The Accurate Reloading Forums
.257 Weatherby loads

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21 April 2003, 03:07
jstevens
.257 Weatherby loads
I'm getting ready to start loading for a .257 Weatherby rifle, so I thought I'd see if anyone has some well-proven loads to recommend. I can try about any powder, although my first will probably be RL22. I've never owned a Weatherby before, don't like the looks of the action, stock, and appears cheap but isn't, but the thing shoots great. It has a slick action, decent trigger, and shoots 100-gr Hornady factory loads .650 for three shots at 3756fps. I suspected this factory ammunition was plenty hot, and case head expansion is almost .002!
21 April 2003, 03:56
snowman
I found I got the best groups in my rifle with RL25
21 April 2003, 04:50
POP
I use the 100 gr Nosler partitions in my Accumark. 71.5 gr of RL 22 gives me 3650 fps or so and 2" groups at 300 yds.
21 April 2003, 06:16
mclevela
Where are you measuring your case head expansion at? With what tool?
What bullets were being pushed with the Re-25?
21 April 2003, 07:23
snowman
I was shooting 120 gr Hornady HP with 70 grs of RL25 with a std primer. No other bullet or powder combinations even came close to the groups this combo produces in my rifle.
21 April 2003, 09:01
stubblejumper
I found the best accuracy with h-1000 behind 100gr ballistic tips.The factory barrel would do no better than 1" but the custom barrel I had installed easily averaged less than 1/2".
22 April 2003, 14:47
jstevens
To answer mclevela, I measured at the case head,as always with a 1" mike. Avg about.0018 expansion. I normally don't want anything over .001-.0013. I haven't started loading the .257 yet, just fired a few factory loads. As I said, they seem a little hot, and the velocity seems a bit high, too. I even fired some others over it to be sure, they were right on compared to previous rounds. I have shot up a lot of RL22 in 7mm Mag, and thought I would try it first, RL25 may be best with 120 gr.
22 April 2003, 15:05
mclevela
My .257 seems to favor the Re-22 powder with the 100 to 120 gr. bullet weights. I have not used any primer other than the Fed. 215M but I am thinking of trying the Fed. or CCI 200.