Rifleman513
Well-Known Member
I ran some new loads through my new 257 today and seemed to be having some pressure issues.
After I got the scope mounted I bought some of the cheap $40 a box factory ammo to sight in and use the brass later to reload. 16-17 of 20 had faint ejector marks on them. You have to hold them in the light just right to see them. They aren't the "swiped" really shiny spots with overly excessive pressure.
Today I shot some of my first handloads and used 20 new pieces of Wby branded brass. I was using 110 ABs and 7828. COAL and charges were right off the Nosler website. The starting charge read just as I expected with a 24in barrel. Next charge .5gr more same thing, at 69gr which is right in between the min/max charge one of three had a slight tightness to the bolt lift. I fired the next 3 again .5 gr more and again 1 of 3 had a tight bolt lift. Even the lowest charge the primer were flatter than I prefer, but they did not seem to flatten further with stouter charges.
Before I went I used a rod and cloth patch and cleaned the chamber and wiped the barrel dry. The only thing I can think of was the rounds sat in my truck for about an hour while I stopped by the office, outside temps were low 80s today. I am not overly concerned about the primers as I use the Win LRM primers and they seem to flatten more than the CCIs I use. The factory rounds clocked in about 45-50 fps slower than the box showed which is about what I expected with a 24in barrel. Any thoughts as to why it handled a full speed factory load but seemed pretty hot with a "mild" reload?
I should add I've used this same powder, brass, bullet, primer combo in another gun and had no issues all the way up to the max charge.
After I got the scope mounted I bought some of the cheap $40 a box factory ammo to sight in and use the brass later to reload. 16-17 of 20 had faint ejector marks on them. You have to hold them in the light just right to see them. They aren't the "swiped" really shiny spots with overly excessive pressure.
Today I shot some of my first handloads and used 20 new pieces of Wby branded brass. I was using 110 ABs and 7828. COAL and charges were right off the Nosler website. The starting charge read just as I expected with a 24in barrel. Next charge .5gr more same thing, at 69gr which is right in between the min/max charge one of three had a slight tightness to the bolt lift. I fired the next 3 again .5 gr more and again 1 of 3 had a tight bolt lift. Even the lowest charge the primer were flatter than I prefer, but they did not seem to flatten further with stouter charges.
Before I went I used a rod and cloth patch and cleaned the chamber and wiped the barrel dry. The only thing I can think of was the rounds sat in my truck for about an hour while I stopped by the office, outside temps were low 80s today. I am not overly concerned about the primers as I use the Win LRM primers and they seem to flatten more than the CCIs I use. The factory rounds clocked in about 45-50 fps slower than the box showed which is about what I expected with a 24in barrel. Any thoughts as to why it handled a full speed factory load but seemed pretty hot with a "mild" reload?
I should add I've used this same powder, brass, bullet, primer combo in another gun and had no issues all the way up to the max charge.
