorn over at 415.
BUT, based on Mule Deer's recommendation I'm going to give H4350 a try. I'm planning to give the Bob the season off this year in favor of the .270, .243, and .35 Whelen AI, so I have lots of time for loading the Bob.

Cheers,
Rex

Shoots lights out with Hornady factory 117-grain SST load. Box says 2945 fps. I got 3100 with my ProChrony.

That factory load may be the single worst shooting factory load I have ever fired in a center fire rifle. In fact I pulled the bullets and used the brass for reloads with out shooting them first. When the best a factory load does in a rifle is 3.5 inches it is pretty bad.

After lots of work -- mounts (ring screws) shifted enough to throw groups off. Leupold bases and rings now, and I have a good load. Also, that factory load shoots well. So, a sorta skim-bedded replacement stock for the original (broken), fall temps coming soon, it's all good. WW brass is crap, IMR 4831 and H4831SC good with 117-grain Hornady SST's. Hornady brass is better.

For years all I loaded in my Roberts's were 100gn bullets (Hornady SP, Ballistic Tip, Speer HP, Nosler Solid Base) but two years ago I tried some 115gn Ballistic Tips at 2800fps. They performed really well on pigs with very good penetration on going away shots. I load that bullet in my .257 AI now. My two standard Roberts rifles are currently loaded with 100gn Sciroccos and Nosler Solid Bases. When the Solid Bases are gone I'll go back to the 100gn Hornady SP in that rifle as I have 11 or 12 boxes stashed away.

What was your favorite powder when shooting the 100gr. bullets in your AI?
I have an AI that I haven't shot in at least 25 + years and a stash of 100gr Barnes X's bullets that I should get up and running again is why I ask..
Thx

I haven't loaded 100gn bullets in my .257 AI yet. I have loaded 110gn Accubonds and 115gn Ballistic Tips with 50gn H4831sc. I have two standard .257 Roberts rifles and load 100gn bullets in them with H4350 (46 - 47 grains). I thought I'd use the AI to try the heavier .25 bullets. My .250 Savage also shoots 100gn bullets so I didn't want four 25s all shooting the same weight bullet. If I was going to load 100s in my AI I'd try H4350, H4831sc and RE19, mainly because that's all we get out here. We don't have the huge range of powders available to us. Basically the ADI and Alliant lines, though Alliant can be hard to get at times as It only comes in every two years, so we usually stick to the locally made ADI stuff which is good powder. There's a rumour that Winchester Australia is stopping the import of the Winchester powders into Australia so there goes another line.

I had a better bob and sold it (kinda regret that) and it shot well w/ 115s & H4831.

I ended up w/ one powder for the better & standard Bobs; Ramshot Hunter is fantastic in both. For 100s in the standard Bob I run 46 GR in 2 and it shots beautifully with Interlocks or ballistic tips. I always use magnum primers.

well i got my 257 Roberts back that i had a Brux barrel 7 1/2 twist on my Remington 30 express with 100 or 115 Nosler B.T. using Reloader 17 this rifle shoots 1/2- 5/8 inch groups at 100 yards with my 1st loadings ever in this new barrel ,thats good enough for hunting for me.

I used to shoot the 120gr Partition at 2,800 with IMR 4831, but I bet many powders would work. Great bullet on game and an easy-to-shoot level of recoil, much like the 120-130gr stuff in the .260 and 6.5CM. Not much difference in the deer woods, and old school can still be cool.

120gr at 2900ish with H4831sc works in several for me. It’s a sweet spot considering trajectory, recoil, and terminal performance. Pretty much matches the ballistics of the Creed at the ranges I need.

[img]https://i.imgur.com/dFR3ohh.jpg?1[/img]

Hornady brass (3rd use)/ CCI 200 / 42 gr IMR 4831 / 117-gr Hornady I-B / COAL 2.905. 5 shots at 70 deg. F