It's always interesting to me to hear about how the .257 Roberts suffers ballistically from being chambered in so many short-action (or short-magazine) rifles.
Despite my previous comment about the .257 being a dying cartridge (which is true, sales-wise, both in rifles and ammo), right now we have four in the house. The one that's been around the longest is the Remington 722 inherited from my paternal grandmother, which Eileen used when she started hunting. The 722's magazine was the prototype for all the short-action magazines since, being slightly over 2.8 inches long. Yet this rifle will easily get 3150 fps with 100-grain bullets, using published +P data--which is limited to 58,000 PSI. It also easily gets 2950-3000 fps with 115-120 grain bullets.
So does Eileen's Ultra Light Arms Model 20. Its magazine is a little longer, 2.95 inches, but the standard SAAMI throat length often limits overall length to somewhat less.
The two latest are a pre-'64 Model 70 Winchester with a low 4-digit serial number, and a custom rifle built on a commercial FN Mauser action--which I used because it's another classic bolt action, not because it has a longer magazine.
