Poor Guys that Don't Reload!!!!

[Blowtorch53]

Hey Guys,

I am planning a mule deer hunt in the Texas Panhandle this year in November and I wanted a .257 Weatherby Mag.  I had a little money burning a hole in my pocket and I made the mistake of stopping in a local gun emporium here this week and they had the deluxe wood stock Weatherby Vanguard on sale for $539.  The ad said .270 and .30-06 but the one on the shelf was a .257 mag.  The also had a great used VXII 3x9 for a very good price and I bought it all mounted, bore sighted, lock, stock, & barrel.  I also bought a box of ammo. and didn't bother to ask the price.  When I got to the register I found out they were $63 a box!!!!  I paid for them then politely asked for the use of their restroom where I went to clean out my shorts!  I will buy a couple more boxes of these later for the brass but the sticker shock made me realize that I am lucky to be a reloader.  I know I can't best the velocity of this ammo. but I can equal it and tailor it to my needs and do it a LOT cheaper.  It made me feel sorry for people who have rifles like these that don't reload but I guess they don't shoot near as much as me.  It was kind of like buying a new car after not buying one in ten years.  WOW!

BT

[Halwg]

I hear you.  I load 270 Weatherby Mag, 454 Casull, 450 Marlin and 444 Marlin.  If I didn't reload these calibers, i couldn't afford to shoot them.  The 270 Weatherby ammo was $57 at Cabela's when I stopped there today.

[41 mag]

I can relate to the prices and your reasoning as well. I also shoot the 454, 41mag, 7mm STW, and a couple of others, which once the price got to a dollar a shell, I simply felt it was more than what they were worth to purchase factory.

Some of it might be good, but not 35+ dollars a box of 20 good. Heck I got sick the last time I looked at a box of plain wrapper Remington Core Lokts, or Winchester Power Points, and simply laughed at what they wanted for a box of STW ammo.   

[Blowtorch53]

Guys,

Went to the range this weekend and shot the new Weatherby.  Used the factory loads (.257 Mag.) with 117 RN.  Shot about 1-1/2" at 100 yds. first time out.  I did a lot of barrel cleaning since it was brand new to break it in.  I was really surprised how little recoil this rifle has.  I know from experience that some handloads will bring this rifle under 1" and this will make a tremendous deer rifle.  The range had a couple of boxes of Weatherby .257 ammo. for $49 a box and I thought I stole them!  They are the 117 RN also but I need them for the brass.  They have probably been on their shelf for 10 years.  The cheapest brass I have seen for these were about $36 for 20 new.  This is a great caliber. 

I also shot my .257 Roberts Ruger 77.  This rifle has been very frustrating.  It's  an old Mark II that had been on a shelf brand new since it was made.  They couldn't even find the box.  I have not been able to get it to shoot for caca.  I removed the action and free floated the barrel and got rid of the Ruger "hump".  I've tried both 100 and 117 gr. loads in many forms and none of them really grouped at all.  This was the same this weekend.  It's probably been fired around 60 or 70 times now.  I had it in my mind to leave it for the gunsmith at the range to check or glass bed and I had 5 rounds left of IMR 4350 with 117 Sierra spitzers and I fired them.  The load I used is 2 grains under max. in the Speer manual.  To my surprise, the first four rounds went under an inch and the last one went about 1/2" further to the right.  This is ok so I took it home to do some more load development.  I guess the action and barrel is finally settling in and the trigger is sure smoothing up.  The groups all seemed to be more horizontally dispersed than vertical. Even the bad ones spread from left to right on the target.  Anyone know what might cause this?  This is a neat rifle with no recoil and I really want it to shoot.

