Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles .257 Roberts

I wish I had gone with the 250AI over the 257Rob as it fits well in a short action.

In all practical sense, the 6.5CM is better than both.

For ease of ownership, the 25-06 has more factory load options and ammo seems to be more available than any other 0.257" bore cartridge that is currently cataloged as being factory loaded. However, over the past couple of years being cataloged and actually being available on dealers' shelves can be two significantly different things. Since I load most of the centerfire ammo that I shoot, it really doesn't matter which 0.257" bore cartridge or rifle that I choose to shoot, but I keep a couple 25-06s around in case there is an itch to scratch.

I've been shooting the 257 Roberts for over 50 years and think that it is a good cartridge, but it is primarily a reloader's cartridge as factory ammo doesn't offer much variety and it is seldom seen on dealers' shelves. That said, the Hornady Superformance 117 grain SST factory load has been very accurate in the rifles that I've shot it from, maybe the best 257 Roberts factory ammo that I've ever used. I'm old enough to remember when Winchester cataloged 257 Roberts ammo with 87, 100, and 117 grain bullets, but that was a long time ago.

Having owned rifles chambered in 250AI and 25 Souper, I'd take the 25 Souper all day, every day, over any other short action 0.257" cartridge.

The 6.5 CM is more practical than any short action 0.257" or any other 0.264" cartridge.

260Remguy,

In today's world, I have to agree with you, but how much of that "truth" is due to the standard twist on the cartridge and the wonderful variety of bullets available in .264 to take advantage of that twist? I like to imagine a .257 Ai with a fast twist barrel and the right bullets to take advantage of it. Though a lot of folks have killed elk well with the 6.5 Creedmoor, I tend not to think of it as an "elk+" cartridge. So if we just think about "deer-", I think that imaginary .257 AI world I described above would be pretty awesome.

Just my two bits. I love my .257 Roberts, and I love my 6.5 Creedmoor. Just a thought game.

Rex

I don't love anything that can't love me back.

Over the past forty-five years I have shot the 250-3000, 257, 257AI. 250AI, 25-284, 25 Souper, and 25 WSSM quite a bit more than the 25-06. I'm not a long range hunter, so I have no need for long VLD bullets, and my elk rifles are a pair of 270s shooting the same 140 grain load. My days of chasing WHAT IFs and choosing the road less traveled are pretty much over, but I'm sure that I'll find something to fill the void.

I’m pretty sure Web is Roundoak. Posts a few days after all the bs went down. Asks about a caliber he liked a lot, never comes back….

Dang Brad - that’s a beauty!

I see brass being easier for the Souper. How much of a velocity advantage does it offer over the 250AI?

I love my .257 Roberts Ruger 77 tanger. It’s not my choice for an elk rifle, but it is certainly capable of killing one. Topped with a 3-9x Kahles and very accurate. I’m not interested in the lack of factory ammo. I’ve got enough brass, primers, 100 gr TTSX, and Ramshot Hunter to go the distance.

Velocity wise the 250AI, 25 Souper, and 257 Bob that I've loaded for were within a couple of percent, but you'd expect that with case capacities running between 52 and 56 grains in Winchester brass. I had Ruger 77 RSIs with 18.5" barrels chambered for the three cartridges, the 250AI and 25 Souper used the same short action and the 257 is a long action, so close variables.

i had trouble getting the 250AI to feed smoothly in all three rifles that I had chambered for it, a Remington 600, Ruger 77RSI, and Savage 99C. I subsequently rebarreled the Ruger to 25 Souper and that eliminated the feeding issues.

I think that the 25 Souper is a better choice in a short action because the shorter case allows for more COAL latitude than the 257 and, at least in my experience, it feeds more smoothly than the 250AI. The only 25 Souper that I put together was the Ruger, so a sample size of one. I never felt the need to make another one and subsequently moved on to the 25 WSSM in super short action Winchester 70s. Also, I find that the long action Ruger 77 RSIs balance a little better than the short actions, so I prefer the 257 to the 25 Souper in that platform.

What do you think caused the feeding issues? Shoulder angle?

Yes. The Ruger fed fine when it was a 250-3000 prior to the rechamber. I didn't modify the feed rails on it and the 25 Souper wouldn't typically need that sort of work done to the action.

I have a Ruger 77R and a Savage 99CD in 257AI with a 40-degree shoulder that have similar feeding issues. I'm a make the first shot count hunter, so the ability to quickly cycle a bolt action is low on my needs hierarchy. If I need a rifle to cycle quickly, like when jump shooting in heavy cover, I'll carry a pump or semi-auto in lieu of any other action style.

P.O. Ackley kinda did me a favor in the early '80's when he was retired by rechambering my Ruger 250 to improved. Feed's like a hot knife thru butter.

That would do it for me as well.

Those XTR's have forged receivers.

Top-of-the-line Winchester rifle.

Load it to .30-06 pressure (60K PSI) w/ confidence.




GR

Your outcome is just different than mine. Do you know if your 'smith changed the feed rails? If the 25 Souper hadn't been a viable option for me and I had been more committed to the 250AI, I would have looked at adjusting the action. The 99 magazines were modified to better handle the straighter AI cases for both the 250AI and the 257AI. Ray Montgomery did the work on the 99CD in 257AI and spent quite a bit of time to get it to feed as well as it does, but it sure doesn't feed like a hot knife through butter.

Hard to see,but P.O. did no mod's on the Ruger.

I like the Roberts, Swede and 7x57 in a LA. A 3" action would probably be about perfect for those. The 3.4" LA is better, IMO, than the 2.8" SA.

DF

I agree that the 55mm case length of the 6.5x55 and 284 are a little too long for an optimal COAL fit in a 2.8" short action. Same/same for the 57mm case length of the 257 Roberts and 7x57.

I think that Ruger's decision to build their 257 Roberts rifles on a long action was better than Remington's choice of a short action in all of their 700s and 722s except for the 700 Classic, as cataloged, and the stainless 700 Classic, a non-cataloged limited run for a wholesaler. That said, my favorite cataloged 257 Roberts rifles are the Remington 700 Mountain Rifle, a short action, and the Winchester 70 FWT, a long action.

What can I say, I'm just an old guy with eclectic tastes. Heck, my favorite long action 6.5mm bore cartridge is the 256 Newton, so I'm clearly a road less traveled sort of guy.

i built a 257 Creedmoor and it does shoot well but i still liked the old 257 Roberts and 2 of the 7 - 257 Roberts have, these two have new Brux 8 twist barrels on them and both shoot real good too.i hunt mostly with my 257 Weatherby mag. Ruger #1 but once i get a little older i will switch to a 257 Roberts rifle, i also have 2 - Newton rifles and my favorite is a 256 Newton that i did shoot a doe with . these 257 Roberts i have owned all have gone or will go too the family hunters including a very nice 257 Roberts Ruger #1 ,1B to my grandson Alexander.