have a 243 featherweight a 257 roberts standard what bullet weights usually shoot best (Hunting bullets)

Try a variety. Your rifles will tell you better than we can what they like.

mine like 100gr (243) AND 120GR (257) but that does not mean your rifles will like the same.

If I had to grab a box of something off a shelf for anything pre-64, since that is 50 years ago now I'd grab a heavier bullet as it would be longer in case your throat is worn.

As implied already, sometimes there is no rhyme or reason why a particular rifle likes a particular bullet but it just works out that way and that combination will only be so-so in an identical rifle. Go figure. Anyway, I hesitate to recommend something as I do not even have a 257R of any flavor but if I did my first box of bullets would be Sierra GameKing 117 gr. Spitzer Boat Tails.

you can now buy small pacs of bullets for test purposes..Only you can determine what your gun shoots...That said I have never fired a 243 or 257 Robts that wouldn't shoot 100 and 117 gr. bullets..I don't know about varmint bullets in either as I shoot varmints with deer bullets as a rule.

thanks for the advice guys just trying to save some time as I have very little since my wife and I are keeping our 7 month old grandson 12 hours a day but I'm enjoying it. just wondering if they liked heavier or lighter bullets, (TYPICALLY) I realize every rifle has its own personality.Thanks to all for the replies.

John Barnsness has often posted that if a 257R won't shoot well with a good 100gr bullet with 4350 (either), then there is probably something wrong with the rifle.

Might be a good place to start..

We have 2- .257 Roberts and one will only shoot 100 grain bullets, really likes Sierra's and the other likes 117 Sierra's, go figure.
My oldest sons .243 shoots 85 grain Sierra's, 90 grain Speers and 100 grain Sierra's all to about .75 all of them loaded with IMR 4350.
I don't think you can predict what a rifle will like based on it's brand.
I would buy 100 and 117 grain bullets for the .257 and load with IMR 4350
For the .243 also load with IMR4350 and 100 grain bullets.

My pre 64 M70 in 257 Roberts liked the 4350 powders and shot very well with a 100 grain Sierra. This pre 64 had a factory short magazine conversion and the previous owner converted it to a long action. The rifle is in the safe, but it required more than knocking out the magazine insert. These short action M70's were nothing of the kind. They were the long action with a shortened magazine and the extractor ring was modified for a stop. You will need a standard extractor ring without the bolt stop. Wiener's has them. http://www.wisnersinc.com/mode...ter-model-70-pre-64/

Removing the magazine insert and the bolt stop allowed seating the bullet out two tenth’s longer than the OAL in reloading manuals. I think this was critical for the good accuracy. Imagine having the bullet jump 0.20 because the magazine limits cartridge OAL and yet the throat was reamed to that depth! I was able to seat the bullet 0.030” off the lands instead of having the bullet jump about a quarter inch.

Given that my loads pushed a 100 grain bullet just at 2800-2850 fps and maximum loads in my Nosler reloading manual show 3000 fps is possible, I really wonder why the 243 was created. The Roberts can do it all!

My major problem has been trying to find brass. US manufacturer's have not made 257 Roberts brass for a couple of years, I have been on back order at Midway for at least that long, and I don't know when they will ever make the stuff.


Pre 64 M70 Featherweight 257 Roberts

100 grain Sierra SP 44.0 grs IMR 4350 wtd, Lot RB 15 (60's) Fed 210S W-W brass
OAL 2.930", 2.950" touched lands.

19-Aug-13 T = 85 °F

Ave Vel = 2849
Std Dev = 27
ES = 90
Low = 2795
High = 2885
N = 10

Normal looking primers, good group except for one flyer


100 grain Sierra SP 45.0 grs H4350 wtd, Lot 22685 Fed 210S W-W brass
OAL 2.930", 2.950" touched lands.

19-Aug-13 T = 85 °F

Ave Vel = 2822
Std Dev = 14
ES = 36
Low = 2802
High = 2838
N = 5

Excellent group, under 1 MOA

100 grain Sierra SP 38.0 grs Varget wtd, Lot 4292 Fed 210S W-W brass
OAL 2.930", 2.950" touched lands.

19-Aug-13 T = 85 °F

Ave Vel = 2809
Std Dev = 12
ES = 28
Low = 2789
High = 2817
N = 5

About 3 MOA

Thanks i've got some brass hope to shoot some in a few days.. Thanks again for the replys

quote:

My major problem has been trying to find brass.

Use 6mm Remington brass.

I'ts hard to find 257 Robts brass but you can run either 6mm or 7x57 brass thru the Robts resizing die and ream the necks and your ready to go..You can also make brass from 308 and 30-06, 270, 280, to name a few with a set of RCBS case forming dies, so all is not lost..

Id bet dollars to donuts that Jamison, Starline or Hornady will come out with Robts brass in the not to distant future...Jamison just added 250-3000 and .348 Win to their line..They are definitely a fourthcoming company. Also I think that Nosler is or has plans for the .257..Good luck on that.

quote:

Originally posted by Atkinson:
You can also make brass from 308

That ain't gonna happen, Ray. roger

Step one: Measure your rifle's twist rate.
Step two: Go to JBM or Berger Bullets for stability calculators. You will need to know bullet length. (It's bullet length, not weight, that affects stability.) JBM has a list of most bullet lengths.
Step three: Select a couple of bullets that have a stability factor of 1.4 or more and test them.

The above will save you a lot of time and expense.

A very good friend and serious WW collector had roughly half dozen M-70s in each chambering. I had plenty of opportunity to help out with load development. This was back in the mid-80s.

The .243s - whether std, varmint, target - were all superbly accurate with 70-100 gr projos then available. Nor were they picky about powder/primers, etc.

No .257 was in the same league as .243s and Swifts. They did not even shoot as well as .270s and '06s. It took alot of work to find Roberts loads that shot into 1" - 1.25". The most consistently accurate projo in was the 117 gr Hornady RN. We used H-4831 and often got under 1" for 5. Oddly, we sometimes got decent results with 75 gr projos, too.

In recent years articles have appeared identifying Winchester's .257 throating and box mag length as culprits. Dunno, b/c I don't own one and my friend is long-deceased.

ETA specifically remember not one 100 or 87 gr head shot well. Also, not one 117/120 BT projo shot well. The flat based 117s and 120s were better, a second behind the 117 gr RN in many cases.