Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters 257 Roberts whats the attraction

It isn't trendy but it's a for sure deer killer.

How so?
How does logic play a role in personal preference?

It's about attraction to the 257, not the logic of wanting one.

I've had a 25-06 and a 257R. The 25-06 went down the road, still have the Roberts. In my case, the Roberts was more accurate and I just like that particular rifle.

My 25-06 brass gets sized into 240 Wby cases. All my 25-06 headstamps look like 240 Wby cases, because that's what they have become.

If it's straight forward, if it's logical, if it makes sense, it's probably not Loony.

DF

And I don't imagine the .257 would fall short either, despite my head quibbles on horsepower...

It won't, if loaded to it's potential.

My load posted above, 100 gr TTSX at 3266 fps over H-100V, is accurate and not over the line regarding pressure. That powder just works well in that round.

Now, looking at 25-06 Load Data, it's the rare 100 gr. load that blows that one away, most don't. Now, if one leaned on the larger round, displacement ultimately rules.

I would think the 25-06 would probably pull ahead with more authority, shooting heavier bullets.

It may not be too unlike the .308, '06 match up. Light bullets, not that much difference, heavier bullets the larger case rules.

DF

Yep.

I like the .25-06, and indeed all 25s, despite theories about their ballistic deficiencies in this era of ultra-high ballistic coefficients and longer-range shooting. But after long experience with the .250 Savage, .257 Roberts, .25-06 and .257 Weatherby Magnum, I let my .250s and .25-06s go, because while I couldn't tell much (if any) difference in the field performance of the .257 Roberts and .25-06, I could tell a difference between the field performance of the .250 and .257, and between the .25-06 and .257 Weatherby.

Of course, that may change if the "right" .250-3000 or .25-06 comes along!

I like the old Roberts best of all the 25s. I don't own one now, but for no good reason. My Daughter and both of her sons use a 257 Roberts quite a lot, and have all killed game with it including elk.
I do have a super light 25-06 but it was left to me by an old friend when he died, so that one is dear to me because of who give it to me. I have shot quite a number of game animals with both 257 Roberts and 25-06 and like Mule Deer above, I have not seen any difference in how well one killed over the other. In fact, unlike Mule Deer, I have not seen any real difference between the 257 Roberts, the 25-06 and the 257 Weatherby in deer and antelope killing. The faster Weatherby makes wind estimations a bit less critical. That difference is noticeable, but not extremely.

Steve,

The difference I see in the .257 Weatherby is in wind drift and trajectory, which makes it easier to hit with at longer ranges, even when using a multi-point reticle or twisting turrets. But also admit that one of the moderate 6.5s (anything from the 6.5x55/.260 class to the 6.5-06/PRC) works noticeably just as well in wind, and with laser rangefinders a flatter trajectory isn't a big deal either.

As I've noted in other posts, the longer I hunt big game, the less difference I see in "killing power" in almost any vaguely appropriate cartridge. This is contrary to what many believe about bullet diameter and weight, but as long as the bullet penetrates and expands sufficiently there doesn't seem to be much difference.

When I started using the .257 Roberts 35+ years ago I'd been using the .243 Winchester for around a decade. Just about everybody back then (especially the handloading rifle loonies) believed the .257 was superior to the .243 for deer, because of the heavier bullets available. But after using the .257 for a while I couldn't see any difference.

Now, I did step up to the .30-06 last fall when hunting in a favorite local area, but that's because grizzlies are becoming more common there. A few years ago my wife killed a cow elk in a similar, nearby area late in the evening, using her New Ultra Light Arms .257 Roberts--which also happened to be the only rifle we had along, though I did also carry a handgun and bear spray. I'll admit that returning to the elk during the pack-out process brought about thoughts about how effective a .257 Roberts with 100-grain Barnes TTSXs might (or might not) be on a grizzly--partly due to having some encounters with them over the years. But we managed to get the elk to the pickup without incident.

Exactly.

Before my first western hunting trip I spent almost the whole summer on a public hay field south of my home with my then-8 yo son, my .257 AI, and truckloads of water-filled recyclables.

Samuel would spot for me... we had as far as 390 yds... and once I was feeling confident he shot, learning to plug water filled milk jugs out to 250 yards on the first try 9 out of 10 times.

No surprise that when the time came for him to choose a cartridge for his first big game rifle he chose a .257 Rob

Has served him well too:



Add to that the fact that I have a thing for Mauser actions, and the .257 Roberts just makes sense.

Of course I’d not argue that a 6mm Rem, 6.5x55, or 7x57 wouldn’t work just as well...

Back in the mid 80's Winchester made a run of the Roberts in their m70 featherweights. It seemed almost instantly the gun shows had a plentiful supply of used ones for sale.

I've owned a lot of 257 Roberts rifles, still have 11 of them, and while I like it, it has been primarily a reloader's cartridge for close to 50 years. When I was a kid, Winchester/Olin cataloged 3 bullet weights and styles of 257 Roberts factory ammo that made it a more flexible varmint and medium game cartridge. I have long followed the road less traveled when it comes to cartridges. While I think that the 257 Roberts is a nice little cartridge, looking at it with a critical eye, I see it as a more expensive and less practical way to get the same approximate level of performance as the common as dirt .243 Winchester.

I was introduced to the Bob waaay back in the early 60's where my aunt used it on everything - from pronghorn to elk.

It was only the city folk who we'd occasionally guide on the property who were smart enough to know you can't use the Bob on elk. 'Course, they were also smart enough not to point out that error to my aunt.

Today, my custom Bob is my go-to pronghorn getter. Heck, I was out this morning working up another load for it.

Why? Just 'cause...

I really want a .257 Roberts, preferably a pre 64 Model 70, or even better, a pre war Model 70. The stories I hear on how it drops deer are great, and I like the idea of having something different.

Agree on the Roberts being a reloader's round, but to me, they're all reloader's rounds...

Just off the shelf performance, the 6.5 CM may be an even better choice than the .243, which is a good choice. I'm sure that'll send howls up all around, but just looking objectivly at what's on the dealer's shelf and how those rounds shoot at the range, perform in the field, it's not rocket science. That profile, IMO, is what made the Creed what it is.

DF

Now we have a shrink's opinion.

I bought one of those back then. It hated X-Bullets, but loved everything else

I bought one of those back then. It hated X-Bullets, but loved everything else. Every deer I shot with it went straight down. I loved that rifle, but sold it to my brother for his kids to use. I doubt I'll ever get it back.

Back in the mid 80's Winchester made a run of the Roberts in their m70 featherweights. It seemed almost instantly the gun shows had a plentiful supply of used ones for sale. [/quote]

That's because the dumbass bootlips at Winchester put a mag box in them made for the 243 win at about 2.82" long and the only way to get max accuracy with a 100 gr Spitzer was seat it out to about 3.05" making the gun a single shot. Yup could have ordered a mag box and follower for the 7x57 chambered gun as well as a bolt stop. Why in the hell should you have to spend extra to make it right when winchester should have done that in the first place? The 100gr Silvertips in the +p load shot good accuracy wise but didn' t perform well on game. The factory Remington rn 117 gr loads didn 't shoot for beans and for a fact the WW 117 rn loads were only a little better. That s why I dumped mine

I'd sooner let you have my dog than one of my 257 Roberts.

The attraction is that it has low muzzle blast, low recoil and it's not a 243 Win. I bought one for my wife. It seemed just right for a person of her size, (plus I get to play with it).