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

From the git, I am just never saw the need for any of Roy's stuff.
I remember dude hunters bringing them into Elk camp in the early 80's, ( 7mm, .300 & up) they were glossy, long and heavy and many hunters just couldn't shoot them straight.( one dude told us his rifle was factory sighted in)
I called this the" Biggest bang theory"
Recently, I saw a piece that again made Roy's .257, out to be a lazer beam shooter, far ahead of the pack , a velocity king.
Ok, now enter the ancient .270 wcf, locate some 80 or 85 grain bullets to top it off, load it with data provided and " voila" 3800 fps +.
The .257 puts them out there in the same speed.
The 25/06 isn't to far behind either.
I know this will never change the Weatherby crowds ever loving worship of Roy's stuff .
I will say this....he was a marketing man
A couple of my cousins are died in the wool Weatherby users ...it even broke into my gene pool!

What say you? The great unwashed, our Lofty gunwriters and all of the Weatherby nation?
Tongue in cheek...just a little, folks

I say speed kills, thats why we have speed limits

the 257 IS a lazer beam killer when it comes to deer sized game. I've posted this before, but I've probably killed forty plus deer with the 257 (and 100gr Hornadys) and NOT ONE has ever taken a step. Not ever. All things being equal speed does kill..

I'd say it's the sudden deceleration.

Never was a fan of the 257wby. I owned a couple in the late 80’s early 90’s. I think bullet construction had not caught up to the 257’s speed. Should be a different story with the newer premium bullets. Hasbeen

So true, so concise, yet so funny!! 😃

100 gr TTSX at 3750 sighted 3" high at 100 gives you a dead hold MPBR on Deer out to 400 yards, if that's not a lazer, I don't know what is.

The TTSX does give one the ability to "punch above your weight" with the 257, but there is something about that 100gr Hornady pill that just flattens deer. IT does wreck the shoulder, but IDGAF, not a big fan of venison anyway and besides, the shoulder is ground meat material anyway

My brother has a 257 we got him as his first rifle. Light on recoil, was real accurate as well. We’ve loaded 100 TTSX And 120 Partitions and it’s been a laser beam for him. Drops bucks, always gets an exit.

It’s been a great deer rifle for him and he still uses it quite a lot. It’s just a cheap Vanguard but we have put it into a McMillan stock and upgraded the optics a bit.

He also acquired a Vanguard 6.5-300 that seems like a decent enough cartridge. Powder hog and all, still a neat hunting cartridge.



My son has a 300 Wby MK5 that was gifted to him that’s an excellent shooting rifle as well. I’ve never had a Wby rifle myself but their cartridges ain’t half bad and being able to make them from 7 Rem isn’t such a bad thing.

I’ve mainly stuck with the regular mags and standard sorta stuff but I can see why folks like them.

I have one, kills great with 100 grain TTSX, but so does a 25-06. I have some loaded for a 257 Roberts, eager to try it on some pigs.

I never liked the factory package the 257 came in, too heavy
Karl Kampfeld built me one on a Rem. first gen Ti action & stock.
Light weight firing pin and shroud, extra lighnening work on the bolt, aluminum adl trigger guard etc.
Fluted Brux #2 stainless bbl. & Rifle basix trigger.
100 gr. TSX's at over3700.
Talley lightweights and a Leupold 4.5-14 x 40 LR with a TMOA reticle from their custom shop.
One of the most accurate and deadly rifles I own.
The whole package comes in at about 7 lb. 2 oz.
Karl does great work.

I bought a WBY Classic in .257 Wby this year. It meets their accuracy guarantee of 25 years ago. 3 shots into 1.5". It is heavy, but I have only carried it in the foothills and plains where the wind whips and the ranges can be long. I shot my deer with it this year at 300 yards, but any centerfire round would have caused it to die as quickly since I shot him where the skull meets the neck.

What is funny is it isn't any heavier really than most wood stocked rifles of 30 years ago and many today. But I am older with enough joint and back problems that a lighter gun would be beneficial.

I have one of Roy's early rifles, a 1954 year model FN in 257, they're very lightweight trim stocked rifles, they really done some nice work on these back then, that said, the rifle is only 12 twist, but, 100gr A frames at a modest 3500 fps over 65gr Norma 204 knock deer out of their hooves, like Jorge said, and only a sample of three with me, not one has moved after the shot, and i have no bullet recoveries to date.

Leaning real hard on taking it to Africa for plains game up to the size of Wildebeest this fall.

Damn near anything flattens deer with a shoulder shot.

I've killed a few with a .22 LR and NOT ONE ever took a step.

My boy killed a couple when he was 8 with a .22. Fell dead right there.

So I have always been tempted by the 257 WBY ... almost "pulled the trigger" a few times. As I looked at the ballistics and numbers of a 25-06 vs 257 WBY it seems to me that the 25-06 is sooo close as to be difficult to justify the 257 WBY -- a few inches at 400 yards. And if I got one I would prefer a 24inch barrel so they get a bit closer still. So I got a 25-06 instead. I have yet to hunt with so I have nothing to compare it to.

With those with experience with both -- does the bit more speed and compared to the 25-06 create "quicker kills"? Honest question

I am still tempted by the 257 -- it was my grandpa's favorite.

That's my experience as well. Have not only hunted plenty of whitetails in various places in the U.S., Canada and Old Mexico, but whitetail-sized deer of other varieties from Europe to New Zealand, often on "cull" hunts, including several in Texas. Have crumpled them with shoulder shots with cartridges from the .22-250 and .243 on up.

I am a big fan of the .257 Weatherby, but prefer monolithics to lead-cores, because Eileen and I do like deer meat, and shooting them behind the shoulder with 100-grain Barnes TSXs or TTSXs or Nosler E-Tips at 3500+ fps kills them pretty damn quickly, without ruining much meat.

Same boat I've been in. I've considered the Weatherby a few times, but just never did pull trigger, since the 25-06 comes so close ballistically and the brass is so much cheaper. I ended up buying a couple 25-06s instead.

I have owned two ( one a converted 25-06 Classic, 24") (one a custom Mark X with 26"bbl) I couldn't tell any diff between them, shot the old Federal factory 115 NP in the Classic, handloaded the then new 100TSX in the Mark X) I also like the 25-06 and the 270 with the 110s....they hum! Since I have this Mesa 300WM, I have some 130TTSX to load for...."ala .270 Wby". At lease it will be a flat shooter, ha, if not exactly matching the 257 or 270 Roys. Factory Wby ammo just has to be around 74K! A collet die will take care of the bulge above the belt.