Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles 257 wby in Remington action

I have a strong desire to own a 257 Wby. I have zero desire to own a Weatherby or Howa rifle though. Was thinking maybe a Remington 700 in 25-06 rechambered with the bolt face opened up. Or would be easier/cheaper to buy a 700 in magnum chambering and re-barrel? let the suggestions fly please........Fishster

I'd start with a .532 boltface.

Going the standard bolt face route (i.e. .25/06, etc.) you would need to open up the bolt face and install a Sako type of extractor. You would generally be better off and cheaper in the long run to find a gun designed for a magnum caliber (7mm Rem. Mag, etc.) and screw on a new barrel with a finished length of around 26 inches.

Rebarrel a 7mm Magnum, you'd be doing the world a service!

It seems like the 300WM and 7mmRM 700's are always available on used racks and on the net. You should be able to find a good- condition ADL for $350 or so and a new SS barrel shouldn't run more than $500 installed.

On the other hand I've opened up a standard bolt face for a magnum a few times and I like a Colt or Sako type extractors anyway over the Rem "finger nail clipping" extractor. Although it's true the bolt face rim is a little thinner when you open it up, I've never been told by a 'smith that it's not a good idea nor have I seen any problems with it. That doesn't mean there isn't some down side to it; I've just never been told what it is.

Gdv

I have a friend and gunsmith in Calif who has done exactly this conversion. He tells me that a Weatherby barrel thread type and shank are an easy fit into a Rem action but if it was me I would just get a good premium barrel. My custom .257WBY is on a pre-64 Model 70 as I like all of my rifles including DGRs to feel and function the same and I am big on CRF but for a deer/antelope/coyote rifle a model 700 is, of course, a great basis as has been proven a couple million times. I agree on the Sako extractor. If I had to hunt with a model 700 this is a mod I would do. My custom 257WBY's have all carried and current one is wearing a 27.5 inch tube. RE-chambering a 25/06 with a factory barrel will not get you a 26 or longer barrel. Best solution IMHO is buy a well used up model 700 in 7Mag (LOTS of these around cheap) have a good aftermerket barrel of at least 26 inches professionally installed along with the Sako extractor and enjoy! Feeding etc. will be a non issue as well if you start of with the 7Mag basis. Great choice in calibers to play with. Amazing results on deer and similar sized critters. Fun X 100 IME. Good luck! MARK

And while you are at it,have a new barrel chambered without the excessive freebore that is common with this cartridge.You will have to reduce the powder charge a bit,but odds are,it will be more accurate.

Before going through all that please read the following article, you may get some mileage out of it.
http://www.shootingtimes.com/ammunition/ST257weatherbymagnum_031706/

I own a couple of Howa barreled actions with stocks and bedding done by myself. I own a couple Remingtons as well. In my opinion, the Howa action is better in many ways and of higher quality these days. The action is, for all intense purposes, a Sako 691 that is a solid forging. The extractor therefore is the famous Sako extractor (M-16 type).

As far as the article, it is all about a Wby MK V and Wby-Howa Vanguard. The interesting part is the fact that the 24-inch barrel is only slightly slower in most cases and is actually faster than the 26-inch with some bullet/powder combos.

Good luck with your 257 Wby no matter what you decide.

On the boltface issue, a magnum 700 L/A with is the best route. If you do wind up with a std L/A, just swap out the std bolt with a magnum bolt if you can find somebody willing to swap bolts. Far better than a Sako extractor. I know a 'smith who will swap out your bolt for $75.00 I think. (he has to make $$, no?)

MtnHtr

Of course this data really doesn't mean a great deal without knowing the chamber pressures developed for each load.A tight chamber can result in more velocity even with a shorter barrel because it results in more chamber pressure being developed.With both guns producing the same pressure,the longer barrel will almost always produce more velocity.

Of course this data really doesn't mean a great deal without knowing the chamber pressures developed for each load.A tight chamber can result in more velocity even with a shorter barrel because it results in more chamber pressure being developed.With both guns producing the same pressure,and having the same throat length,the longer barrel will almost always produce more velocity.

Hey Jim,
How's that 257Roy coming along?

setting up a 25-06 to save money wont get you much.. after the bolt face mod and a little rail work (maybe) add you magazine and follower your close to a barrel blank. smith still has to set up the factory tube and bury the markings etc...

grab a mag action and send it......

sanford

The "far better than a Sako extractor" comment is an opinion not a fact. I know 'smiths who are high on this (or the Colt) and Ive had two 700 customs with the Sakos-a 340 and 270 Wbys-for 15 and 10years respectively without a burp (and others) and what's more I've had a Rem extractor break on me the 3rd day of a five day elk hunt effectively ending my hunting. It may be very rare but it can happen.

And of course it all depends on what he can get into more cheaply to begin with-a 25-06-or for that matter, a 270 or 30-06 too, or the mag, that will mostly determine what finally will be the most economical route.

Gdv.

I know smiths who do a lot of work on 700's who will happily swap bolts, just because so many shooters buy a 700 and then want it barreled to a different case-diameter round. A buddy went this way and got a .25-06 rechambered and bolt-swaped by a local smith, and is very pleased with the result. Total price was $75.

My own .257 Weatherby is a Vanguard that shoots into .5 MOA at 300 yards (3-shot groups), pretty much right out of the box. Only modification is a Timney trigger. That seems like a real deal for $600 or so--certainly a lot less than you'd pay to have a Remington magnum action rebarreled.

Stubblejumper, that is exactly the point of any chronographing of various barrels in different lengths. There will always be some overlap in velocity between 24 and 26-inch barrels, because of small variations in chamber, throat, etc. As long as pressures are safe, it doesn't matter. This is also the reason that bullets from 24-inch .257 Roys don't drop to the ground halfway to the animal.

JB

Correct,but as I posted previously



It is my opinion that where this overlap in velocity occurs,either the chamber pressure is above the design pressure in the 24" barrel,or the chamber pressure is below the design pressure in the 26" barrel.
In my own factory 257wby,I did fire one box of factory loads,before I obtained brass for reloading.The loads actually exceeded the Weatherby data,but the expansion on the belt was .002" after a single firing and there were small extrusion marks on the case head.In my opinion,the chamber pressure was over the design pressure in this instance.The rifle fired these rounds with no apparent ill effects,but was the chamber pressure really safe?Would there have been a problem after a several hundred rounds?By the way,my handloads displayed less than .001" expansion with no extrusion marks,and almost matched the weatherby data.
The point being firstly that all factory loads may not be "safe" in your factory rifle.Secondly,trying to produce the weatherby data for 26" barrels with your 24" barrel may be attainable,but in doing so,the chamber pressures produced could very well be above the design pressure for the cartridge,and as a result"unsafe".

I have had a run of bad luck with the last 4 Rem 700 rifles that I have purchased (all new). There accracy has been from borderline to awful. I would really hesiate to get a new Rem and rechamber to something else. I would go the magnum action, new or used and rebarrel, be better off in the long run.

"And while you are at it,have a new barrel chambered without the excessive freebore" NOT A GOOD IDEA!

If one is going to do that, might just as well do a 25-06, since one will experience significant velocity loss.

Also, if one is going to have a rifle stamped 257 Weatherby, then it better be capable of handling Weatherby ammo. I.e. leave the free bore there.

When you're long gone, the collection is sold off, and the next shooter believes the stamp and doesn't do a chamber cast, we don't want the estate sacrificed to a law suit over an exploding rifle.

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