I am trying to work up a load for my bob I want to use 117gr round nose bullets . the gun I am using is a bedded rem action with a floated shiling #5 barrel at 24" in a boyds lam thumbhole stock. I tryed IMR4831 with good results with 41.5grns witch is the starting load in my manual ! how do you guys feel about using that light a load for deer ? should I keep serching ? I had this gun built last year for my 12 yr old girl and it wasent finished intime to work up a load so I sighted it in with winchester factory 117gr loads so she could hunt the last weekend of the season with her new gun . with the factory loads I could only get 3/4" groups! I welcome any advice or info on proven loads with the 117gr round nose . Thanks in advance !! " frustrated "

P.S. I tryed IMR 4831 loads from 41.5 grns to 44 grns in 1/2 grn advances , best results being with 41.5 as stated above .

My M700 Classic shoots the 100 gr BT and PT with 45.0 grs IMR4350 in the .5"s.
The 110 gr AB with 44.0 grs RL22 also shoots in the >5"s.
The 115 gr BT with 43.0 grs IMR4350 shoots .6-.7".

These are safe in my rifle, start low and work up.

JD338

My 257 Roberts shows high sensitivity to the make of brass. You do not detail which brand. By changing the maker of the brass case, your pressure will change, from experience, Big Time.
Best bullet for the Bang-Flop from my field test use has been the 120 Swift A-frame.
I use the H and not the IMR 4831.
Sincerely,

quote:

I welcome any advice or info on proven loads with the 117gr round nose .

42.5 gr of H-414/Win-760 will get you an honest 200 yard rifle and DRT if hit correctly.

The best results with 117gr bullets was with 43gr. H 4350. Didn't have a chronograph at that time (1974) but the accuracy was just fine.

As far as being adequate for deer 87 grain FP bullets driven at 25-35 velocity levels did just fine at 100yds. or there abouts on Colorado mule deer. Your load is a shoe in and you don't need premium bullets roger

deerslayer64d:

IME the 117gr Hornady RN has been very accurate in several 25 cal rifles. Your 257 load is fairly light but should be a good, low-recoil load for your daughter. As long as you don't try to push the distance very far (and I'm assuming you won't since you picked a RN bullet), it should work fine.

If you would like a little higher velocity, I would suggest trying some 4350, either IMR or Hodgdon. That powder has worked very well for me in several 257Bob's.

That roundnose sounds like just the ticket!

For a higher velocity load, try the 100g Ballistic Tip or Accubond. They shoot quite well in my .257R....but still not .5". I did the workup with IMR 4350, but don't remember just how much at the moment.

My .257 likes lighter bullets much better than heavier ones, which kind of annoys me since I'm a heavy bullet fan. I believe that is a common trait in the .257R, tied to twist rate. The RN bullets overcome that weakness and usually do better than folks expect.

Cheers,

Dan

THANK YOU FOR ALL THE INPUT . I did try 115gr nosler bt with h4350 and again the best group was with the starter load 40 grns my main question is are these starter loads hot enough to hunt with ? I like the impact the r n makes on game . she shot her buck the last weekend of the season last yr at 190 yrds with the winchester factory 117 r n and droped in his tracks !! the brass I am using is the brass from the winchester factory rounds ( rem brass is on the way ). primmers are CCI LR . thanks again for all the info, Gordon

Your question is are these fast enough for hunting?. Well what is your typical shot distance?, Assuming you are stand hunting so shots are 50 to 150 yards maybe and I assume you are hunting Whitetails. My honest opinion is that you will be in fine shape with the load you mentioned, I'll bet performance will be outstanding if accuracy is good and if the recoil isn't too much for your daughter to handle.
My best load so far for my Bob is the Sierra 117 SPBT with 41.5 grains of IMR-4350 in WW brass and CCI primers set just off the lands. This load shoots .5" groups very consistantly for me.

quote:

Originally posted by deerslayer64d:
... my main question is are these starter loads hot enough to hunt with ? ...

Yes. Great cartridge for a youngester, senior or all those inbetweeners.

One of my buddies(Chris) "had" one of the few old Short Action M700s and sold it to a friend of his. He mentioned it to me at the range one day and was ing and whinning about it. He had sold it to him about 10 years earlier.

He ended up swapping a re-barrelled Mouser to the guy to get it back and both were happy. His 257Rob is extremely accurate with IMR-4831 and has Killed stuff "larger" than I would use it on.

Great cartridge for your daughter.