I got talking at the range one day with a fervent reloader. I said I was just trying to find a factory load that performs well on game and also shoots well, then buy a lot of that ammo. He said: "Where's the fun in that?" as he touched one off.
I was bit by the reloading bug about two years ago and I can totally relate. It's very fun/addicting and while the myth that you save money is false you get to shoot 3x as much and make amazing quality ammunition.
I would suggest trying different seating depths. 5 thousands of an inch plus or minus can make a big difference. It did for me. My 50 year old 30-06 BLD group changed from a 3.0 inch group to a 0.251 by experimenting with seating depth.
Nils that's a little tough to do with the 257 Roberts. I'm .022" off the lands now which is usually my sweet spot but even with the bullet that far out they are still really deep in the case. The crimp ring on the Interlock isn't even visable after I seat the bullet because it's so deep. My guess is the chambers are cut shallower on 257 Roberts than 25-06 and most 25 cal bullets now are probably designed for the 25-06? It's going to be tough for me to back off much more.
@@TomRiverSimpleLiving I appreciate answering my comments. I'm not familiar with. 257 Robert's. It was a suggestion that worked wonders for me. Another procedure I did was neck turning the brass. I also had great accuracy with Barnes TTSX bullets. Good luck my friend.
Been watching you for a few months love your channel. My dad gave me a new m77 in 02 when I graduated high school. Never carried it shot like crap. I got into reloading and I got several of my rifles to shoot great, but not that one. Dropped it off at a gunsmith Sunday for a shilen barrel
i have that same model 70 featherweight in 257 roberts --every time the weather or humidity changed so would the point of impact,sometimes a lot--took it to a very good professional gun smith and had him glass bed the stock with aluminum pillars and free floated barrel--fixed the accuracy problem completely
I never shot good groups with a featherweight unless I held the fore end. I found them wanting to jump and holding the fore end tightened up my groups. Thanks for the video.
Musky Hunter if you get a chance to watch my video on "Learning to Drive a Rifle" it gets into what your're talking about here. And it is amazing the difference weight makes and the XTR in 257 Roberts in this video is 1/2 a pound lighter than any of my other Featherweights and jumps more than any of them.
Hi Tom.. glad you were able to find some time to get to the range and relax. Not so happy you’re having such a time with your 257. I just watched a video from gunblue490. He has the exact same rifle in same caliber made about the same time 2012 I think he said and it is shooting less than 1/2” at a 100 yards. The one thing I heard that might be different was he said it need 5 business cards clearance in barrel channel that comes out to 50 thousand’s of an inch. I didn’t know if you had seen it. He made it about 4 year’s ago. Worth a look if you haven’t. Good luck with it Tom and thank you for the video’s. Live free and stay safe..
Gunblue cited his load was a 100gr Sierra Matchking for that range trip I think. Don't remember his powder. Not sure of his stock specs and clearance. MY factory trigger is maybe 3+ lbs. He has stated maybe 2.5 I think.
Since just recently binge watching your videos after the first one i watched, no kidding at all, i was questioning the interesting accurate rifles. Great work, thank you.
With the.257 , if you are unable to find best load , lap and crown the barrel . Lap the rings on the scope if you haven't already. You have nothing to loose. Might work.
Tom, I have the same 2012/3 Featherweight 7x57 that’s completely stock; it shoots a 3-leaf clover at 100yds that can be covered by a quarter. My secret is PPU 139g Rifle Line ammo in the blue box. It outshines any hand loads I’ve tried. The rifle shoots okay with Federal and Hornady but loves the PPU… I’m really pleased because it’s the cheapest of the three! Anyways, try the PPU!
Sounds like your luck with the 139 grain PPU loads has been better than mine. I usually get about 1-1.5 MOA out of my 7x57, which is a 1/2-3/4 MOA gun with handloads.
I am tuning in a rifle I had built. I found a good Ruger m/77 action and had a shilen barrel installed. I had the barrel stamped .275 Rigby. My desire is to tune in 154 grain bullets for it. At my current load I have an average muzzle velocity of 2758 fps. I plan to stick with the same bullet and go to different loads until I find the "pet load" for that bullet. I believe the rifle is a much better shooter than I am. I had hoped for a control feed action like the Hawkeye but the original M77 was a push feed but works well. Actions are expensive. I did not know before acquiring the rifle that Ruger has torque specs for the stock screws. One of which is pretty high. Good luck with that .257. It should hold much better groups than I saw on this video. Of course I can say that while sitting here at my computer.
I too am working up a load with Hornady 154gr soft points in one of my 7x57's. My first test ladder will be 35-40 grains of IMR 4350, seated at 3.000". The last couple months in north Texas have been too hot to go out to the range, but Fall is arriving and we'll see how it goes.
