Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Help Me Choose .257 Wby or .338 WM

Call me a party pooper, but you already have a 280 and 30-06.
You are all set for your 400 yard ( or closer) deer.

I was going to suggest a 270 Win ( "your grandfather's 6.5 Creedmoor": ammo is everywhere, with good pricing, lower recoil for more enjoyable bench sessions, but with long range punch), but since you have a 280 Rem, you are close enough. If you don't like the way it shoots, get a new barrel. That's the campfire way....getting responses you didn't solicite.

338 Win mag? Too much.
257 Bee? Too exotic ( and $$$).

Whatev'

What is the .338 WM too much for? What is the .257Wby too exotic for? Who gets to decide that?

A .270 makes less sense than any of my choices, tho I don't mind the round.

I do think it's going to be a .264 WM or a .338 WM.

Get both. Problem solved.

I'd get all 3, plus a few more. 6.5 cm included.... Just sayin.

Make it a switch barrel!! Screw the one on you want at the time. With a good set of repeatable scope mounts and a good scope, rezeroing shouldn't take many rounds. I've long wanted to do this with my Ruger 338.

OP,

Some thoughts here-
I would go for the .257 Wby,

I own one, and have used it for some 35 years now, on game from coyotes to elk.
I handload for it, using Barnes 100 gr. TTSX bullets, at a MV of 3700 fps out of the 26" barrel. It is neither difficult, nor any more expensive, to load for, than any other comparable centerfire cartridge. Weatherby (Norma) brass case life is excellent- buy a supply of 50 rounds of brass, and it will last you a very long time, if you are just hunting with your rifle.
Used with proper bullets, like the Barnes, it is not 'explosive', at any range. Stay away from conventional cup and core bullets. I think the .257 really comes into its own when used for open-country hunting of species like mule deer and antelope. It is difficult to imagine a better cartridge choice for this type of hunting.
The first game animal I ever shot with my Wby. was an Alaskan Barren Ground caribou. After stalking the bull to 200 yards or so, I took the shot. The rest of the herd scattered, but no bull with them. He was dead on the ground, and as I approached, I noted a spray of blood and lung fragments for 20 feet on the snow behind the shot! And, there have been more DRT mule deer with my rifle than I can remember.

Never having wanted a WBY in any flavor - how does it compare to a 25-06 or AI?

Bee.....

tzone

Get the 338 Winnie. They are fun to shoot, don't recoil bad, shoot plenty flat to kill game farther than I care to shoot game, and there is no such thing as to much gun.

My experience is with the .257Wby, I have none with a 338. Mine (257) is for rockchucks and it does admirable job. Keith told me about his 26", 0 freebore gun that was doing 3850 with 100's. So I put one together, heavy 29" / 12 twist Hart and 100's at 4000 with superb accuracy. Brass we use is no longer available PMC which is very strong stuff. The 257 just destroys a rockchuck and if there's a 338 bullet that comes apart decently, I doubt there'd be much left of a rabbit, or a chuck. Keith shot a great many deer with his 257, they all were DRT, no runoffs. I can't imagine needing a 338 for your use. A shooting partner just traded for a real heavy 338 and in the near future we'll be comparing it to my 257 on chucks. Should be interesting. Deer aren't on the agenda but for that you'd be more than fine with the Wby.