Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles 257 Roberts Accurcacy Issues?

Ok, lt, don't want to disappoint.

Mule Deer: Re: old or new Ruger77 accuracy
I've owned a pile of 77's of all eras. While one barrel truly sucked (a 7x57 with a bore that had numerous loose spots, with the tight spots measuring .287"), all the others shot anywhere from acceptably to very well. My acceptable rating is three shots in an inch for big game rifles, and five shots in an inch for varmint rifles, and very well is half that. Most of them required some work on the bedding and the trigger, but then a lot of factory rifles do.

The big problem I've seen with some of the tang-safety rifles is very long throats in some older chamberings, such as 7x57.

Boxer � Big Stick
I�ve Ruger familiarity and accept them for what they are. Light or bullet proof they are not, though curiously enough they are oft maligned by the masses for �accuracy� woe which I�ve yet to see, though of course I shoot a bit, which tend to tip numerous scales.

Thanks for the input

I never thought it was inherently not accurate, was just asking.

Have the bedding and floating covered already.

Seems like a few have had accuracy issues but mostly they shoot well enough.

Prompts me into trying a bit of loading for him when I get time.

One thing ... I'm not sure free-floating is the way to go on a Ruger. There's a local gunsmith who claims he's never failed to get a 77 or 77 mk II to shoot MOA or better. He says what he does is bed the action only, retain or even increase the front pressure point, then make sure there is no contact between the stock and barrel from the front of the action to the pressure point.

Dunno. In this wet country, with a wood stock, I insist on free floating with a wide enough gap I can verify it at any time 'cause wood warps and moves POI. His method probably works fine under constant humidity, but here, constant it ain't. A half MOA group that moves 3 inches a day is no better than a 3 MOA group.

... just thinkin' out loud, worth at least half what you paid for it.

80 grain ttsx's and imr4064 works wonderfly in my hawkeye.
3300-3400 fps, and 5 dead antelope says it works. The longest being 550 yards.

This post will upset many of you. You have been warned. My rifle mentor made a practice of rechambering pre-64 model 70's in 257 Roberts to 25-06. This was in the 60's. He said they always shot better as 25-06's. I had this done to my first hunting rifle which was a transition Super Grade.

Oh yes, it shot better groups. Killed thousands of Idaho jacks with it.

Talked with his brother at lunch... reminded me I'd gone the reloading route before and nothing changed, still shot 3ish MOA..

I dont' even remember that unless i gave him a few of other loads I've loaded for other friends.

At this point I'd say rebarrel it would be a close guarantee, at same or less cost than new gun. But its a ruger and I just don't care for them, but I've seen some rebarreled that shoot really well.

A friend sent in a 7 mag with a ring in it to them once, they barreled it for little of nothign. Probably won't do it here unless there is an obvious issue.

I think he is set on trading it and buying a Winchester in 257 Robt at this time. Not sure the Win would be any better?

Any bad or good news on Kimbers? Lately?

"I think he is set on trading it and buying a Winchester in 257 Robt at this time. Not sure the Win would be any better?"

I have a Winchester M70 FWT push feed in .257 Roberts. I also have a Ruger #1B in the .257 Bob.

I'll comment on the Ruger first. When I bought it at a gun show it came with 5 boxes of Norma ammo. The seller said it was sighted in with that ammo. Not only was it sighted in but the rifle put 5 shots into a hair over .50". I hoard that ammo like it was gold as I don't see the .257 Bob on Norma's site.

On the M70 FWY, my ex-son in law bought one and I helped him with load work up. before shooting it he took it to my gunsmith for a well needed trigger job, had the action glass bedded and the barrel free floated. MOst of he loads we rann through it have been one inch or less; mostly less.
About 6 months later I found ond at a gun show NIB and snapped it up like a hungry cat on a slow mouse. THis one did not shoot so good. Off to the gunsmith's for a glass bedding, trigger job and barrel float. Not much help. I absolutely hate 120 gr. bullets and the 100 gr. Sierras (Pro-hunter & Game king) would do much better than 1.5-1.75". Not much help there.
About this time my ex-SIL decided to play with 100 gr. barnes TSX bullets and as usual his rifle put them into very nice groups. I figured I might as well give them a try. I worked up to the max load in the Barnes manual but accuracy was not better. At least they met my maximum allowable standard of 1.5" so I could use the load for a hunt.
One day I got a bit of a wild hair up and hit the range with the .257 FWT and my Lyman tong tool. I fired 3 shots with the bullets seated as is. I let the rifle cool and set the seating die of the Lyman tool to just touch the current load setting, then turned it down one full turn. The next 3 shots did 1.25", the best group that rifle has ever given. I gave the rifle a good long time to cool down and shot another group at that setting. This one was at 1.20". I have to wonder if seating it any deeper will make a difference. Couldn't try it that day as I'd shot up the last 9 cartridges I had loaded up. I'm gonna try that with the 140 gr. Sierra and the 120 gr. Speer and see if they too will give better groups. One of these days I'll have to try those loads in the Ruger.
According to the reference section in one of my Speer manuals, Reminton, Ruger and Winchester have 1 in 10" twists.
Paul B.