I have a friend who built himself a 25-06 years ago. He has taken dozens of elk, moose, bear, dear, and antelope with it over the years. He told me that he could never get the heavier 117 and 120 gr bullets to group very well. His favorite bullet was the 100 gr partition. I've had a number of 257 Roberts rifles, still have two, a pre 64 model 70 and a new south Carolina model 70 featherweight. I have had problems with the heavier bullets too, and have much better luck with 100 and 110 gr bullets. My featherweight will do decent with the hornady superformance 117 gr load but sprayes 120 gr partitions over the target. 110 accubonds group tightly. My pre 64 groups the 110 accubonds very well and has always shot well with 100 gr bullets. The 100 gr Silvertip was my Dads favorite in the rifle when he owned it.
Yup.....fellas up here seem to be trending towards high quality 85 90 grain bullets,in .243 and 99 and 100 gainers in .250s......they back up their choices with greeeeat. Field reports on recent hunts
Heard story about this farmer.......way he sights in his hunting rifle........takes with him 9n tractor and fires one shot each morning, at target he set up at edge of field....he said that's about as clock as he can get to gunting,conditions........ one shot is all you need after,that you just shooting up landscape or ruining, meat
My 25-06 build (just a 24 inch barrel instead of the factory 22 in.) and timney trigger) shoots 100-115 gr great. 117s at 1.06in. 120s are just okay at maybe 1 1/2 MOA for factory Core Lokt
Odd, this video features my two favorite rifle calibers. The two runners up are 6.5x54mm Mannlicher-Schoenauer and 6.5x53.5sr mm. I'm old. I'm too fragile to be abused by larger rifles.
I own a 7x57 rifle and it is a great cartridge. I consider it one of my great oversights in life that I don't own a .257 Roberts chambered rifle. But I do own a .250 Savage rifle and it is outstanding! I consider it a better choice than the .243 (which I also own) for either deer or varmints/predators. The .257 Roberts is everything the .250 Savage is...and then some.
Tom I have 2 Rifles that shared the same affliction as yours. One a Win, Feather Wt. in 6.5x55 & the other a Ruger early Mod tang safety in 257 Rob. Both wearing 22'' skinny barrels. Both would give hunting accy, out to around 100yds''''barely'''. I worked up loads in batches of 5 with every posible combo for both guns from light to the heavey weights to no avail. Silly as it may sound, Both rifles were very consistant with this grouping issue regardless of load used, such as 2or3 shots an inch or 2 apart with the usual flyer creeping in as the barrel warms up. Just for times sake here I would like to share with you my fix for this , because now both these rifles will shoot the lights out with a variety of bullit weights & powders'''''H-4831S.C. & Varget the preffered. Never being a fan of free floated barrels'''''still not''''' I had to go back to the school of Keith to cure this one. Not only fully bedding both barrels but both actions all the way to rear tang as well. Also installing pillars for the action. & for the final step to complete this time consuming process. A shim at the forend to provide a slight up,push for equal support between front & rear. The result'''' Both rifles will now do their job with cold or hot barrels with a slight edge going to the .257 Bob...You know many of todays younger shooters have much to learn about all the free floated barrel hype being pushed out there as if they just discovered what the real Masters all missed. Fact is focus was more about quality in the days of OcOnnor & Keith than stocking big box stores with budget friendly tupper ware stocked junk.. Closing I,ll just say Im totally aware that some rifles will benifit with a floated barrel, however my findings for wood stocked bolt rifles reject that notion.Some may ask, why do they not properly bed rifles today. Answer''' because its time consuming hands on skill,set work that adds to the cost of building the rifle. Great channel Tom,, thanks, will be back...Cheers from Mid Mo..
Luvta Handload I've been playing with the screws a little bit but it's tricky with the older models like the XTR. It still has 3 screws in the bottom instead of 2 like the new ones and the middle and rear screw need to be on loose side. They actually left them so loose that everyone used to put lock tight on them to keep them from coming out and the reason for that is because of how the trigger guard is made. And the front one I only go so tight with it because it's a slotted screw. I could replace it with torque screw but I don't see any reason I can't get it to shoot with the original screws?
Regarding the tightness on the stock,I’ve seen it mentioned that the front screw should be set to 90”lbs (I find this difficult to believe) because of the angle the bolt enters the action and the rear bolt should be set around 40”lbs with the center simply snugged. I’d have no idea as to how or what could be used for 90”lbs, but I’d most certainly wouldn’t attempt it with the slotted bolt. I’m not recommending you do this,just letting you in on what I read. Btw, I’ve been fighting the same problem as you for quite some time now. Good luck.
Sometimes the rifle teaches us it's a mystery that we as shooter's have to figure out but when it all comes together the rewards are greatly appreciated by what we have accomplished that 257 is making u work for the best she can be.
