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.256 Win. Mag. ?
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<IKE>
posted
Fellas I'm in the process of trading for a very low mileage Van Horn 15" Contender barrel chambered in .256WM.....it should be on my doorstep by Thursday.

The barrel was ordered and made with a 1 in 10 twist and extractors for both rimmed and rimless cases.....the fella that has it now has been using .221 Fireball brass as opposed to .357 Mag, he says it's a lot less work and a better parent case as far as he's concerned.

Anyway, according to the books I see that H110 and H4227 are the favored powders and I've got some of each on hand.

As far as bullets go I see where most bullet mfg.'s start at around a 75gr and go up to about a 120gr....I don't see a Single Shot Pistol bullet made by anyone.

I know the round is a better varmint round than a deer size game round but given the choice of bullets available, the cartridge itself and the 15" barrel length is there any place in the deer woods for a .256WM ?

Also feel free to share any experiences and loads you may have with the round (hunting or target), I could use the insight.

Thanks in advance.
 
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Hi, Ike.

Hornady used to make 60 gr. bullets for the .256 Win., and they came out the snout pretty quickly. Check the older loading manuals & availability of the 60s.

.256 Win. is hardly considered the ideal deer round, but put in the right place, I'm sure it will take deer. Anyone who doubts it should talk to those who pop them with .22 LRs, one of whom I knew personally was a government hunter years ago who routinely shot deer with a .22 LR for coyote bait stations out west. Whatever the .22 LR will do to deer, the .256 Win. will do better and 3 or 4 times farther away.

So happens that in my things and stuff I have a fair number of 10" long .25 cal. barrel blanks that will end up as Contender barrels. I was going through some of them over the weekend and debating whether to make them into .25/20s or .256 Win. Mag. One question is for which chamber the dies are most readily available and most reasonably priced.

I have little personal experience with .256 Win., but did shoot a friend's 10" factory barrel years ago and still remember how consistently I was able to pop hat size rocks using an informal rest and low powered scope at a good 200 yards. It is a neat little round, flat shooting, and a joy to shoot. Should be fun.

Mike
 
Posts: 791 | Location: Grants Pass, OR USA | Registered: 30 March 2002Reply With Quote
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IKE,
I got one thats 11 inches long and I shoot Hornadys 75 gr. V-MAX bullets, to date I have taken 4 deer with it, I've had 3 of them to pass completely through the lung area with one inch exit holes in two of them and one was 1 1/2 inch exit hole this one took out a rib going in,and the fourth one was a spine shot, the bullet was in fragments and blood shot about a 4 to 5 inch area where the bullet entered and the deer dropped on the spot, the distance was about 60 to 70 yards on this shot, the other three where from 25 to 45 yards and left a good blood trail,they went no farther than 50 to 60 yards. Albert
 
Posts: 98 | Location: Kenova WV | Registered: 24 December 2002Reply With Quote
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Picture of Sean VHA #60013
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This has always been a fascinating little cartridge to me!

Without looking into all my industry distributer cataloges, who makes good dies for the 256?
 
Posts: 830 | Location: Virginia, USA | Registered: 08 March 2002Reply With Quote
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Picture of cas
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"Turngrey" industries (?) sells formed brass if you don't feel like making them yourself. Not cheap, but not that bad. No longer have the lik, but you should be able to find them using Google.
 
Posts: 723 | Location: Ny | Registered: 17 March 2002Reply With Quote
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Picture of TCLouis
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Link to Turngray is:

http://www.turngray.com/

LouisB
 
Posts: 4267 | Location: TN USA | Registered: 17 March 2002Reply With Quote
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Albert,
That is quite a testimonial for the .256 you have!

I have form dies for working .357 Mags. down to .22 cal. for .22 Super Jet, which is another interesting little round.

If you need .357s run through form dies, send me a few fired cases to set up on, and I'll run your supplied brass through my dies. $$.... ????? Whatever seems fair.

Mike
 
Posts: 791 | Location: Grants Pass, OR USA | Registered: 30 March 2002Reply With Quote
<IKE>
posted
Thanks for the replies fellas.

