School me on 257 weatherby coal?

I just picked one up and starting to load for it. 110 accubonds is what I would like to shoot. So far I have tried starting loads with h4831sc and h1000, both group the same around 1.5in. I can live with that but of course would like it to be a little better. I started with the nosler 3.209 test length data for everything I've tried so far. Gun in question a 700 cdl ssf. Federal 215m primers

My question is this....I'm seeing coal all over the place after researching 257 110 AccuBond data, from 3.150 to 3.3 and some longer. I know the initial recommended length was 3.170. I guess having my first "freebore" gun is throwing me for a loop or maybe I am overthinking it. I either see folks say seat deep due to freebore or other folks say seat as long the magazine will allow and feed the rounds. Yes I know I can go longer or shorter and keep shooting til I figure it out, just curious what others are doing with these 110 accubonds as far as coal?

thanks for any help

matt

Welcome to the forum. I always start my col at a length the just fits and feeds from the mag box, including Weatherbys.

Yes what OUB12 said. You can do a ladder test by seating the bullets deeper and maybe find better accuracy. A fellow I know once got a Weatherby rifle in 257 WB and he could not get it to shoot better than 1" at 100 so he wrights Weatherby complaining. They reply with a post card that simply says. "Weatherby makes a hunting rifle not a target rifle." The 257 WB is a great deer size game rifle but it is hard to get target rifle accuracy out of them because of the loooooooooooooooog free bore.

Fotis seems to have figured out how to get a Weatherby rifle & cartridge to shoot really well.

Perhaps he'll chime in here with some info.

I load the .257 Wby time to time for an old rifle we've got, but... it's not even close to target grade. Just an old Mauser that Weatherby converted to .257 Wby long before the Mark V was introduced.

Guy

I’d start at magazine length and keep pushing them back in .025” increments. I’d bet as you’ll see something jump out at you.

awesome, thanks guys,

My Vanguard shot them really well with RL22 at 3.21 although the other fellas suggestions would be the way I would go. :grin:

They need jump. Try .080 or more. My 257w using Barnes has over 1/4" jump and put 5+ into one hole when I do my job. Those bullets and Swift Scirocco bullets need jump. I loaded some close to the rifling and they looked like a shotgun. Shortened them up and they shot touching each other. This has happened in more than one rifle or cartridge.

Well got out today, I had 3 of my initial hc4831sc loads left that were at 3.209 (shot 1.5in groups) and seated them to 3.170 to see what would happened. Shot this just by seating them deeper. So atleast I know the used rifle I bought can shoot sub moa so I can breath now. I also tried some 100 ttsx a buddy gave me at 3.170 and my first group measured 1.1in. Barnes booked used that length for testing so I figured I'd start there before seating longer. Anyway, good range day. Thanks, for the comments and help.

Good to see your load coming together. Fine group, by the way.

It has been a while since I took a look at a Barnes loading manual but if my memory serves me they used to call for not seating their bullets any closer to the lands than 50 thousands inch. I have never shot Barnes bullets but a buddy did and he found they like to jump a mile to shoot good.

The guy who gave me the barnes said to load as long as the magazine allow. Since I've never loaded them before, I just went with barnes manuals oal for starters.

I thought you really werent or didn't have to chase the lands on a freebore gun, that it reduces the reason for the freebore in a weatherby caliber. I don't know if its true or not, but ran across someone that said the freebore in the 700s was shorter than the freebore in the weatherby rifles.

The AB group I posted and my ttsx groups poi are within an inch of each other, I'm gonna load a few rounds of each to test out their performance this year. I don't have any field data yet but from what I read, these bullets will stand up to those fast speeds on closer shots. My shots may be 30yds, it maybe 300. I didn't set out to find a 257 wby, but ran across one and it peaked my interest. It's deer season now, I doubt I'll hit the range again this season unless I bump or drop my gun.

I picked up a used model 7 in 7mm08 and have some decent loads worked up with the 120 bt. That will probably be my main gun this year.

I have 270Wby and freebore for the 257Wby is the same .378".

This is from Wby site
What is the throat length (free bore) on your Weatherby rifles chambered for Weatherby magnum calibers?
Cartridge Throat length (free bore)
224 Weatherby Magnum .162
240 Weatherby Magnum .169
257 Weatherby Magnum .378
6.5-300 Weatherby Magnum .2037
270 Weatherby Magnum .378
7MM Weatherby Magnum .378
300 Weatherby Magnum .361
340 Weatherby Magnum .373
375 Weatherby Magnum .373
378 Weatherby Magnum .756
416 Weatherby Magnum .239
460 Weatherby Magnum .756
30-378 Weatherby Magnum .361
338-378 Weatherby Magnum .361

I'm shooting one of the remington 700 cdl stainless fluted...not a weatherby rifle. I read someone that the remington have less freebore...anyone heard this?

Remington rifles can kind of be all over the board on free bore. If I were you I would check it by using the slip fit bullet / case method.... do you know how to do that with a Fired case where you manipulate the mouth so that you can slide a bullet in but yet it has enough friction to hold it in one spot?