I Picked up the barreld action on Saturday.
Its a FN-supream. that was sold my Montgomery wards under the name Hawthorn 760.
I orderd a Douglas 24 inch lightweight sporter tube.
My smith installed the barrel and crowned it at 25 inches using the logic that he can cut and crown a 24 when I have it blued if I don't like the 25 inch tube.
I put it back into the factory stock, witch has a crack in the tang , till I get the richards micro fit I am working on ready.
I loaded some 117 grain Hornady RNs on top of 35 grains of w-760, in fresh Winchester brass.
My hope is to get sub MOA with 115, 117 and 120 grain bullets at 3000 or very close to it.
I have 2 standard Roberts rifles witch I love already, and a 25,06 too.
but my 25,06 is rather heavy, and I reason that the Improved Roberts should work a little better with a lightweight barrel, in regards to heat , and stands a good chance of being more acurate.
Its gonna be a fun project , and i have hight hopes that when i am finished with it, I will have a fine rifle for anything from coyotes to caribu and all stops in between.
What scope would you put on this rifle ?
...tj3006

TJ I am in the throws of scoping my latest .257 Roberts project too. Mine was built with a Pac Nor ultra light contour that turned out at 23", everything about my rifle is slim and delicate and I'm having a hard time choosing which scope. For mine I keep going back and forth between a 3-9 Leupold compact or a standard size 2-7 Leupold VXII.
For yours a 2-7 would be a sharp choice but then again with a 25" tube on it maybe a 3-9x40 would be the ticket. Sorry I'm stuck in the leupold groove but I keep trying other scopes and then just go back to the Leupold every time (must be my Oregon roots). hell maybe the right compromise would be the 2.5-8?
I'd like to see some target pictures when you get it together.

I like the Nikon Buckmasters 6-18x40 Side Focus.

TJ,

What are you planning on hunting with it? What distances will you be shooting it?
I have one 257 set up as a Coyote calling rifle, so I have a straight 4x scope on it. Shots are close.

Don

Thomas, My Hart barreled .257 AI breaks the magic 3000 with all the aforementioned bullets, and it's 25" also! This is best accomplished with slow powders. I use IMR 4831 and IMR 7828 and Federal 210 or 215 primers in Winchester brass mainly. I load as long as I can to function through my Sako action, that's about 2.820 COL. I thinlk I suggested elsewhere to consider the Accubond, but the above bullets and the Sierra 117 will shoot to your satisfaction. Good luck and good shooting.

I really like leupold scopes ,
I have quite a few. Both the 2X7and the 2.5X8. I think they are real nice.
I am not a guy who likes to put varmint type scopes on big game rifles.
But I am thinking of somthing like 3X10 Burris signiture select , or mabye a ziess conquest 3X9. But there are lots of good scopes out there and if i can get a bargin on a Nikkon or a bushnell elite or a Weaver grand slam I might jump.
I will probably avoid the adjustable objective lenses...tj3006

Nice to hear from a few other 257AI fans. I had Harold Broughton build me one 11 years ago. It has busted everything from PD's to big Oklahoma whitetails and hogs. Bullet of choice, Nosler Partion 100gr pushed by 50gr IMR 4350. It will shoot under 1/2" and is plenty fast pushing 3400. Mine is topped with a Burris 4-16 Signature. Great pronghorn rig too and it has seen its' share of yotes.

I just built a .257AI with a 26 inch ER Shaw barrel. This is a low budget build and so far I am happy. Right now it has a Bushnell Banner 6-18 on it but eventually I would like to put a Nikon Buckmaster scope on it. So far 100 grain bullets are shooting a tad better than 117 grainers but I have just started to work up loads. I started with Reloader 22 with the 117 but am going to try IMR 4350 next. getting over 3000fps with the reloader 22 was no problem.

My most-used deer rifle for the last 15 or so years has been a 257AI, with a 23" Shilen barrel. It never liked Partitions, so I have used mostly 120gr Speer Hot Cores. It's been pretty easy to get to 3050fps or so. And it's been a death ray on deer as far as I care to poke at 'em.

The 120gr Sierra HPBT has been very accurate in my rifle, also...and it performs very well on game. The 117gr Sierra GameKing has taken lots of small deer, but when I am after the big guys, I prefer something a little stouter.

Last year I tried the 120gr Hornday HP. It is very accurate and worked well on a few small deer. No reason to believe it won't be a very good performer.

I predict that you will be very happy with your 257AI.