Dude sounds like " Huckleberry Hound", but so very learned. Spot on with the facts, as I try to be, with 51 years of hard shooting under my belt. Blessed are the ones to speak the truth.
Tom I know the feeling I have two cheap ar15s one in 223wielde the other in 7.62x39 that consistently shoot less than moa with almost any load with 4x magnification. Than I struggle to get my high dollar lightweight bolt gun to do as well.
Ever think about adding small incremental pressure pads under the front of the barrel / stock? I always hear that those thin barrels do well with a small out of barrel pressure at the forend tip. Love your videos thanks for sharing
I have the same model of rifle in .257 that he has in the video and find your statement to be absolutely correct. Mine shoots well with a pressure point near the fore end tip , but is still sensitive to pressure on the fore end when shooting off a rest. For deer I shoot a Sierra 117 gr boat tail pushed by A charge of IMR-7828. I’ve also used the Sierra 100 gr and IMR-4064 on deer with good results.
@@davidzakrzewicz707 oh yea need tp learn remedies with limited resources in field...once,you rifle starts throwing rounds in radial dispersion there are things to try in field before going home
Also the two cartridges that I know of like it really hot and really fast is 270 + 257 Roberts me to push the powder charge up as fast as you can make it they don't like to go slow
love watching your journey. been there done that many many times. A crown problem can usually be seen with the naked eye. i have to agree with the other guy about the clearance being to close or not enough. start with 1 powder 1 bullet and work you way up. if no results go to a different bullet or powder but never both! remember when hunting your first shot is the one you want in the same place every time period. 2 touching and a flyer is always you or heat. good luck and thank you
Sometimes rifles can really create problems! I have 5 in the shop right now for barrels and stocks on some old Husqvarna rifles and Interarms rifles and they all shot good I just wanted different calibers that I don’t already own! I am restocking some of them too and rebluing and putting limbsaver pads on some. I found it’s best to never take more then 2 to the range at a time. I have 3 Sako’s that all shoot 1/2” inch with factory loads even though I reload. I have some pre64’s that all shoot an inch MOA or less but they required handloading to get them there. Great video my friend and hang in there! It reminds me of a book called the “The good earth” which says “Thee ox is slow but the earth is patient” looking forward to seeing more next week!
I bought one of the first model 70 XTR featherweight rifles, back around 1980 or so, in 7x57. At the time, to me, it was the ideal deer rifle and cartridge, except a 3 inch group was the best I could get it to do. My opinion of it soured quite a bit and it went down the road. Over the years, I have had a number of 7x57's, but none of them endeared themselves to me. I haven't had a 7x57 in awhile now, a 7mm-08 seems to make a lot more sense these days, but maybe if I find just the right rifle, I might one day again try another 7x57.
As a long time fan of the 7x57 it saddens me that you had bad luck with the Winchester. I have two .284 caliber rifles one 7x57 and one .275 Rigby. Both of mine are custom even though my old 7x57 is nothing fancy to look at. I have spent many years loading for those rifles and they both shoot quite well and are used for different things so I use different loadings in each. A 7mm08 would be a nice choice. I believe I would rather have it than the parent .308 but that's my opinion. The ballistics of the 7mm08 almost mirror the 7x57.
Tom ,,in the seventies I owned many different calibers of rifles and loaded for them all ,,one of the first things I learned about different calibers was that I was restricted in accuracy reports by the brass available for the caliber for instance, I had many different 308 Winchesters and with the same loads , brass , primer , powder and bullet , all of those rifles would shoot the same one inch groups and then I bought a thousand IMI match brass ,,those brass alone cut the group sizes in half on every rifle.
Tom, I subscribed to a channel called VA Meat Hunter and he has a great collection of deer rifles. One didn't shoot so well, so he put one of those round harmonics dampening devices on his barrel and that sucker automatically shot < 1 MOA. Just a thought.
