Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters 257 Roberts for Dall Sheep

Still planning and dreaming about a Dall sheep hunt. All this talk about the 257 Roberts has me thinking - what about using the Roberts for Dall Sheep?

I am leaning toward going to the NWTs right now but maybe the Brooks Range. I had hoped to book last year but it has been pushed back a bit. I would go only for Sheep on this hunt - except a wolverine if I see one - I have always wanted one!

Would it a bad idea in Grizzly country? Would it be light for the ranges I might be shooting? Have any of you used one for Dall?

It sounds like this might be a once in a life time hunt, so if you have doubts about the 257 maybe you maybe should consider something else. I have taken a lot of animals with a 25-06, and a friend of mine took a dall sheep with one and he said it worked fine. I think a 257 bob will do most of what a 25-06 will do but I have limited experience with one. I have never hunted sheep so I don't know how tough they are to put down, but I have heard you want to anchor them on the spot so they don't fall off a cliff. If it were me and I had something with a little more steam like a 270 or a 7 mag I would probably go that way. For a sheep hunt I don't think my 25-06 would be my first choice, but if it was my only choice I wouldn't hesitate.

I think it's only right to use a 270 WCF.

It would be an excellent choice. Especially in one of those NULAs or a Kimber Montana. Its sounds like you would have a guide. Frank Entsminger is the Jack O'Connor of sheep guides. He hunted with a 600 remington in a 243 winchester as his guide rifle for many years.

Just make sure that your gun will function in the worst possible environment and that it can place the bullet within 1.5 MOA at 400 yards.

Your guide will be impressed if you take such a weapon and demonstrate a high level of proficiency with it.

Sincerely,
Thomas

Not a gun writer, and never shot a sheep...BUT, if were dropping $12k+ on a hunt, i would be looking for the Bang---Flop. I would carry a bigger gun.

Under what scenario would the roberts not work that something else would? A 100gr .25 caliber bullet is plenty for sheep. 3000+fps will shoot flat enough and still have enough energy at 300+ yards. Bullet placement is far more important than cartridge.

That could be said for any animal...

The 257 Roberts won't have any trouble putting down a dall sheep or even a grizzly if you do your part. Only issue I see is the possibility of you loosing your ammo and not being able to replace it. Other than that, I would have no problem using the 257 Bob for sheep.

I have shot quite a few sheep and quite a few with the Roberts. I have also used a 243, a 270, a 30-06, and a 300WM. And I have been there when sheep were shot with the 7x57, 7-08, and several others I am sure I have forgotten.

Use a good bullet and put it through the shoulders. Sheep country is steep, but not treacherous like goat country very often. Putting them down now is good but the they are not likely to fall as far. And when they do their horns are lots tougher than goat horns.

Unfortunately, my experience with the Roberts was almost exclusively with cup and core bullets and I jaundiced my opinion of the cartridge because of the bullets.

The 243 sheep was about 100 yards out and grazing. The first shot was tight behind the front leg. The next several were plenty close enough to the first and any would have killed him. He mostly just continued to feed while being shot. Then he tipped over and died.
art

What would you consider an acceptable weight for a sheep rifle?

I have a 270 win that with scope and loaded it 8.25 pounds. I figured it was more important to worry about the lbs on me, not the gun (as a side note I have now lost 35 of the 50 lbs I want to loose for this hunt). But now I am thinking a NULA would be just the ticket. I could about 2 lbs lighter rifle - and the way people talk about them ...

But if I get a NULA, what caliber do I get? Another 270? (I could do that) A 257 Roberts? (JB seems to love the NULA 257 Roberts combo) A 6.5x55? A 7-08?

If you had a month in sheep country I would think it would be a great choice but in a once and lifetime hunt I like a bit more margin of error. The 257 Roberts is my favorite cartridge.


ddj

Take your pick, all would do very well.

I have never heard anyone coming back from a sheep hunt saying they were going to get a heavier rifle for their next hunt... More often than not the shot is pretty anticlimactic. Even a light rifle should be capable of shooting farther than most should.

A 7-08 or 7x57 would be my first choices these days, but that is 100% opinion and the chamber is absolutely the least important aspect of the rifle within any reasonable realm. Cannot understand the concept of going for the lightest possible rifle and making it a long action, so that sets one parameter. The Roberts is often thought of as a little long for a SA...

I've never owned a .257 Roberts but do own a .25-06 Rem. I wouldn't hesitate to use the 06 on sheep. The only problem with the Roberts from what I've read is they are handicapped on the short action with the heavier bullets. I think that's why a lot of the ammo companies show a max of 100 gr for the cartridge. I'd have no problem with either .25 cal but would want a heavy 115-120 gr bullet.

