Hey Guys a bit of an update !

I have done fair bit of work with different projectiles.

- 85 Grain Nosler BT - Could not shoot a group
- 110 Grain Nosler BT - Could not shoot a group
- 110 Grain ELD-X - 2 to 3" group at 100, Poor Terminal performance in the field (Fragmented on Goat shoulder)
- 117 Grain Sierra GameKing - 4" + Group at 100.

At this point I was very concerned about what I had done to my rifle !!

- Speer 120 Grain BT - Regular 3/4" groups at 100. Happy Days  - Excellent terminal performance on Goats.

I suspect that the 1:9 twist may not be playing nicely with the lighter Projectiles ?? open to theories on this, as a lighter faster accurate load would be nice to add to the options for this rifle.

Other than that - after a long journey, very happy to have the power and accuracy out of a very nice rifle. Time to go and find something bigger to shoot !

Thanks Mike,

Looks like I need a bit of a lesson on bullet construction.
My world has been Varmint / Predator hunting where rapid expansion is very handy.
I am just moving into the mid sized game space and plan to look a larger game in the near future.

As I mentioned, bullet selection where I am is limited, ordering in from overseas is prohibited.
Therefore I need to use what is available.
I will try to track down some Partitions and some 100 Grain TTSX Bullets - thanks for the suggestion. Hopefully the 100 grain projectiles play nice in my 1 in 9 twist barrel.

Are any of the Hornady .25 cal bullets worth trying They are generally well stocked in our area.

Ben

Thanks Guys,

Most shots were taken on the shoulder, in the event that the the Goat was still, I went for a neck shot. The head is generally moving around too much !

Pretty sure the last one, that burst out of the bush was already hit. With at total 3 hits (aiming at the shoulder), there were no exit wounds and it was difficult to see entry wounds. Thats a total of 8000 Ft/Lbs to put him down.

I have tried lighter projectiles, but I have a new 1:9 twist barrel in the rifle, It does not like the 85 grain Nosler BT's. best I could get out of those was a 4" group, the 110 grain ELDX are a solid 3/4 MOA.

I am very surprised by this result - all the reading I had done suggested the ELDX was a good bullet selection for this type of game. I am starting to think that the many of the 25 cal bullets are designed for 25/06 or slower, and the additional velocity of the 257 is causing excessive fragmentation, particularly at shorter ranges.

I appreciate the suggestions and will look at the partitions.
I was also looking at the 117 grain Sierra Pro Hunters and Game Kings - does anyone have any experience with these in the 257 ?
There are some suggestions that the 120 Grain Speer Hot Core bullets could perform well - any comments or experience would be appreciated regarding these bullets.

There are limited bullet selections where I am - so sometimes I have to use the equipment that is available rather than what is best !!!

Hey Flyinstroke,

That is really interesting 131 BlackJack Ace sound exactly what I would be looking for.
Not sure if they are available in Australia yet - I will ask around.

Most of our Local game is small and thin skinned - so the 85 Grain Bt's are plenty for that job in the 257.

I do have an eye on heading to the NT, where there are large Pigs and Buffalo.
The 2 choices of fire stick for that trip are the trusty 308 for which there are plenty of large game projectile options, or the 257 with a well constructed heavy projectile.

Not sure where the 131 BlackJack Ace sits with construction, but the weight is good and the BC is great for longer ranges - should at least give the pigs a hard time !

How do you think it would go in the 9 twist ?

 I have been a bit quiet on this for the last month or so as I have been doing alot of research !
The 7mm Rem Mag was where I was headed until I re read all your comments !

The Mark V is a very nice hunting rifle. I have decided to keep it that way and not try to make it a crossover rife with a heavy barrel etc.

I am packing her up and posting it to Allan Swan gunsmithing. Allan specialises in barrel making and re-barrelling rifles.
Reading up on his work Allan seems to have a  quite a few happy customers that have re-barrelled hunting rifles with excellent results. Fingers crossed I will get the same outcome with the .257.

I have asked for a 1 in 9 twist, as i would like to throw some heavier projectiles around - anyone have any experience with the .257 Wm in a 1 in 8 twist or 1 in 9 twist it is currently a 1 in 10 twist.

Now to wait the 8 weeks for the job to be done !!!!

Hey Guys,

Really appreciate the quick replies, I wasn't expecting so much support ! Some really useful opinions here.

I would love the opportunity to send it back to Weatherby for a re-barrel, however the freight and import / export issues take this option off the table. Second hand Weatherby parts - like a good barrel do not exist here, and are a big problem to import.

As far as legal requirements are concerned here, leaving it in .257 WM is the easiest path.

The smith has quoted $1050 AUS (about $750 USD) for a Stainless barrel (fitted) with a 1 in 9 twist, he also has a carbon steel 25 cal barrel in 1 in 10 twist, but this will be dearer as it will need to be blued.
Both options were a profile or 2 heavier than the standard Weatherby barrel - not sure if that helps with heat dissipation ?
I need to check what brand barrels these 2 options are ! PS - I love the bluing on the old barrel !

As the barrel was shot out before I got it, I cant comment on how it was treated or how many rounds it may have seen.
The smith advised that the first approx 6"of rifling were basically gone, and there were large pits and copper fouling issues. The current accuracy is approx 6"groups at 100 yards. Occasionally it shoots an ok group, 1.5" but this is not repeatable.

Going by the serial number it is a mid 1980's Japanese made rifle.

After understanding the issues with this barrel, and having done some load testing, I can see how important heat management and copper removal are in this calibre.

I am reloading, and have invested in 257 dies and brass, with this calibre in WA there is no factory load option.

You are giving me some more confidence in the .257 decision (there is a lot of love out there for the .257 roy), comments like this are the real world info i was looking for -

"I've got well over 1000 rounds in mine and still shoots good,  It's not a match barrel so I'm not comparing  the accuracy to a bench rest rifle but rather a normal hunting rifle,  it still shoots 1/2 " @ 100 yds"

As for game here - it is normally on the smaller side - Goats, Pigs small deer etc. But occasionally we may get onto Donkeys and Camels - that is where a flat shooting hard hitting calibre is really handy.

I do take your point - I am not looking for a range rifle. The range is just a good place to get a hunting rifle zeroed !

Keen for comments on the barrels - stainless or carbon steel - twist rate - profile ?