Interesting video, I enjoy target shooting maybe later deer hunting. I have a OLD MAUSER that is PRE WWII with some interesting features you may like. It has a KRUPP BARREL (hexagon shape at the receiver and FULL length raised rib with express sights), spoon bolt handle, twin set triggers. The serial numbers match (barrel to receiver to mag well to bolt to gas shield and trigger assembly. Oh it 7X57 Mauser and since you were working on a 7mm Mauser I thought you might be interested. Was yours a Winchester Model 70? Thats what it looked like. Unfortunately my Mauser has a BEAUTIFUL MODERN STOCK not the original one.😳😵💫😡😮💨. It's a NEAT RIFLE that would be VERY EXPENSIVE if to be built NOW especially because of the barrel how it was made, a LOT of MACHINING which would be expensive. Tell me what you think? 🤔😁👍
I own a Remington Mod 700 Mountain Rifle in .257 Roberts and I've used factory ammo and my own handloads. I like using heavier bullets like the 120 gr. Nosler Partitions but I've used Partitions in 115 grainers and 110. My best accuracy?....it's hard to tell because it seems my Roberts will shoot them all well but I've never been able to get much under 1.25" groups at 100 yards with any of them. That kind of accuracy won't make anyone jump up with joy but last week I shot a doe at roughly 225 yards and hit her, from what I could tell exactly where my crosshairs were placed. Go fig? I live in the Deep South and my shots are normally taken in the woods at ranges under 80 yards, tops. Oddly enough my rifle loves Federal 120 grain loads; they're pricey but I usually only have to shoot once. The best part is I have only lost one animal I shot and I'm not completely certain that I hit her. After checking, I found where my bullet had slammed into a 2.5" vine and there was no blood or hair. But, I did kill a doe that was standing next to her with my second shot. I'm getting older now and I have some health issues so I don't get out as much as I would like but I have just loved my Roberts since it first appeared in the early-mid 1990s (I think). Properly loaded it's more than enough gun for any game animal except dangerous game like large bears. Like any other rifle of any power, shot placement is what kills and everyone knows that. I wish I could have another 25-30 years with my rifle. As an aside, I know a girl who is about 5' 2" and might weigh 100 lbs soaking wet. She loves to hunt and she has killed all manner of hogs and large deer with her 7x57. It too is one of the finest calibers for hunting in America.
I had a 1980 ish 257 feather weight went through 5lbs of different powder and bullets changed stock bed it free float it finally ran across an article that said featherweight barrels needed up pressure on the forend bingo shot 1" groups was about to trade it in
I bought a new model 70 Winchester Featherweight chambered in .257 Roberts in January of 1982 when they first came out. I used it for about 4 years before selling it to a buddy that still has it. I also hunted with another friend that bought one in 7X57mm. Both of these guns had a glob of what they called thermoplastic bedding in the front recoil lug area. USRA didn't use any type of release agent on the metal and was a bitch to break the action from the stock. Both of these guns shot well. My friend hand loaded for his, but I only shot the then new Winchester 257 Roberts +P ammo with the 117 gr. round nose.@ $15.00 per box
instead of a full barrel channel bed you might try the Weatherby method and only put a pressure point at the tip of the fore end. I have several vanguards in their factory stocks that have one pressure point and all shoot well with handloads.
I have a pushfeed mdl 70 in 7x57 that would shoot 1.5 with various loads. I had it rechambered to 7x57 AI and had Hornaday make some custom dies. I'm getting .6", 3 shot groups with 140gr. CX's. Seems like the chamber just needed to be cleaned up.
I have the same Winchester Model 70 Featherweight, .257 Roberts that you have. I shoot about 1½ inch groups, and the rifles been glassed and piller beded. It's been working well on game these past years, but it's definitely not a tack driver.
so Maybe when you get close play with seating depth, then adjust powders, you took on so many variables at once ... it made me nervous, but well done and keeping after it
Love the 257 Roberts! My Ruger Mark II did the exact same thing. I also had removed the fore end pressure and glass bedded my stock....no improvement. After hundreds of frustrating rounds, I did the very old trick of adding 2-4 wraps of electrical tape around my barrel about 2 inches from the end of the stock. Problem solved....most powder/bullet combos are well under an inch. Some barrels just need that upward pressure for barrel harmonics. Hope this helps.
It's funny how something like that can really change how a rifle shoots! I haven't tried that yet but I will at some point in the not to distant future. With that said I did finally get some good groups out of it but it was with 90gr bullets. The problem is I don't want to hunt with 90 grainers.
Mid charges of IMR 4350 and 100gr Speer BTSP has given me consistent 1/2 to 3/4" groups with my barrel bandaid. I've got a box of the 120 grainers that I've yet to try. I think I'll see what you come up with. Good luck! Also, have you tried adjusting the amount of torque pressure on your action screws? @@TomRiverSimpleLiving
Thanks for taking us along. I was much more frustrated than you when my .257 ruger hawkeye had accuracy issues (kinda had a mind of its own), but finally found a load and torqued the dang stock to 90inLBS! (factory recommended that) and she shoot straight now. You are so correct about "inaccurate" rifles being more interesting, because they challenge us and mess with our emotions. Have you tried the 100 gr Hotcores with h4350. mine love em.
Good prior comments. I've noticed alot of rifleman have inaccuracy because they don't dial the parallax out of their scopes. Recently I help a friend with a sportorized 03 A3 with a beautiful Leopold 4-12 scope. He had the parallax set at 200 yrds. When I checked it it had probably 3-5" of parallax. We adjusted the parallax adjustment until we dialed it out. Boom, sub moa groups. On some scopes you have to do it with the eye piece. The problem is you may lose clarity in the reticle. Only solution then is change scopes out. Good luck Tom
Bill I definitely need to make some improvements there but everything felt pretty solid on the bench. But I will have that fixed before the next range trip. I got measurement on that trip to see exactly what height I need to cut a block to or build a platform.
