I always come here for the answers. Or at least your opinions. I have the opportunity to buy a Rem. mdl. 722 in 257 roberts. I am looking for a coyote rifle and wonder how this stacks up to a 22-250 for the same purpose. I reload so availability of ammo shouldn't be a problem. How does the 257 bob work at long range?

I love my 722 Bob. I haven't had it long enough to work up varmint loads yet, but it shoots 100gr Sierras quite well. Guess I'm not answering any of your questions except that there are some out there.

I have worked up some varment loads for one,they were the 75gr v-max and they were doing their job out to about 300 yards.Good Luck

Buy that rifle!

A 722 is too short to "load-long" with a Roberts. A new Ruger has the Roberts in a 30-06 length action/magazine.



'

Plainsman,
Not to steal the thread, but wondering which powder you settled on for the 75 grain V-max. I've been using 4064 and great accuracy, but not quite the velocity I had hoped for.

Mike, buy that rifle. I've been shooting my Ruger Mk I since 1972. It has a long action, but really seems as accurate or maybe a little more accurate with a shorter OAL. Particularly on varmints, it hits with more authority at longer ranges than the 22-250 which I also shoot and love. Up close the difference isn't as noticeable to me.
Bfly

I have a Rem 722 in 257 Ropberts that's about a 98% rifle, both metal and Walnut.
For reasons as mentioned, I've dedicated mine to bullets in the 85 to 90 grain weight class.
I have a bunch of very accurate loads woked up for these bullets, especially Speer's two 87 grain offerings, and Sierra's 90 grain HPBT.
I'm not real fond of having heavy weight bullets stuffed deep into a case; but that's just me. YMMV
Other than adjusting the trigger pull weight to 2 1/2 pounds, I did nothing to the rifle that would adversely impact its collector's value. Groups are in the 3 shot, 1/2" group at 100 yard range, using a 20x scope for load developing.

Black Fly I have tried 4064,3031 and rl-15.They all seem to get the job done.So many powders so little time.Good Luck

OH, the 75gr v-max puts the hurt on coyotes.Only shot out to 260yds or so.So far so good

Thanks for the help guys. I got the rifle. I'm sure I'll be back with load questions. My son calls a lot of coyotes and I'm sure this rifle will get a lot of use this winter. I'll let you know how it works.

quote:

Originally posted by mikem0553:
Thanks for the help guys. I got the rifle. I'm sure I'll be back with load questions. My son calls a lot of coyotes and I'm sure this rifle will get a lot of use this winter. I'll let you know how it works.

I've been collecting some 722's over the last two years.
One thing I think that needs some work, and that is making sure the barrels on these old rifles are cleaned well. Several I got looked like they'd never been cleaned.
And, one of them had so much varnish built up inside the trigger, I had to spray break cleaner thru it to get all of the crud out.
But, they shoot well now, except for the one in 308 that won't shoot.

Mike, in case you didn't know, if you are looking for hides, Barnes makes a solid in 257

http://www.midwayusa.com/viewP...productNumber=519052

These rounds don’t really compare will with each other because they’re so different. Is the Roberts a coyote round? I don’t see why not but the bigger the bullet the more hide damage. If you don’t collect hides than any old round will work.

I'm told velocity has more to do with hide damage than the bullet??

quote:

Originally posted by Abob:
I'm told velocity has more to do with hide damage than the bullet??

Yes and no in my experience. it’s a part of the total potential damage factor along with bullet design and shot placement.

I have shot coyotes at 25 to 150 yards with my 17 Remington (which is the fastest cartridge I own) and had just a 17 caliber entry hole with no exit hole. I own the 17 Remington just for shooting coyotes over call and it’s much more forgiving to the pelt than any of my 22s.

I have shot a number of coyotes with my Swift (my second fastest gun) and a number of those pelts looked pretty darn good after the shot. The Swift has also produced exit wounds big enough to shove a baseball through.

My 25-06s just make a mess out of a coyote pelt along with any of my 7mm and 30 caliber rifles. If I shoot dogs with any of those, I just leave them and move on. I don’t even bother looking any more.

I have not deliberately hunted coyotes for a number of years now. If they place themselves in my “danger zone” and I have nothing better to do, they get shot.

Thanks for the charts. The 22-250 really is quite a round. The Roberts will cost a little more to reload but I got a good buy on the rifle so I'll try some of these 75-90 gr. bullets for the Bob. Just got a scope mounted on the 257 and bought a box of 117 gr. wins to try out. Still need to get dies and brass to load the coyote rounds.
As far as the pelts go; a coyote is worth about $20.00 in good shape. Not the end of the world if the pelt is ruined. Thanks for all the help, I'll keep you all posted on how this thing shoots.

i had a 722 cal 257 rob since 1987, i used it alot, a hunt, coyotes, bobcats, greyfox, muledeer, coues deer, aoudad, federal dogs, and a lot more, only use 100grs bullet partition, hornady sp, or ballistic tip, for predators is not a fur friendly, if you whant to get the fur go whit 22-250 and 50grs bullet, if not get the roberts and enjoy one of the best calibers ever made.}


MY ROBERTS


By mexicanhunter, shot with DCR-HC40 at 2009-08-22

Best Regards

I also have a Ruger 77 in 257, and only shoot 100 grain Nosler Partitions in it.

I built up a .257 Robers IMP a number of years back. It drove 100gr. Noslers at 3,484fps, 120HP's at 3,199fps and for coyotes - 87gr. SP's at 3,650fps & 75gr. HP's at 3,940fps.
It was not a coyote gun, unless all you wanted to do was to kill them, however I did shoot an Elk and couple moose with it.

