257 Roberts Surprise

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En4321

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Hi everyone, got a quick question. Just had the opportunity to purchase a rifle of one of my favorite caliber, one I was younger. That is the 257 Roberts, with that being said now I have the pleasure ( if you want to call it that) to find Ammo for this rifle. Very scarce and if you do find it, it can cost as much as $43.00 for a box of 20. I am also a reloader, so I though that all I had to do is find some brass and make my own bullets, we'll come to find out the brass for this caliber is also in demand and hard to find. If you are lucky enough to find some ( gunbroker.com ) it is going on bid for as much as $ 70.00 for 50 pcs. of once fired brass??? What the heck is going on, my dream rifle,from when I was a younger man has turned into a nightmare. Has anybody else had this problem,or can anyone help me with this problem. Confused and dishearten Thx
 
Nosler brass is usuallu available for about what you're seeing for once-fired brass. I think that Remington and winchester have both given up on the 257 bob. Necking down 7x57 is probably your best bet. Prvi Partizan makes good brass that's affordable.

257 Roberts and 7x57 are two of my favorite hunting rounds.

Matt
 
I am in the same boat as you. I bought a Kimber Hunter in the Rob but luckily my LGS had some Hornady Superformance on the shelf. It is 117gr SST and was about $30.00. I bought 2 boxes for sight-in and break-in. The dies and bullets are on the way for later. The brass is a once a year production, so if you can find ammo for now there should be some brass available later. The only brass available now is the high dollar Nosler or Jamison. I looked on Ammoseek.com and found several places to get the Hornady ammo.
 
Brass and ammo both show up, but as you've experienced, can be pricey. Patience pays off. Necking down 7x57 works , but, brass is sometimes hard to get for that also. If you do neck it down make sure to check neck diameter of loaded rounds. Necks can get a lot thicker when reducing size. My dad used one for several years before his eyesight became too bad to hunt. Nothing walked away from a 100 hornady at 2950.
 
Thx. Guys I really appreciate your help on my dilemma. I'm probably going to take both of your advises, I'm first going to start with the resizing of the 7 X 57 cartridge, I had to also do this with my 300 blackout when I first purchase it a couple of years ago. It was like everyone was buying the new reborn wildcat of 2015.LOL. You couldn't find any 300 ammo regular or subsonic anywhere. The only way too shoot my rifle was to get .223 or 5.56 and cut and resize them into 300 cases. I don't wish this on anyone but I'm glad I'm not the only one, at the same time I diffently keep my eyes open for when they start some new stock on this caliber, again thx guys for your help.
 
BTW, don't overlook the .275 Rigby, which is the same as 7x57 Mauser. Sometimes that brass is easier to find than 7x57
 
7x57 loaded ammo from PPU is relatively common. Maybe you could do a deal with a 7x57 shooter to split the cost on some ammo and he sends you the empties.
 
I waited years for new 257 Roberts brass to appear. I am very disappointed that none of the less pricey Winchester or Remington 257 Roberts has been on the market for maybe, 10 years now. But Nosler put out new 257 Roberts brass, you can get it at Midway, https://www.midwayusa.com/product/812494/nosler-custom-reloading-brass-257-roberts-p-box-of-50, it is hideously expensive, but I would get some while it is in stock. No one can tell me just when a major manufacturer is ever going to remake the brass, this is basically true for all of the less popular calibers. I think the major manufacturers are making so much money supporting our wars and invasions over seas that making brass for the civilian market is a very low priority.

I talked to Eley on this in 2016, they said Obama was their best salesman. Demand for 22lr ammunition had caused them to go to three shifts a day, but they were not going to add production capacity. In my opinion, they did not have any effective competition, everything that they produced sold. I saw 5000 round cases of Eley Match go up $200 per year (from $1200 to $1450!) and guess what, Lapua and RWS were doing the same thing. Eley thought the whole thing was a bubble and they did not want to get stuck if the bubble burst with idle production lines. So basically, the ammunition makers have had it very good.
 