I have been fortunate to bring home two Dall Sheep, both with a .270Win.. The first was at 385yds. lasered with a 140gr BT's. At the hit the ram stood there and slowly rolled over. The second was with a 140gr. Accubond at 110 yards hard right quartering away. The bullet went into the the right quarter and ended in the brisket. The ram continuing over the hill, fell and slid down the steep slide about 150 yards.
The guide has had clients bring short action calibers on up to 300 Wthby.. The sheep isn't hard to bring down. Sitka posted good stuff on Sheep vs. Mt. Goat. My goat hunt was a bit tougher climb. We came in from above two billies. The guide picked one out and I crawled to the ledge and put a 180gr Partition between his shoulders at 42 yards. That was with a 300WM. I only brought that because there was a chance at a brown bear too. With a spine hit, he fell and slid down a rock slide about 900 feet. Luckily no damage and it was in the direction of camp.

If you serious about the NULA, I would build a .270Win. over a .257Bob. A few more options that are appeal to me. No fleas on the Bob but that is just me. But its your money, not mine.

Good on your weight loss. Train, train and train. I have come to the conclusion there is nothing suited to get you in sheep shape other than sheep hunting!!

Good luck and keep us posted on your decision.

An extra 2 pounds carried in the hands all day is far more tiring than an extra 2 pounds carried around the waist all day.



Bruce

+1 to what Sitka Deer and bigwhoop said. I've killed one Dall sheep and been on other sheep hunts and everyone always comes away wishing for a lighter rifle, so if you can afford a lightweight custom then you'll be better off as long as you can shoot it well by the time your hunt rolls around. Sheep don't take much killing and Dall's are fairly light-boned animals so the .257 Roberts would do the job, as would anything from .243 on up. The one thing you might consider when deciding on the chambering is long shots and the wind. The wind can be pretty extreme up on the mountain at times and longer shots, over 300 yards are becoming more common. Obviously, you can limit your range to what you're comfortable with, but if you're confident in your chosen cartridge and abilities, you can push that envelope a little if you need to and not be worrying about it. Wind will play havoc with any bullet in any size, but the lighter weight bullets will move more under the same conditions. Just some thoughts. You also have to consider whether you want a rifle designed solely around one hunt that you may never do again. You obviously have an interest in the Roberts and would probably use it for other hunting. If you get a new rifle in another chambering, will you want to use it as much once the sheep hunt is over? Would it bother you if the rifle just sat around after the hunt?

In any case, good luck on the hunt and weight loss!

I've only shot one Dall and that was with a 6.5-284 that weighs about 7 lbs. If I were doing it again and thinking of a NULA I'd pick the same cartridge in the M-20 which was designed around the 284 case. The M-20 NULA 6.5-284 I eventually had was a very accurate rifle, IMO perfect for the mountains.

I have never shot a Sheep but have always thought of the 7X57 or 270 as ideal.I would invest the money in a NULA.It will be your companion the rest of your life.I figure you can get profecient with it with no worries which will take a lot of tension away from the hunt.One peice of advice from having done some mountain hunting is to buy two scopes exactly the same.Mount them in Quick release mounts and zero them both in.Carry the spare with you in your daypack.Nothin can screw a hunt more than having your scope go cowchit!!!!!

It's funny how the 7x57 seems to have the image of a cult cartridge more aligned with older more mature hunters, who are in rationalization phase, because it is actually very suited to the majority of animals that will ever be hunted.

The reason it works, is simper than sales pitch could infer, in that it is a very mild cartridge to shoot. Most readers accept the virtues of a 7mm 140gn bullet and once you experience the comfortable and the mild report and recoil, you are able to more uniformly place those bullets exactly where you want as your focus is aligned to concentration on placement and not on the other two detracting factors.

There is very little in this world that cannot be taken by that bullet when loaded in the 2850-2950 fps range. It shoots flat, hits hard and the bullets available are mostly game bullets in their contruction so it is not as easy to make a bad choice.

I have been using the cartridge for most of the last 30 years and it has the highest number of DRT's of all cartridges I have used or seen used on medium game from 100 to 1,000 pounds. I put that down to good bullets placed correctly more than anything else.

Sure, I have seen some pretty dynamic DRT's from time to time,using other cartridges, but the 7x57 speaks more quietly than most and still carries the big stick. I have obtained over 5 feet of penetration with 140gn X bullets and 4 plus feet of penetration with 160gn Failsafes.

After many years of consideration over the matter, I put the extra penetration down to the "velocity of the penetration" which is an unprovable factor I favor. In the end,I have recovered 160gn Failsafe's but have never recoverd a 140gn Barnes bullet.

Regarding the original question concerning the .257 Roberts, it is the 7x57 necked down, so it has heritage and the competence of the .257 bore. It will work well on sheep, but if I were looking for a rifle that will suit a larger range of game after this hunt is concluded, I would favor the 7mm over the .257.

John