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

That location is exactly where my elk experiance happened and your 30-06 200gr Nosler experiance prompted me to try it out. Often things are really close range or one can shoot across canyons and clear cuts. Now i have grizzlies showing up on the trail cam and found buried moose carcass and some other activity. They arent behind every bush but some areas are extremely thick and i prefer my 338RCM or 30-06 in some of those areas but so far ive no incident and like it as such.

A few years ago i lived on a ranch outside a place called Big Timber. There were mule deer and antelope plenty. I suspose a 25 might be ideal on that place that was open with breaks and bluffs. I

I call it "The Rob" but I'm not from the South where I suspect The Bob nickname originates. Still, I think it's kind of amusing.

Funnily, years ago I knew a guy whose first name was, no kidding, "Roberts" (plural) - we called him "Bobs"...

I have a 257 Roberts reamer.
In my notes it is 257R.

I know a guy who thought his 25-06 had too much recoil. He sold it to me and bought a 257 Roberts.

Was this at band camp?

Lmao

I've had them both, never thought of the 25-06 as a kicker. I moved mine down the road, still have the Roberts.

In my case, it was the gun, not the round. My Roberts is more accurate, custom 700 with Brux barrel. I just like that gun more than the other one.

And, with the load I posted, I'm not giving up much if anything with 100 gr. bullets. 3,266 fps with H-100V will run with most 25-06's, at least with 100's. And with sub half inch, one hole groups.

Now with 120's, I'm sure the larger round will pull away from the smaller one. 100's, not a lot of difference.

DF

Yeah, and most call them “LEE-uh-poles” and “ KAY-lees” too. I think most Yankees originate goofydick nicknames for stuff. We’ll just call you “Bradley” for now.... Happy Trails

For a cartridge that some can't figure out the attraction it sure has received a lot of attention in the thread.

I had a m98 in 257 Roberts. It shot 100 grain Hornadys in tiny clusters over 45 grains IMR 4350. Never took any game with it. It did not shoot 120 grainers well (1-10" Douglas barrel).

MY view, and one reason I sold it, was I had other rifles chambered in slightly heavier offerings (7 mm Mauser, 270Win, 30-06). There isn't a lot of mass to a 100 grain .257 caliber bullet, and if it hits big bones, there isn't much left to it, so I sold it ( and my Rem 700 Classic 250 Savage). I know there are many reports of successful hunters taking big deer and elk with a 257 Roberts, but I just thought it was a bit light.

I've been selling off multiple calibers in my hunting rifle assortment for various reasons (mostly consolidating reloading components). I have settled on : 223 Rem ( CZ 527 varmint) 30-30 ( Marlin 336a), 30-06 ; (Win m70 Extreme Weather, JC Higgins m50 m98). So my sell off of my 257 Roberts and 250-3000 ( and others: 270 Win, 7x57, 338-06, .35 rem, 9.3x62, 44 mag, 45-70, 20 GA), were based on that general process of caliber elimination, not a "dislike" of a chambering.

Today, I'd rather have a 6.5 Creedmore than a 257 Roberts if I was looking for something lighter than my 30-06, due to it shooting a slightly heavier bullet (130-140 grain) and ammo availability, but I am not looking to add calibers at this time.

I am NOT knocking the 257 Roberts, just offering my selection process preferences for hunting chamberings, and simplifying my reloading shelf. It, and many other chamberings, simply did not make "the cut.". My 2c.

[/quote]That location is exactly where my elk experiance happened and your 30-06 200gr Nosler experiance prompted me to try it out. Often things are really close range or one can shoot across canyons and clear cuts. Now i have grizzlies showing up on the trail cam and found buried moose carcass and some other activity. They arent behind every bush but some areas are extremely thick and i prefer my 338RCM or 30-06 in some of those areas but so far ive no incident and like it as such.

A few years ago i lived on a ranch outside a place called Big Timber. There were mule deer and antelope plenty. I suspose a 25 might be ideal on that place that was open with breaks and bluffs. I[/quote]

I can see why you're not a lighter cartridge fan, though my wife hunted elk in local grizzly country a few years, due to getting picked for an early season "damage" permit. I could have carried a rifle, but chose instead to pack a handgun and a can of bear spray.

