What do you all think of this rifle for a varmint and target rifle? It will start as a savage 7mm Rem Mag

Ray

Ray,
By my calcs, it'll have 5% more capacity than the 257 Weatherby. Using the generally accepted 4:1 rule, you can expect a 1.25% increase in velocity when loaded to the same pressure. In other words, about 50 fps faster with the lighter bullets. Probably a little less with heavier loads, since your short neck will require that they take up powder space. 300 Win brass is cheaper than Weatherby, but you're going to pay more for custom dies and reamer. A faster option would be the 257 STW if it will fit in your magazine...

Ray-Marine,

The 25-300 is a much more efficent round then the 257 STW but the bigger STW will get you more velocity and flatter trajectory, I have built several of these for customers just this last summer for this big game season.

I also built my wife one to use for her Pronghorn permit here in Montana. It uses a 30" Lilja #6 contour stainless barrel and the entire rifle ready to hunt weighs under 10 lbs. This is a little heavy but a 100 gr Bullet traveling just over 4000 fps is a serious goat load.

Especially when the 100 gr pill is a Wildcat Bullets 100 gr Bonded Core FBHP with a B.C. of .480.

I have also been designing a new round which will be called the 257 AM(Allen Magnum). This is a beltless case which will add roughly 150 fps to the STW. The case is large enough though that I do not recommend using 100 gr bullets. This round along with a 6.5mm and a 270 version are a combined effort with Wildcat Bullets of Alberta Canada.

The 257 AM will be loaded with a 130 gr Bonded Core FBHP, a 145 gr Bonded Core FBSP and a 150 gr Bonded Core FBHP.

Figure out the S.D. for those rounds and you will see they are most impressive compared to any 7mm, 308, 338 or 375 as far as S.D. goes.

I developed these roudns to give the pronghorn and deer hunter the ultimate in flat trajectory and accuracy in a portable rifle with relatively low recoil.

If you want a screamer, my 257 AM will be running hard here in a couple months.

Powder capacity for compares as follows: all necked to .257 and filled with H-335 to the case mouth.

STW: 104 gr
AM: 120 gr
RUM: 127 gr

Because of the large case volume, the 130 gr bullets will be the light weights and they should easily be able to be driven to 3650 fps from a 30" barrel.

Since these are still in the developemental stage, I am not giving out any details on case dimensions.

If you want the hottest 257, this is it. I do not recommend it for a varminting rifle though.

Good Shooting!!!

Kirby Allen(50)

50driver,
what kind of barrel life do you expect from your cartridge and what would be the minimum barrel length?
i have an stw and a roy and was wondering if a 25" barrel would suffice or is that to short for a gain over what i have now?
thanks
woofer

Woofer,

I am designing these rifles for 28 to 30" barrels but they will perform well in a 26" pipe also. You will get some velocity increase over the STW in a 25" barrel but not as much for sure.

The most improvement over the STW will the heavier 130, 145 and 150 gr bullets. IF your barrel has a 1-10" twist it will easily handle the 130's and 145's. I still need to test the 150 as of yet in the 1-10 twist.

So while the velocity advantage will not be as great in the 25" barrel obviously, it will be more.

My 257 STW's are getting around 1200 rounds of fine hunting accuracy life, 3/4 moa or under in quality stainless 3 groove rifling barrels. That is if they are carefully shot and cleaned every 25-30 rounds.

I am expecting to get 900-1100 rounds of quality barrel life. These are big game rounds and should only be used as such. Once sighted in for big game hunting with the proper load, these rounds will provide a life time of big game hunting life, at least of the average hunter.

Good Shooting!!!

Kirby Allen(50)