Thread: Good speed for 257R?

I'm into the process of developing a load for my new 257 Roberts Kimber Hunter.

At mag length (limited) the 110 grain ELDX shot like shit 2-3" groups with R19, R26, R17. So given up on them in the mean time.

117 Ballistic Tips and R26 have promise at .75". In fact if the speed was up I would stop right now. Was hoping for 2900 but have flat primers at 2850 fps.

What can be reasonably expected from 117 grn? The manuals indicate I'm on max now with a 22" barrel. Apart from flat primers bolt lift and the brass is fine.

I wonder if R26 would be better with mag primers?
I'm using Federal LR primers but have CCI LR too. Are CCI harder or softer than Federal?

I have still got 117 SST, 100 Barnes and 100 Hornady to fiddle with. Will definitely try the SST.

Cheers

Gidday Tahr.

My notes from 2013 for a 257R I built on a VZ33 action with a 22" barrel (I think) show I used H4831(the old stuff) exclusively.

Velocities were 2787 fps for 110gn Horn interlocks, 2772 with 100 gn. Bear in mind I would have been looking for best accuracy rather than velocity, it was hard to chase both in those days as I had to borrow a Chrony! (Bugger me I still do!)

Info on the Hornady app said imr4831, h4350 (2209), superformance and rl19 will see 2900 with a 117 sst. I have found there book max to be on the light side of pressure

Yep CCI harder than Federal. I run a Federal mag primer with R26 (260Imp), based on advise from a member who burnt a lot of 26 with various calibres under trial. I used to run 2213 in my 257 Ackley, but that was well before the days of better powder availability.

Hanging around home so reviving this thread. Finally got the Kimber Hunter sorted. Shooting nice .5" 3 shot groups at full mag length of 2.810" with 115 grn Nosler BT. Jaco Goosen (a wonderful gunsmith) slightly increased the OAL of the mag for me so that they would feed ok. Load is 47.9 grns of R26 with CCI primers. Velocity 2938 fps (22" barrel). Its a neat little caliber and rifle. .243-ish but seems a bit gruntier 'cos of the heavier bullet.

Have shot a couple of deer with it. Both pass throughs. This big hind was at about 80 yds in the trees. Ran 20 yards and piled up. Very happy. (October deer, so no fawn on her)

Nice, pretty cool and different cartridge, which I like, I'm sure it'll kill deer just the same as a 120 NBT fired from your 708 or a 6.5 CM /260 etc

Happy New Year

Originally Posted by GWH

Nice, pretty cool and different cartridge, which I like, I'm sure it'll kill deer just the same as a 120 NBT fired from your 708 or a 6.5 CM /260 etc

Happy New Year

Thats what I thought. Ive sold the 7-08. Others need to go too.
Have a good 2023.

it will be interesting to see what the 100grn NBTS do in it...will really make it 243ish ,should kill well.

Originally Posted by Micky Duck

it will be interesting to see what the 100grn NBTS do in it...will really make it 243ish ,should kill well.

Yes, thanks for those.
100 grn Barnes were very accurate but haven't persisted to the point of putting them over the Chrony yet.

