I have a WWII M98 that is semi sporterized. Have a Green mountain 257 Rob barrel on the way. Plan is to get the bolt handle redone, put a scope on it and probably put it in a Boyds Laminated stock. It already has a Bold trigger.
The 8x57 is just so darned close to -06 that I decided to go smaller caliber and the 257 Rob should work without any feed rail mods.
Would the 257 Rob AI also work without any mods? Any reason not to go AI?

quote:

the 257 Rob AI also work without any mods? Any reason not to go AI?

It buys you little field advantage. The std. .257 is really a fine hunting cartridge as designed. roger

I have a .257 AI. It's a handsome little cartridge but I don't think it offers enough improvement over the regular .257 to make it worthwhile. If you want higher velocity the .25-06 is the way to go. Most of the improvement that's often reported is at the expense of very high pressures. Jack up the pressure in the standard cartridge and it'll go faster too.

I like my AI. It undoubtedly has a cool factor going for it and it does give some improvement but it would be nice not to have to fireform or have special dies. If building a 25 cal rifle today I'd go with the .257 Roberts.

Jerry Liles

Thanks for the input guys. Sounds like the old
Bob is the way to go. Plus I shouldn't run into any feeding issues.

Did the same thing with a V24 98 action in a Boyd laminated stock with a Bold trigger mid weight barrel in standard .257Bob. The round is fine as it is. The only thing I moved on to more projects to have time to shoot it.

Built this one on an FMAP '09 action. I use 257 +P brass and "warm" loads.

Very nice Craigster. Like loiblb, I will probably go with the Boyds laminate.

I built my 257 AI on an M-98. I just used a dremel and carefully opened up the barrel end of the feed rails just a little bit and it feeds flawlessly. At some times I do wish that I had made it into a standard Bob, as that is a very capable round in its own right and fire forming can become a nuisance. But at other times I am glad I went with the AI. I would rather glide into an easy 2900+ fs with a 120 grain bullet in the improved version then run a standard Bob on the ragged edge trying to get there.
The brass lasts longer and in this day of hard to find components that is a plus. And there is a definite velocity advantage with this "Improved" round, considerably more than most. That is really nice with the larger bullets. But with smaller varmint type pills it really isnt necessary IMO.

I disagree with the assertion that a 25-06 is better than the 257 AI. I can achieve very near to 25-06 velocities with less powder and my barrel will last longer than a 25-06.

It is all pretty subjective really. But my 257 AI has been one of my favorites for several years.

My .257 Roberts is on an Argentine M1909 action, with a Douglas featherweight barrel. Throated for 3" OAL. It has probably the nicest, tightest grained piece of Claro I've ever seen, purchased from Pachmayr in the 1970's when they still sold semi-inletted blanks. I don't push it hard-~2900 fps with 100 gr. Nosler BT gives my MOA 3-shot groups and kills just fine.

Clarence

My 257Robts is not on a Mauser it's on a Mdl 70 classic that has been blueprinted and the bolt handle replaced with a straight MacFarland checkered one. It has a Lilja 3 groove barrel and after breakin it shoots Nosler 110gr AcuBonds into 3/8" with no problem.Scope is a Zeiss Diavari Z 3-12x56 MC. The 257 has some history with me. When I went to TSJC in 1952 I carried with me a M98 (a 41 BYF) action that had an Apex bolt handle and a Pfieffer barrel in 257 that I had had put together by a gunsmith in Koscuisko,Ms. Of course I never built it out as I almost immediately traded it for a nice 257AI built by one of the students. Up until the Mdl 70 was built I had never owned another 257Robts. I really like the caliber.

Own my share of 257 Roberts rifles built on a: 91 Argentine action, 95 Chile action, FN 98 action, Steyr 98 action. Then a few years ago, stumbled across a 257 Roberts Ruger Hawkeye on clearance in a store. No way I could not buy it.

The Roberts is a great cartridge. I have one, and another one in process.

The finished one was a 98 military, custom built with all the neat touches. DST's, side lever floor plate release, Greener side safety, about 50% engraved. Nice lightweight sporter, rebarreled from something to the Roberts.

Great cartridge for anything short of bear or moose on this continent.

huffmanite: if I ever find one, tang safety, it will go home with me that day.

Just got it back from the smith and shot it yesterday. Not bad for the first time out. Finished tweaking the bedding this morning and will put together some more handloads. Have to see if I need to glass it or not.
Once the tweaking is done and the loads are set I'll blue it.

quote:

Originally posted by Blacktailer:

Would the 257 Rob AI also work without any mods? Any reason not to go AI?

I'm late to this party but have some 1st hand knowledge about A.I. cartridges & feeding in unmodified M98 actions.

