Ammo Brief: .256 Newton

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Have you ever heard of Charles Newton? Here we look at his .256 Newton cartridge.

One of several high-velocity rimless cartridges designed by Charles Newton for his bolt-action rifles, the .256 Newton was introduced in 1913 by the Western Cartridge Co. Until the .264 Winchester Magnum came along in 1958, this was the only American-designed 6.5mm to be offered on a commercial basis. The last of the Newton rifle companies failed in the early 1920s, and Western quit loading Newton cartridges in 1938. The .256 Newton is based on the .30-06 case necked down.

General Comments

The .256 Newton has hung on as a wildcat cartridge and, occasionally, custom rifles are made for it. Cases can be made by necking down, reforming and shortening .30-06 brass. It’s adequate for practically all North American big game but is not as effective as the .270 Winchester. With modern slow-burning powders, its performance can be improved over original factory ballistics.  

.256 Newton Loading Data and Factory Ballistics

Bullet (grains/type)	Powder	Grains	Velocity	Energy	Source
120 SP	IMR4350	55.0	2,980	2,362	NA
130 SP	IMR4895	46.0	2,900	2,425	NA
140 SP	IMR4831	57.0	2,890	2,598	NA
129 SP	FL	–	2,760	2,180	Western factory load

Editor's Note: This article is an excerpt of Gun Digest's Cartridge's Of The World.

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