Grafs has 6mm PPU brass for 29.99/50. Just a pass through the sizer die and its .257Robt.
If I needed Bob brass that's what I'd do.
I haven't needed any for mine. 30+ years ago, I was gifted 250 Federal from Federal premium by a non-reloader. I still have some unreloaded. Also part of an unfired box of 117gr Sierra GameKing.

Several years ago I bought a bunch of Hornady Blems in 100gr and 117gr, and bought out a couple of stores on close outs. I've got a lifetime supply of brass and bullets. Not to mention I also shoot them through a .257WbyMag.

Be glad your not buying .257wbymag brass. It's $4 a piece!, but it's easily formed from 7mmRemMag.
 
I have a supply of 6mm Remington brass left over from a 6mm rifle I use to own. I've loaded them for my .257R; just one easy push into the sizing die. Only have maybe three boxes of reloadable .257 brass.
 
Thx guys for all of your help, I think I'm going to try the 6 mm that sounds like the best and easiest way to go unfortunately.
 
Where you are matters but you can order anything you want through your local gun shop. Midway lists lots of .257 Roberts ammo. Hornady being on sale. Winchester 'Temporarily unavailable'. Brass is another story. None expect high priced No$ler brass from either Midway or Graf's. Lots of it on Gunbroker. Roughly $70 per 100 for new Remington brand.
 
Winchester has been "unavailable" in 257 Roberts for years, It seems. Fortunately, I was able to put by enough for the foreseeable future when it was available. Good luck with your search! 6 mm brass is a very good alternative!
 
Its not too hard to make .257 Roberts from .30-06 or .270 Winchester. I have my Dad's pre-54 M70 in the .257Bob and brass has been hard to buy. I took .range pick-up 30-06 R-P brass, trimmed to shoulder junction, annealed the top 1/2" of the case, then ran them in my full length Bob sizing die using a good lube. A quick trim to 57mm (2.235" for you metrically challenged) and a slight neck turning to true up the necks and VIOLA! new cases. OK, I do have to keep them separate from the 7.7 Jap also made from .30-06 and .270Win brass. I usually fire form these with a bullet seated long so it chambers with difficulty and holds the case-head against the bolt face for the first firing. There after, I use the Lee Collet die to neck size.I usually get 20+ reloadings from cases made this way. I stopped waiting in line when I left the service 50 years ago!
 
My dad always bought 1K of brass with any rifle he owned. Including 257 Roberts. It might be hard to get in the game, but with some patients I think you'll get there.
 
Cabalas online has Remington 257 Roberts Brass listed in stock. Bags of 50 for $29.99 plus shipping
 
About 2000 Winchester sold off a lot of over run brass in many calibers. I got a 500 piece lot of .257 Roberts primed brass for $45 plus shipping. I was going to reform it to 6mm Rem. Then the Obama shortage hit. I sat on the brass until a year ago when I was offered $1 per case.
In the mean time I had collected about 400 6mm cases so I sold it.

Please note that the 6mm has a different shoulder angle that changes the datum location. If you use 6mm to make 257 you are taking a chance on stretching the brass and case head separations. Making 6mm from .257 brass works fine.
 
I hit this same dilemma over the winter, and I solved it by buying 200 rounds of Hornady Suprformance from Bud’s for $27 per box. That wound up costing me less money than if I just bought the Nosler brass, and for my purposes the Hornady brass is more than adequate.
 
Welcome to THR lots of great people here.


Ammoseek is your friend if you can mail order ammo.
https://ammoseek.com/ammo/257-roberts

Sometimes Rocky Mountain reloading has good deals on primed brass.
No .257 Roberts on hand at the moment however.
Lots of times they get primed brass that has been pulled down, flavors change at random.

While PPU brass is not in the same class as say Lapua brass it's decent brass.
I used to just buy PPU 7mm mag ammo and use it for a brass donor.
Of course since I am in CA I can no longer mail order ammo.:cuss:so I may just have to buy brass.
Can't seem to find 7mm Mag brass at the range like I can .223 and 9mm for some reason darn it.:)
 
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