How does the Crown look on the rifle. Maybe have a recessed target crown done???

140 grain Sierra ????

+1, minute of big game and truely accurate is two different things

I bought one of the Rem 700 Classics in .257 Robt. when they came out in either 1982 or 1984 (memory fails me as to exactly when).

The gun had a 3'' chamber. Light bullets under 100 grains shot well as did 120 grainers especially the Hornady 120 gr. H.P.

Never did find a good load with the 100 grain bullets but this never bothered me.

It was a pleasant caliber to shoot and I liked it just a little better than the .243 calibers I've had.

Jim

Remington classic in 257 was 1982. Have two of them.

"140 grain Sierra ????"

Sorry, typo.
Should have been 100 gr.
Paul B.

It may be worthwhile to get a chamber cast of the rifle (Cerrosafe from Brownell's).

Could be any number of issues: reloading, bore diameter, uniformity of bore (tight/loose spots), rough /diry (copper fouling) deposits, poor chambering (which may be related to an earlier post stating rechambered 257 Roberts M70s shot better as a 25-06), headspacing, amount of freebore/throat length).

Try slugging the bore with a soft lead projectile, but do it in 2-4" sections (push slug 2-4 inches IN from chamber, then out back through chamber, then do another slug 4-8" in, then out, then another slug ~ 12" in/out, then another ~ 16" in/out, etc. Kepp them in order. You are fingerprinting the diameter of the bore. You may find a tight or loose spot. Heck, do it every 2" if you have enough soft lead slugs. The more the better.

Other potential issues: stress on action (front/rear action bolt tension bending the action? You said it was bedded though.), Scope ring lapping (stress to action), crown (nicks, oval/round, square muzzle for uniform gas relief upon bullet base exited barrel, lug contact (both lugs at least 50%? may need lapping, but then watch headspace).

Could try firelapping the bore.

Could be something else-just have to systematically try each thing, and keep records.

My tang safety M77 was built in 1989. I acquired it very slightly used in in 2004. The throat is long and I seat bullets accordingly. It is very accurate with 75g V-MAX, as the photo below demonstrates.




In addition to the V-MAX, accurate handloads include 100g TTSX, 110g AccuBond, 115g TSX and 120g A-Frame.

There are reasons it is my favorite rifle and accuracy is just one.

I have a 257 BYOB MkII. Floated the barrel, did the "lug" bed and a trigger job on it.

It's flung bullets from 75gr V-Maxes, 85 BT's, 90 Sierras, 100 Sierras, Nozzy Parts and TSX's all under an inch for 5 shots.

Only turd bullet has been the 110 Succubond.

All seated to their individual ability to kiss; should note some brass, new WW's in particular, with horrid runout, even after truing and firing.

My Ruger 1A in 257R shoots 3 - 110AB � H100v into less than an inch at 100. It ain�t target rifle accuracy, but then it ain�t a target rifle.

I have a Kimber Classic Select in that chambering and it also does well with that load. I have not shot it from the bench so I can�t give specific numbers, but off hand it shoots accurately enough.

Added - the 1A Ruger has a long throat and I seat to the lands. One of the nice things about a #1, no magazine OAL to contend with. The Kimber is loaded to the magazine max allowed COAL.

I have a Browning 223 like that. If I seat to the lands, the cartridge gets really long, and inaccurate and will not fit the magazine. If I seat to SAMI spec, it is very accurate.

Well, there ya go. Load up, find the sweet spot and kill stuff.

Never saw an accuracy issue with a dozen different ones over the years..... Great cartridge!