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I finally took my very first deer rifle out to my dad's range today and shot it after having last shot it in 1991. I bought a box of Hornady ammo that was amazingly on the shelf at the local LGS and tried it. My dad had a box of ammo that he loaded for it in the 80's using 100 grain Noslers and 50 grains of IMR 4831.
I'd been told that the old XTR Featherweight rifles in .257 Roberts just weren't very accurate back in the day and my experience today bore that out. The handloads did maybe 5' at 100 yards. The Hornady factory loads were much better at around 2". But, since I'd taken my first deer, my first antelope, and my first elk with this rifle at distances from 150 to 269 yards, it was obviously good enough to get the job done.
I bought a set of dies for it a couple of months ago and after shooting, my dad said I need to experiment with different loads to really dial it in. He went to his reloading cave and brought back a couple of boxes of ancient Nosler bullets and an unopened can of IMR 4831.
The powder was in an actual metal can that I don't recall seeing since the 90's. It has some stampings on the bottom but I have no idea how to decipher them.
Any ideas as to how old this powder is? I'm sure it's safe. I unscrewed the lid and the little foam sealer was still intact. I peeled it off and the powder looked and smelled like new.
I'd been told that the old XTR Featherweight rifles in .257 Roberts just weren't very accurate back in the day and my experience today bore that out. The handloads did maybe 5' at 100 yards. The Hornady factory loads were much better at around 2". But, since I'd taken my first deer, my first antelope, and my first elk with this rifle at distances from 150 to 269 yards, it was obviously good enough to get the job done.
I bought a set of dies for it a couple of months ago and after shooting, my dad said I need to experiment with different loads to really dial it in. He went to his reloading cave and brought back a couple of boxes of ancient Nosler bullets and an unopened can of IMR 4831.
The powder was in an actual metal can that I don't recall seeing since the 90's. It has some stampings on the bottom but I have no idea how to decipher them.
Any ideas as to how old this powder is? I'm sure it's safe. I unscrewed the lid and the little foam sealer was still intact. I peeled it off and the powder looked and smelled like new.