Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters The .257 Weatherby.

I built two, both based on Win 70 Classic (1990s vintage) CRF receivers, the first one was nice but I built a second to refine what I thought was ideal. I shot it side by side my 270 Win, same McMillan stock, and I could not tell any difference in recoil. They shoot flat and hit hard but ammo is expensive and often hard to find. I handloaded them (had a 240 Wby on a Win 70 too) but never could quite match factory velocity. Eventually sold them all, figured a 270 W would satisfy my need for that slot.

I've bought three different SS 257Wby sporters over the years. Worked up loads for them and never killed anything. When something else caught my eye, they were sold to fund new projects. Kind of laughable, really. The current one is a simple Vanguard Stainless with the gray/black factory stock and a re-sprung HACT 2-stage trigger. I keep it around as a loaner rifle, as it's a pretty good point-and-shoot rig for any reasonable range around here (250yd zero with 115NPT).

I've owned a couple of nice 25-06's long ago and never could warm up to them. Bought a SS Vanguard in .257 6 years ago and it's become my favorite Weatherby cartridge. Only thing I did outside of the factory stock condition is I changed the factory 2 stage trigger for a Timney set at 2 lbs. It's not fussy about different bullet weights, doesn't kick much at all, shoots 1/4" 3 shot groups with 110 grain Accubonds and just flattens deer.

Umm no. ergo ny comment(s), with operative words IN MY EXPERIENCE.....

For posterity....Noting the missing words "in the shoulder"....

I've lost track of how many I've flattened with shoulder shots from .223, .243, .30-30,.308 and.30-06. It's a bunch.

Perhaps placement trumps speed when it comes to killing. I always get a kick out of folks when they regale us with tales of how a certain cartridge "drops deer in their tracks" and then you find out it was from shoulder shots.

Yessir, of course placement does. Even I know that/ Hence, my comment "everything else being equal"/ And for the record, I've shot deer with everything from a 375 HH down to a 250 Savage, ON THE SHOULDER and whilst MOST of them DO drop in their tracks, the 257 Weatherby--IN MY EXPERIENCE-- has a perfect record. the others mentioned, do not.

My .30-30 has a perfect record of dropping deer with shoulder shots too, as do my .243 and .30-06. I've seen a few that were not dropped instantly with a shoulder shot over the years {various cartridges/bullets}. Mostly I think that although they were indeed hit in the shoulder, it was just a smidge too low.

I've never owned a magnum (except the .22 Magnum) in over 25 years of hunting. I've never needed one. However, several interest me including the .257 Weatherby, .264 Win and .300 H&H. But I have no use for them. I have never needed to shoot much past 200m. Last week I took two pigs at under 50 metres each with my little 6.5x47. Both dropped on the spot. Even for large tough game like our sambar deer I've used large calibre standard rounds like .35 Whelen and 9.3x62.

340 fan here. Powerful. A long way out.

Here's an example of what a "shoulder shot" can drop on the spot with something less than a .257 Weatherby. Eileen killed this Montana whitetail with a .243 Winchester and a 100-grain Nosler Partition late in the day, when the buck appeared on the edge of very thick cover. She put the bullet about 2/3 of the way up from the front leg, and it not only broke both shoulders and the spine, but exited....

That deer looks a lot bigger than a puny central Texas deer. Any idea what he weighs?

Didn't weigh it, but would guess 200+ pounds live weight. Which isn't unusual for Montana whitetail bucks.

Have hunted deer quite a bit in various parts of Texas (and enjoyed it all!) but even the biggest Texas bucks I've killed have been only about 2/3 that size.

I too put together a 257Wby on a SS M70 Classic. 25" 1:10 Lija 3-groove #3 taper in an Edge fill McMillan Classic w/blind magazine. It's a bit over 8# w/NF 3-10 SHV mounted. W/100gn bullets I'm able to exceed factory FPS using Ramshot Magnum powder. I've taken a 5' spring black bear, a pronghorn, a cow elk, a fair number of both Whitetail and Mule Deer and a few coyotes. Regarding big game, I've come to the same conclusion as you, it doesn't do anything the 270Win won't. I don't recall shooting anything under 100yds with it, a few deer right at the 100yd mark and I've shot deer out to right at 600yds with it. Where I do see an advantage is moving/running coyotes. I just have a better feel for the lead required by the 257Wby vs. the 270Win.

That’s a big dang deer! Just looking at Eileen’s hand on the beam. It’s like she’s holding a baseball bat by the fat end. Good work. That junction point where the spine goes between the shoulders is sure a sweet spot. Even if you miss a little left, right or low they’re down.

A lot of the big deer here in South Texas, are only seen during the rut, and they have lost 30% of their body weight, running Does, it's rare to find one that's over 200# we did kill a buck a couple of years ago that weighed 230# that year we killed several Does that were 135# or a little more, but that is not common here. Rio7

This buck of Eileen's was taken toward the end of the rut up here.

The heaviest whitetail buck ever officially weighed (certified scales, with witnesses) in Montana went 375 whole, 275 field-dressed.

The 340 WBY is a stud FB.


Nice buck for Mrs. Mule Deer, Thanks for posting.

The ONLY thing I dislike about the 257 WBY is that it does take a toll on barrels. Speed kills animals and barrels. But as someone once said, they make new barrels every day.