256 win mag

[pastorp]

Do any of you have experience with the 256 win mag. I need info on case forming, best bullets and powders. Also what size game you hunted sucessfully.

Regards, and thanks for your input. Byron

[Curtis]

I've been using H-110 but I'm putting together some loads with H-4227 right now.  Both are said to be good performers in this round.  H-110 is supposed to be most consistent when loaded close to max.

Bullet selection is somewhat limited.  Hornady makes a .257 60 gr. fp #2510 that is the only one I've found in the original factory weight.  In 75 gr bullets you can choose between the Speer fp #1237 and either the Hornady hp #2520 or v-max #22520.  For paper punching I like the clean hole the 60 gr fp makes, but for varmints the 75 grain pills carry more energy further downrange.  Any of these bullets are said to hammer coyotes at 200 yds.  The round does not have enough energy to be an effective deer round in most people's eyes.

I've been lucky as far as brass.  I've still got most of the brass I started with from fired factory ammo since it was still able to be found when I started shooting this caliber.  From what I have read, you can form your own using 357 mag brass cases (not nickel plated) and a .30 mauser die as an intermediate step.  Brass can also be formed by simply running a 357 mag case in the 256 sizing die in one step, but losses can be high and case life short.  Check for length but trimming is not supposed to be necessary.

I think that's it.  Hope this helps.

Curtis

[Miller]

You can buy preformed brass from Quality Cartridge for 69.00/ hundred.  www.qual-cart.com

[singleshot]

I bought brass already formed from 357 Mag from Dustin brass for less than $30 per 100.   He lists on ebay and other gun sites.  Buy direct from
www.dustinbrass.com    They worked good.    I don't have my load data in front of me, but you can email me and I will check tomorrow on what I am loading for my contender pistol and Marlin 62 rifle.    Ed

[RonF]

I can confirm that the .30 Mauser die works as an intermediate forming die and reduces forming loss somewhat, but I still think it's too high.  I get better case life from Remington cases than Winchester.  Two other options exist, as well.  If you can find some .22 Jet brass, you can neck it up and fireform.  It will end up a bit short, but works ok.  The other approach, is to change out your extractor to a .223 based one and form (neck up and shorten) .221 Fireball brass.  This probably leads to the strongest and most durable brass and is my long term plan for keeping my Contenders in .256 going until I die and then some if whoever ends up with them knows reloading.  My Merrill Sportsman, however, requires a rimmed case, so my long term plan there is the .22 Jet approach.

I like the Hornady 75 gr HP and the Berger 72 gr. HP, and I think you may want to try AA 1680 and RL-7; the latter is especially good, I think, in barrels longer than 10".  As to game hunted, when I lived in West Texas in the late 1960s I used it on prairie dogs.  Also shot some armadillos - spectacular!  Here in Missouri I've limited myself to groundhogs.  I always thought it might be worth a try at a close range shot on deer with the 87 gr. bullet, but I was concerned it was just too little gun and never tried it.

Enjoy your .256; it's a great little cartridge well matched to a Contender.

RonF

[Jim S]

I have owned several  TC 10" 256's also and have shot mostly varmits with the round and the old 60 grain Hornady Hi vel bullet . It would kill big west texas jackrabbits nicely and killed a couple of other things with it also . I used a Remington 86 gr sp(25/20 bullet) to kill a deer and a couple of Javelinas but feel it is a little too small for that task. You can drive the 86 grain about 2000 with careful loads and that was what I shot the deer with , in the head @50 yards so it dropped on the  spot. I shot the little stink pigs behind the shoulder and killed them quickly with evidence of decent bullet expansion through their ribs. Rocky Rabb did an article on reloading the 256 and he was unkind to it  but did come up with soem nice Little gun loads that drove the 60 grain @2500+ and the 75 grain @2300+. I have shot the loads he listed and they are warm with soem 75 gr bullets but decent accuracy with the Hdy 75 gr spire point bullet , I think the 75 v-max should work the same but I didn't have any to try.  I have not been able to come up with a good cast bullet load so far but think the slow twist TC barrel would be a natural but so far , with the 85  plain base --no cigar.
I have a form die set from Hornady and takes the cases down to 30 then about 277 then full length size them. I have had very good luck with Starline brass to form the 256's out of.  Good luck and keep us up on your progress in shooting the 256----, hard to call it a magnum. :-) Jim

[springer222]

If you don't have the intermediate dies and don't want to spend extra money on them or sizing dies, you can size with one pass thru the 256 die if you use new brass and anneal before sizing. I tried it without annealing and was not happy with the look of the brass and lost some due to neck splits. But after softening with fire, one pass thru the 256 FL size die and I'm happy with the looks of the brass.