Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Riddle me this: 257 wby or 25-06 ?

Looking to ad something a little lighter down the road and would like a 25 that really reaches out for predators or deer. The 25-06 I had before was a Browning and needless to say I will not have another of those.

if you really want to reach out, the Weatherby is your huckleberry. I like the Roberts for a nice light deer rifle, and the Roy for the wide open spaces. the .25-06 splits the difference nicely, but what's the fun of that?

The .257 Roy is tough to beat. You're not going to save any real rifle weight by going with the .25-06 Vs. .257 Roy... So why not go with the faster cartridge?

I've got a .25-06, my son has a .257 Wby. They're both great cartridges. The Weatherby is of course a hotter round!

I had the same decision to make a while back. The .257 Wby "is" a bit faster than the .25-06.....but not enough so to be noticed in the field. The Weatherby seems to bring a premium price compared to the average .25-06.

I decided to buy the first rifle of either chambering I found at a price I was willing to pay. For me, that turned out to be a Ruger 77 in .25-06. I would have been just as happy with the .257 Wby, but wouldn't really have gained anything.....except maybe better bragging rights on the internet.

You didn't mention if you hand load. If you don't, then go for the 06.

You can get factory Weatherby 100 grain spitzers (Norma) for around $35.00 a box. That is the cheapest factory stuff around, and worth buying if you want Weatherby stamped brass to reload.

If you keep your eyes open, you can find a .257WM at a reasonable price. I picked up a Rem SPS for $525 new in the box.

I really think the wby is only worth doing in a 26" or longer barrel.

The .257 is about 300fps faster than the 25-06 with all bullet weights, that's a pretty good bump in velocity. If you don't handload I'd not go with the 25-06 as the factory ammo for it is often pretty slow compared to what you can handload, but you'd be hard pressed to beat the Weatherby factory ammo by any meaningful amount with handloads.

..and range, and the ability to shoot heavier bullets fast.

Your answer may be based on how much you plan to shoot. If you shoot less than 100 rounds a year, a 257 WBY. A 257 WBY will scorch the barrel. I know a fellow who is on his third barrel. But it is a decision he is satisfied with and he is an avid shooter and reloader. He replaces the barrels himself and enjoys the bang he gets for the buck

I went Weatherby

Both are great rounds. I'm just partial to the Wby.

although i went with the 25-06 as well, i gotta disagree with the assertion that there is no difference in field shooting...with both 75 and 100 gr bullets the WBY has a clear 50 yd advantage in point blank shooting over the 25-06...

I am not really thinking of a barrel longer than 24" and do plan on reloading in time.

So the WBY really will handle a larger range of loads better then?

I have a 24" barreled weatherby. I am not getting 3500 with 100 gr bullets. I even bought some factory loads to test, and they were quite slow as well. But I can get a 25-06 well over 3300 fps with 100 gr bullets. Not enough difference to justify the extra expense of shooting the wby.

I really think the wby comes into its own with 26" barrels.

Of the two, I would personally choose a 25-06. Here is my thinking. With todays proliferation of range finders, turrets, and long distance reticles, the velocity advantage is not as big an issue as in days past.

In all reality, find a rifle that you really like. The actual chambering is secondary IMO. I do not think you will be disappointed in either cartridge.

RandyR,

You already know the answer. You want the Weatherby but are having a hard time justifying the additional expense. We've all been there. The Weatherby is about the flattest-shooting sporting rifle around - closest thing to a LASER I know of. If you get the 25-06 you will always wish you got the Weatherby. You might as well bite the bullet and get the one you really want. It won't be all that expensive to shoot. Oh, brass is higher and it burns more powder per BOOM!, but you're not gonna shoot a couple hundred rounds per week from it, are you? Get the Weatherby and a couple boxes of TTSXs and the other stuff and go have fun. If you buy everything you need all at once, it won't seem like it's nickeling and diming you to death down the road.

I'm an expert at justifying wants. Let me know the next time you need my services.

Big Redhead hit it on the head!

I've owned several of each, and if I was buying another it would be a Weatherby Ultralite in .257 WM.

Had a MK V that came with a 24" barrel. After I burned it out, I sent it back to Weatherby and had a 26" barrel put on.

If you're gonna be a bear, be a Griz.....

Virgil B.

I share your thinking that with turrets, accuracy is king and super flat shooting is less critical. For long range work, both are nice. The flatter the round the less wind drift and more K. E . is delivered to the target. So I guess it depends on how far and the targets of choice.

DF

Very well said!

Dober