hi , i was wondering if anyone here has some good loads for the 257 roberts . i have a pre 64 and thought i would ask to save some time by not having to experiment .

The 257 Roberts is one of the finckyist rifles to load for?
I gave a article out of a mag i read once to my friend when I changed to the Ackley improved. It was called the 257 Roberts A Fincky rifle to reload. The author gave his pet loads wich worked well for my Ruger M77 and my buddies Browning A bolt. Before we read the article we were both trying to come up with good loads with very little luck. I really wish I had the article still. So do not be disapointed if it takes a while to find a load. Just went to my reloading bench all my stuff for the 257 roberts was given to a friend sorry.

I too am fortunate enough to have a M-70 in .257 Roberts.....and my favorite deer hunting load is as follows:
Hornady 117 grain boattail, RL19 powder,48 grains, WLR primer and WW cases.

This should scoot you about 3,000'/sec.

First ask yourself three questions:
what are you hunting;
what bullet weight/type do you want to use;
what velocity do you want to attain.

Next secure the necessary components(the bullet of choice, a moderately slow burning powder, and primer.)

Finally, you must determine the proper over all length. This is the only hard part of the operation as you will have measure the throat, and test fire it to "see" the results. Your rifle will let you know what it likes. Keep in mind some barrels don't like boat tail bullets, and your efforts may be frustrated.

I don't see where the 257 is any tougher to load for than anything else. True, some models were hamstrung with short throats, but if you recognize this before you reload, there should be no trouble. Also keep in mind, most of these guns are getting on in years, and may need some attention in the bedding and finish areas.

I had a Ruger MKII, and after fixing the trigger, as well as bedding, I had a dandy 22" sporter that accounted for some large mulies. It was a good varminter, too good sometimes, as yotes had to be stitched back together if you wanted the hide.

These loads are on the "hot" side, so work up from below.
1) 100 grain Nosler B/T
45.5 grain IMR 4350
WLR primer
R-P case
2) 87 grain Speer "TNT"
42.0 H 4895
WLR primer
R-P case
I left out the COL as it will vary from rifle to rifle.

thanks guys . how does those 117 gr work for you accuracy wise vapodog ? got ya covered on the col packrat , i'm a firm believer in fitting the cartridge to the chamber . again thanks for the loads . that ackley , exactly what makes it so much better ? curious , ralphy .

Ralphy, the AI is not worth the investment.....just load the standard .257 bob to it's potential.

It's equivalent to the .25-06 then......andf a fabulous cartridge.

My Roberts in a Ruger Mark II shoots about 1 inch with 48.5 gr H4831 SC behind Speer 120s, Sierra 117s, and 1 1/4 in. with Nosler Partitions.
Hornady SST 117s don't do so well, except with a max+ load of Reloader 22.

46.5 gr. H4831SC does as well, again, with Speer and Sierra.

I am still searching for a good 90-100gr. load, using H4350, H4831, IMR 4064 and H4895.

4064 and H4895 look promising with 87 gr. bullets.

"It is a Fine And Pleasant Madness", isn't it?

I have an older custom .257 Roberts on an 03A3 action w/ a Shilen barrel. My pet load is 39.0 IMR 4064 with a Speer 100 spitzer (averages 3005fps). It consistantly shoots 3/8" to 1/2" groups at 100yds and 1"or less at 200. Its accounted for several Pronghorns and a couple nice deer. I love this rifle!!!

quote:

Originally posted by ralphy:
thanks guys . how does those 117 gr work for you accuracy wise vapodog ? got ya covered on the col packrat , i'm a firm believer in fitting the cartridge to the chamber . again thanks for the loads . that ackley , exactly what makes it so much better ? curious , ralphy .

ralphy: IMO the LAST thing you would want to do with a pre64 M70 in 257 Roberts, is destroy its value by AI'ing it. I have a 257AI which I love, but in truth it only gets about 50fps more than a standard Bob loaded to the same pressure.

ralphy hasn't posted in the last five years....I doubt he cares any more!

I use Sierra 100gr SBT and Varget in my Roberts. I suggest that you start at 36.5gr and work up to your rifle's "sweet spot".
GOOD LUCK and GOOD SHOOTING!!!

vapodog,!!!! There was a thread on Forum Suggestions, about resurrecting old threads or starting new ones! Having a 257R I am interested in all threads related to it. I did not even notice the date until you pointed it out!
Peter.

quote:

Originally posted by vapodog:
ralphy hasn't posted in the last five years....I doubt he cares any more!

good point, vapo...hadn't noticed the dates.