257 Roberts

[truck driver]

Loaded up some Sierra 90gr HPBT and went ground hog hunting today and managed to kill 2 but was very unhappy with the bullet performance. They didn't expand the way I thought they would and exited the ground hog. Killing shots ranged from 175 to 225 yds with complete pass threw the Load velocity was 3100fps and I thought the bullet should have been a little more explosive.
So what I'm asking is does anyone know of a bullet that will not exit a ground hog fired from the Roberts? I use to use Hornady 75gr HP but they are not available and they would open up a ground hog like a grenade had went off in them.

 

[gerry]

It would be cool to hunt those, I'm no expert on the 25 calibers but doesn't Speer make a TNT in that caliber? That's what came to my mind when I read your post.....

 

[SJB358]

I'd look at the 85 grain BT or something like a Speer HP, Hornady V-Max. Those sorta pills should dump everything they've got. Big bullet to stay inside a chuck but I bet they tear it into pieces.

I'd 150-225 yards the speeds have dropped of a bunch from that 90 GK. I'm not totally surprised they hold together well. Supposed to be a sorta tough bullet in the .257's.

 

[Oldtrader3]

I load the 85 gr BT with 44 grains of IMR 4064 in my .257 Roberts and get 3350 fps MV. This load is over max and not recommended for most .257 R rifles. Please use caution!

 

[nvbroncrider]

The 85BT is in the Varmint lineup.

 

[truck driver]

Thanks for the info guys. My go to bullet in this rifle was the Hornady 75gr HP but I haven't seen them around for awhile.

 

[wildgene]

...the 90gr. Sierra HPBT is a GameKing, it's designed NOT to blow up...

...explosive bullets include the 85gr. BT Varmint, the Hornady V-Max or Speer TNT, or the 90gr. Sierra BlitzKing (B.C. 0.393). They're all designed to be very frangible. The new(er) 70gr. BlitzKing might be just the ticket for the 'Bob' @ ranges under 300yds...

 

[HeathSexton]

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/181942 ... box-of-100

or the 70gr Blitzking if you could find some

 

[Guy Miner]

TD - that 90 gr hollow point is actually a pretty decent deer bullet. For decades Sierra has offered some good hollow points, more intended for larger game than for varmints.

I found out about it back in the 1970's, shooting their 85 gr HPBT from my 6mm. It didn't have anywhere near the explosive effect on varmints as I was accustomed to with the 80 gr soft points, or the 75 grain hollow points - but it worked pretty doggone well on deer. That's when I started learning more about their hollow point hunting bullets - which have actually worked pretty well from what limited experience I've got.

I don't typically do a lot of varmint shooting with my .25-06, but if I did, I'd likely go with the lightest, fastest, most fragile bullet I could find.

I've had a blast shooting rock chucks with 60 & 75 gr HP's from the 6mm, 110 & 130 gr HP's from my .308 Win. :mrgreen: Grandpa used to blow up varmints with his .257 Weatherby... Some sort of 100 gr open-point bullet. He just used the same bullet on everything; ground squirrels, coyotes, deer. The old Weatherby killed 'em all Right Now.

Guy

 

[truck driver]

I manged to pick up a box of Nosler 85gr BT Varmint bullets and a box of 75gr V-Max Hornady. I also picked up a pound of IMR 4895 to load them with but can't find any load data for the 75gr V-max.
I was wondering if someone could run me a QL for it.
75gr V-max
IMR 4895
26" barrel
don't have a HO2 cap. but will be running new Winchester +P brass.

 

[SJB358]

Those should be slick. I'd like to load up some of them for the 25-06. Never messed with light bullets in that rifle but it might be fun...

 

[cloverleaf]

If you can find some 75Gr Hornady V-Max that should do it. At 3000 fps out of my 250-3000 savage they are my most accurate round. Never drawn blood with them so cant speak to expansion but they should. 85 Gr CT's should do it to. CL

 

[Oldtrader3]

I really like the 85 gr Nosler BT, it is super accurate and will shoot 1/2 MOA in my rifle.