I have watched the one video on your pre 64 Model 70. I really enjoyed it and your honesty impressed me. I'm giving you a sub and I am glad to know you are continuing more videos. I will be a regular. I'm not going to tell you this or that you know what your doing , that's obvious. I would like to know what what your problems if and when are and your findings. I love talking , listening and learning anything gun / shooting related. I quit hunting years ago but enjoy target shooting and all evolved there. Good luck and great shooting. Wanted to add , you have got some really fine rifles. Some collect expensive art. Your shooting my Rembrandts. Love that 257 R . 7 x 57 Granddaddy of all. Great calibers both .
I was thinking the same thing about the crown on the 257 bob. Also try putting some business cards under the forearm to create a pressure point before full length bedding. Also maybe have the lugs lapped and the face of the bolt trued up. my 2¢ is worth exactly what you paid for them. Good luck I enjoy watching the progression.
I've had good luck bedding under the chamber area, another few inches in front of the receiver. 3-4".. Also, as you mentioned, have a close look at the muzzle.
Before you bed the entire barrel lenght only bed the chamber area. All my hunting rifles with light weight barrels and thin fore ends is bedded in such a manner. I've never seen a muzzle crown effect accuracy much.
I have the same 257 rifle as you do. I have had mine a long time and now it sits in my safe all the time. After trying to get it to shoot better than 1 1/2 to 2 inch groups for years i finally gave up
Gary, I have 2 different Featherweights in 257 Roberts. One is this one, a 1982 XTR and the other is 2012. The 2012 is the same as the one Gun Blue is shooting and my accuracy is horrible but I'm pretty sure I figured out why. The lands are uneven where they start in the chamber. As for the XTR, I have no clue why this one doesn't shoot great but I'm going to keep trying to figure it out! And I did un Blue's video on that and I have no doubt that his shoots great. And I also noticed the 2012 like his is a 1/2 pound heavier than the XTR and I think that little bit of extra weight helps?
You might want to try some 175s, THE bullet the cartridge was built for. They've proven themselves over the years. You can hunt virtually anything on the planet with that, given your ability to " dot the eye" with them . Great good luck, mystro!
Tom change the trigger you know you want to. All that work you know you want to put a better trigger in it. I'm thinking the trigger is not breaking consistently. You can check it with a trigger gauge.
A 1.5-inch group from a factory barrel is pretty good. One-hole groups are not going to happen with that pipe. remember if its 8 inches of deer, its good.
Norm, for me most factory barrels are more than capable of doing under 1 inch groups. Their biggest limiting factor on accuracy is usually the action not being bedded or the barrel free floated. And the last time out this 257 Roberts was shooting 3/4 inch groups. It just took finding the right load to do it which ended up being a 90 grain bullet and a pretty light powder charge. And I know the 7x57 is capable of shooting tiny groups. It would do that out of the box from the factory, right up until the stock warped. But I'm pretty sure I've got it dialed in now I just haven't had a chance to verify it. But I do agree that to get those really tiny groups consistently it usually takes a custom barrel.
Try a bullet lighter than 100 grains. I'll bet a 90 grain bullet will show you some improved groups. It's been my experience with the .257 Roberts. Thanks for sharing. God Bless.
Sir on the 80s Bob. Been around 2 n still am both Tach Drivers. 120gr Partitions with IMR 4831 110 AB with 6.5 Staball. Both also have the factory pressure point in front end of forearm. 1 was glass bedded as you mentioned. The other as it came. Ya might want to tray putting that pressure point back. About 3 inches long at front of forend. Just a thought .
I am working on improving my new Howa 1500 Walnut. Right out of the box the barrel touches the stock. Howa will replace the stock, but I am planning to bed the action anyway so I plan to fix it myself. What happens if you take too much material from the bore channel is there reproductions? I like your videos and your system for dialing a rifle and ammunition in. I have a friend that insist that I use 165 grain bulls for my 30-06, I like your approach to letting the accuracy of the rifle determine the bullet weight. Thank you for sharing your knowledge.
My Ruger 77 absolutely hates the heavy loads (117/120) but cloverleaf's are common with 100 gr. Nosler ballistic tips and 87gr. Gamekings. Please consider the lighter loading.
Think I would reach chamber that rifle with with the new barrel make it something else more popular 243, 6-5 creedmoor, maybe 6 creedmoor. 257 Robert s older and not as popular and harder to come by I would change it
Try some Sierra prohunters in both guns. They are extremely forgiving bullets in every gun I’ve tried. If a rifle won’t shoot a prohunter or a gameking it won’t shoot.
