"Old Bob" hit the bench today

Spitpatch · Feb 1, 2024

First break in our "Rains of Venus" weather, and "Ol' Bob" (of Basket-Case fame and recent Spa Treatment) hit the skids. Roadwork. Like Paul Newman in "The Fighter". Chances are, if this rusted hulk of a former gun did not fall into my hands (or similar), it may now rest in a landfill. At the very least, it probably would have never been shot again. He did very well, and looked good doin' it!

Ken Waters' Pet Loads once again lighted the way with reams of .257 Data AND Narrative. If you have decided to be a Handloader, this is THE ORACLE of careful, documented Handloading. Not always the answer, but he tells you how to find it.

A 100grain Nosler Ballistic Tip was the star for the day, but may not be the final choice. This was only 5 hours alternating between the load bench and shooting shack.

Ol' Bob's a pretty cool dude to spend a day with.

"Ol' Bob" on the bench and lookin' good doin' it! The rifle is a pussycat to shoot, trigger has been adjusted to impeccable, and the old boy performed on his first day out.

Not too damned bad for a 70 year-old man discovered in the trunk of a car and out for his first jog. The guns of this period are the epitome of American manufacturing pride that will never be seen again.

Val1884 · Feb 1, 2024

I went thru a bad 257 itch..Got rid of them as kids i knew needed rifles..Now im hooked on 25-06. Funny how 100gr just seems to be the right choice in 257 Roberts. Had lots of good hunts with the 100gr ballistic tip.

CLT65 · Feb 1, 2024

Very nice. I've never owned a .257 Roberts but I've heard a lot of good about the round over the decades.

I did resurrect an old 721 in 30-06 a few years back. The stock was butchered beyond any salvage, but I found another for it that fit like a glove and looks great. It shoots great too. I love these old guns.

Spitpatch · Feb 2, 2024

The two groups shown are the last of the day, and they are at Ken Waters' max, and develop 3140fps in this gun. He cautions twice in his ".257 Update" that this load (a full two grains higher than his earlier article said was a top load) should be approached with caution from two grains less, but that it showed entirely safe toward pressure and in his guns of modern manufacture.

To start, I cut three 100gr bullets loose at 2.5gr less powder than Waters' max and worked up from there. The surprise was that the Ballistic Tip did NOT show higher velocity (hence higher pressure) than the other two bullets (as can often be expected). The contender for accuracy was a Sierra MatchKing HPBT.

Lots more work for "Ol' Bob". I am not going to overlook the 85, 87 and 90 grain bullets. I just happen to have stumbled on a lifetime supply of NOS Remington 87grain PowrLokt HP's. A bullet legendary for accuracy and deer-killing performance, and that is the purpose for this gun.

I wonder how Ol' Bob would like a hot meal right outta his own Mom's kitchen.

bionic knees · Feb 2, 2024

I have a rescued Bob also, my in-laws bought a place over by Monument in the mid nineties, my father in law found this Bob laying on a pile of juniper branches. it spent at least one winter laying on that pile of branches and was in pretty rough shape. I brought it home, stripped it down and had the metal parkerized due to rust pitting. I refinished the stock and put a newer scope on it. [the weaver was rusted beyond repair] it is not a tack driver but shoots well enough that I have taken a few deer with it. the in-laws place was big enough for 2 l.o.p. deer tags each year and I took several with it there. the ol girl looks pretty good considering where we startedd.

Spitpatch · Feb 3, 2024

UPDATE: Bob's second day on the bench was an eye-opener.

As speculated, I "re-tooled" on the loading bench toward lighter bullets, switched to a faster powder and readied seating depth adjustment.

The "quandary" of the .257 Roberts is best illustrated in a gun just like this: A true short-action, the cartridge itself needs to fit in the magazine, and that bullet seating depth may not approach the lands of the bore and/or can occupy useful powder space in the case. Maximum cartridge OAL for the Model 722 (dictated by the factory magazine box) is about 2.82". Factory stuff runs shorter.

The old round-nose 117gr load was at one time touted as "the only bullet that'll shoot well out of a Roberts" did well because it's ogive was so close to its tip, therefore close to the lands. The bullet was loaded pretty slow, but penetrated well and killed reliably.

But the real deer-killing reputation of the Roberts (along with the .250-3000) was made with the 87gr bullet. These were among the very first rifles that delivered "lightning kill shots" as a result of their high velocity. Taking it much further, Roy Weatherby would build an empire on the concept, and his .257 was his favorite.

So, "Ol' Bob" was fed a light lunch. He is now a scary rifle and maybe on his way to being a boring rifle.

Two 3-shot groups shot consecutively with two different bullets. Left: Sierra 90gr BlitzKing. Right: Remington 87gr PowrLokt HP. Same OAL/powder charge. Note the ogive on the Remington bullet much closer to it's tip than the sleek, boattail Sierra.