Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Why 115gr & 120gr .257 Partitions?

In an ode to @hal4sons post related to 6mm Partitions - why the two .257 options of 115gr & 120gr? All I can think of is catering to different twist rates and possibly velocity at impact differential between a .257 Rob vs .25-06 vs 257 Weatherby. What am I missing?

BTW - SPS has them both for $18.95/50 still.

I love my quarter-bores - IMO they kill much bigger than they get credit for.

All I know is the original .25 caliber Partition was a "semi-spitzer" 117-grain. Several of the original Partitions were "semi-spitzers," sometimes even called round-noses. (Have boxes of 200-grain .30s in my collection that are marked both ways.)

I would guess that occurred because shorter bullets tended to shoot more accurately, because they weren't a well-balanced as today's Partitions. Also would guess the 115 might shoot better at lower elevations than then 120.

Do know that in general the 115 has groups more accurately than the 120 in smaller .25 caliber cartridges than the 120, perhaps because it can be pushed to slightly higher velocities.

They're at a good price right now on SPS.

https://www.shootersproshop.com/loa...5-120gr-partition-spitzer-blem-50ct.html

https://www.shootersproshop.com/loa...5-115gr-partition-spitzer-blem-50ct.html

May be a good time to stock up.

DF

Thanks. Bought some.

I ordered 3 of each lol. Even in the midst of a drought there are still a few drops of water.

Thanks fellas!

I just picked up another 200 120's to go with the 200 I got earlier.

DF

I'm glad those SPS bullets got brought up, and that MD is watching this, as I have wanted to ask if anyone knows what loads these .525 Ogive Partitions were intended for?
I bought a bunch early on hoping to use them in the .257 Roberts. I shoot "normal" .257 115gr Partitions in my 25-06 and those are significantly sleeker than these. I have these boxes labeled as "stubby .257 115 partitions" on my shelf.

"regular" .257 115 Partition:

Anybody know what those top ones were manufactured for before they ended up at SPS? They look like they'd be great in a short magazine Roberts.

Thanks,
Rex

I am thinking they were for factory 25 WSSM loads and maybe the Roberts. Many 1-10" twist 25 calibers max out at the longer 115s like the Berger so possibly for them or an attempt to get them to shoot in the 1-12" twist 257 Weatherby's which is doubtful they would work, usually anything 115-117 grain that is not a round nose won't stabilize in a 1-12 twist.

I don’t care for the cannelure. TTSX shoots fine in my Roberts. Happy Trails

Might also be the same reason there are 95 and 100-grain 6mm bullets--and not just from Nosler.

Mine, too. COAL is a bit long for SA. Mine is a LA. My bragging target. Have shown it before and that load has whacked a few hogs and WT's. Performs great at that speed.

Those cannelures don't hurt a thing at the range but do help with the price. That's what makes them seconds. Except those SPS 120's are slick and at the same price. Go fiture.

DF

Not a definite answer but some more data...

https://forum.nosler.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=41968

My 25-06 prefers 100 grn. bullets, my deer bullets are 110 grn. accubonds. Nosler makes very accurate bullets that perform.

I've never shot a 115 gr. anything in my Bob. For big game I've only loaded the 110 gr. NAB and the 120 gr. NPT.

So when SPS offered up the 115 grainers I bought a couple and worked up a recipe using 44.5 gr. H4350. Ended up seating them a further back than I normally would expect a NPT to deliver for me but in the end the results are nice tight 5 round groups.

What will I use them on? Dunno, but another recipe in the books....

I read and hear reports on quarter bores preforming better with certain loads, certain bullet weights, not an overall consensus on loads, just gun to gun. And that is OK, a lot of rounds are like that. I find mine tends to prefer certain types and weights of bullets, certain powders. And, it's a Loony's job to figure it out.

I have noticed that my Creed seems to be more consistent with a larger variety of combos than my 25-06 was or my .257 R is. Whereas a "bad" Roberts load may go 1 1//2" or more, a "bad" Creed loads generally group smaller; harder to find a "bad" Creed load, IME. Now, good loads out of both tend to shoot pretty close. I can't say my Shilen barreled Creed will out shoot my Brux barreled Roberts when fed optimal loads. They both can shoot one hole groups.

Whoops, did I open a can of worms, bringing up an unmentionable round... .

But it is what it is. Do I like my .257 R less. Absolutely not! I like it a bunch. I know what it prefers and that's what it gets fed. It does exactly what it's designed to do when I do my part. So does the Creed, pretty similar performance on game.

DF

My model 70 pre 64 likes all the 115gr and the old 117gr Nosler Partitions. But the 120gr not so much, groups open up to about a 1.5 in from less than

a inch. so I do not shoot many 120gr, I have part of one box. I have several hundred of the stubby ones and maybe a hundred of the long 115gr Nosler Partitions.

I use the long one for hunting and the stubby one for target practice. My rifle like both. I load to 2.825 OAL cause I have the magazine filler still in it.

Is it a 10 twist?

DF

Thanks for that link, .358! I had not measured any of mine, just kind of eyeballed them. I see others are thinking "Roberts" too when they look at them.

And to the other fellas, I have always shot the 100 TSX in my Roberts since first getting it about 20 years ago (an old 722) - loads worked up before the TTSX was introduced and just stuck with it, though I bought a few boxes of the TTSX based on Mule Deer's writing of them in his own 722 back before the current insanity hit, thinking to try them out too. So, speaking of the current insanity, when I saw those .525 ogive 115 NPTs at SPS, I figured I might as well grab a few bags of those too, just for fun and to try out. The 115 NPT has been a stellar performing bullet for me in the 25-06 (as has the 100 TSX in the Roberts), so I figured if they shoot in the Roberts why not give these a try in the field too? I know I can't take bullets with me, but at least I'm not going to run out while I'm still breathing!
Regards,
Rex

I only wish my 257 was as easy to get to shoot as my 260 Remington. Very similar ballistic performance though the 260 seems to shoot everything well. The 257 is a picky rifle, shoots great with what it likes but it can shoot 3 inch groups with what it doesn't like.

We may never know why that is. I guess it is what it is, an observable phenomenon.

Interesting Loony stuff, nevertheless.

DF