Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters How many reloads are you getting with your .257 Weatherby Mag?

I am using Nosler brass and getting over sized primer pockets after 3 - 4 shots. Sure, I can go 5 or 6 shots and take a big chance with primers leaking, but my primer pocket gage is saying no.

I am going to limit my reloads to 3 BUT that seems like a waste of brass. Are Norma, Weatherby and Nosler all the same?

Your loads are overpressure.

I've got some PMC brass that has been loaded 9 times but I never get over 5 or 6 loads on Norma or Weatherby brass. My brother uses RWS 7 mm Mag brass in his 257 bee it ends up a little shorter than factory loads but lasts like my old PMC brass.

I've been using Weatherby brass since buying my first .257 around 20 years ago--and am still using it, with maximum published data, and some that WAS maximum published data back then, but has been reduced a little since. I just anneal the necks every 4 firings, and it keeps working.

Be my guess as well, care to share your load data? I’ve had decent results with Nosler brass in my 270 Winchester & 338 RUM.

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what is your load ? what powder ? how many grains of powder ? what primer and is it a magnum primer ? brand and grain of bullet ? what brand rifle action ? is this a custom barrel or factory barrel ? what temperatures are you shooting this rifle at ? is your ammo left in the sun before you shoot rifle much ? i have used all brands of brass for 257 Weatherby mags. i have had only one brand rifle action that did the same thing as what your talking about Remington 700 not sure why so i don`t use this action/rifle anymore and i sold that rifle , here are the brand actions i have never had trouble with Winchester model 70 pre-64 ,Weatherby mark 5`s , Ruger #1`s these actions are all in 257 Weatherby mag.that i still own. i also anneal my necks , my favorite brass is Federal nickel planted . i have used the 257 Weatherby mag. cartridge now for over 30 some years and this cartridge is still my all time favorite for hunting whitetail and mule deer bucks ,antelope and caribou . i have never purchased factory ammo either for this cartridge have always loaded my own ammo .

73.0 grs H1000
Fed GM215M
Barnes 100gr TTSX
MV (only) 3562 fps
COAL 3.160"
Remington 700 / Bartlein 1/9 twist barrel

We have been using 7 Rem Mag WW and some reformed RWS brass. As MD mentioned, you can't hardly wear it out. Nosler brass just ain't worth the money. I think they use silly putty to form it.



That load is far from overpressure in my book. It's honestly about the norm I have seen.

Exactly. I don’t even consider it to be a warm load. Does Weatherby, Norma and Nosler come from the same source? I always thought that Nosler or Norma made all of it.

I load mine 5 times, then junk them. I mostly hunt, load for 6 rifles so I full length size my brass. I could never load for each rifle.

I'd heard Norma at one time made Nosler brass to Nosler specs, but I have never seen anything Nosler that was as decent as even Federal made brass as far as hardness.

Early on Norma did make a bunch of brass for Nosler. As far as I know Norma still makes the Weatherby ammunition, they had exclusive rights at one time.

Got my 257 Weatherby from a buddy back in 2018. Had already done some reloading for it when he owned it. Bought a lot of new brass when I acquired it, 90% Norma & Weatherby headstamps. Haven't noticed much difference between those two and some batches have 4 or 5 loadings on them with no problems. I usually reload them in batches of 20 so I can record the date and number of reloadings. Generally neck size only and trim if needed. I don't go over book maximums but most of them are at or near max. Maybe that's why I've never experienced primer pocket issues. It's gonna be interesting to see how many more loadings I will get out of some of those batches.

Unless you have an odd batch of brass or an odd chamber, your loads are too hot for that rifle.

Not long after Nosler introduced their brass I bought some from SPS in two different cartridges.

Moderate loads produced ejector marks. Minimum loads produced ejector marks. Once fired cases I could sometimes start a primer into the pocket with my fingers. The ejector on my M700’s would shave so much brass it would jam the ejector plunger. Beating the bolt against the tire of my truck would sometimes pop the ejector loose, otherwise when I got home I would have to remove the plunger and spring to clean the brass shavings out.

A friend of mine looked at the brass and said “If I didn’t know better this looks like Norma brass”. A light bulb went on—I had tried Norma brass a couple times decades ago with similar results.

A phone call to SPS got nowhere. A phone call to Nosler and they conceded “Most of our brass is being made by Norma”.

I can’t speak for current production Nosler brass, but Norma brass and my experience with NormaNosler brass really is one step short of silly putty.

Nosler is allegedly making their own brass these days, but I’m afraid to try it……..

THIS

Was in a bind. RP 7 rem Mag brass. Annealed before forming. Annealed after. So far almost 6 loads some of it and no issues at this point. I re annealed at 4 loadings just to be safe.

Some of the test ammo brass might have had close to 10 firings on it, but annealed every 4.

FWIW.

I form Winchester 264 Win Mag brass in one pass through the full length sizer, double radius shoulder comes out perfect. Neck is short. Keep the carbon out of the neck of the chamber.

Win brass is tougher than Norma.

Later, I had a reamer ground with the shorter neck and very short freebore, 1/4-3/8" groups are normal with very high speeds.

I wonder how much, if any, difference there is between Nosler Premium vs Nosler bulk brass….?

sorry i did not want to say what brand receiver you used but i would have bet it was a 700 action , here is the other problem it might be ? Weatherby cartridges are suppose to be able to jump the bullet some so maybe that chamber is too tight ? and no you are not suppose too be very close to the rifling in the barrel with the bullet you can get to much pressure that way too. i use 103 gr. Hammer Hunter bullets and Reloader 25 i have no trouble with receivers or brass now that i use now at 3680 FPS. sorry but i won`t ever use Remington 700 actions with higher pressure cartridges no more ,i have had no problems with Nosler brass,Norma brass ,Remington Brass or Federal brass since i no longer use a 700 Receiver, sorry hope you can figure out your problem.