Want to do some woodchuck hunting with my new Cooper 257 Roberts and this looks like the bullet to try. Anyone have any experience with this or any varmint loads for the roberts?

I've owned three of the Roberts and can assure you that the 75 V-Max works just great in it for varmints.

Stick about 50 grains of H-414 in it to push them about 3,600'/sec and watch things blow to smitherenes. It almost vaporizes P-Dogs!!!! With woodchucks you'll coin a new term...chuckchunks. I can see the new handle posting now!!!!

Nosler makes a 85gr ballistic tip that should work well on vermin. I have used the 100gr BT on deer and hogs with excellent results. I actually switched to a tougher bullet because the meat damage was so exstensive! Nosler told me that the 85gr bullet is even MORE explosive and really designed as a varmint round.

Vapodog,
Would the Vmax penetrate enough to kill a whitetail buck if you shot him in the neck. Coinsider the buck in rut with a muscle swollen neck.

Perry

quote:

Vapodog,
Would the Vmax penetrate enough to kill a whitetail buck if you shot him in the neck. Coinsider the buck in rut with a muscle swollen neck.

I've never used the V-Max on deer of any size or kind. I wouldn't even hazard a guess if the neck shot would be fatal. Far rather use a hunting grade bullet for that shot.

I have shot some whitetail does through the lungs with the 95 grain .264" VMax. As far as I could tell, that particular bullet acted like a BT, giving about 8" of penetration and a full energy dump. If you can pick your shots, I wouldn't expect a 75 grain VMax to perform any different than a 95 grain VMax, but I would feel more comfortable with a deeper penetrating bullet in the event I was offered a suboptimal shot angle on a wall-hanger. I prefer to use Partitions for game in my smaller bore rifles.

Jeff

I've used the 75gr HP( not Vmax I know but) in my Roberts a lot, mostly on coyotes, and would not try a deer with it unless starving. I would feel more comfortable with trying to hit the brain or split ribs and getting it into the soft stuff than the neck. The neck is meat and bone with two tubes to aim at. Miss those tubes and your probably not going to be very happy about things. Nate

I am a big fan of the 75 gr Vmax in the 257 for accuracy. Always my best at the range.

Somewhere between 47 and 49 gr of IMR4895 will make about 3,725 fps, and the limit of long brass life will be found.

My only intended victim is PDs.

tnekkcc, You'll love these for varmint! In fact my .22-250 found itself at home a lot more often! The heavier bullets were better when the wind kicks up. I've taken some Rockchucks at amazing distances (for me anyway) with 100gr Nosler BT's. I found IMR 4064 best in the 75's and several other close performers. Nate

tnekkcc, im new to loading for the Roberts , my book shows about 41 grs as max. I know the roberts loads were traditionally on the low pressure side though

I also lean to 4895 with the Vmax. That combination turned my OK shooting old round top Ruger into a one hole gun. Unlike a lot of our contributors, most of my guns don't shoot one hole groups, in fact none of them do, at least while I'm pulling the trigger. But the Vmax has allowed some phenomenal shots on groundhogs. With them you get the pink smoke and the little flag. My gun likes the max load, with loaded length having only a few thousandths off the lands. Good luck!

Blackfly, what's your max load?

I have no experience with the 75 or 85 grain vmax bullets. I have a 25 WSSM and have just loaded some 85 grain Nosler ballistic tips and will take them to the range on Monday.

I can tell you that my 25 WSSM loves the 100 gr. bullet. I used the gun last year and took a nice deer at 183 yds. across an open field. That was the longest shot I have ever taken in Virginia. I was very happy with that bullet.

I am now looking for the 85 to fit nicely into the varmit category for me. I will be trying to do some cayote hunting in the near future. We are getting a larger population of these critters here in Virginia lately. I am trying to get all the info I can, but most of the stuff is from guys out west.

Oh well I will give it a go.

48 grains of IMR 4064 with the 75 grain Hornady HP in MY Ackley Improved .257 was a hot load, but it sure did kill the woodchucks. Velocity was low 38's.