.257 Headstamp

M

mothball10x

Guest
I picked up a couple of boxes of .257 Roberts cases at a local sale. The headstamp reads ''Norma .257 Roberts Re''
They have the standard large rifle primer but the flash hole will take a #50 drill but not a #49. .0700 go's ............ not .0730
Has anyone ever seen this headstamp ?
thanks.......Tom
 
That's a very common headstamp. Why would you think otherwise??

Ray
 
Ray, I have been shooting a Roberts for many years,but have never seen any brass made by Norma. I always had Winchester or Remington brass,so you are telling me that all Norma is stamped this way ?
That was my consern.
 
Many Norma cartridges have the "Re" headstamp. It simply means "reloadable" or boxer primed, as compared with Berdan primed. It's really more-or-less meaningless since almost all of their ammunition, at least in the USA, is in reloadable brass.

A little history - do you know that the first cartridges were headstamped 25 ROBERTS, followed by 257 REM, followed by 257 ROBERTS. And, there was a 257 REMINGTON ROBERTS and a 257 WINCHESTER ROBERTS.

Ray
 
Last edited by a moderator:
mothball10x said:
Ray, I have been shooting a Roberts for many years,but have never seen any brass made by Norma. I always had Winchester or Remington brass,so you are telling me that all Norma is stamped this way ?
That was my consern.
Click to expand...

Is this logical? If it is I need to rethink my entire approach to life!

al
 
Thanks Ray, I will go ahead and work them in with my other brass, appreciate the info.

Tom
 
If "working them in" means you'd shoot them in rotation with your other brass then I think it needs to be said that any time one changes brass brands one must start all over on load workup.

Changing brands of brass will most often change the load.

The Norma brass will almost certainly be of different capacity than the Win or rem you're used to. This could be benign, it could be dangerous but in any case it's definitely a major change.

al
 
Winchester brass, especially for the .257 and 7x57 had more capacity and was harder than Rem/RP brass. If loads are worked up in Win brass and the charge used in RP or Rem brass if the load is hot you might experience pressure problems. I speak from experience. I never used Norma for either the .257 or 7x57, but what Al says is 100% correct.
 
I believe that headstamp is of...................

a much earlier vintage. The Re stamp was common in the 60s-70s, but I haven't seen it for a long time.

The brass ought to be acceptable, but I never mix cases of different manufacturers.
I have a friend who has bought 7X61 in the last year, and he maintains that he's had no probs with it.....


. HTH
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top