jimmyraythomason
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Anybody here load/reload the .257 Roberts round?
.257 Roberts
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greyling22
Member
I reload a 257 roberts ackley improved. close enough?
beatledog7
Member
I reload the Bob.
rcmodel
Member in memoriam
Just a 25-06 I built a couple of years before Remington made it a commercial caliber.
But that has nothing to do with a Bob I guess.
rc
But that has nothing to do with a Bob I guess.
rc
Cemetery21
Member
Yes sir. I've loaded for 3 different Roberts since the '70s off and on. Current load is 87 gr. Hornady with WW 760.
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jimmyraythomason
Member
I'm looking to buy a handful of loaded rounds with 85-90 grn bullets. Purpose is for testing a barrel that is keyholing with 117 grn. bullets. Barrel is 22",1:10 twist.
Cemetery21
Member
Shilen's chart shows 1 in 10 is good for up to 100 gr.
http://www.shilen.com/calibersAndTwists.html
http://www.shilen.com/calibersAndTwists.html
rcmodel
Member in memoriam
Something is wrong with the chart then.
1-10 should be good for 117 too, as that was a standard bullet weight from the factories in .257 Roberts for many many years.
The 117 needs to be a fairly semi-pointed, flat-base spitzer however, and not a real long plastic-tip, low-drag boat-tail.
Whatever the problem is, isn't a 117 grain bullet flat base soft-point bullet, as that was a standard factory load for years & years in the Bob's glory days when it made it's reputation.
rc
NCsmitty
Member
I think you know that if the 117 is a boat tail, it may be too long to stabilize properly, especially if you're not not pushing the upper end of the velocity potential. If you insist on using that weight, then the flat base Sierra Pro-Hunter will likely work better in your Bob.
The heavy 117-120 boat tail bullets work better in 25-06 size cases with the higher velocity potential.
And I see rc beat me round toit.
NCsmitty
The heavy 117-120 boat tail bullets work better in 25-06 size cases with the higher velocity potential.
And I see rc beat me round toit.
NCsmitty
This is the reason I want my 257's in a long action. I have owned several over the years and I loved them all. I personally think the 117 is a little heavy for this cartridge. I shot a lot of 85-87-100 grainers through them over the years. Worked on everything from yotes, to whitetails, to antelope. Hunted mule deer with it but never able to connect with one.
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jimmyraythomason
Member
The bullet I was using that keyholed was Winchester 117 grn Power Point +P. I haven't tried another type bullet. I do have some 117 grn Remington Core-lokts that I haven't tried.
crestoncowboy
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I load for a Remington bdl mountain rifle, I have had good luck out of every bullet but the 87 gr berger match hps. my favorites are the 100 gr nosler ballistic tips, and they are cheap from walmart.
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jimmyraythomason
Member
Maybe where you live. My Wal-Mart Super Center has NO .257 Roberts ammo(never have had) and no reloading equipment/components.
GooseGestapo
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I've loaded for the one I had built in 1983, and four others.
There's no problems with the .257Robt. It's actually (with reloads) much better than the .243win that "killed" it off.
I've shot bullets from 75gr to 120gr. Only problem I've encountered was with a batch of Hornady 117gr BtSpt's. There was obviously two different lot#s of bullets in the box of 100. One lot# had very shiney jackets and a sharp edge around the base and a extruded demple on the base. These gave jacket seperations and were quickly sorted after I figured it out. However, they shot well to 100yds but destabilized and tumbled past 100yds. I didn't figure it out until I'd wasted 11 shots at 5 different mule deer on a Montana out-of-state hunt in '93. We kept thinking it was the shooter (me) or the rifle. After checking the rifle at 250yds and finding I couldn't hit a 3'x3' target, I switched to some 85gr Nosler Balistic Tips I'd loaded for prararie dogs. I got my muley on the next shot at 370yds. Day after, got over 40 prararie dogs out to 400+yds with remaining ammo... (85gr BalisticTips at 3,400fps over Win760).
Hornady did make good and replaced the box of bullets and sent me a coupon for additional discounts/rebates...