Thanks,

BT

[Slowpoke Slim]

I think I paid $1 each with shipping for 100 pcs of factory wby brass. My vanguard is the standard wood stock in 257 wby. It really likes the 115 nosler bt's with rl-22 and fed mag primers. I'm still seating them to the "standard" wby depth. Under an inch for 5 shots very consistently. I have to let it cool before shots 4 and 5, barrel heats very quickly. Shouldn't matter on a deer rifle, unless you're on a "cull" hunt. I put a timney trigger in mine, my stock trigger was horrible. Mine's never had a factory round down it, mostly because of the price of the ammo. I'm sure my handloads will fill the bill. I just need a deer tag now.

My roberts is an AI, and is built on a win 70, douglas fwt bbl with 1-9 twist. It prefers max charge of IMR 4064 and 115 nosler bt's in rem brass. It'll shoot 3 that nearly cut the same hole with the last 2 of 5 shot group coming out, but still under 1". If I let it cool after 3, the last 2 will stay in. The fwt bbl heats pretty quickly.

I usually suspect bedding with horizontal stringing, hard to say without trying some things first. It's a ruger, with I assume factory ruger rings? Are you sure the rings are tight to the receiver? If rings are tight, I'd look at the bedding again. Is the crown ok? Is it the standard model or the lightweight? Some thin barrels don't like to be free floated. My AI has a pressure point under the forend, shoots better that way than free floated. You could try the business card trick, keep adding business cards between barrel and barrel channel, and see if the groups get better?

[wackmaster]

ante that the truth!
you can use 7mm mag brass to get 257wby. Just full lainght size and annell the necks.
Midway use to sell once firerd brass for wby cheep you may wont to look.

 

[skb2706]

My non-reloading buddy finally gave in and bought his own prairie doggin rifle. I told him he'd have to buy the first rounds to shoot and keep the brass for future loading. He had a whole new appreciation for all those trips we made out to the farm when I supplied the handloaded ammo. His first 12 boxes of 22-250 cost him over $250.............

[myronman3]

all this is yet another reason i like standard calibers like the 270, '06, 308, 3030, etc.    i have never had to buy brass.  in fact, i find more each season that i could ever use.   

[yooper77]

Yes the 257 Weatherby Magnum really hurts the pocket book.

I make them from 300 H&H brass for my friends Vanguard.

yooper77

[nomosendero]

Yes the 257 Weatherby Magnum really hurts the pocket book.

I make them from 300 H&H brass for my friends Vanguard.

yooper77

That sure is alot of work!! It is simple to make them from 7RM brass, the shorter neck doesn't really present issues & the forming is easy. The 7RM & 264WM are very close to the 257WEA & 270WEA brass, considering the shoulder type , not a drastic cal. change & overall specs. being close, so the changes not stressing the brass so much.

But with the 300 H&H or 300WEA. length brass being a good deal longer than the 257WEA/7RM brass, I am curious. Have you found a good/efficient way to shorten & form the H&H brass as well?

[yooper77]

My process making 257 Weatherby Magnum brass from 300 Holland & Holland Magnum brass.

1) I run the new 300 H&H Magnum brass through a 257 Weatherby forming die.

2) Trim the brass down to size.

3) Full length size the brass in the 257 Weatherby die.

4) Turn the necks down to size, then resize again in the 257 Weatherby die.

5) Then I anneal the neck and shoulder before fire forming.

I do this all in a batch of 100 cases and I have a good set of proper length brass when I am finished.  Plus my fire forming load is an accurate deer killer.

The problem with using the shorter 7mm Remington Magnum brass is it can cut a groove into the chamber and will then stick standard length 257 Weatherby Magnum brass when the brass flows into this groove upon firing.  This will not be a problem if only using this shorter brass, but if you resell it or happen to use the longer proper length brass it could be a problem.

Plus, I found a guy who sold me over 700 pieces of new 300 H&H Magnum brass for only $50.00.  It was a sweet deal, well a steal.

yooper77

[nomosendero]

That ALL makes perfect sense, thanks for the info!!

Yes, your deal on the brass is stuff dreams are made of, esp. now!

[Blowtorch53]

I bought 1000 WLR primers and a pound of H4895 yesterday at the gun range and I didn't even ask how much.  I guess it's all relative.

BT