I have one built on an FN action ( JC Higgins Mod 50 ), #2 Lilja SS barrel, Brown Precision stock, scoped with a Burris FF II 3X9. It likes Speer 100 gr, with H-4350. It was built by Ray Montgomery in Grand Junction, Colo. Its pretty neat, when at the range you let someone shoot it, the look on there face when they put 3 shots almost in the same hole with a strange gun. Good round. Al

i have a Ruger that was originally chambered for 257Roberts that I had rechambered for 257AI. It is my "go to" whitetail rifle. Mine really likes the Speer 120gr Hotcores. It doesn't like the lighter bullets as well (still not bad accuracy). However, I have a friend with the exact same setup that only likes lighter bullets. each rifle, of course, makes its own rules. My favorite load is 120 Gr Hotcore over 45.7grs IMR4350. I have interchanged primers without any noticable difference. I have fire formed both Winchester and Remington brass also with out noticing any differences. The 257AI is an awesome performer, you'll really like it.

quote:

brytstar

I have been very impressed by the 120gr Hot Core. Sounds like you have had similar experience?

Ok,
I'am convinced , ill buy some 120 grain hot cores. Ever try the 100 grain speer hollow point ?
Is It a big game varmint or target bullet ?
...tj3006

I just got a Bob AI in an XP!
So far all I've done is fire forming loads with 75gr HP. I should've just killed stuff with those. My fire forming loads were very accurate. I could easily keep 5 shots in a snuff can size group at 200yds. We shot about 100rounds that day and the last group was as good as the first, and I wasn't the only one shooting the gun.
I can't wait to get back and really see what it can do. I'm beginning to really like the 25...I've always been a 6mm and 7mm fan.

I just bought some Speer 120 grain bullets as well as combined Technology 115 grain ballistic silver tips and Nosler 100 grain BT's to try.

I was gunna get some of the speer bullets,
But I got a new chevy PU instead. !
Yea . 25s are really good as is any round based on the .57 mauser case.
I have 2 Standard Roberts rifles. An ultra light ruger and a custom springfield. The AI and a custom 25,06. I would take anyof them after any thing smaller than an Elk, with as much confidence as any magnum, out to 300 yards, and would take them after Elk with reasonable confidence if it was all i had...tj3006

PJ Hart hunts the Ranch south of us and we visit each season. I had an 06 M70, circa 1959-60 that I never used. He installed a same taper 24" tube in .257 AI. I "finished" the stainless barrel with some matte black Krylon.

My fireform load in WW cases is 35.0 of IMR4895 over a 100 gr Sierra. Never chrono'd it but it's capable of about 1" at 100 yds.

I had several boxes of older 115 gr NP's so settled on those for deer and antelope. Over 51.0 of RL-19 and a WLR primer I'm right at 2980 fps. Two hundred yd groups (4 shots) averaged 1 1/4" with a 2.5-8X scope and my worsening eyesight.

Same load but with a new Nosler 115 ballistic tip shot at 1" at 200 yds and was used to take a nice whitetail buck at 310 yds in 2005.

I don't have many 1/2 moa hunting rifles. So needless to say The .257 AI comes across as MAGICAL in my eyes. I'm sure everything just came together when they fitted that barrel and chambered it. And I probably was just LUCKY when I chose my particular handload. But still....the .257 AI just seems to be something special.

BTW..... A nice article on the .257 Roberts AI by John Barsness in Handloader #199.

FN in MT

We got a 257RAI reamer and 4 Loather Walther light varmint barrels in 2001.

Shooting 5 shot groups @ 100meters:
Mine averages in the .8's with 72 and 75 gr
Mine averages in the 1.0's with 87 gr and 100gr
Mine averages in the 1.2's with 115 and 117 gr

Another guy's won't shoot 75 grs, but shoots 100 gr sub moa.

I use ~H322 and he uses a much slower IMR4350.

In case my groups look bad, I should add that with 72 gr bullets, my brother averages .5" with my rifle. Dammed rifle will let anybody shoot it

I'll be trying these loads in my AI on sunday. All loads are with freshly formed Winchester brass , federal 210 primers. And IMR-4350.
46 grs under a 117 grain sierra
45 grs under a 120 grain hornady HP interlock.
46 grains under the 115 grain balistic tip.
46.5 grains undr the Nosler 110 grain acubond.
And 47.5 grains under the 100 grain Hornady flat base.
Certainly I will learn weather my rifle likes IMR-4350.
And just get a bit of a feel for the type of accuracy I might hope for from my rifle.
It curently has a nikkon buckmaster 4.5X14 side focas scope on her,
But I will probably go with somthing better at another time...tj3006

Thomas I am curious if any definitive results were achieved???

Hope you liked the 110 AB... It really slams the deer.

My .257 AI has been my favorite for deer, antelope, and sheep for the past 30 or so years. It's topped with a 6x leupold.