Ruger No. 1B in 257 Roberts

[PotatoJudge]

Picked this up recently for $625 OTD, not a steal but probably a fair price. It's in excellent shape, made in 1983. It's going to be a gift for my dad's 50th birthday from me, my brother and my sister. I walked the show, took notes and narrowed the list which included a BAR in 25-06, Contenders of various types, S&W AR-15, CZ-550 in 6.5x55, Browning BLR in 308, and a Browning A-Bolt in 243. A call to my grandfather (who may be biased towards single shots- he hunts with a Browning 78 in 30-06, octagonal barrel) cinched the decision for me.

I have dies, 100 grain ProHunters and 117 grain GameKings on the way along with a healthy supply of H4350, IMR 4350, 4064, and 3031. If we can't get the gun to shoot I'll try some of the forend pressure tips and work from there. One question though, can 257 brass be formed from 7 Mauser brass? Not that I'd waste 7 Mauser brass (gotta feed the M77) but it'd be nice to have the option in a pinch.

Haven't picked out a scope, though that'll likely be this year's Christmas present from us. I'm leaning towards a gloss 1.5-4 like this one for looks and because my dad prefers lower power scopes:
http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?saleitemid=758783&t=11082005

I'd appreciate any tips for reloading the 257 Roberts, pet loads, best bullet weights, or scope suggestions.

 

[rangerruck]

from what I understand, the 7 mauser ammo is simply necked down for the 257, nothing else needs doing. There are also some good sights about , that tell how to tweek the #1's for accuracy, most of it having to do with the forearm. Don't know the names of the sites, but I am sure someone here will.

 

[Shawnee]

WOW ! You got an excellent buy there !! Great rifle in a Primo caliber !!

You can find some discussion about "tuning" the #1 (if needed) at this site...
http://www.rugerforum.com/phpBB/

I've owned several #1 rifles and shot them a lot. Have watched others shoot more of them. Will tell you quite frankly that there are a lot of people out there who are trying to "tune" their #1 when what they really need to "tune" is their shooting.

FWIW - the three or four people I've known who reload for the .257 a lot have all liked IMR-4350 powder for the 100 and 117 gr. bullets.

Congratulations on a good deal on a fine rifle !

 

[Essex County]

Good buy! I just hope yours shoots better than the one I bought new a couple of years back. Verticle stringing of groups (bedding) was a major problem. I called the nice folks in Newport and was told that their criteria for a No.1 in that caliber was 13/4" at 50 yards. Huh? That's not why folks buy .257's for. I dumped it at a loss to someone that wanted to frig with it. Essex

 

[T.R.]

My sister-in-law hunted elk, mulies, and antelope with a Browning BLR in .257 Roberts for several years. But one September while hunting in the Bighorns, she shot a bull that was much tougher than normal.

She hit it twice in shoulder/chest before it got away. Then all of us spent remainder of morning chasing the animal. She shot it again at about 250 yards and the bull showed visible reaction to the shot. Yet we chased it another half mile or so before it expired. A week later, my brother traded it in for a 7mm-08.

The Roberts was deadly for mulies and 'lopes. No problems at all. She toppled at least two elk before this unfortunate episode.

I'm certain your Dad will be pleased with his Roberts. But for spooked elk in the foothills, a much heavier and longer bullet is best.
TR

 

[PotatoJudge]

Shawnee, rugerforum is a pretty nice place. Been lurking there a couple years now trying to figure out the fascination with serial numbers. It was the "primo" caliber that made the decision for me. Been using the 7 Mauser for a while and my dad likes it a lot (we both shot our first deer with the same Ruger 77 in 7 Mauser, about 30 years apart). I'd heard good things about the Roberts and had it on the short list of calibers to consider.

I've got plenty of 4350 around, so that's probably where I'll start. I'm curious what the 257 could be loaded to in an action as strong as the No.1 and with a 26in barrel. Not going to try that without a chronometer though, so hopefully after this Christmas (you listening Santa?) I can start pushing it.

T.R., I agree it may be marginal for elk. Maybe with Barnes Triple Shocks or other $1 bullets, but mostly this will be used for small TX whitetail and feral pigs. Anyway, at 8lbs who wants to haul the thing around after elk?

 

[Zeke/PA]

Potato Judge,
I really love #1's.
My first purchase was a "200th Year" edition in .270 Winchester and my other is a recently purchased Varminter in .25-06.
Both rifles like my re-loads and both responded well to fine tuning the forearms.
I have shot several deer with the .270 and it likes the 140 grain Sierra Gamekings.
In the .25-06 for deer hunting I worked up a load around the 117 Hornady.
Shot two beanfield deer this year at 200+ yards.
I envy your .257 Roberts however my next #1, hopefully will be in fact a 7MM Mauser.
As far as necking down to 7MM brass to .25: Brass is still cheap enough, like 50 rounds for $20.00 or so.
I agree with Sourdough, a lot of shooting problems are with the shooter, NOT the rifle.
Zeke