Really enjoy your videos Tom, you did great bedding those rifles. I really hope you get that 257 dialed in. Question on your 7x57, have you tried the heavier bullets in it? I had a 275 rigby which as you know is a 7x57 just the British name for it. It definitely showed a preference for heavy bullets. The 160 Speer hot-cor with H4350 was a very good load for me. I don’t know what load specs your using, but I loaded mine to modern pressures which it pretty easily outruns the 7mm08 with modern loads for modern rifles due to more case capacity. Just thought I’d see if you have tried the heavier bullets in yours yet. And I really hope you get that 257 dialed in. It’s hard to beat a model 70, just beautiful great feeling rifles. I have one in 416 Remington magnum that averages slightly less than 3/4” with multiple loads. Kicks like a mule on the bench but it’s worth it lol.
Can't speak for Tom but I loaded up some 175 gr Speer Grand Slams for my 2013 7X57 Featherweight. I have had sub MOA group with 145s but not consistent MOA or less. Always seems to put two close and a flyer.
Couldn't hurt to put a temporary pressure pad in that stock and see if it calms down to whip in the barrel. If it doesn't work, you didn't waste alot of time. JMOYMMV
Still enjoying watching you work to figure it out. I can't wait to see it when it all comes together, but then you'll have a boring rifle. 😉 Thanks for sharing as always.
@@TomRiverSimpleLiving Don't let it do to you what Moby did to Ahab. You win this battle and show that Whale who's boss. LOL. I'm just hoping my little 30-06 project doesn't turn into an Albatross.
Tom, I enjoy your honest journey to get rifles to shoot better. I was watching your front rest rocking to the right when you fired the rifles. What do you think could causing a sideways movement? Could the boards under the rear rest be contacting something causing the sideways movement?
Kevin, what causes that is me. I have always had a tendency to have the rifle go to the right on recoil and if you look at some of my other videos when I'm shooting you will often see the rifle land on the right hand side of the rest when it comes down and I have to move it back to the left to put it back in the channel. On that specific group I changed my angle slightly behind the rifle so that I wasn't as square to the rifle and noticed that as soon as I made that change the rest kicked right. And what causes that is when my shoulder goes back it's not going straight back. It's more of an arc around my body like joints tend to do. So my shoulder is going behind me, that opens up my right arm and hand that's holding the rifle, and then my cheek acts like a fulcrum on the side of the stock and the barrel goes right. And then that gets into everything I talked about in learning to drive a rifle and why I need to keep everything connected. In that instance the rifle didn't jump as high but it definitely moved the rest. And the rest of the shots in that group were similar because once I opened up my body a little I had to stick with it to keep everything consistent with the rest of the shots. Good eye spotting that! And I was debating whether or not to mention that in the video but I was worried I might be getting into to many details for a lot of people? It's always a tough call for me to know when to get into something like that.
"The only limitation to skill in marksmanship is that imposed by the rifle and its ammunition. If a rifle and its cartridge are highly accurate, the shooter will take greater pride in the arm, he will shoot it more, his marksmanship will improve, he will get more game, he will win more matches. On the other hand, if the rifle is not accurate, the shooter gets nowhere with it, he does not develop into a good shot, he loses interest, and he soon disposes of it. Only accurate rifles are interesting." Col. Townsend Whelen, American Rifleman mag., Apr. 1957, page 46.
I had to laugh when you said that the in-accurate rifles are more interesting…. I do the same thing! when i have them shooting great they get put away in the safe and i start looking for a new project.. Kinda like you …. my newest project is a Winchester model 70 featherweight but mine is chambered in .264 winchester magnum.. I have bedded it and crowned the barrel with a recessed target crown …. changed the scope out.. and i’ve tried several bullets.. but all the bullets have all been non lead since i want to hunt with it in california .. i’m just wanting it to shoot 3/4 minute groups at a respectable velocity but haven’t got there yet.. I have another 4 test loads for it to hopefully shoot for group this weekend…. if it fails me again i’m gonna seriously consider a new barrel.. primers are too hard to come by to waste on a rifle that won’t shoot… just a note on skinny barrels…. i have 2 remington mountain rifles right now which barrels are much thinner that the featherweight barrel and both of those remington’s shoot great! they will both easily shoot 3/4 moa or better any given day and sub 1/2” on occasion.. both free floated and bedded.. one is a .270 and the other one is a 7-08 … love your channel! keep up the good work!
Hmmm. I’m watching the videos you’ve produced I’m not sure I would be hanging on to these. In my experience with Featherweights it’s kinda of a hit n miss thing. Some are okay and others just don’t seem to like anything. They are beautiful rifles though.
