Anyone here loading for and shooting a 257 Raptor? It is a 257 on an improved 204 Ruger case and seems to be similar to the old 257 Kimber. I will be ordering a Contender barrel in 257 Raptor from Gary Reeder this week. Thanks.

Alan

What length and twist are you getting? I'm often thought my Sako Vixen action deserved to become a 25 Copperhead (25/222). I look forward to hearing more about your project.

Thinking a 1 in 10 twist and a 22" barrel. It should be a very solid performer on deer out to 200 and on varmints a little further. I would think a 25 Copperhead on the Vixen action would be a real jewel...

Gary also has a 240 Raptor and a 6.5 Raptor to go with that 257 Raptor. All based on the improved 204 case. Its all good!

I guess this was inevitable. It should be pretty much the same as the old 6mm,.257, 6.5mm, and 7mm TCU cases which were improved .223 Rem cases. The little extra case capacity should get the Raptor series up close the the case capacity of the 6mm Rem BR. It used to be that the primer pockets were the limiting factor in load development of the TCU case.

One man I shoot with is about half nuts for the .25 BR and I would expect the .257 Raptor to be pretty much the same in terms of performance. I think it would be a nice combination for the Contender.

Cheers!

and that's better than a 257 roberts in what way?
from a single source of brass
from a single action
and less performance?

quote:

Originally posted by Rick B:
I guess this was inevitable. It should be pretty much the same as the old 6mm,.257, 6.5mm, and 7mm TCU cases which were improved .223 Rem cases. The little extra case capacity should get the Raptor series up close the the case capacity of the 6mm Rem BR. It used to be that the primer pockets were the limiting factor in load development of the TCU case.

One man I shoot with is about half nuts for the .25 BR and I would expect the .257 Raptor to be pretty much the same in terms of performance. I think it would be a nice combination for the Contender.

Cheers!

I don't think anyone was suggesting that it was better than a .257 Roberts, I certainly am not. It is just that it is a barrel for a Thompson/Center Contender and a .257 Roberts would most likely exceed the design bolt thrust limitation of the action. The bolt thrust on the (Gen 1) Contenders I have used is limited to that of a .223 Rem at about 52,000 PSI which translates out to about 40,000 to 42,000 PSI for any of the 30-30 Win based cartridges and even less for a .308 case head cartridge. I am not sure if the Gen 2 Contender is able to tolerate somewhat more pressure or not, but the list of factory chamberings would suggest that it may not.
Rifle Cartridges
Handgun Cartridges

That said, I am aware that many after market cartridges are loaded to pressure levels that probably exceed this bolt thrust limitation and result in stretched frames.


The Encore can handle higher pressure cartridges.

Yes, I agree about a cartridge based on a single source of brass. That is why I am a little nervous about my (bolt gun) 6.5x47 Lapua even though I doubt that Lapua will stop making brass for it any time soon.

Cheers!

Rick,
i guess that hit my "here's a grumpy reply" button ... I am constantly after my buddies who make up "wildcats" to ask themselves what does it do better.

surface area* pressure is bolt thrust, which is what you are looking for to compare these.

Asking what a wildcat does better is always a good question to start with. Very often, as you well know, the answer is that they do not do much, if anything, better. They are often simply an "itch to be scratched."

Regards