looking to build a 257 weatherby

[RT2506]

Yes a 257 Weatherby will feed through your 300 Win mag box fine. I have found that those that poo poo a certain caliber usually have no experience with them. For loooooooog range varmint and deer size combo rifle the 257 Weatherby is a good one. I have shot .257 cal rifles for years and they just plain kill game waaaaaaaay beyond the ability that many people think. Probably the best loooooooooog range bullet that will work for deer size game is the 115 Berger VLD. There are a host of lighter varmint bullets.

 

[BEEMAN]

I love it when people doubt the .25-06 AI..... I'm running 3,400 fps with 110 Accubondd and 3,300 with Berger 115's. Which is exactly what my .257 Wby runs them at with 10-15 more grains of powder. Oh, and both of mine have 26" 1:10 twist barrels. Both are factoy barrels. The .25-06 AI is a worked custom Sendero SF, and the .257 Wby is a Weatherby Accumark.

I'd love to hear your personal experiences of both calibers side by side to elaborate on your theory of how "no 25-06 is gonna run that speed"...

I totally believe you MudRunner. My 25-06AI with a 25.5" Krieger shoots the 115 Berger at 3350 fps. For the cost of the brass,extra powder and more muzzle blast I don't think I would go with the 257 Weatherby. The 25-06AI is just so nice to shoot.

 

[esshup]

Yes a 257 Weatherby will feed through your 300 Win mag box fine. I have found that those that poo poo a certain caliber usually have no experience with them. For loooooooog range varmint and deer size combo rifle the 257 Weatherby is a good one. I have shot .257 cal rifles for years and they just plain kill game waaaaaaaay beyond the ability that many people think. Probably the best loooooooooog range bullet that will work for deer size game is the 115 Berger VLD. There are a host of lighter varmint bullets.

I agree, I have 2 of them (.257 Wby). I still have a supply of 125 and 130 grain bullets from Wildcat Bullets, but a buddy uses the 115 Berger in his and he can shoot some amazing groups with his using RL25 powder and just neck sizing them.

I killed an antelope at close to 700 yds wth mine.

 

[snox801]

I love it when people doubt the .25-06 AI..... I'm running 3,400 fps with 110 Accubondd and 3,300 with Berger 115's. Which is exactly what my .257 Wby runs them at with 10-15 more grains of powder. Oh, and both of mine have 26" 1:10 twist barrels. Both are factoy barrels. The .25-06 AI is a worked custom Sendero SF, and the .257 Wby is a Weatherby Accumark.

I'd love to hear your personal experiences of both calibers side by side to elaborate on your theory of how "no 25-06 is gonna run that speed"...

I have no person experience with the ai. But my point is will the AI benefit as much from a longer barrel. That is why I went with a Roy. If I was gonna do a shorter 24 or 26 inch barrel things may have been different. I was going by the recommendation of my smith with the 28 inch. And to be truthful didn't know a whole lot about the AI.
On that topic do you think the AI would match the speeds with the longer barrel? Say 28. Cause I know it will and is probably the more economical choice for shorter tubes.

 

[MudRunner2005]

I have no person experience with the ai. But my point is will the AI benefit as much from a longer barrel. That is why I went with a Roy. If I was gonna do a shorter 24 or 26 inch barrel things may have been different. I was going by the recommendation of my smith with the 28 inch. And to be truthful didn't know a whole lot about the AI.
On that topic do you think the AI would match the speeds with the longer barrel? Say 28. Cause I know it will and is probably the more economical choice for shorter tubes.

My appologies for being a bit brash and harsh yesterday. I was having a very bad day, and I believe I took it out on you. I do appologise for that. I'm man enough to admit when I was wrong.

Yes, I believe both benefit from the longer tube. Because just like any caliber, when you Ackley Improve it, it increases case capacity, which means more powder to burn. So the longer the bullet stays in the tube, the more powder it's burning, which means more pressure, which = more velocity. So, honestly, yes, I think they both would continue to be similar in velocity, with the .257 Maybe 50 fps faster, just because of slightly more powder, incase you experience a full-burn with the .25-06 AI, before the projectile leaves the muzzle. However, it's hard to guess without running the numbers on QL, and I don't have the software. But I believe if you were to run both calibers through QL, they would come out pretty **** close wtih a 28" barrel, and that both would experience a full (.25-06 AI) and a nearly full (.257 Wby) burn.

 

[snox801]

No apologies needs sometimes I do the same. I do the same thing when people think I was stupid for building my Roy and say they get the same out of there 25-06 handloads. And just say they are hot lol. Then I have them shoot through a chronograph and then they revert to the old 400fps doesn't do anything. The AI is a different beast though.

 

[AZShooter]

Barry,

I think you will really enjoy owning a 257 Weatherby. If I read this thread correctly you don't handload. I suggest you start with HSM's 257 Weatherby ammo using the 115 Berger VLD.

Trophy Gold

It is a high BC bullet with excellent killing abilities. I think your approach to making one is admirable. It won't cost you much money yet you will have the chambering you want. If you want more performance handload. Your choice.

I have written this so many times here that some of you are probably sick of hearing it. We built 5 257 weatherby chambered semi customs a while back. We ordered a PTG reamer with a slightly shorter throat and a 1.5 degree throat angle. Our jumps ranged from .070" to .100.

All used the 3 groove Lilja SS barrels. Two were #5 profile 28" long. The rest were #3 profile SS two were 26" and one was made as a lightweight with a 24" barrel. All used RL-25 with the 115 Berger VLD.

I lost count and have to get back to Tim and Allen but to date combined we have killed 20 deer, 6 elk, one antelope and two javelina. The long barrels were getting 3675 fps with the moly coated 115s. 26" barrels got 3600 (uncoated) and the 24" got 3550 fps (moly coated). By the way that 24" gun weighs just under 7 lbs and has taken all the elk.

Recently my 28" barrel got rough and at round count 550 or so, IIRC, it began to destroy the thin jackets on the VLD. I switched to moly coated 110 accubond and also moved to RL-33. Getting a stunning 3735 fps with this old barrel. Recently shot it and had a friend shoot it, the two shots were in one hole at 100 yds.

When I rebarrel this rifle I won't use it as a test bed for a wide variety of bullets and powders. I used it to shoot jackrabbits and rock rats too. I shot the heck out of it while my three friends just stuck with the 115s. Their rifles will last their lifetimes as they only shoot it to kill big game.

 

[barrythecableman]

I hand load and have since I was 10. I have been shooting a ruger red but 220 swift since then. My dad had one and I now have my own. Mine just had its second new barrel installed as I bought it with a shot out one for a very good price. The first barrel had a life of 2100 rounds before it opened up past 3/4 moa. That doesn't sound bad but I normally am hunting fox in open corn fields and shots are normally in the 350 yard range some get close to my own personal limit that I set of 500.

The point I made about hand loading was made to explain why I have wanted a 257. I see rifles that have calabers that are either wildcats or you just can't get ammo for them being worth less then the same rifle in a close calaber that it is easy to get ammo for. Granted I don't plan on selling my rifles but I don't want to spend 5 times what it is worth to build one either.