My favorite bullet "big-game" is the 117gr Sierra GameKing. Super bullet through either my Roberts or the .257wbymag. Always sub moa from every gun I've ever shot them through. However the 120gr HP GameKing (not a boattail) is also superb. They shoot 1-hole groups from both my Roberts and friends Interarms MkX in .25/06 (three shots. It'll do it repetitively, but not every time... sometimes the "wind" will get you!)
Another superlative bullet is the Hornady 100gr Spt. My tighest group ever with the .257robt was shot at 200yds over 48.5gr of H4831 (original surplus) and the 100gr Hornady at 3.000" (I have the "so-called" 3" chamber). It chrono's right at 3,000fps. Three shots touched.... but no-wind evening near sunset and no mirage...
Another "classic" Roberts load is 45.0gr of IMR4350 w/100gr bullet for 3,000fps. It shoots under MOA from my E.R.Shaw bbl and has taken over 100 whitetail deer including the three largest one's I've ever taken (over 200lbs dressed). My wife on oldest daughter too their first deer with the "Mr. Roberts" as my oldest daughter calls it.
The 100gr Hornady PtSpt is a "do all" bullet from the Roberts. It'll do anything the 115-120's will do. From my .257wbymag @ 3,700fps, it'll "stay" in a smallish deer at under 100yds. They'll be under the hide on the far side in a ~65gr "ball"... The "Interlok" feature works just as good as the much more expensive Nosler "Partitions". All three of the biggest deer I've killed were with the 100gr (2) or the 117gr Hornady BtSpt. Only one of the 117's have been recovered, and it weighed 109gr after penetrating rib, torso, and humerous of +200lb deer at ~240yds. Deer "broke" a 250lb scale I hung it from (field-dressed). I didn't think the deer was that big at first but several people commented on how big it was and encouraged me to weigh it.... It was "hanging" out of the bed of a Nissan pickup and sagging the springs.... It wasn't a "fat" deer, but very long, tall, and "rangey" as one taxidermist called it. Had an unremarkable 8pt rack and teeth suggested it was 7+yrs old.
But, I've never had a .25" Sierra shed a jacket, and with the better accuracy prefer them, however, for the past 4yrs, it's been hard to get Sierras.
It's a very rare Roberts that won't stabilize a conventional 117-120gr bullet. I've never seen one. However, I've heard of some early custom guns built from .250Savage bbls with a 1/12" twist that didn't like 110+gr bullets.
Only "issue" I've run into loading for the Roberts was a Browning BLR and A-bolt that have very, very, short throats. They required seating the bullets to SAAMI spec's to chamber properly. But, same powder charges worked nominally.
If you do get a Roberts and handload, do try IMR3031. It's a "sleeper" powder. At just 38.0gr it gives the "desired" 3,000fps with a 100gr bullet and excellent accuracy. It was the only truly MOA load from a Ruger M77MkII I had. I sold the Ruger for a $100 gain and bought an "orphaned" Ruger M77MkII "Hawkeye" "Alaksan" in .375Ruger. It's reliably a MOA gun (3-shots) and a thrill to shoot.... Especially enjoyable after I installed a Pachmayer Declerator "Old English" pad and moved the forward sling stud to the front face of the forend.
H4350 is my #2 powder.... Better velocity than IMR, but IMR is more accurate. YMMV
There's no problems with the .257Robt. It's actually (with reloads) much better than the .243win that "killed" it off.
I've shot bullets from 75gr to 120gr. Only problem I've encountered was with a batch of Hornady 117gr BtSpt's. There was obviously two different lot#s of bullets in the box of 100. One lot# had very shiney jackets and a sharp edge around the base and a extruded demple on the base. These gave jacket seperations and were quickly sorted after I figured it out. However, they shot well to 100yds but destabilized and tumbled past 100yds. I didn't figure it out until I'd wasted 11 shots at 5 different mule deer on a Montana out-of-state hunt in '93. We kept thinking it was the shooter (me) or the rifle. After checking the rifle at 250yds and finding I couldn't hit a 3'x3' target, I switched to some 85gr Nosler Balistic Tips I'd loaded for prararie dogs. I got my muley on the next shot at 370yds. Day after, got over 40 prararie dogs out to 400+yds with remaining ammo... (85gr BalisticTips at 3,400fps over Win760).
