257 Roberts Brass
I shoot the 257 Roberts and reload for it. I acquired quite a bit of Frontier brass that is listed as "+P" brass. When I compared it with my other cases, as far as case wall thickness,web thickness and grams of water capacity, there was very little difference. I compared the frontier brass against Remington & Winchester that is listed as "regular" brass. For all practical purposes, I think there is no difference in the actual brass dimensionally and the +P brass. I'm guess that Factory loaded +P marked ammo should only be used in "modern" firearms. For us reloaders, there really isn't any point in paying extra for +P brass.
I would be interested if anyone has noticed the same or has noticed a marked difference dimensionally between the two.
I would be interested if anyone has noticed the same or has noticed a marked difference dimensionally between the two.
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.257 Roberts +P is 50,000 CUP, same as .30-06. No special tricks required to accommodate it, just keeping track at the factory level.
The real reason for loading original .257 Roberts to only 45,000 CUP is lost in the mists of time but I doubt it was the usual Spanish Mauser excuse. Probably because in 1934 and for a long time thereafter, light loads were more accurate than full charges and they were selling the Roberts as a varmint rifle.0 -
I hunt with a 257R and reload for it in two different rifles: 1) Mannlicher Schoenauer 1950 rifle and 2) custom stainless Ruger 77II. I always used new Remington brass because I could find it online. H4831 was accurate in the MS and IMR4350 in the Ruger using Nosler 115 grain Ballistic Tips. The thing that always got me was when I picked up a buddy's box of factory loaded spitzers and they were seated so unbelievably deep they looked like a different cartridge. Heard that was due to the Remington 722 (short action) chambered in 257R. Anyway, I had no problems with IMR4350 +P loads in the Ruger 77II; and in the MS it was accurate with a moderate H4831 load and Nosler 115 BT so I just left it at that. 0 -
In the past, loading for many, many years the .257 Roberts, the brass was about 170 gr. When the +P came out it was 185 gr.
I have found that Hornady (which is what frontier is) is typically lighter than Fed and Win +P (185) and a little heavier than the non-+P (170).
I've brought it up to full charges though and thought it to be pretty good brass. Not on level with Lapua, but we don't all want a 6.5x55.[;)][:D][}:)]0 -
"I hunt with a 257R and reload for it in two different rifles: 1) Mannlicher Schoenauer 1950 rifle and 2) custom stainless Ruger 77II. I always used new Remington brass because I could find it online. H4831 was accurate in the MS and IMR4350 in the Ruger using Nosler 115 grain Ballistic Tips. The thing that always got me was when I picked up a buddy's box of factory loaded spitzers and they were seated so unbelievably deep they looked like a different cartridge. Heard that was due to the Remington 722 (short action) chambered in 257R."
I currently have 1 257 Remington 722 and have owned 3 others. They all have had VERY short magazines necessitating deep seating of the bullets. My wife and I had matching Ruger "Liberty Model" 77's made in 1976 chambered in 257 and they had extremely long magazines and throats. Some of my loads at the time were comparable to the 25-06, as the bullets could be loaded WAY out. Unfortunately, over the years the 257 Roberts has been subjected to numerous changes in mag and throat length, pressure of factory loadings, and other factors that have all impacted the acceptance of this fine cartridge by the general shooting population. It's a favorite of a small and, I feel, knowledgeable group but not the general population of hunters. JMHO.
Too bad, as it's extremely versatile for deer size game.
yooper0 -
The brass that I use for 2 257 Roberts (a 1935 30S & a 1938 70) and one 257 Ackley Improved (FN Donnelly) are of three types: 257, 257 +P and 7x57 necked to 257. Only one or two boxes are +P so I don't have a statistically significant sample. Nearly all of the cases are WW Super. I don't recall the case weights or water capacities, I can load the same data (different for the Ackley of course) for the various headstamps. I load less than the maximum listed loads, so any differences in performance are minimized. But I see no difference between performance (case head expansion, case life,etc) between the WW Super 257 Roberts cases and the WW Super 7x57 cases that I bought in bulk and necked to 257. 0 -
I do want to thank everyone for the replies. I hadn't thought about the chemical makeup of the brass.. I was thinking more in the structural sense.
I currently own three Bobs and shoot everything here with them in the northeast. It is an underutilized cartridge that was phased out commercially. The 257 makes a wonderful long range coyote rifle when loaded with 70 gr V max. My favorite carry is my 257 Bob in a 98 Mauser FN reworked by a local gunsmith. I bought it at an auction that didn't list it's caliber ($300). No one wanted to take the chance. This Mauser is a long action and I can load up to 120 gr without any throat issues. Currently I'm shooting 110 gr Interbonds loaded with H4350 at the moment and the deer drop regularly with one shot. The other 257's I have are an Encore with a 26" MGM barrel and a just purchased Ruger 77 that has less than 100 shots through it. The Encore is used by my son & wife. Both can shoot it with efficiency. The Ruger 77 was purchased from a gent who did not reload. He said the rifle had poor manners [:)] After torquing the action correctly,the rifle is capable of shooting an inch+ with factory rounds.. I'm sure with some research and reloading I can shrink those groups. In my travels through the northeast, I check gunshops for shells, reloading components and rifles in the 257 Roberts caliber. Surprising what is out there. In Maine last summer I visited a gun shop with 4 Bobs on the used gun rack. In Massachusetts earlier this year I came across a mountain of Winchester brass at an estate sale.
Again, thanks for the replies.0
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