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

I have had five rifles chambered for the Roberts but down to two now, both Hawkeyes, though one is matte blued and the other is gloss blued. Both have the same Leupold 2.5-8x36 scopes and look like peas in a pod. The only difference is the gloss blued rifle was bought second hand and had been long throated by the previous owner. When the same load is fired in both rifles with the bullets sat 30 thou off the lands, the velocity of the long throated rifle (LTR) is about 150 fps less than the standard throated rifle (STR) (100gn Hornady and 47gn H4350). It takes 49gn H4350 to reach the same velocity in the LTR as the STR indicating pressures should be about the same. However, it just seems a bit weird to be loading 49gn H4350 in the Bob, with 100gn bullets, so I tend to load 48gn meaning I settled for lower velocity in the LTR (STR 47gn H4350/100gn/3150 fps, LTR 48gn H4350/100gn/3090 fps). I guess this seems to go against the whole premise of long throating a rifle, i.e. to get more velocity. The throat has only been lengthened about 3 or 4 millimetres but it has had quite an impact on the velocity.

Both rifles have been bedded, floated and had the triggers worked and will shoot three shots into about 1/2 an inch or a wee bit more at 100m attesting to the quality of Ruger barrels. The other Roberts rifles I've owned were a rebarrelled Featherweight which I had rechambered to .25-06, a Ruger M77 in 95% condition which I had rebarrelled to 7x64 and a Ruger Ultralight that I had rebarrelled to .257 AI.

I guess the .257 Roberts is fading away but if you have a rifle and a set of dies you are good to go. There must still be a few fans here in Australia as when the shops get a supply of brass in every couple of years it disappears in a week or two. I have a 100 cases for each rifle (2 x Roberts and 1 x 257 AI) and have five bags of Winchester brass sitting on my shelf. With cartridges that are not that popular I tend to buy cases when I see them, not when I need them, so always have some on hand.

These days, seems the Roberts is a reloader’s round.

Not so much with new rounds, like the Creed. Very consistent ammo quality and reasonably priced. And the rifles are chambered with consistency, twisted right for the new bullets.

But it’s hard to not like the Roberts. I like mine.

DF

One thing that really annoys me is that some of the ammo companies are still loading factory loads with a 117gn round noise at about 2650 fps. I think Remington and Winchester still do this last time I checked. Why not load a nice 100gn spitzer at 3000 fps? I guess the old sedate loads still sell as people buy them for the brass so no need for the companies to energise themselves a little bit and bring out a new load.

MD: I believe it was an article written by you many moons ago that convinced me to try the 257AI. IIRC you built an AI because the standard Roberts wouldn't get you up to 3000 fps with 120gr bullets. Is my memory correct?

In any case, i love my "Better Bob" and am still using it today.

In my .257 AI with 23 inch barrel I get just about 3000 fps with the 115gn Ballistic Tip. I load Nosler's load of 50.5gn H4831. This is about 120 fps more than I get in a standard 22 inch barrelled Roberts with the same bullet. I just took it out west a couple of weeks ago and scored nine kills with nine shots and it killed the pigs just as good as the standard Roberts.

The reason I ended up with the AI version was I bought a .257 Roberts Ruger Ultralight in 'perfect' condition online. It was indeed in perfect condition ……...…. on the outside but the barrel was pitted in patches along the entire length. The previous owner had apparently never heard of gun oil despite living in the humid weather of north Australia. So I was going to get my gunsmith to rebarrel it with a standard Bob barrel but remembered he had an AI reamer so I went that way just to try something different (I already had two other Bobs in the safe) and I guess all rifle looneys should try at least one improved cartridge once in their lives.

So whether or not the AI version will be better than the standard Roberts remains to be seen...……...BUT, I must admit I had immense fun in fireforming 50 cases for it. I remember 20 years ago watching a mate fireforming 22-250 AI cases and the memory must have stuck in the back part of my brain. Loading a standard Roberts cartridge and then ejecting a nice shiny fireformed AI case was one of the best handloading experiences I can remember doing. It seems as I get older simple things can still amuse me. I remember feeling a bit disappointed as I fireformed the last case.

Winchester used to have a 100g factory load. I used it some and found it very accurate in the Win. FWT I had at the time. Like most things .257 R. it probably didn't sell well enough to keep it going.

Mule Deer speaks the truth but having said that, my four 257’s do not require life support things shot them don’t either their dead!

My collection of 257 Roberts rifles includes a pre-64 standard grade, a Ruger 1 much like one you had some years back, a 257 Ackley built on a pre-war action and,and a custom Roberts built on another pre-64. It’s a very cold day in hell when any of above shoots a group with any component combination greater than 1” for three shots at 100 yards!
My pet of pets is the custom rifle, with it’s 23” Krieger barrel it’s up to any game here in Arizona.

I've had many over the years, including a 700 Classic (couldn't like the LA and 24" barrel), Win 70 FW (should not have traded it off), Kimber Montana, Browning BLR, ULA and Mickey Coleman custom 257AI's, etc. Now I'm down to one custom pre-war M70. I'll buy a Kimber Hunter just to have a knock around 257R. Probably shouldn't wait. I just love the cartridge in a short action...mostly with 80 TTSX and 75 VMAX.

southtexas,

Actually, Melvin Forbes talked me into the .257 AI. I was having him put together a NULA in .257, and he said the .257 AI was a lot better. So I tried it and eventually decided the only place I could see any difference was on the chronograph, not in the field.

But the AI does kills stuff. Why not, since it's right between the standard .257 and .25-06 in case capacity and hence potential muzzle velocity.

On a more "holistic" level I eventually also decided that the standard .257 worked very well as my light-recoiling .25, and the .257 Weatherby as ultimate zapper .25.

Of course, now there's a whole new array of fast-twist 6mms and 6.5s on either side of the .25s--and of course I've been dabbling in those as well.

So much rifle gack, so little time....

My Mauser 257

Thanks for the intel C-Roy.

Some pretty wood on this thread.

A mega bonus for me is that you can get that contour in stainless!

I was sorely tempted to buy a mannlicher stocked 257 Roberts earlier today.

It has a quilted maple stock with a skeleton grip-cap and butt-plate that probably cost whoever bought it the asking price for the whole package.

The downside is that it was built on a Chilean 1895 small ring action. The action was made by Ludwig Lowe and has had a cock-on-opening kit installed, but it is still over 100 yeas old.

It came to the shoulder and balanced really well, tempting, very tempting.

My 257 Roberts is a 1952 model 70 shoots greats looks good, loves Hornady 117gr interlocks !!!

My .257 Roberts Ruger MII shoots well with quite a few different bullet/ powder combinations. I settled on 110 Nosler AB with 42.5 grains of H4350. Leaving some velocity on the table at 2800FPS, deer have yet to notice the lack of speed. The last buck was a pain to track. Had to go at least 20 yards before I found him. The Nosler AB do like to be seated a wee bit deeper tho.

WOW!

That doesn't suck.
Tell us a little more about it, please.
REx

Speculation on my part but one possible reason for lack of chatter on loads for the .257 is that few folks have issues related to achieving the desired results. I have toyed with two .257 Roberts, a .250-3000, a .25-20 Win and Single Shot. Most boring caliber I've ever worked on.