 

[truck driver]

I found some Hornady 75gr V-max and a box of 85gr NBT varmint bullets yesterday and loaded 10 of each wit what I thought at the time was the best powder for each but could be wrong and since my 257 seems to shoot everything I load in it very well I didn't bother to go to the range to check them out since a local farmer wants me to eradicate some ground hogs for him so I figured to let the ground hogs tell what they thought of my new offerings since they felt the 90gr Sierra's were to tough to expand properly and ran after being hit properly threw the shoulders.
I loaded up 10 of each 75gr and 85 grain to see what they thought. The 75gr loads were stated to achieve 3555fps according to QL and the 85gr was 3489fps.
Well I went 2 for 3 on the ground hogs today and both were dispatched with the 75gr V-max and both were hit in the front shoulder at an estimated 150yds. a chip shot for the Bob. #1 ground hog made it back to the hole leaving blood and body parts everywhere. #2 was hit squarely in the same area but only managed to go about 25yds before I found it still very much alive and meaner than all get out and required a finishing shot. After inspecting my prize I didn't find and exit hole but the hog sure wasn't dead as it still wanted to fight and a shot to the head finished it.
Oh and bloody pictures would have been too gruesome to post, blood and guts and very mangled bodies.
I'm not use to having ground hogs run off or not expire when shot by the Bob so I'm not all that happy with the performance of the V-max.
The one that got away was ranged at 350yds and was standing till I broke the shot and it had started to sit back down to munch on some beans and I shot over top of it so I can't say how the 85gr NBT would have performed.
These ground hogs are averaging around 25-30lbs and have been around for awhile, by that I mean they are old and tough but still the loads ought to kill them cleanly, the old Hornady 75gr HP always opened them up like a can opener and left them dead in their tracks.
I would like to know if I need to go to plus P loads with these bullets to get clean kills and no pass threw.

 

[ScreaminEagle]

Push a Nosler 85gr BT with a near max load of IMR4350 and it with explode!

 

[SJB358]

I can't see them moving anywhere with a load like that. Shoot, I'd hunt deer with those loads and not expect them to move after a decent rib shot. I'd love to see you like up a couple of water jugs at 100 yards and shoot them into it. I am betting not much would get past the first one, if any.

My only thoughts are your loads are running slow, but even at 3000, they should still be hammering them hogs. My old 22-250 with a 52 grain Speer would tear them in half.. I gotta think the 257 has more of the same thing going on..

 

[truck driver]

I don't think they are running slow. the load is 52grs of WW760 according to Hodgdon it's doing 3555fps at 45k psi.
Just checked my Hornady #2 manual to see what my old load was and it was 49grs of 4350 for 3300fps. and that load would open them up like a hand grenade went off in them. Just checked the IMP loads for the 257 in the old #2 and the load I'm using with 760 is 1 grain below max for the Ackely IMP version. Just checked my brass for pressure and the primers are nice and round with no marks or pressure signs . I could go heavier with the powder charge if I wanted to.
I'm beginning to think these are some real old tough hogs and these new bullets have a thicker jacket than the old ones so you can run them in magnum chambers like the 257Bee with out them blowing up on contact which the old ones did.

 

[Oldtrader3]

That should do it? I can't understand why they are still alive? Shoot them in the chest and they won't be. When they used to "draw" people's guts out in the middle ages, the victim's lived for a fairly long time!

 

[truck driver]

Wish I could get some chest shots Charlie maybe go for head shots.

 

[BretN]

Those Sierra hpbt gamekings shoot like match bullets in my new to me 06. I can't wait to use them this fall on deer.

Any time I have a question about a Sierra bullet or load I'm working on, I call or email their bullet tech guys. I've been amazed at how quick and helpful their tech guys have been.