I have been having some pretty good success with my .257 STW on coyotes. Most of the shots are the coyote running directly away down roads cut through the brush country of South Texas. I am using the Nosler 100 grain ballistic tip at a little over 4000 fps.

Here is a picture of coyote #1. Notice the twisted body.



Here is a picture of coyote #2. Notice the foot in mouth.



The coyotes in our area of the country are not worth saving the hides on so they do make good test material for bullet experimentation.

Hey that's really great.

Chris

Looks like it hammers em', that's for sure...

I have a 257STW, what powder and how much are you using?

Uhhhhh......wow. Ummmmmm....I have this strange need to do that. Uhhhhh....pretty instant huh?

.257 STW looks like my kinda round. Tell me more about it. What brass is this formed from?

I am using RL25 along with a Federal 215 primer. I had some 8mm Mag brass so I used this for my first rounds. The second batch was made from Winchester 7mmSTW brass. Since this is a wildcat I will not say how much powder I am using as what is safe in my rifle may not be safe in yours. Here is some loading information. Start 10% below and work yourself up until you see signs of pressure. Please also be aware that you may need to turn the necks depending on your chamber dimensions.http://www.reloadersnest.com/query_all.asp?CaliberID=239

Way cool! Great shots of those coyotes.

We had one that looked much like the one with the foot in the mouth a while back.

We sat down to call and the sucker came in from the side in about 30 seconds! I had my rifle on shooting sticks and could not get on him. He saw us at about 10 feet and turned to run straight away. My dad nailed him at about 30 yards. We went over to him and he had his foot in his mouth just like the one you shot.

Nice work !!

HAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!

Don't leave the house under gunned is what I always say!

Before great rounds like the 257 STW came out I
had to content myself with using Hornady 125 grain
XTP hollow points shot very fast out of a 358 Norma
Magnum. I shot the south end of a north bound
coyote with it and was amazed at seeing a coyote
disembowled while running. Pink spray and flailing feet.

quote:

Originally posted by M16:
I am using the Nosler 100 grain ballistic tip at a little over 4000 fps..

4000 fps with a 100 grain bullet seems a little optimistic even with such a large case, but I suppose it is possible. Is this a chronographed velocity?

Stonecreek,
yea I'd like to check that out myself...

quote:

Is this a chronographed velocity?

Yes it is, I am not fast enough at this velocity to use my stopwatch and a calculator. This is the upper end for this catridge in my rifle although some people are getting 4100-4200fps.

He is right on the money. I get 4000 fps with ramshot magnum and the 100 grain nosler bt out of my custom 257 stw. I can also get 4150fps with an 85 grain bt. Wicked round, i highly reccommend it.

quote:

Originally posted by M16:

quote:

Is this a chronographed velocity?

Yes it is, I am not fast enough at this velocity to use my stopwatch and a calculator. This is the upper end for this catridge in my rifle although some people are getting 4100-4200fps.

Good one...

FWIW, I shot a female coyote this morning. It was a straight on shot; the bullet hit the left shoulder, broke the front left leg and exited the chest behind the shoulder. It flopped around for a few seconds after rolling down an incline. We found the dog dead with the paw of its injured leg in its mouth. Kimber 84M Varmint, 22-250 and 55 grain NBT.

Good job on thinning out some of the fawn-ravaging predators. But of course, it's CHEATING to use a round that shoots so FLAT!!!

quote:

Originally posted by hvyw8t:
He is right on the money. I get 4000 fps with ramshot magnum and the 100 grain nosler bt out of my custom 257 stw. I can also get 4150fps with an 85 grain bt. Wicked round, i highly reccommend it.

Hi hvw8t,
What length barrel have you got on your 257 STW?
What twist is your barrel?
What load are you using with 85gn bt to get 4150 fps? This one really appeals to me.
Regards
hjl

I already have a 7mm stw and after doing some research I think I may have a 6.5mm STW made. I was looking into the .257 STW but the 6.5mm with a 120 gr will outperform the .257 100 gr. It has less drop and more power.

Drop at 500 yards
6.5= -14.65"
.257= -15.11â€
Energy at 500 yards
6.5= 2562 lbs
.257= 1932 lbs

This would be using Lost river ballistic bullets. I think if you’re going to build a custom gun this would be the best for a all around flat shooting gun. I am not trying to put the 257 STW down at all because it is a sweet round like most STW. Just giving some other ideas and my 2 cent.
Mark