Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters 257 WBY or 300 Win Mag as the all around western rifle?

I think if a large poll was taken within experienced hunters it would be a landslide in favor of the 300 win mag for elk. I am in no way saying that a 257 won't kill elk,just saying the 300 win mag will do it better and in more situations it will make a clean kill.There are many very experiences hunters that would even say the 257 is very marginal.Look at energy levels out there at 400 yrds between the 2 rounds and look at the bullet weight difference and the wound size difference.I can find no advantage to the 257 weatherby on elk.Not sure why on this site there are so many advocates for small calibers on elk,sorta strange to me.Kinda like saying the 22 mag is the perfect all around deer rifle. A mature elk is 3-4x the size of a mature deer.While the 257 weatherby may be a strong canidate for a all around deer rifle, elk are a whole nother critter and a heck of alot thicker ,stronger, and heavier boned.

Agreed.

I agree. On the NM ranch I hunted this year I would have been handicap with a 257 wby. I hunted the Gila in NM last year and a 257 Bob would have been adequate. It all depends on your type of hunting.

I can understand Mule Deer and Dogzapper's prejudice against the 300 Win. I can only imagine the morons they�ve ran across carrying a super wup ass magnum. But a 300 Win IN THE RIGHT HANDS is much more formidable. You can't judge the caliber by the idiots who use it.

Here I am wondering how much of what some people wrote here was actually comprehended. I don't think any of us advocated a .257 Weatherby as the ONLY rifle for ALL western hunting. David has a .375 H&H, for crying out loud. I know some will claim this isn't a good long-range cartridge, but in my experience with it (considerable, though mostly in Africa) it works fine at longer ranges with the right bullet and some practice. And I don't know anybody who thinks the .375 isn't enough rifle for elk, under any circumstances.

Also, the claim that ANY experienced elk hunter would suggest the .300 Winchester over the .257 Weatherby simply isn't true. I have become acquainted with quite a few elk outfitters and guides in my time, people who often see more elk killed in a season or two than most hunters will kill in a lifetime. Yes, there are a bunch of them who advocate nothing less than a .300 magnum, but I have run into an equal number who say, "Whatever you're confident with."

One long-time outfitter from Colorado and I got to talking about elk rifles (naturally), and when I asked about what he advises as a minimum, he said ".257." I said Roberts or Weatherby? He said either one, as he's seen a bunch of elk killed with both. And a lot of the shooting on his ranch is long-range stuff.

So we can come up with lots of opinions on either side of the argumment. My main point, however, is that David has a .257 AND a .375, and nobody here was telling him to get rid of his .375 and hunt everything in western North America with his .257.

That's why I keep the 375.

It covers everything the 257 and my 308 do not.

Wonder how much David's 375 weighs? I'll bet it's a handy rifle
on elk mountain, har har!
And if it is under 9lbs I'll bet that would funner to shoot than a 300 Win Mag, har har! (Saving your shoulder David?)

There is less than 2" of difference at 400 yards between the
300 shooting a 130 TSX and a 257 shooting a 115 TSX.

Is there really a perceived recoil dif between these two loads?

The 300 can be loaded down in bullet weight, the 257 can't be loaded up.

THEE all around western rifle? That is the question is it not?
Is is not obvious it's the 300 and always will be.

Edited to add

Oh, and Barnes has a new 110 TSX in 30 caliber now.

Both
The 257Wby for deer, antelope, sheep, and coyotes.
The 300Win for elk, moose, caribou, goat, and black bear.
(Your 375 H&H for the rest)

The 375 is light, but does not kick too hard. Sorta between an F250 and a light Mack Truck.

Agreed on the 1320 TTSX. That's what Connie Brooks shoots in her 300 Win Mag.

Dang David, You should have never sold me that .260, it would have been perfect for your needs

Actually,my choice is.....neither one! But both will work!

.25's rock. Then some here would say I can't kill one reliably with my 8x57 too (apparently anything in the .323" size bounces off paper). I've watched 100 TSX's from the Roberts (3150 fps) cover 100 yards then 36" of deer starting with a shoulder and exit (deer DRT). I'm thinking they'd do just fine on an Elk with a reasonable shot. Even faster via .25-06 or .257 Wby would be even better or heavier as fast or faster. Then I like what my .270 WSM and 140 TSX's did to an bull. I know of many that have .25-06's in that part of the country and use them on everything. If I had to live with just one rifle the rest of my life it'd be a .25-06.

Wow, I thought she always portrayed herself as a lot a woman, but that's over the top! The recoil on that thing must be incredible

Interesting. Also, they have the 110 TSX already for the 270, and I sure think that the 270 Winny has a lot more versatility than the 257 Roy, and thus would be a better choice for an all-around "light" Western rifle if one wanted to go non-magnum.

I like bullet weight and bore diameter personally, so it's a no-brainer from where I sit- 300wm. Although, 'twer ME, I'd opt for a lighter, handier, shorter rifle in 300 WSM instead. And if I was doing THAT, might as well do it right and go .325 WSM. :-)

I'm gonna go out on a limb here:

Bob, I'm thinking something 270'ish

Gimme one of each:
the 257 Roy with a 26" tube for my southern Idaho muley hunting and a 300WM with a 24" barrel with 200gr partitions for elk and such.

There, problem solved.

I'm guessing ol' Bob just split the difference and went 7mm....grin

Has anyone here ever heard of light bullets not making it through bone?Does anyone believe that there are jobs better done by heavy bullets than light one's,even the vaunted TSX?

Has anyone ever figured that light bullets and calibers work when driven through the slats, but MIGHT not work so hot if a quartering on shot is presented,and the bullet hits a shoulder knuckle on the way to the chest cavity,especially at short range where velocity is very high? I mean, has anyone ever seen any of this stuff happen on elk sized game?

IMHO this is an absurd conversation.I would not go around the corner to shoot an elk with a 25,with all deference to the worthy opinions expressed here. Seems like a stupid idea to me.The entire conversation is ridiculous.

That works Tim!


Of course if you really think about it, the 270 Win/300WSM combo is perfectly ideal...grin

Funny how guys like dogzapper that have done it say it works just fine, but guys that haven't say it can't be done.