doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion Classic & Custom Single Barreled Sporting Rifles @ doublegunshop.com 1903 Springfield .25 Niedner/257 Roberts ?

Guys:
I am not very computer savvy. So please excuse my butting in to this topic with an unrelated question. I couldn't figure out how to start a new forum with a question. I had searched the sight and found that you guys have quite a bit of information regarding 1903 Springfields involving A.O. Niedner. I have a 1903 Springfield Niedner. It has Springfield serial number 1285472. Under the barrel is a Niedner stamped number 1063. It is apparently 25 caliber but I cannot figure out what cartridge to use. The closest fit is a 257 Roberts but the chamber fails the go/no-go/field gauge test. I have photos if that helps.
Thanks,
Al

From Herschel,


"chief al, I can't help with Neidner information but Springfield Research Service information shows that 1903 Springfield #1285472 was a 1903 NRA Sporter sold to one R. Bradley on Jan. 29, 1929."

Chief Al, First, welcome to the forum.

Your Niedner barrel would have been made circa 1933. The .257 Roberts of today (and factory) is a little different than the originals made by custom gunmakers.

You need to made a good cerrosafe cast of the chamber and post the measurements here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2d5DA4_OcuE

Niedner made many, what were called Mann-Niedner or tight chambers. These chambers used a very tight case that was never re-sized so you need to make sure of what you have before trying to make any ammo for it.

I'm sure we would like to see a picture of your rifle.

I never knew that...can you elaborate on that a bit since it pertains to this thread, (at least tangentially)?

When Remington introduced the .257-Roberts they changed the shoulder angle from what was used by Roberts. So, many of the early custom rifles in that caliber have a different chamber than a factory rifle.

Extra caution should always be used when working with a Niedner rifle that could have a tight chamber.

MP
Thanks for your assistance on this. I forwarded photos of castings to you under separate email. I will send the mic measurements shortly. The casting looks almost identical to the 257 Roberts Cartridge I purchased, but i will post measurements of both the commercial cartridge and the casting.
Thanks again.
Al

Looks like a good cast, now we need the measurements from the cast. Also bore and groove diameter.

MP
Ok. I will try to obtain those measurements too.
Al

MP
We obtained a digital micrometer. It is fairly accurate, although some measurements of the commercial .257 roberts cartridge were about .0015 to .003 off.
Nonetheless, our casting measurements are as follows:
neck diameter - .2865
shoulder diameter - .4380
neck length - .3465
shoulder length - .2160
total case length - 2.241
We would appreciate any information you might have about this round...is it a roberts/niedner wildcat round we can reproduce or is one commercially available....is it ok to fire the commercial 257 rounds through the gun since it is very close to the casting...are there casings available for reloading...or are there notes of niedner or roberts or others that demonstrate how to make the round. We would hate to have the gun simply be a "wall hanger". It is a beautiful rifle and deserves to be used properly. Thanks to you and all those you have included in the thread.
Al.

Also, I will try to download the pictures i forwarded to you in the emails so they can be viewed on the forum.
Al.