Mikey B.

I got a email from a gent that's got a Van Horn barrel chambered for 256 Super Mag, it's a 357 Max case necked down as opposed to a 357 Mag.....sort of a 256WM on steroids.

You may want to consider running some of the Super Mag version in those .25 barrels you've got laying around....would you have to rework a fellas standard 256WM dies ? (for a fee)

Sean,

In their latest catalog Midway has a Redding two die .256WM set listed for $32.99 and in the same catalog RCBS lists theirs for $97.99 !....I can't figure that one out.

Albert,

Thanks for the hands on hunting info, it looks like the 256WM is no wimp in the deer woods afterall.

I appreciate the input fellas.....Thanks.
 
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<marrfam>
posted
As the gentleman that is sending the barrel to dear ole IKE. I haved looked at the rechamber to 256 Super mag You do not have to recut dies as the super mag is a 357max all you do is size the web area in a 357max die and the neck and shoulder is done with the standard 256 win die very simple thing to do.
 
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<Headstamp>
posted
Yes, that sounds like a reasonably easy form job with possibly the use of a $10 Lee 30 Mauser sizer as an intermediate step.

The Max version sounds very interesting with no special dies needed. Even a version using 360 DW brass, even a version using 5.6X50R brass and even............. just kidding.

Call it the 256 Win Magerooni.

See what you started, IKE? [Big Grin]

Regards

[ 12-31-2002, 19:24: Message edited by: Headstamp ]
 
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<T. D. Clevenger>
posted
Ike,
If you get a chance, try WW296 in that 256. It gave the best velocity and groups in mine.
T.D.
 
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Mike,
Looks like you have several interested in the 256 MAX
Could that be the first run of Bellm Barrels??
If so put my name on one!!! 256 MAX sounds like fun!
To Quote that Movie Line-
"If You Build It They Will come"

Happy new Year to the Group!
 
Posts: 140 | Location: MEMPHIS, TN USA | Registered: 16 March 2002Reply With Quote
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Picture of contender85
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Mike,
If you decide to turn any of those blanks into 256 Win.Mags, I'd like to have one.
Mark
 
Posts: 414 | Location: Western NC | Registered: 07 April 2002Reply With Quote
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Another shop is working on barrel lugs for me right now, and I will have to turn down more blanks to make a batch for centerless grinding before I can go any further.

Some of the blanks I have are already turned down pretty close to size, and it is tempting to just toss some of them into the batch to round it out.

So happens I picked up one of the .25s today and put the tape to it.... about 7 1/2," but untapered. There are longer .25s also, but most are shorties and turned down for Contenders.

The 14 and 15" .25s will become .250 Savage Imps.

If Redding has the dies at a decent price, .256 Win. does sound interesting.

I also thought .25/20 would be fun.

Mike
 
Posts: 791 | Location: Grants Pass, OR USA | Registered: 30 March 2002Reply With Quote
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Mike,
The 25-20 is fun, I got a 10" one that is a tack driving squirrel killer out to 25 yards using the same 75 V-max at 1300fps, it simply vaporizes their heads. My 257 is going a little over 2200fps with this bullet, and I also would be interested in a 256max with a 12" barrel.
Albert
 
Posts: 98 | Location: Kenova WV | Registered: 24 December 2002Reply With Quote
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Guys, I have two .256 Super Mags, one from VVCG, 16.5" Encore I use as a carbine. The other is a 10" Contender from Van Horn. There was a very good article in Varmint Hunter Mag issue #37 about the caliber in a contender. I had been interested in a .257 TCU but liked the idea of a rim. After I read the article I found the Encore used with dies and brass. It came with a shortened 300 Mag die, like the article says, to start the step down process. If I am careful I don't lose any brass in the process. I tried annealing also and don't see any difference so far. I have some brass that has been loaded 8 times already and lost one to a split neck. When I went to Van Horns shop I got excited looking at so many made custom barrels that I bought the ten incher Contender also. Some of you seem interested in this caliber. I would be willing to sell the 10" Van Horn Contender barrel. It has iron sights, I need to sell it and another barrel to get a scope for still another project, a 12" 6mm. It is 10 inches long with super 14 spacing and some engraving. I would sell it, shipped to the lower 48 for $200.00. If you want a Leopold base/ring set add $25.00. Iron sights included Let me know. I would need a money order if interested. Happy New Year.
 
