Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles .257 Roberts....Long or short?

I'll be the odd man out here.

I've had two LA Rob's, two SA Robs and one MA Rob... I prefer the mid-action (Mauser 3.1").

The Rob, after all, is the 7x57 Mauser necked-down. It's not a true SA nor is it a true LA.

In a SA the jump to the lands for most spitzer's is substantial as SAAMI chambers are standardized for the 117 Gr Round Nose... that yields a looong throat.

The ability to seat bullets up to the lands can often make a finicky Rob shoot VERY well. With a 2.8" magazine you just can't do that, unless you want a single shot.

For me, it's not about speed or extra case capacity by seating out bullets (that's all Gack). It's about handloading flexibility.

My preference would be to build on a SA M70 with the magazine block removed, fixed ejector shortened, and LA follower retro fitted. Yields a 3" magazine and greater latitude.

+1

Anybody know how long the magazine is on a Zastava Mauser in 7X57? It would be the same action as a Whitworth Mark X or I think the Zastava is the Remington 789 or 798 or whatever.

Supposedly we have a guy who can import left handers and I've got dibs on a 7X57. It's probably the same magazine length as their .30-06 but I was just wondering.

What Brad said, or as I already said to the same question on the other thread.

If you want to shoot the longer pointy bullets then a 2.8" action isn't enough, but you don't need a full length action either.

I've had an M70 SA magazine with block removed and LA modified-follower sitting in a drawer for over a decade just for an M70 Rob project... may even do it one of these days!

Brad, about a year ago I bought a short action Classic 243 fwt for just such a project. In truth I made the mistake of setting that barrelled action beside a pre-64 fwt barreled action. There is very little difference between the two actions in length, maybe 3/10"? The Classic went away. If I build a Roberts it will be on a pre-64.

And here's where that plan really goes off the rails. I always end up back at the 25-284 in a M700 short. It fits better in a short action. The difference in the field is of course invisible but that's where this sickness takes me.

It's a sickness I tell ya!

Personally, I have no issue with the Rob on a LA and prefer it to 2.8" versions.

As to various 25's, I like the Rob best... it's an American round with a lot of history, nicely balanced, and is the highest and best use for the evil, non-American, 7x57... make sure you tell Ingwe that

One nice thing about Partitions and some other old fashioned bullets is the fact that they have a chunky ogive. As in they shorten up the jump to lands quite a bit compared to sleek high BC slugs when seated to same COAL.


117SGK for example.






I PM'd JB 3 or 4 years ago about his take on the Kimber 84 action and the Roberts. Of course he said go for it and 'luckily' mine shoots like a house afire!

SamO,
You are right, it will work, but to my eye, it just doesn't look right. So many times I have heard that Perception is reality. This is one case where that isn't the truth. I KNOW that the Roberts will work in a short action, but it just doesn't look right to my eye. All I can do is relate it to my jeans. I can wear 36's, and I know that 38's leave me with some slack. I just prefer to have a tad extra room.

The difference in weight means nothing to me. I like being able to seat those bullets out, see cannelures, and not feel like I have jabbed them down too deep in the case.

Just perception, really. But it is enough to me.

+1 Was exactly my point,my first bob was a M70 pf Fwt on a long action with a 2.8" mag box and long ejector . The ammo shot well seated to the lands but to long for the magazine. I don't need anymore SA bob's .. Magnum Man

Bob does kinda look like a pinhead seated that short....grin

+1 for LA

In 1985 I bought a Winchester Model 70 XTR Featherweight in 257 Roberts. It is a long action that came with a blocked magazine. I had Randy Redmond throat it out to the "Magical 3.0" Bob", and had a gunsmith replace the follower, bolt stop, magazine box with new ones made for the 7x57 Mauser. This rifle will accept bullets seated to 3.1" or greater. But it has always been a finicky rifle to get to shoot well consistently for me (confession, I am not the sharpest pencil in the box), smarter people may solve the problem. Was it worth it --- hmmm -- don't think so.

But if one has the article by Finn Aagard in the August 1987 American Rifleman you can see how a long bullet can impinge on the powder capacity. Finn had his rifle long-throated.

A few years ago I picked up a custom 257 Roberts on a Mauser Model 98 action. It is throated long but not as long as the throat on my Winchester. Some bullets such as the 120 g. Nosler Partition will fit the Mauser at 3.0", most others will not so they are normally seated at about 2.95" OAL. This rifle is not finicky at all about bullet weights, powders or seating depth.

I prefer the appearance of the longer seated bullets and the bullets do not have to extend below the neck into the case (JOC called this a "minor ballistic sin") and loads are not compressed. But my recollection is that the Winchester shot a little better with 100 g. bullets before being throated out.

If I were to make one again; it would be long-throated, but I would be happy to live with a Kimber even though the stubby look of Sam's cartridges gives me the creeps!

My first Bob was in a Rem 722 and never felt the need to seat bullets out past 2.80" and lengthen the magazine box. I hung out with some guys across the river in Iowa. They were Model 70 fans and a couple of them found out their 257 Bob's had long throats and modified the magazine box and substituted 30-06 mag. followers. Their OAL's were 3.1 plus. We did not have chrony's at the time, but they thought if they were dumping more powder in the case they were getting superior velocities than me.

Later on, one fellow purchased a chrony and we all got to check out our loads. Pffttt, the lads were only besting me by 60 to 75 fps for equal bullet weights.

I have twin M77's long actions and their mag. boxes are 3.360", the same length as my M77 7x57 mag. box. Nice long boxes but standard throats, so big deal.

TSX don't care how long the jump is and usually shoots better with COL A good ways off the lands. Never an issue for me and I've had both long and short. I'm sticking with short or the Kimber. I still just load all mine to 2.825" if the throat allows.

Baloney.

I have actually found that to be trueish.

Have loaded TSX in 6 mm Rem., 7x57, .30-06. , 8x57, 9,3x64 and .45-70.

Load work up -

Make sure they are of the lands and then level under the next groove.



Just the way I do it. Through this, procedere is quicked up -

and, while I like with any bullet, notice an effect on precision - it by no means had me worry for hunting.

Ive found the seating of the TSX varies with the rifle...like any other bullet...That being said it seems more rifles will tolerate a good jump of a TSX better...but each rifle seems a rule unto itsaelf...as it always has....

Really depends on what you want to use for an action. I think of it like this:
2.8" short action = 250 Ackley
3" "shlong" action = 257 Roberts
3.6" Long action = 25-06