The only difficulty I had with that rifle, was shooting over game - so flat shooting, when you're used to shooting a .458 on everything.

The standard .257 Reoberts will easily do 3,200fps with a 100gr. bullet and 2,950fps with a 120. As an all-round coyote/deer rifle, it's pretty close to being perfect, but is tough on hides.
One I shot with the 87gr. SP, a mere 120 yards away, left a 6" entry hole where the bullet blew up on the hide, not touching anything inside the cavity except the right lung was missing and the coyote was paralized. I finished him with a .22 to the head. Amazing to look into the gaping hole, not a rip, but an almost perfectly round hole and see the his heart beating, yet he was incapable of moving. With the nosler partitions, it was a great flat shooting deer, elk and moose rifle- but you need to be able to shoot perfect hits, and be capable of not shooting when things aren't perfect. Living in the proper area helps in that regard.

Took the 257 out coyote hunting this past weekend.I'm still using the 117 gr. wins as I haven't had time to load some real coyote rounds. This rifle worked great. My son shot a dog at 80 yds. a hole the size of a quarter on the exit side and the dog never moved. I got some 75 gr.hp sierras and 87 gr. nosler bt. to try out. I'll let you know how these work.

I acquired a take off 25/06 barrel for a Savage..

I have debated on having the chamber set back and rechambered either to the Roberts or the 250 Savage AI..

any thoughts or suggestions on that guys?

it is a heavy target barrel..and the action is one of the Savage stand alone actions...

I've also debated on picking up a Marlin XR 7 in 25/06, but having the barrel set back to a 257 Roberts..

I am always an efficiency nut it seems... and the 25/06 is just a hair too much..

besides, I always seem to like Classic older cartridges, over the newer whizbang stuff..

plus I like to have calibers that not everyone else seems to use..guess it appeases my trait of not always following the crowds...

257 Roberts? 250AI? IMHO it's a toss-up. I have done both. The AI is a heavy barrel Ruger #3. The Roberts is a Stevens 200, originally a 25/06, with the barrel set back and re-chambered. I also have a 250/3000 that was done with a 25/06 take-off re-chambered. You can't go wrong with Savage as your platform.
The Savage varmint weight barrels are on par with the majority of "custom" barrels.
Anything Quarterbore is worth the effort.
GOOD LUCK and GOOD SHOOTING!!!

Seafire, why not a Bob AI, it will fire your classic cartridge and will give you bump in velocity when/if you want it

If trying to save fur the Bob is a little big. I tried from 60gr RN pills to 80 gr hp's and used the 75gr Hornady quite a bit. None were real friendly.
In the .22-250 I tried LOTS of different bullets and if they were at max velocity most left an exit that was pretty ugly.
The one bullet that did well in the .22-250 is also the one that I used most when saving fur and it's the 52gr Speer HP. The Blitz is ok if it's not to fast, or the twist is slow. Otherwise it with evaporate on it's way.
I've loaded up some 36gr Barnes Varmint Grenades but have yet to get one with them.

The .257 Roberts or Roberts IMP is prety 'heavy' for coyotes if yo want the hides. I used 87gr. and 75gr. bullets, sifting right along and ended up with almost 2-piece coyotes. 75's at 3,900fps and 87's at 3,650fps.
Perhaps if slowed down to around 3,000fps or less they'd be OK - but you'd lose the main advantage over a simple .22 Hornet - longer range and flatter shooting. My .22 Hornet did wonderful on coyotes with 45gr. SP's at 3,200fps. No exit, instantly dead 'dogs'. (CZ 13.8gr. LG 45gr. horn. SP) Good to 300 yards on them with never having to sew a hole.

For a lark you might want to find some 60-65gr xtp bullets.I haven't shot a coyote yet but they put the hurt on paper out to 180 yards or so.
Let us know how it works out with whatever you settle on.

quote:

Originally posted by Abob:
Seafire, why not a Bob AI, it will fire your classic cartridge and will give you bump in velocity when/if you want it

HOW TRUE
however I can accomplish that by just leaving it as a 25/06.

problem being a 25/06, is nowhere near as cool as a 257 Roberts, or a Roberts AI..

however leaving it a 25/06 is cheaper at the gunsmith.. but then I have to buy dies and brass..

on the other end, I already have 257 Roberts brass and dies... I use them for my favorite cartridge, the 6.5 x 57 Mauser.

The standard Roberts, in a good action will just about do 3,200fps with a 100gr. bullet, 24" bl. Since it is basically the 6mm rem necked up, it will add a few fps to any bullet weight the 6mm shoots, but also allow 117gr. and 120gr. for deer and elk, which it handles just fine - with perfect hits.

Daryl S. what is your load for the 75 at 3900fps ?? I too shoot a Bob...and the best I get with a 75 is 3500fps....

I really like my M722 Bob...as a single-shot. It has a factory chamber, but when seated near the rifling, it won't fit the magazine. I've installed an M700 trigger, and have a 10X for load development. It shoots like a house afire with almost any 100gr+ bullet...3/4min is to be expected, with almost any applicable powder.
My plans are to get an M721 action and install this barrel, then rebarrel this action to a short cartridge....22/250, 7-08...somethin'.
For those guys that are having a problem with modification of a "classic," somebody before me grafted a Monte Carlo onto the stock, and did such a good job, I will keep the gun.
Have fun,
Gene