Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles New 257 Wby

Well I couldn't resist. I bought a new rem 700 sps stainless in 257 wby for 579.00 at sportsmans today. I don't know how hard these are to find but the clackamas store in Portland, Oregon had two, now just one. 26" bbl and x-pro trigger. gotta hate that dirty stainless beadblast on the sps. This is going to be hunted hard so no worries about looks. I'm more interested in how it shoots. I have grown weary of my vanguard submoa. At first it shot pretty good but that didn't last. After purchasing I had to put a timney in it. Now I have floated the bbl but that didn't change much either. It shoots factory 100 to about 1.25 @ 100. at first they were just less than an inch. The bbl fouled like crazy so I got out the JB's and gave it 100 strokes. Seems better. I have cleaned it every 20 shots since new. I have tried so many handloads in it but it just is not a consistent gun so far. powders tried are: rl22, rl25, h1000, magnum, retumbo, imr 4831 and probably a couple more if I reviewed my data. Rl25 and 110 AB grouped well at first,but now its over an inch also. I have played with COL: short, long, inbetween. Next up for it will probably be a new crown job. I still want it to shoot then I can compare the two and maybe unload the one I like least. I have a feeling the vanguard will find a new home in the next couple years. the 700 seems much lighter and just feels better when aiming it. I'll try to remember to report how this "affordable WBY rem 700" shoots. I'm not sure I can get the trigger down to where I like it. I have lightened it some already but after putting it back together it still feels like 4 lbs at least. Guess I'll see if it'll come down any more. If it don't I will not think much of the x-pro. pull wt seems to be the only adjustment they allow you to fiddle with.

Try pillar and glass bedding it and have it recrownd,that should help.In my 25-06AI we found rl22 worked the best for my rifle.It will shoot less than 1/2 in all day,if I do my part.Karl at Kampfeld Custom,built it for me.

Well, the sub moa comes already pillar bedded. can't say a whole lot for the quality of those pillars. Yes probably better glass bed the thing also. The whole reason I floated the bbl was because I noticed alot of pressure on the bbl from one side of the stock compared to the other. I decided the best thing to do was float. I don't mind them having a pressure point in the forearm if they shoot consistent. I think it helps sometimes with a light whippy bbl. The sub moa bbl is fairly beefy however. I don't think alot of that sub moa stock. for the extra $$$ paid that stock should be B&C medalist.

bedding job should have come before you ever fired it when you are wanting less than 1" groups.

71-73g of R#22 with a Fed 215 with a 100g bullet is usually the ticket for most 257's.

You need to keep the barrel cool, never shoot more than 3 shot groups. You can douse the outside of the barrel with a 50/50 mixture of rubbing alcohol/water with a sopping wet rag. Rub the barrel with the rag till the liquid is dripping off the barrel.

You may need to de-copper the barrel after 12 rounds.

It is very typical for 257's to have the primers flowing a little at the accuracy load, so don't be alarmed.

If you want a super accurate rifle, put on a Boyd's laminated stock and have them put the pillars in the stock for you, then bed and freefloat the barrel. I have had buttcuss for luck with plastic stocks.

I had Pac Nor put a 26", "sendero" weight barrel on my rifles with zero freebore. First time to the range, 71.5g of R#22 with a 100g ballistic tip was shooting 3/8" groups at 3820 fps. The second rifle did the same thing...the 3 groove barrels may be a little faster than the standard 6 groove barrels.

The 26" Pac Nor three groove 7 STW barrel is much faster than the standard 26" sendero barrel also with all the freebore removed.

Instead of trading off your rifles, I would highly suggest that you have Pac Nor rebarrel them for you. Send them dummy rounds wtih the bullets seated at the depth that you like and they will "throat" the barrel for that seating depth at no additional charge. They also "true" your action at no additional charge. Their Super Match barrel, throated with the rounds that you provide, Rem action trued, for $495. So far, all of mine, brother's, and friends in the three groove super match have shot 1 1/2" at 300 yards using 8-32 and 6-24 scopes. With a Vias muzzle break on the 257 Wea, the gun kicks so little, you see the bullet hit the animal every time.

Good luck!

i concur. 72 grns of 22. 215M. 100XXX. load to book oal then play with the length if needed. mine shot lights out first try....

the little vmaxes scream outta' there too

grab a TI stock and skim bed it... wonders above the sps stock...

woofer