Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters .257 loads with 100 grain bullets and Superformance powder

Maybe because we are prone to find complex solutions to simple problems and even more complex solutions to problems that don't exist.

Think how easy it would have been for the board that designed and selected both the Springfield 1903 rifle and the 30-03 Springfield cartridge to go in it. An easier path would have been to go with an existing case design, like the 7.65x53, and tweak the bullet diameter a smidge, from 7.65mm to 7.62mm, to eliminated the need to change anything in the barrels shops that were making barrels for Krags chambered in .30 US.

This looks like an old document from Duane's Gun Repair that lists some results a couple of shooters had loading for the 257 DGR:

http://www.angelfire.com/nd/243ackleyimproved/257DGR_4.htm

It seems like 45.0 to 46.3 grains of W760 is their choice for reaching 3200+ with a 100gr bullet.

Not sure if this helps, but it's interesting!

You got something there 260 Guy, if they had necked the 7.65 Belgian down .003" to 7.62 it would be a wildcat, wouldn't have to pay Herr Mauser royalties...they could have named it the .308! And who knows, it might have turned out to be accurate too. Smug sarcastic grin.

Thanks czech1022. I have seen that document before. I tried those loads but was concerned about W760 and H414 being subject to temp variations. Had good results with Big Game, H4350 and Viht 160 but not over about 3150fps. H4831 sc not as good.

Or you could build a 260 Remington and be happier!

range report from out in the sagebrush 2 days before hunting....10-18-2017
250 Savage in rebarreled Savage 12
100 gr Nos Bal Tip 39 gr CFE223, 2.550" OAL
62.5 kpsi 3154 fps Quickload
3115 fps chrono
3197
3253


2016
25-06 rebarreled M70 3.25" 115 gr Nos Bal tip moly 51.5 gr IMR4451 3185 fps chrono 26" barrel

Clarkm, thanks for redirecting this thread back to a .257 caliber discussion😊! Those that want to talk about .264 cartridges can start their own thread. Now to refocus on Superformance powder and 100 grain bullets in .257 cartridges.

I don't doubt you ran into pressure signs. I get in the neighborhood of about 3200-3300 FPS out of 100 grain bullets and somewhere around 48-49 grains RL-17 from my .257 AI and it is on an improved Roberts case which is bigger than the DGR which has a 35 degree shoulder. The .257 AI has a 40 degree shoulder. It gets right at 3000 FPS with 115 grain bullets with 46 grains of RL-17. But I don't shoot many 100 grain bullets in it. If I want 100 grain bullets I use my .243. But that's just me. The only time I've used 100 gran bullets in it was to fire form the improved cases. But that's shooting at paper and needless to say I don't use premium bullets to do that. In fact I use the cheapest bullets I can find to fire form. However, you'd be surprised how accurate it is when fire forming cases. I could hunt with it with full confidence. I just prefer the heavier bullets for hunting.

I know the Superformance is supposed to give more performance but have you tried RL-17 in that case? You might be pleasantly surprised.

Filaman,

I checked my almost fifteen year old notes from initial load development. I got slightly over 3200 fps with W760 . Benchmark produced great accuracy and consistency but developed pressure at highest tested loads. Just tried that powder since it worked so well in some other cartridges and meters so well but recognize it is probably too fast burning for this cartridge. Decided not to work with W760 because of concerns about temp sensitivity even though I never saw pressure signs on the days I tested it and several other people used that powder in their .257 DGR rifles.

Got good accuracy with H4350, H4831 sc , Viht 160, and Big Game. Velocity with 100 grain bullets ranged from 3075 to 3175 with these powders. Only powder that produce pressure signs for me in my testing was Benchmark.

Was just checking around to see if anybody has used Superformance in this caliber. I found an older loads from an earlier Hornady manual for .257 Roberts that used almost 50.0 grains of this powder but I never tried it in my rifle then. Have not worked up loads for heavier bullets than 100 grains but had quite a few loads for lighter weight bullets since I bought a bunch of lighter weight Starke bullets for this rifle when Clint was selling out.