She used her .257 Roberts to take a cow, maybe half an hour before the end of legal light, which worked fine. But it was a mile downhill from the road where we'd parked the pickup, and it took us until 10:00 at night to get the last load to the pickup. It occurred to me somewhere in there that a .257 might be a little on the light side for grizzly defense, though I suspect it might have worked with the 100-grain Barnes TTSX's she used.

Know the Big Timber area pretty well, and these days wouldn't be surprised to run into a grizzly around there.

But I also don't only hunt right around home. The .257 (or a .243, or whatever) is a highly effective cartridge for most hunting.

It’s sort of a 3/4 scale .270Win on the x57 case.
What’s not to like ?

Less recoil, Fits in a SA , But might be better in a LA, there’s the enigma !

Newer higher BC bullets require a tighter twist and longer magazine / action.

I think a .25’06 will handle the heavier high BC bullets with a bit more authority without sacrificing the extra LA magazine length.

What’s the point fartin’ around squeezing them into a SA ?

The .243 was my go-to for a couple of decades before I had the 25-06 built. It's an awesome cartridge, and I never really felt a lack of any sort in using it.
A modern cartridge in .24, .25, or .26 makes a good baseline big game cartridge for most purposes. Take your pick... Or pick them all, like me.

I'm addicted to the spectacular effects of the 100 gr .257 launched at 3300 (25-06), and the same diameter 75gr at 3700. Logic will only get you to the ball park. It's the ball game, the crowd, the music and the experience that draws a guy back...
I have a hard time not loving any rifle I've used to take game.

I think a 3” action would be ideal for several rounds, including the Roberts. 3.4” is a bit long, 2.8” a bit tight. Choosing between LA and SA, I’ll go LA. I did and like it.

3,300 fps, 25-06 with 100’s, my Roberts goes 3,266 fps with 100’s. It really likes the TTSX, a killing bullet at that speed. No complaints from me, hogs or WT’s. What’s not to like.

DF

It’s got that cool ring to it.....like a 357?, cept it’s 257

Fugk yeah

A 3" magazine would be nice for a factory supplied SAAMI 308 Winchester.

Agree. It would be nice in a number of rounds. Would also be nice to increase the twist on selected rounds, but SSAMI specifies twist. But if twist was specified, it should work. Not sure factory rifle makers would be so bold.

DF

My latest .257 Roberts is built on an FN Mauser commercial action, with the typical 3.35" magazine for .30-06 length cartridges. It was originally intended for a fancy walnut stock, but that plan got canned when the stockmaker passed away.

The project was initiated by another old friend, who arranged to get the barreled action done--with the caveat that I chose a cartridge that I'd use for most of my big game hunting. (Already had a custom walnut-stocked 6.5x55 on another FN action, so chose the .257.) That guy passed away too during the middle of the project....

Eventually decided I'd like a somewhat lighter, more rugged .257 than my grandmother's 722--which I did not want to beat up. So fitted and finished one of Mark Bansner's High Tech synthetic stocks. The barrel is a slim cut-rifled 23" from Classic Barrel & Gunworks. Haven't had time to work up some handloads, but have fired it with a couple made up for other .257s, which indicated it will shoot pretty well.

Got 3250 with 100-grain Partitions from Grandma's rifle way back when, by pushing the maximum listed IMR4350 powder charges a couple grains--and there's plenty of pressure-room to do that with the Roberts. Interestingly, the Partitions shot VERY well, though as the throat wore somewhat in the 1000+ rounds Eileen and I put through rifle, they don't do so well anymore. But it does shoot 100-grain Ballistic Tips and TTSX's just about as well as it used to shoot Partitions, using IMR4451, so that's OK.

Yup. My 2 favorite loads OAL are 2.858" and 2.970". LA it is.

Which is partly why the .257 Roberts my wife Eileen has been using on everything up to elk for 19 years now is a New Ultra Light Arms Model 20, which has a 3" magazine.