Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Why so little talk about 257 Robert's loads ?

I have a Ruger Hawkeye in 257 Robert's that I haven't done much load development for.
I found an 80gr ttsx load for it, and it has 4 antelope to its name, the furthest was 550 yards.
Who's loading what, and shooting what with it ?

Here's a link with 257R info and data.

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/topics/11443832/1

DF

I’m using Sierra Game Kings and Nosler Accubonds over IMR-4350. I can’t recall the powder weight, off hand. Both shoot very well. I’ve taken one buck so far with it so far. Mine is also a Ruger Hawkeye that I really like.

Because it's a dying cartridge--even though it makes big game die quite well.

Should we sound taps ?

Jerry

I think there’s an incredible amount of 257 Rob load talk on this forum, relative to its general obscurity in the wider non-looney world.

Why........???? In this era if it’s not gaymoor people don’t listen.

Mine's a project Model 70 in a LA configuration. 117-grainers and targets for me with H4831,

Its living quite well imo.

Well, it's certainly taking its own sweet time about it.

Actually, I think,we're in a sort of Golden Age of cartridge availability. Seems like with a little effort, a feller can use just about anything that tickles his fancy, even if he doesn't handload, courtesy of the outfits here that load obscure cartridges, and the Yurrupean companies like Prvi and S&B. Hornady does pretty well keeping stuff fed too.

Good times.

Here's a good place to start... type in 257 Rob Loads:

https://cse.google.com/cse?cx=016407629494559605640:xponie3lspc

I have a Ruger M77 MkII in 257 Roberts, it's my favorite deer and antelope rifle. I've taken antelope to 400 yards give or take a couple. My deer hunting is in closer cover so the furthest I can remember is 200 yards with this years buck roughly 150. All with the classic 100 grain bullet, mine is the Interlock sp, over H4350 at 3050 fps. Part of it's problem goes back to the argument over long or short action rifles and the 257 being more an intermediate. It's been chambered in both, but the heavyer bullets start taking up powder space somewhat in the short action. Since the short action is the darling of many, they look elsewhere.

Thanks all.
Going to try some imr4350, under 100gr bt's.

It's always interesting to me to hear about how the .257 Roberts suffers ballistically from being chambered in so many short-action (or short-magazine) rifles.

Despite my previous comment about the .257 being a dying cartridge (which is true, sales-wise, both in rifles and ammo), right now we have four in the house. The one that's been around the longest is the Remington 722 inherited from my paternal grandmother, which Eileen used when she started hunting. The 722's magazine was the prototype for all the short-action magazines since, being slightly over 2.8 inches long. Yet this rifle will easily get 3150 fps with 100-grain bullets, using published +P data--which is limited to 58,000 PSI. It also easily gets 2950-3000 fps with 115-120 grain bullets.

So does Eileen's Ultra Light Arms Model 20. Its magazine is a little longer, 2.95 inches, but the standard SAAMI throat length often limits overall length to somewhat less.

The two latest are a pre-'64 Model 70 Winchester with a low 4-digit serial number, and a custom rifle built on a commercial FN Mauser action--which I used because it's another classic bolt action, not because it has a longer magazine.

I like the 257 Roberts, currently have 10 of them, and think that it is a practical varmint and medium game cartridge if you load your own. When I got my first 257 Roberts, Winchester/Olin cataloged 257 Roberts factory ammo with 87, 100, and 117 grain bullets, so the guy who wasn't a handloader had a factory load option if he wanted to shoot varmints. Back then, the dual purpose capability of 0.243" and 0.257" bore rifles was a marketing strategy that firearms sellers were pushing hard.

I've shot a lot of 0.257" component bullets in the 75 thru 120 grain range over the past 50 years and settled on a few that have worked well for me.

75 grain VMax and Sierra HP
87 grain Speer HotCore and TNT
90 grain Sierra HPBT
100 grain BT and Partition
110 grain AB
115 grain Partition
120 grain Partition

I'm not a big monolith bullet guy, but the 80 grain Barnes TTSX looks like it would be a winner too, if you can live with the not so slick 0.316 BC.

6 of my 10 are short actions from Marlin, Remington x4, and Savage. The other 4 are long actions from Mauser x3 and Ruger. The Mausers are military actions, a large ring Venezuelan 24/30 made by FN, a small ring Mexican, and a small ring Swed made by Husqvarna.

Dying cartridge, maybe.

Dead, no way...

Still kicking.

Actually kicking some serious arse....

DF

Jeff,

Eileen has been using 100-grain TTSX's exclusively in her NULA .257 since they appeared in 2004, but she has used the rifle not only for deer and antelope but elk. No doubt a 120 Partition would also work fine on elk (and she used to use them for deer and antelope, along with the 115 Ballistic Tip), but sticking with one load also has virtues.

However, she also knows monos sometimes don't drop animals as quickly as lead-cores, and in fact her biggest mule deer buck of the past several years went around 100 yards after taking one right behind the shoulder. But that was in wide-open sagebrush country. If she wants them to drop right there, she doesn't hesitate to use the spine-shoulder shot.

This .257 Roberts absolutely loves the 100 grain Nosler Ballistic Tip and 44 grains of H4350 with an OAL of 2.770. I look forward to whacking some deer with this fall.

That'll work!

Neat rifle, cool blanket.

Yep, that'll work.

DF