For the first time in at least a decade, I’ve killed all of my deer with the same rifle for two consecutive seasons. I’m using my Kimber Classic Select in 257 Roberts. I’m not sold on the 100 grain Sierra GameKing, which seems a bit too fragile within a couple hundred yards or so, but no deer has gone far after being hit. Pigs are another story which I was surprised by. The low recoil, what seems like a relatively mild report, and the looks and feel of the rifle all come together to make a rifle that’s a joy to hunt with. I’m sure I’ll end up changing things up again, but for now the 257R is king. My elk rifle is a 338F Montana. That rifle gets the nod for the bigger stuff and also in steep terrain. Also have a 223Rem Montana that has killed several deer and pigs. The 70 grain Speer SMP out of the 223 has been flawless on deer. I’ve got some 117 Sierra GK for the 257 that I’ll load this season. Thinking the higher SD and lower MV will address my concerns about penetration and bullet frangibility of the 257R with the 100SGK.