The Mauser magazine dimensions are precisely calculated to maintain full contact of the case
body head to shoulder in a 60° stack W/the magazine walls & adjacent cartridges. W/the militart cartidges originally chambered.

When you blow the case taper out,form the A.I. chambering, it will destroy this perfect relationship & can make feeding a bit more problematic. It isn't difficult to alter the magazine geometry, but if you want flawless feeding from the top round in a stack of 5 all the way down, it's a good idea to alter the geometry of the magazine walls

The feed rails would probably need some attention also.

I had an 8mm-06 A.I & when 5 round were loaded into the unaltered box, the case hedb end of the top round could be easily pushed around from side to side W/my finger. I am working periodiclly to re-do that chambering W/a new barrel. I have altered a specimine of 1904 Peruvian bottom metal for the minimal taper of the blown out cases & they now nest perfectly in a 60° stack regardless of the number af cartridges in the box.

You made the right choice to stay W/the standard 257 Bob as it is based on the 7x57 cartridge which has a similar case taper to the 8x57. It should feed flawlessly in the unaltered magazine.

I have a nice little small ring, small shank M98 Mexican Mauser action that I'm probably going to do a 257 Bob on.

The gunsmith told me when he was working on the action he had trouble making it feed. He is not new to this and supported his family sporterizing Mausers after the war (he is 90 years old). He had a commercial follower lying around and used it to replace the original. Feeds like a champ.
I'll try to post some pics in the next day or so. Just blued it yesterday. For a cheap and dirty I think it came out OK.

Well here is the final result of the M98 saga.
This rifle was liberated by my dad in Czechoslovakia during WWII. He put it in a Bishop stock and put on a Lyman front ramp but never got around to doing anything else with it like put on a rear sight so it sat in his gun cabinet since I was a kid. When he passed it sat in my safe but it bugged me to have something with that much history just sit.
Last year I started rasping on the stock, put a Williams rear sight on it and a Bold trigger with a side safety. I shot it some and it was accurate but soon realized my eyes at over 60 are not that great with iron sights. Also the old 8x57 is so close ballistically to the 30-06 of which I have several, I decided a scope and different caliber were in order.
Took it to a local 'smith who cut and welded the bolt, screwed on and chambered the barrel, drilled and tapped the receiver for scope mounts and installed an FN style shroud.
I put it in a Boyds laminate stock and blued the bolt, shroud and barrel with Brownells OXPHO blue.
It shoots into 1 1/4 at 100 yards and with some tweaking might do better. Can't wait for deer season.

Should be able to kill a lot of deer with it.

Turned out really nice, I'm sure your Dad is smiling.

quote:

Originally posted by craigster:
Turned out really nice, I'm sure your Dad is smiling.

Yep. I like it.


.

quote:

Originally posted by wildcat junkie:
I have a nice little small ring, small shank M98 Mexican Mauser action that I'm probably going to do a 257 Bob on.

Those 1910 Mexicans are sweet. I have two stashed away and always looking to buy. They aren't making them anymore.

quote:

Originally posted by Blacktailer:
Well here is the final result of the M98 saga.
This rifle was liberated by my dad in Czechoslovakia during WWII. He put it in a Bishop stock and put on a Lyman front ramp but never got around to doing anything else with it like put on a rear sight so it sat in his gun cabinet since I was a kid. When he passed it sat in my safe but it bugged me to have something with that much history just sit.
Last year I started rasping on the stock, put a Williams rear sight on it and a Bold trigger with a side safety. I shot it some and it was accurate but soon realized my eyes at over 60 are not that great with iron sights. Also the old 8x57 is so close ballistically to the 30-06 of which I have several, I decided a scope and different caliber were in order.
Took it to a local 'smith who cut and welded the bolt, screwed on and chambered the barrel, drilled and tapped the receiver for scope mounts and installed an FN style shroud.
I put it in a Boyds laminate stock and blued the bolt, shroud and barrel with Brownells OXPHO blue.
It shoots into 1 1/4 at 100 yards and with some tweaking might do better. Can't wait for deer season.

Looks great!

nice !
give h 414 a try i bet it shoots even better !
...tj3006

Very nice; you will like the 257; do not make it a AI; not much to gain and a lot to lose, like making it feed as you already found out. And the standard 257 can be loaded hotter than factory to get more vel too.

Looks good!

Try some H 414 and a good 100 grain bullet,
I have 2 Roberts and both like that combo, fast and accurate...tj3006

very nice --
i use h335 in most everything ..

Looks real nice.
You made him happy, too bad he's not still with you to share shooting it.
Thanks for sharing with us.
George