Posts: 46 | Location: Tucson, Arizona | Registered: 01 May 2002Reply With Quote
<IKE>
posted
I just got back from the range a little bit ago from firing my new toy.

I fireformed 59 cases formed from .221 Fireball to .256 WM, the load I threw together was 10.5grs of H110, a Sierra 100gr HPBT Matchking, and Rem. 7 1/2 BR primers....and before you ask I don't have a clue how fast they were going. <smile>

I was shooting at 85yds scoped and on bags, after using a few rounds to get the scope sighted in, I had 47 or so rounds left that darn near completely ate up a 2" orange dot. By it shooting that well with just a load I threw together, I can see where this thing is going to be a real tack driver once I get it pet loaded.

This is my first centerfire pistol barrel in what I'd call a small caliber,it was really fun to shoot "accurately" for a change without all the recoil associated with the other barrels and handguns I own.

The fella I got it from sent along a partial box (62 bullets) of Nosler 85gr Ballistic Tips and I plan on trying them over some H110 or H4227 first when I pet load for it.

So far I'm sold on the caliber.
 
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<Dale>
posted
I have used a 10" .256 Win. barrel for years for varmints. I like the 60 gr. Hornady FN. It is not a long range bullet, but is quite explosive on ground squirrels, prairie dogs, and rock chucks. My favorite powder is Win. 680. When my supply is gone, I will try AA-1680. I started with RCBS dies and had trouble getting the bullet seated concentrically. I did not have a runout gauge then, but didn't need one. I could see the bullets were not straight. I bought a set of Hornady dies which solved the problem.

The .256 Win. is a nice varmint caliber. A friend of mine says the cases are a pain to form. Luckily I have a good supply of original Win. brass.
 
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<Headstamp>
posted
Dale,

You might also try Surplus WC680, in most lots it runs about like AA1680 burning rate. Excellent prices on it.

They both tend to be slower than the old Winchester 680 though from what I've read.

I use the Surplus 680 in my 357 Max.

Regards
 
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Hi folks, I'm new around here. I just finished forming 100 .256 WM for a newly purchased 10" factory barrel - easy without any losses running them into a 7.62 Tokarev die and finishing up in a Redding FL .256 WM. It worked like a champ. Even my wife thinks they are cute little devils. Loaded Hornady 60 FP over AA 1680. If the wind here drops under 25 MPH in the morning I hope to give it a try. Anybody have a foreend for a 10" octagonal barrel they want to part with?
 
Posts: 39 | Location: Maryland | Registered: 11 January 2003Reply With Quote
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If you think the .256 Win. Mag. is cute, have you seen a .22 Super Jet? Just keep necking down... to .22 from .25 and fireform.

Mike
 
Posts: 791 | Location: Grants Pass, OR USA | Registered: 30 March 2002Reply With Quote
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I believe I'm going to like this little cartridge! I have a 1 1/2X Lobo mounted and could use a bit more magnification but I think I can get used to it. I got some 50 yd. groups with 4 shots into 1/2"- 3/4" and the 5th shot out a bit. I've no experience with scoped or benched handguns and figured it would take awhile to get a bench technique that was consistant and (hopefully) correct. I've been thinking off barreling a Martini Cadet I have in .256 but thought I'd like to work with the cartridge first before I bought a barrel blank and reamer. When this 10" barrel walked up to me at a show I figured it would be fun to work with and help me decide. I can see that there will be some serious crow harrassment coming up. As a thought while looking into suitable .25 cal. bullets I wondered about the possibilities of this little case with some of the light spitzer bullets available in 6MM. Probably ought to wring out the .256 before thinking about changing it!
 
Posts: 39 | Location: Maryland | Registered: 11 January 2003Reply With Quote
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