Have you tried Superformance in your .257 Roberts AI? Based on the recent reading I have done, I was thinking 46.0 to 48.0 grains of Superformance might work well in the .257 DGR but have not tried any loads yet. I have not yet tried RL-17 but probably will based on your comments.

I know the Superformance is supposed to give more performance but have you tried RL-17 in that case? You might be pleasantly surprised.

Yeah give it a spin. You may not get the velocity but I think you'll get a very sweet accurate load. But you never know til you try it. I've read that Superformance doesn't always give greater velocity, depending on the case and bullet weight. However, now that we're discussing this, maybe I need to try Superformance.

I forgot to mention that my rifle has a 24" barrel. I will do some reading on using RL-17 in this case and probably give it a try this fall.

This thread continues to astonish.

When I first started handloading the .257 Roberts in the mid-1980s, could push 100-grain bullets to 3250 fps from the 24" barrel of my Remington 722 without ANY "pressure signs," using that amazing super-powder IMR4350. With excellent accuracy too, as in sub-inch for FIVE-shot groups. Generally 3-shot groups ran 1/2" to 3/4"--and that was with Nosler Partitions. No doubt pressures were high (today I would guess at least 65,000 PSI, and probably a little more) but had no problems at temperatures up to 80+.

But hey, nowadays a special wildcat is required to do the same thing.

Mule Deer,

Guess I should have just gotten a .257 Roberts fifteen years ago! But I didn't and am just trying to get the most out of what I have with some newer powders without risking too much pressure. Is W760/H414 as sensitive to temp fluctuations as I have heard ? That is the main reason I did not do more work with that powder before. A couple of guys who have the .257 DGR used it for good accuracy and over 3200 fps velocity with 100 grain bullets.

rflshtr,

Yeah, 760/414 is pretty temperature sensitive--though even today's temp-sensitive powders will work pretty consistently in temps from about the 20s Fahrenheit to the 80s. Which is one reason so many hunters claim to have never encountered any problems.

My latest encounter with 760/414 occurred a few years ago. A couple friends from the Seattle area came to Montana to shoot prairie dogs with me. The only suitable rifle one of them had was a nifty falling-block in .22-250, and his buddy worked up some handloads for it, which worked fine over there.

Here they did not work so well. It was mid-June, and the weather not particularly warm, maybe getting to 75-80 in mid-afternoon, but after the .22-250 was shot half-a-dozen times it would lock up, and we had to use a cleaning rod to knock the empty loose. I asked the buddy what powder he'd used, and sure enough it was H414.

Luckily I'd brought several rifles, per usual, and my friend with the .22-250 got to try several smaller cartridges, including the .17 HMR, .17 Hornady Hornet, .22 Hornet, .204 Ruger and a fast-twist .223. All worked fine. The next year he showed up with a brand-new .17 Hornady Hornet.

Mule Deer,

Thanks for the quick reply. That was my concern as well for the .257 DGR since I wanted to use it in mid summer for prairie dogs and in the fall for antelope and also in MN late fall/early winter for deer when temps get below zero. Even though W760 was very accurate in my rifle at 60 degree temps, I knew it would be shot at lower and higher temps as well. So I stayed away from that powder for that rifle.

Your friend from Seattle is a quick learner with a good teacher. It took me a few years before my shooting partners and I gave up the 22-250 and 243 for prairie dogs and went with the smaller calibers. Now they are almost all we bring for that purpose. The fast twist .223 is now the big bore on those trips.

I'd look at RL15 at about 40gr with 100gr pill. I'd expect good results from IMR4350.

A 47.0 gr dose of Ramshot Hunter spits out a 100 gr TTSX at 3,009 fps (avg) from a 22” Ruger 77. Very accurate, also. No deer will stand long enough to argue with that. Also, some good loads and info in Gun Gack I, the prequel. Happy Trails