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Is the .256 Winchester Magnum worth the effort?

radford56

I have a TC Contender barrel in .256 Win Mag that I've been holding on to for a few years. It's still NIB (I guess), since I've never even mounted it on my frame - it was just a smoking good deal that I couldn't pass up. Of course, like a lot of projects I never really got off the ground with it. I took it off the shelf a few days ago and now I'm trying to decide if I want to take the plunge and start loading .256 Win Mag.

I know .256 Win Mag is pretty much a do it yourself proposition these days. If you've loaded the cartridge, is it worth the effort or would I save myself a bit of aggravation if I just sold the barrel?
 
You could probably have it rechambered to 250 Savage or 257 Bob if you wanted. Not sure how cost effective that is versus selling your barrel.
 
If I all ready had a handgun or barrel I would use it. Supposed to easily make the brass from .357 magnum cases. Just slowly run it up through the sizer die. Should be a good prairie dog pistol.
 
I played with one for one summer. Didn’t do anything for me, speed or accuracy.
 
yjat would make it an even better choice for 25 caliber in your case. I would think it would be a nice little varmint round with the 55 grain BT,I'd take it over the 223 in that gun.
 
I had a Ruger Hawkeye single shot revolver in that caliber. It was amazingly accurate
 
centershot said:
I see you made a big mistake as I did. I had a S & W model 53 in .22 Jet. I do not know if I have ever seen a Hawkeye except in pictures.
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amen sir. Never ever should have sold it
 
Good cartridge , need form dies . Not as easy as running into 256 dies from 357 . 2 form dies are needed . Guess how i found out . Up I was a quarter bore whore . Firmly believed it was going to win the world over . ( early seventies) . Live and learn or not
 
It is too much hassle. So I will buy your barrel giving you a small profit and will commence whacking my head against another wall. I am always up for a useless endeavor!

seriously, if you chose to sell, and are reasonable, let me know. Ive always been interested in fooling with that cartridge, since I was given one for my collection when I was about 12. Dies are easy for me to locate...
 
radford56 said:
I have a TC Contender barrel in .256 Win Mag that I've been holding on to for a few years. It's still NIB (I guess), since I've never even mounted it on my frame - it was just a smoking good deal that I couldn't pass up. Of course, like a lot of projects I never really got off the ground with it. I took it off the shelf a few days ago and now I'm trying to decide if I want to take the plunge and start loading .256 Win Mag.

I know .256 Win Mag is pretty much a do it yourself proposition these days. If you've loaded the cartridge, is it worth the effort or would I save myself a bit of aggravation if I just sold the barrel?
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I had a barrel for it for my RPM pistol. It's definitely quite capable of packing some extra power over a 22 mag with excellent accuracy. You can still find brass but you'll pay the price and bullet selection is quite slim. I shot the Hornady 60 grain flat point in my RPM which is the same bullet I shoot in my 1892 Winchester 25/20. You'll have to buy forming dies to form cases from 357 mag.. I don't know that those dies are available anymore or even the standard die set. I found it lacking in power for anything bigger than jackrabbits.
 
I have a Martini Cadet chambered in .256 Win Mag & it is a joy to reload & shoot. I make brass from .357 Mag by annealing,then running the case into an inexpensive Lee .30 Mauser die ($18 at Midway) as a first step. After that I size per usual using a regular RCBS .256 WM die. A final trim to length & the case is done. Using Imperial wax I have never lost a case. My little rifle clover-leaf's 87 gr Sierra SP backed up with IMR4198. A pound of powder will load 600+ rounds! As others have said, its a great varmint cartridge. Think of it as the .25-20 on steroids! :)
 
pertnear said:
I have a Martini Cadet chambered in .256 Win Mag & it is a joy to reload & shoot. I make brass from .357 Mag by annealing,then running the case into an inexpensive Lee .30 Mauser die ($18 at Midway) as a first step. After that I size per usual using a regular RCBS .256 WM die. A final trim to length & the case is done. Using Imperial wax I have never lost a case. My little rifle clover-leaf's 87 gr Sierra SP backed up with IMR4198. A pound of powder will load 600+ rounds! As others have said, its a great varmint cartridge. Think of it as the .25-20 on steroids! :)
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Yeah but that's a rifle and we're talking a 10 inch pistol. Great idea with the Lee Mauser die!
 
I’m not sure why some folks are put off because the .256 isn’t a .250 Savage. It was never meant to be, As stated it is really an “improved” .25-20, nothing more. Actually that is not faint praise at all.

Depending on the barrel it can be extremely accurate. Recoil and report are moderate, the only real downside is case availability. Again as explained above, this doesn’t have to be a deal breaker. For target shooting the 75 Sierra works wonderfully, for hunting the 60 Hornady has been proven for decades (in both the older and newer designs).

No one can tell the OP if he should “just sell the barrel”. Is a few dollars in his pocket better than the thrill of load development? Only he can answer that.


.
 
Shinbone said:
Well, the OP did ask . . .
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Yes, and I realize that ultimately it's my decision. I was hoping to get some answers like "hey, it's really easy to load for" or "it's a major pain in the butt and you should run away from it screaming." I haven't come to a final conclusion yet!
 
If I was a betting man, I'd wager those telling you to run from it screaming are probably willing to relieve you of it. Just a guess :D
 
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