I had a 270 Win. that would shoot only flat base bullets, not sure if any of those were, also, my 25-06 only likes max loads at least for breaking paper.
I bought 280 REM featherweight in 2018 right before they stopped chambering the round. It’s been very accurate. I wonder if they finally corrected stock issues? Mine came glass bedded and free floated. I’m in CA and we have to shoot copper for hunting. Barnes bullets are always very accurate but it shoots well with federal blue box lead too. A recently added Timney trigger really helped overall accuracy too.
I spend the most time with my problematic rifles also. Occasionally I have to pull out a good one just to reassure myself that I can still shoot. The 257 doesn't seem like living simply.
Hahaha that's the truth about simple living. We humans don't really like simple things. We always have to create because we are made in god's image. The creator of all. If we wanted simple we would have stopped with the spear or sling shot and called it good enough.
I have the same 7x57 rifle. Mine shoots same hole or cloverleaf groups with 140 grain FMJ but they're not very good for hunting except head shots on hogs. 140 grain soft points produce acceptable groups while heavier grain bullets do not. So I take mine out occasionally to shoot some pigs but that's about all I use it for.
Joel before my stock started warping I had good results with 162gr Hornady Interlocks, 150gr Partitions, and the 145gr Speer Hotcores. All with IMR 4350 and loaded .022" off the lands. All were under 1". When the stock started warping the 3rd and 4th shots became flyers but the first 2 would usually touch.
I feel for you mate. Have you "opened up" the bedding as shown at 3m 52s? Yours is in contact at the sides and the rear of the tang wheareas my M70 has had that sort of contact removed. Only the underside of the action makes contact with the epoxy at the tang. This involves a lot of "relieving" with a sharp tool. Ditto at the front of the action; no side contact and the bottom, front and sides of the recoil lug are also relieved. Good luck mate. My M70 is a 30/06😄😄
Tom, Is there a screw in the front of the trigger guard? Also is there a floating magazine box in either of these rifles? If so, I believe I know what's going on here. Please let me know!
Hey Tom I’m not a pro but I noticed when you do you bedding jobs you install and tighten the action screws somewhat. I don’t think your tightening them enough to introduce stress however you could try a stress free bedding job. In the past I have added a pressure pad on the barrel much like a Remington 700 or a Vanguard has towards the front of the fore end. It seems to help with harmonics on light weight barrels and produces even pressure on the barrel from the stock. The down fall is as that light barrel heats up your point of impact will start climbing. But at least the climbing of the point of impact is predictable. Most everyone floats barrels these days Weatherby does not recommend removing the pressure point in the stock to float the barrel. I also noticed in the 257 Roberts there is a small barrel pad just in front t of the recoil lug which can produce impact shifts, as the barrel gets hot it will change/increase the torque on the action screws.
Dale you're getting into all sort of interesting things there that I'm not entirely sure about myself. I could see a pressure point or pad helping a thin barrel by adding rigidity just like I was talking about with the full length bedding. And I know some rifles shoot lights out with pressure points. With the 257 I'm not sure what was going on with the factory stock for it? It didn't have the v shaped 2 pressure points like I've seen on a lot of rifles that aren't free floated like the Remington 700s. But the barrel was touching some type of pad in the forend. It was a very small slightly raised area of wood right at the end of the forend. I just decided to go ahead and free float it because it wasn't shooting good not free floated. I figured let's try it. And that small barrel pad in front of the recoil lug was intentional. I know there are different thoughts on those with some people not wanting anything toughing the barrel but I think that little bit actually helps? It's right under the thickest part of the barrel and close enough to the recoil lug that a little expansion there isn't going to be a problem? I've also had really good results on the other rifles I've bedded and left that little pad and the original factory stock for the 7x57 had a small barrel pad there in the bedding from the factory and shot great out of the box until the stock warped. That little pad is also part of why I decided to redo the bedding. The bedding job on the 257 didn't have any bedding in front the recoil lug so like free floating the barrel I thought why not redo it and add that little pad to see if it helps. And so far nothing seems to have made a difference on it. Oh, and I agree with you about the stress in the action which is why I always back off on my action screws after I get the tape on. I just tighten them to pull the action in place and spread the bedding compound but then I back off and let it set with just the pressure from the tape holding it together.
@@TomRiverSimpleLiving I kinda figured you had already considered many of the things I have said. And I agree with you on the barrel pad under the chamber area as I myself have done this in the past with great results. The pressure point in the fore end of the stock is a tricky beast for sure. And as we all know especially in a living stock that changes with its environment. I’ve removed factory fore end pressure pads in the past, and while I solved the problem of vertical stringing I also took a rifle that like almost anything and created one that is very picky about what it eats. Best of luck, can’t wait to see what happens and it may very well be that it has nothing to do with the bedding or the stock. And I couldn’t agree more trying to figure out why a rifle doesn’t shoot well and fixing it, is not only interesting but very satisfying as well.
