Opinions of 256 Win in 10" Contender

[karbo]

Anyone with any experience with this caliber?  Velocities one is likely to get?  Accuracy?  I've read an article about using this cartridge in the Contender, and the author wasn't very impressed.  It always seemed like it would be a sweet set up to me though.

[boneguru]

not sure of the loads....hate to quote them from memory as that insures mistakes... have taken several Javelina with mine......and I roll my own using 357 mag sized in rcbs dies to 256 win mag. have tried 60 and 75 gr bullets and think the 75 hit harder..... shot under 100 yds, R

[Panzermeyer]

I would appreciate any recommendations as to what bullet, powder and charge weight to use.in that caliber (256.wm)

H 110 , H 4227 , IMR 4064 ??

can the 22 Rem jet use the same powder ?

[fyrepowrx]

i like the .256, got a couple of them in fact, but it is at times a very irritating cartridge to deal with. Very finicky.

4064 is a bit too slow, never had any luck with the slower powders, at least in the 3 i've owned so far.

Stick with H110, AA1680, LilGun, 4198, 4227, etc. For most shooting i use the 75 grain Hornady, but  i have a special Virgin Valley quick twist .256 that is my .25 "Whisper", where i use reformed .221 Fireball brass & replaced the extractor to a rimless one for a .223. It has a long chamber throat so i can seat 117/'s / 120's way out & get more case capacity so its probably not a fair comparison to include it as a regular .256 mag.

My regular one is a 12" tube, also by Virgin Valley, what it likes it shoots fairly well & what it doesnt like it slings so bad i have to work to keep them on paper. I havent had a lot of luck with finding Max loads it shoots well, but does tolerably well with loads that are about 85 - 90% of maximum. It also does fairly well with the 86 grain el-cheapo Rem SP's that are used in the .25/20. If you do prefer heavier bullets, slightly slower powders with burn rates up to H322/Reloader7 , etc will work fairly well with full powered loads. So far i have not found any cast bullet loads it likes, but am still trying.

Hope this helps.

[RonF]

Been playing with this caliber in a Contender since 1968.... I have 10" octagon and carbine (Texas Contender) barrels in .256 Win.  I once had a Super 14 in this caliber but foolishly sold it.  I also have a 10" barrel for my Merrill Sportsman. In all my barrels, 75 gr. Hornady or Sierra or 72 gr. Berger bullets work best.  I've tried most of the powders mentioned but get the best results with a case nearly full of RL-7.  For some reason, I don't get very good case life with the Winchester brass.  Cases formed from Remington .357 do better, but I usually lose some in forming.  Remington .22 Jet necked up to .25 caliber form well and last a long time.  They are a bit short but work ok.  Best of all, for me, is the already mentioned method of forming from .221 fireball and changing to a rimless extractor.  This works fine in the Contender, but doesn't work in the Merrill. The .256 is a nice 'chuck cartridge and good for prairie dogs at reasonable ranges.  I think it's too light for deer, but there are those who hunt them with the Fireball, successfully I presume....

RonF