I used the 115gr NBT for a few years, but for the past eight have used the 115 Berger VLD in my .257. Both have shot very well in a couple of barrels now and have worked out well for me on small to medium sized reds. I haven't shot any large stags, though that is not to say either bullet isn't capable. I can believe the pass-throughs with the Ballistic Tips as I shot two on one occasion with the bullet collecting the yearling behind from a neck shot. This despite the expectation that this family of bullets would be pretty frangible, so perhaps behaving more like the 120gr in 7mm, though I haven't sectioned one to check on the jacket thickness; this is just an observation.
The chamber is an improved. I have no desire to experiment any more with this rifle and only use 2213sc. The load Bruce is 54.3gr for 2940 ft/sec from a 19" barrel. That is in the sized down 8x57 cases I wrote about a few months back that have a smaller internal capacity than the original Winchester +P cases I used to have. CoL is 77mm. The predicted peak pressure, also checked with a pressure trace, is 61500 PSI. The primers are standard Federal LR premium. Magnum didn't offer any benefits for me with 2213sc. QuickLOAD predicts you could equal your 2940 ft/sec with 48.1gr of 2213sc from a 22" barrel in the standard chamber while keeping the pressure at 60.0 kPSI peak if the CoL is 77mm, and this seems a reasonable output from QL. I'm fortunate in the rifle action being of medium length. With a reduced CoL for a short action magazine then the powder would need to be backed off, though the expectation would remain 2940ft/sec while keeping the peak pressure not much above 60kPSI. I guess you'd then drop back from there looking for good groups. Worth keeping as a back-up load in case the Re-26 runs low perhaps? 2213sc seemed to give up surprisingly little to several double-based powders I tried in my .257.

Originally Posted by Puffin

I used the 115gr NBT for a few years, but for the past eight have used the 115 Berger VLD in my .257. Both have shot very well in a couple of barrels now and have worked out well for me on small to medium sized reds. I haven't shot any large stags, though that is not to say either bullet isn't capable. I can believe the pass-throughs with the Ballistic Tips as I shot two on one occasion with the bullet collecting the yearling behind from a neck shot. This despite the expectation that this family of bullets would be pretty frangible, so perhaps behaving more like the 120gr in 7mm, though I haven't sectioned one to check on the jacket thickness; this is just an observation.
The chamber is an improved. I have no desire to experiment any more with this rifle and only use 2213sc. The load Bruce is 54.3gr for 2940 ft/sec from a 19" barrel. That is in the sized down 8x57 cases I wrote about a few months back that have a smaller internal capacity than the original Winchester +P cases I used to have. CoL is 77mm. The predicted peak pressure, also checked with a pressure trace, is 61500 PSI. The primers are standard Federal LR premium. Magnum didn't offer any benefits for me with 2213sc. QuickLOAD predicts you could equal your 2940 ft/sec with 48.1gr of 2213sc from a 22" barrel in the standard chamber while keeping the pressure at 60.0 kPSI peak if the CoL is 77mm, and this seems a reasonable output from QL. I'm fortunate in the rifle action being of medium length. With a reduced CoL for a short action magazine then the powder would need to be backed off, though the expectation would remain 2940ft/sec while keeping the peak pressure not much above 60kPSI. I guess you'd then drop back from there looking for good groups. Worth keeping as a back-up load in case the Re-26 runs low perhaps? 2213sc seemed to give up surprisingly little to several double-based powders I tried in my .257.

Great information thanks Mr Puffin. I only have 3 pots of R26 and use it in a couple of other rifles so expect that one day I will need to look at alternatives - or slim my rifle "collection" down. Likely the latter 'cos Im I'm very pleased with the.257 and could quite happily become a "few" gun man rather than a "many" one.

Originally Posted by Tahr

Great information thanks Mr Puffin. I only have 3 pots of R26 and use it in a couple of other rifles so expect that one day I will need to look at alternatives - or slim my rifle "collection" down. Likely the latter 'cos Im I'm very pleased with the.257 and could quite happily become a "few" gun man rather than a "many" one.

Where's the fun in that it's nice to have a good selection to choose from. I had a 257 years back shot a few deer with it , nice effective caliber with a bit more omph than the 243.

The 115gr Nosler BTs work well. Shot my best ever stag at 304 yards with them leaving the barrel at 3130fps & 53gr 2213sc in my 23" 257Ack Imp.
Slightly quartered on, front of shoulder & finished under skin other side. Found when caping out.
You've got good speed Bruce for a standard 257R



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First for the year. 257R and 115 Nosler. 180 yards.

Is that the exit wound.
I used alot of the 115 BT in my 25-08 and 110 AB as well.

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