257 COAL for Vanguard 2- advice needed.

[niteyote1]

Hi guys!  I'm a newbie and looking for some reloading advice.  Just bought my first Weatherby, a 257 Vanguard 2, Kryptek camo and bronze Cerakote barrel.

 I have never reloaded for a Weatherby before and so I decided to try a couple of different bullets to start with the process.

The first is a 80 gr. Barness TTSX and when seating the bullet to the recommended COAL Barnes gives, it is in the gap before the first ring.  That doesn't seem right to me and I am wondering what other reloaders do. 

So my questions are:
1. If you have loaded this bullet, what was your COAL?
2. What COAL does your Vanguard like?

Thanks,

Niteyote1 

[Jameson]

Welcome aboard! You've come to the right place for knowledgeable advice.
JP

[.257]

I have not used this bullet
My reloading manual is to old and does not show this bullet, but it does show it online with the COAL at 3.170.
My manual does show a 3.090 min - 3.170 max.
Hornady shows, 75 gr, 3.140
                        87 gr, 3.185
This should give you sum starting points to compare
Weatherby rifles are freebored so you can move out without hitting the rifling. But the rule that I have always went by is to have seating depth at least equal or more, than caliber size. So you want at least .257 seating depth in the neck for proper bullet alignment and bearing surface for neck tension on the bullet.
My Vanguard loads are loaded at, Barnes TTSX, 3.27 --- Berger 115 VLD, 3.292
Both of these bullets are longer than a 80 grain bullet
Hopefully someone on here has used this bullet and can give more info just for your bullet

[dubyam]

Mike hit the nail on the head. At least one caliber length in the neck, minimum, is a proper safety margin. Beyond that, I usually start my Weatherbys at the longest length which will reliably feed from the magazine (pending the first rule on minimum engagement) and then work back if need be to find an accuracy node.

[terminator]

Hello Nightyote. I shoot a lot of Barnes bullets in different calibers and they usually shoot best with short Cols.I do shoot the 80 ttsx in a original Vanguard.Trim length 2.37 and and a Col of 3.20.A healthy dose of H4350 at 3865 fps and .5 inch groups.Good luck.

[Blackbear3]

Welcome to the Nation niteyote1, I have two 257 Weatherby Vanguards and love them. I haven't tried the 80 gr ttsx, hope you find an accurate COL.

[niteyote1]

Thanks JP and Blackbear 3! Glad to be here.  Thanks to everyone for all the quick responses, I really appreciate it. 

.257- That helps, I hadn't heard about the minimum seating depth as the bullet diameter.  While reloading for a few years now, I'm still learning a lot and good knowledge like that is so valuable.  Thank you. 

Dubyam- What bullets do you mainly use?  I'm going to try a Nosler 115 gr. ballistic tip for a heavier bullet and wonder if you have any experience with it.  Have done some reading and some guys love it but others say it's worse than herding cats. 

Terminator- Thanks for the recipe- gonna try that and will let you know how it goes.  Really appreciate your giving me a steer in the right direction!

[dubyam]

I like stoutly constructed bullets in my Weatherbys. I don't own a 257, but my 270Wby is very close in size/use. I use Nosler E-Tips in both it and my 300Wby. But for a 257, I'm not sure what I'd use. Certainly something tough for closer shots, but with expansion at longer ranges. I'm not a huge fan of the Ballistic Tip in magnum cartridges, though I use them almost exclusively in standard chamber inge like 30-06 and such. They are not optimal for impact velocities above about 3,000fps. For me, discussions about Weatherby bullets always involve the monoliths like the E-Tip, TTSX, and GMX, but also include the Partition, A-Frame, and the various bonded cores like the Accubond, Interbond, and Scirroco. Ultimately, it will depend on your anticipated impact velocities, the game you're after, and how selective you will be with your shots.

[.257]

One think I should have added, when figuring your seating depth by caliber size. If you are using a boat tail bullet do not count the boat tail in your measurement. It is not touching your case neck. Therefore does nothing for bullet tension and alignment

[Blackbear3]

If your unsure about your Length, order a box from Midway and get it from the factory load and adjust from there. I see Midway has the 90 GMX on sale for $40, you could give them a try too. Good luck, keep us updated on your results.

[catskinner]

Thanks JP and Blackbear 3! Glad to be here.  Thanks to everyone for all the quick responses, I really appreciate it. 

.257- That helps, I hadn't heard about the minimum seating depth as the bullet diameter.  While reloading for a few years now, I'm still learning a lot and good knowledge like that is so valuable.  Thank you. 

Dubyam- What bullets do you mainly use?  I'm going to try a Nosler 115 gr. ballistic tip for a heavier bullet and wonder if you have any experience with it.  Have done some reading and some guys love it but others say it's worse than herding cats. 

Terminator- Thanks for the recipe- gonna try that and will let you know how it goes.  Really appreciate your giving me a steer in the right direction!

I use the 115gr ballistic tips in my 257Wby sometimes, and had pretty decent results with them, and they are quite accurate in my rifle. But most of my shots on game are at longer distances, so if the majority of your shots on deer size game are under 200 yards, I would suggest what dubyam told you and use a more stout bullet.

Rob

[niteyote1]

I like stoutly constructed bullets in my Weatherbys. I don't own a 257, but my 270Wby is very close in size/use. I use Nosler E-Tips in both it and my 300Wby. But for a 257, I'm not sure what I'd use. Certainly something tough for closer shots, but with expansion at longer ranges. I'm not a huge fan of the Ballistic Tip in magnum cartridges, though I use them almost exclusively in standard chamber inge like 30-06 and such. They are not optimal for impact velocities above about 3,000fps. For me, discussions about Weatherby bullets always involve the monoliths like the E-Tip, TTSX, and GMX, but also include the Partition, A-Frame, and the various bonded cores like the Accubond, Interbond, and Scirroco. Ultimately, it will depend on your anticipated impact velocities, the game you're after, and how selective you will be with your shots.

The thought with these was twofold- to get a bit more BC for longer range and to use them on hogs. Probably will be shooting from 80-300 yards at them so the velocity should be 3k or below. 

 Have shot the Interbond before and never got them to perform at the accuracy level I'd like. Haven't ever tried the E-Tips before but heard they are incredible for accuracy and just plain thumping varmints.   

[BB340]

I too am one that loves Barnes projectiles out of my Bee's. My go to load in my Mkv .257 Wby is the 115 grain TSX on top of some RE25 with a COAL of 3.300".

[224KING]

Hogs die to a lot smaller projectiles every day.An 87 grain spire point will be devastating on hogs out of it.No gain on a 257  at 300 yards with a few more BC points.

[dubyam]

If you shoot the 115BT from a 257Wby at anything close to Weatherby velocities, you won't be below 3000fps until 170-180yds. Especially with hogs, which are tough if you don't hit them correctly, I'd strongly advocate a tougher bullet than the BT.