Don't have a .257, but after I try some 175 gr with IMR-4350 in the 7X57 I have I'll let you know what it does I may try one or two more things to see what's causing it to throw flyers. Hopefully just the increased torque on the actions crews has helped. That hump of bedding right in front of my recoil lug bugs me, even if it is right at the chamber area. Right now I just need to get to the range. For the life of me I can't see why your .257s aren't shooting into one hole. They should be sub in inch all day with anything under 115 grain, I would think.
The .257 Roberts needs another barrel.. Tom.. I’ve run into a few rifles that no matter what you do.. the rifle just wouldn’t group..after a long period of time..had a barrel change ..same caliber..end of frustration….
Try some .25 caliber Berger bullets and Swift bullets in their scirocco II bullets ..if the 257 Roberts doesn’t shoot then….you need a replacement barrel.
Is that 257 a long action? If it were mine take to a gunsmith and check and see if action/barrel look ok. A rebarrel with fast twist would be interesting.
When a person does decide to give up on a rifle and 'move it along' should that person indicate to the prospective buyer the reasons you are getting rid of it? I've never sold a rifle but have bought one online with excellent results. I wouldn't feel right selling a rifle that I couldn't get to shoot without full disclosure.
I have had two rifles with similar accuracy issues. One had issues with the Pillar bolts that wouldn’t stay tight. The other had a damaged crown. I am sure you already through of those as they are quite obvious.
Tom I don't know, but sometimes I think the ultra/feather lite rifles may have accuracy problems due to vibration/ harmonics in the barrel and receiver. What do you think?
@@edwardabrams4972 I have a 303 jungle carbine and accuracy problems was liked to removing to much metal from the receiver. But who knows ,Enfield's have many ways of losing accuracy.
Alexander that's a really great question and honestly I don't have answer. The 7x57 is also a Featherweight but it has a much heavier stock on it that adds about 1lb and for me the overall weight of the rifle seems to make more of a difference than the weight of the barrel and action? My pre 64 in 270 shoots great even without the barrel being free floated even though I think it would shoot even better if it were. But after a few other comments suggesting I try one of those rubber harmonic stabilizers on the barrel were going to see. If that causes this rifle to start shooting then the problem would seem to be the harmonics? It's going to be a while before I get back to it but that's the next step in this process.
I'd be curious to see what a lightweight barnes would do going fast out of that 257. It seems like everything you have tried has been on the heavy conservative end
I have a winchester 70 super grade that shoots just over 1/2 moa with the barnes 80 gr. ttsx @ over 3500 fps and it shoots sub moa with 101 LRX but only at about 3100 fps.. . it opens up when i speed it up with the 101…. I use the 80 gr. load.. i’ll kill anything that i’d shoot with that rifle..
I agree, I have the same '81 year model 70 xtr in 257 Roberts and I wouldn't shoot anything under 3" right at 3" with everything I tried. Bought the 80gr Barnes ttsx and worked up a load and now the holes are touching each other, when I'm on my A game but 3/4" is what she will do all the time now. Took me awhile as my grandpa had given me the rifle I couldn't believe this beautiful rifle at first wouldn't shoot but with a little work, free float and glass bed and the right bullet it's a laser. Should have years of pure enjoyment out of it now
@@nickp941 i also have a friend that has a kimber 84m in .257 roberts that also shoots great with that 80 gr ttsx.. the last time i saw him checking zero with it he had 3 shots touching right above the bullseye….at 3550 fps if i remember correctly.. i don’t think he’s tried any other bullet in his.. it shot great and he stuck with it!
That great! I'm glad I tried a lighter bullet. And you are right I would have no problem shooting at anything I want to kill. The deer I shot with that bullet combo this last hunting season dropped where it was standing. The only problem I'm having is finding more 80gr Barnes bullets... Fairy dust
I have a 1981 Ruger #1B in 257 Robert’s that absolutely loves to shoot 1/2” groups with Barnes 100 gr TSX and 101 gr LRX’s. I’ve yet to find a rifle that won’t shoot great with Barnes Bullets.
Wow many many suggestions. .....alot of them very good ......etc etc etc.........very easy to spring a m70 actions if not bedded or screws torqued put of sequence. ......when at range why not trying old trick of putting card under for tip to put upward pressure......on barrel......way too much radial dispersion. .......someting is shifting
Somtimes barrel not torqued into action properly and threads are not properly loaded with enough tension......the barrel can be tight but if threads are not loaded with proper torque the barrel can shift from shot to shot......that properly why upward pressure on barrel at for arm Tipp solves alot of issues with arm. If you got months and months of time....sent the arm to an expert rifle builder to fix whatever problem there is...