Hornady did make good and replaced the box of bullets and sent me a coupon for additional discounts/rebates...
My favorite bullet "big-game" is the 117gr Sierra GameKing. Super bullet through either my Roberts or the .257wbymag. Always sub moa from every gun I've ever shot them through. However the 120gr HP GameKing (not a boattail) is also superb. They shoot 1-hole groups from both my Roberts and friends Interarms MkX in .25/06 (three shots. It'll do it repetitively, but not every time... sometimes the "wind" will get you!)
Another superlative bullet is the Hornady 100gr Spt. My tighest group ever with the .257robt was shot at 200yds over 48.5gr of H4831 (original surplus) and the 100gr Hornady at 3.000" (I have the "so-called" 3" chamber). It chrono's right at 3,000fps. Three shots touched.... but no-wind evening near sunset and no mirage...
Another "classic" Roberts load is 45.0gr of IMR4350 w/100gr bullet for 3,000fps. It shoots under MOA from my E.R.Shaw bbl and has taken over 100 whitetail deer including the three largest one's I've ever taken (over 200lbs dressed). My wife on oldest daughter too their first deer with the "Mr. Roberts" as my oldest daughter calls it.
The 100gr Hornady PtSpt is a "do all" bullet from the Roberts. It'll do anything the 115-120's will do. From my .257wbymag @ 3,700fps, it'll "stay" in a smallish deer at under 100yds. They'll be under the hide on the far side in a ~65gr "ball"... The "Interlok" feature works just as good as the much more expensive Nosler "Partitions". All three of the biggest deer I've killed were with the 100gr (2) or the 117gr Hornady BtSpt. Only one of the 117's have been recovered, and it weighed 109gr after penetrating rib, torso, and humerous of +200lb deer at ~240yds. Deer "broke" a 250lb scale I hung it from (field-dressed). I didn't think the deer was that big at first but several people commented on how big it was and encouraged me to weigh it.... It was "hanging" out of the bed of a Nissan pickup and sagging the springs.... It wasn't a "fat" deer, but very long, tall, and "rangey" as one taxidermist called it. Had an unremarkable 8pt rack and teeth suggested it was 7+yrs old.
But, I've never had a .25" Sierra shed a jacket, and with the better accuracy prefer them, however, for the past 4yrs, it's been hard to get Sierras.
It's a very rare Roberts that won't stabilize a conventional 117-120gr bullet. I've never seen one. However, I've heard of some early custom guns built from .250Savage bbls with a 1/12" twist that didn't like 110+gr bullets.
Only "issue" I've run into loading for the Roberts was a Browning BLR and A-bolt that have very, very, short throats. They required seating the bullets to SAAMI spec's to chamber properly. But, same powder charges worked nominally.
If you do get a Roberts and handload, do try IMR3031. It's a "sleeper" powder. At just 38.0gr it gives the "desired" 3,000fps with a 100gr bullet and excellent accuracy. It was the only truly MOA load from a Ruger M77MkII I had. I sold the Ruger for a $100 gain and bought an "orphaned" Ruger M77MkII "Hawkeye" "Alaksan" in .375Ruger. It's reliably a MOA gun (3-shots) and a thrill to shoot.... Especially enjoyable after I installed a Pachmayer Declerator "Old English" pad and moved the forward sling stud to the front face of the forend.
H4350 is my #2 powder.... Better velocity than IMR, but IMR is more accurate. YMMV
Clark
Member
I like 72 gr Berger or 75 gr Vmax for punching paper.
I like the 115 gr Nosler ballistic tip for punching deer.
I like the 115 gr Nosler ballistic tip for punching deer.
beatledog7
Member
My Bob is a short action Browning, and that's just fine for me since I load it light to moderate so I can just enjoy getting hits and not get beaten up by recoil. I know, the Bob doesn't recoil hard anyway, but loaded light it's just about the ideal centerfire teaching rifle. I can load long cartridges, just can't feed them from the rather cramped magazine. But I sure do love A-Bolts!
