Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting .257 Cal Bullets?

People try to make up for their handicap of lack of hunting skills with gadgets.

Bugger it amazes me to see the contraptions people bring into the deer woods. Never had to twist a turret, there are no levels on my scopes, no rails and no bolt knobs from a ‘73 Nova. Somehow I fill all of my tags and in my state that makes for a pretty good season.

GreggH

Sierra might’ve discontinued them but the most awesome deer bullet for the 25-06 was the 120gr HPBT Gameking. Crazy accurate and never had a deer take a step.
I would give the Sierra 110gr TGK or Nosler 110 AB a try, if you can’t get the 120 HPBT’s.

For the Roberts, I’ve always liked 100gr Sierra GK or 100gr Nosler BT

My goodness, there are some hilarious comments in this thread. Thanks!

The 25 is just fine, as are the 24's and the 26's... They're all so close...

I surely do like my 25-06, and the 257 Wby as well. With the 25-06 I've brought down mule deer, pronghorn & coyote. Blew up a few rockchucks too as I recall. Bullets from Barnes, Nosler and Berger all worked great.

Love those zippy smallish bore cartridges. Low recoil. Flat trajectory. Easy to shoot and kill quickly. What's not to like?













Thanks all, the discussion of 25's brought back a lot of good memories, mostly hunting with my 25-06 Rem 700 CDL.

Regards, Guy

Anyone use the 80 gr Barnes TTSX on deer? It’s available recently and looks like it would work at 257R velocity. Not looking to shoot past 200 with it.

Bob: the 80TTSX is the only bullet that I could find that consistently shot well in a very picky 257. it has worked very well on numerous deer. I like shoulder shots to drop them quickly in the thorny brush. The only one I had a problem with was a mature buck at just short of 300 yards quartering away. The bullet did not exit. No blood trail. Took a long time to find him.

For the purposes you described they should work well

My favorite corner on my Trophy Room. The 4 rams and the Wolverine were all one shot kills with 117 gr Sierra GameKing bullets from my .257 Ackley. Only the Dall ram and Wolverine were taken on a guided hunt. The longest shot on all of these animals was 206 yards on the Dall ram. The Mule Deer was a 30 yard shot with a patched round ball from my .45 caliber BP Kentucky percussion rifle. The Goat was less that a 100 yd shot with a 180 gr Nosler Partition from my .30 Gibbs. The Bighorn rams and the Goat were DIY solo hunts in Montana's Unlimited tag Bighorn units.

South,
Thanks for the report.

Hear, hear!
I agree entirely, on both counts.

I thought the 120hpbt was OK on broadside shots thru the ribs but didn't hold together worth a damn on bigger bones in the 25-06.. mb

Well… it WAS made by Sierra!! LOL

i just ordered 200 - 25 caliber - 75 gr. Hammer Hunter bullets ,i plan on using these bullets in my 257 Roberts rifle and Reloader 17 powder if it works out for deer hunting.

That sounds interesting.

Look forward to your report.

DF

If? I'd suggest overkill but, hey, it's a hobby.

My .257 Roberts is a late 60's build, Springfield action, 25" #5 Shilen barrel and Pecan wood stock fully bedded. The load it loves is utilizing the Speer 100 grain spire points at 3010fps that will group under 1/2". I hunt deer and antelope with it and they have all been one and done. I don't shoot past 250yds and only take head shots with it. Yes, I've let critters pass 'cuz the shot wasn't there but the point being it does the job and I'm happy with the results.

The Barnes 80 gr. only dropped about 4" at 200 yards today. (Sierra 100gr spitzers, a bit more...... I know, "its made by Sierra") Was windy so I did not bring a rear rest. If this 722 shoots these Barnes this well after a good test with the front and rear bag and a half way calm day I believe I have found the 2023 Deer Rifle of choice and load development may be over. That will be a very long boring summer waiting for Fall.


257 Roberts, IMR4350, 200yds, Red Circle 1".

I'd have no qualms about deer hunting with the 100 grain Sierra.

I quite using Sierra bullet to shoot game, preferring instead to use Hornadys, Noslers, or Speers, depending on the application.

Knowing that a Partition is 100% dependable gives a person peace of mind.

That said, folks should always use what they feel comfortable using and have a positive history with.

Did you have trouble with the spitzers, or just the hollow points I know you discontinued using?

I just started using TTSX bullets. They’ve worked well. I plan on taking a 25 out this year - 250 or 257 preferably. If I do the TTSX’s may be what I’ll use. So far TTSX’s have shot excellently in the three rifles I’ve tried them in - 300 Savage in a 99, 30-06 700, and a 7x57 700 mountain rifle. I expect that they will shoot accurately in the 25’s too.