If I want to shoot fast and long--well, that's what 7mm Rem Mag handloads are for.
If I want to shoot fast and long--well, that's what 7mm Rem Mag handloads are for.
PRD1
Member
Previous posters are correct...
a good Roberts-chambered 10" pitch barrel should stabilize any normally available .257" bullet up to 120 grains.
Like another poster, my favorite bullet has always been the 117gr. Sierra, which has shot exceptionally well out of several factory and custom Roberts rifles, all with 10" pitch barrels.
First thing to do is check actual pitch in your barrel.
PRD1 - mhb - Mike
a good Roberts-chambered 10" pitch barrel should stabilize any normally available .257" bullet up to 120 grains.
Like another poster, my favorite bullet has always been the 117gr. Sierra, which has shot exceptionally well out of several factory and custom Roberts rifles, all with 10" pitch barrels.
First thing to do is check actual pitch in your barrel.
PRD1 - mhb - Mike
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jimmyraythomason
Member
That was the first thing I did. Using the tight patch and rotating cleaning rod method. It rotated one complete revolution in 10 inches.
PRD1
Member
Then you have some other problem.
I have not seen any description of your actual rifle - commercial, custom, details?
The next thing I'd do is measure the bore and/or groove diameter of the barrel - you can do this closely enough with a vernier caliper. The reason I mention this is that I have actually examined a European-built .257 Roberts chambered and marked rifle which had been assembled with a .256 bore (6.5mm) barrel - which shot exactly as you describe.
PRD1 - mhb - mike
I have not seen any description of your actual rifle - commercial, custom, details?
The next thing I'd do is measure the bore and/or groove diameter of the barrel - you can do this closely enough with a vernier caliper. The reason I mention this is that I have actually examined a European-built .257 Roberts chambered and marked rifle which had been assembled with a .256 bore (6.5mm) barrel - which shot exactly as you describe.
PRD1 - mhb - mike
My .257 Roberts is a Rem 700 Classic that I bought when they chambered that run for that cartridge back in the 1980s. I use to have a nice Ruger 77 in the 70s but the throat was simply way too long. I reload mine with 100 grn bullets of various makes and either 49.0 grns of IMR4831 for 3200fps or 48 grns of IMR4350 for 3131fps. I currently have some 117 grn & 115 grn bullets I intend to try. I've killed several deer with the 100grn bullet loads and it drops them like lightening.
Curiously, while I consider the Roberts a super deer round, I've never been able to get the level of accuracy from the round that I get from my 250/3000(s).
Curiously, while I consider the Roberts a super deer round, I've never been able to get the level of accuracy from the round that I get from my 250/3000(s).
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jimmyraythomason
Member
This is a custom Gew 98 with aftermarket barrel,the bore looks excellent and slugs .256'' across the lands(.266'' @ grooves).
Jim Watson
Member
Well, that's the problem.
A Real American .257 Roberts is about .258" in the grooves and shoots a bullet of that diameter.
You have no hope of a .266" barrel doing anything with a .258" bullet.
That is even a little large for a 6.5mm with typical American .264" bullet but will probably shoot them ok.
Looks like you have a 6.5x57 or a 6.5x.257 Roberts, which latter most seen in rechambered Arisakas.
I'd recommend a chamber cast to see if the neck and throat were large enough for .264" bullets to fit the barrel.
A Real American .257 Roberts is about .258" in the grooves and shoots a bullet of that diameter.
You have no hope of a .266" barrel doing anything with a .258" bullet.
That is even a little large for a 6.5mm with typical American .264" bullet but will probably shoot them ok.
Looks like you have a 6.5x57 or a 6.5x.257 Roberts, which latter most seen in rechambered Arisakas.
I'd recommend a chamber cast to see if the neck and throat were large enough for .264" bullets to fit the barrel.
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jimmyraythomason
Member
When I had the barrel installed,I had it chambered for .257 Roberts so I am sure of the chambering(it was done by a well known smith in Alabama). I bought the barrel as a .257 but it had no markings on it.
I believe you're right Jim...which is okay..but I had rather have a Bob!
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jimmyraythomason
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Many thanks to everyone for your help! It is greatly appreciated!
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