Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles What is a .257 Roberts good for?

Mule Deer,
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<br>Very interesting!
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<br>If a 257Roberts is only 3 to 4 " lower @ 400 yds than the 25-06 or 25-284 when all are sighted in 2" high @ 100 then why bother with the bigger cases. I would have thought the difference was more.

Mule Deer,
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<br>Are any of your .257 Roberts rifles chambered for the AI configuration? You indicated that you had tried the AI, which I read as an inference that you no longer use it. If you don't use the AI, why not?
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<br>Do you use the same OAL for your four (4) rifles? Your famous Model 722 would be a short action, but the other three (3), or at least the Ruger and Mauser, would be longer actions. Clay Harvey's writing showed that he was not a fan of the .257 Roberts and he was particularly critical of it in the Ruger #1. I have always thought that a #1 in .257 Roberts would be a great antelope rifle. Since you have one, what is your experience with that rifle and cartridge combination?
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<br>Sincerely,
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<br>Bearrr264

OK, I'm convinced.
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<br>The reason I asked was that I found a used left-handed Model 76 Dakota in 257 Roberts and it is gorgeous. The wood makes me drool, and the metal/blueing is perfect. It has conetrol mounts, but no scope. I'm thinking of a 1.75-6X Leupold. I've always wanted a Dakota, but never thought I could afford one. I got a great deal on this one - (I bought it yesterday), but the only thing that was making me hesitate was that it was chambered in 257 Roberts and I didn't know squat about that caliber. Now....I have to wait 9 more days for the 10 day waiting period in California.......
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<br>Thanks for all your input. Jeff

Ngrumba,
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<br>Dakota sent me an Alpine (LH) in .257 Roberts about 12 years ago, my only regret was that I didn't buy one (they were under $1500) at that time. My friend bought a standard 76 for his son (LH) that was an absolutely beautiful, very accurate rifle. I believe that he put a 2.5-8 Leupold on it.
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<br>Regards,
<br>JB

first centerfire rifle that i ever held in my hands, or shot was a .257. it wasn't much to look at even then... it had been carried it's share, and it looked it. i shot it pretty well too. never got to hunt with it though. the uncle who owned it didn't have a lot to do with the rest of the family. he came by about once a year to see my dad. dad had some stories to tell though, about both uncle joe and his rifle. the guy who owned the sporting goods store in town always asked dad about him and they would swap stories......
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<br>i think that my dad always planned to own a rifle like uncle joes some day. i do too...... john w
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Just sold my .257 AI because couldn't really see a difference in killing power, or practical trajectory in the field. It was a custom rifle, very accurate, but why have to fireform cases if you don't have to? (In general have pretty much decided that "improved" cartridges are a waste of time and energy, after experience with several.)
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<br>My Ruger #1 was a factory original 1B, but had such a long throat that only 115-120-grain bulets would shoot. It was super accurate with them, but weighed 9 pounds with scope. Had it rebarreled with a slim Wiseman; it now weighs under 8 scoped, and shoots almost as well, under 1" with any good bullet. Because of throat OAL length is 2.9, as it is in the the Mauser and Ultra Light, which buys you nothing in extra velocity. Can get the same velocity out of the old short-action 722. You simply don't gain enough extra powder room when seating .257 bullets out to gain significant velocity.
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<br>Forgot to mention that both Hornady Light Mags and Federal 120 Partition Premiums are great. Both get the advertised velocity in most rifles, and have seen the Federal exceed the listed 2780 (which is plenty) in many, including a Dakota that grouped them under an inch. Wouldn't use the Hornadys on anything bigger than pronghorn on small deer, though, as the 117 BT will come apart on deer shoulders. Or at least it did on one muley doe, which was enough for me.

Mule Deer
<br> I think I will be a big tough Texan (transplanted) and come right out and say it. I like the 257 Roberts just because I like it ! In the same group as some of my coon hounds and old girlfriends. They aint anything special and all but I just have a "hankering" (that is a word here) for them. Got a real "hankering" for the 6.5 x 55, 7 X 57, 8 X 57, and 9.3 X 62. And a 45-70. I like 30-06 too.
<br>I agree on the Ackley being a little more trouble than its worth. I guess if you have plenty of time to fireform its ok but I never seem to have time. With a 200 yard zero, 100 fps is only worth about .6 of one inch at 300 yards. I cant shoot that well in the field so I dont worry about it. But you know it sure does make a good looking case after you blow out the shoulder !
<br>Charlie

Charlie, good for you! I agree.
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<br>I've been trying to talk myself into rebarreling an M70 243 to 260 as opposed to rebarreling to the Roberts... it makes "sense"... the 260 is a sort of "better Roberts" (i.e. 85-140 grainer's with a 1-9" twist... yeah, I know this is nearly blasphemy)... still, I can't get my gears engaged. 260 Rem? Boring! 257 Roberts? Ahhh... blessed nostalgia! Besides, I've got Ned Roberts book, Big Game Hunting (circa 1947) on my shelf... that book needs a rifle to go with it (talk about filling your "niches")! The Roberts, ballistic "fact" aside, has a certain aura that's undeniable no matter what my "practical self" says.
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<br>Funny story, I was at a rifle range one time some years back and got to talking to a gent about the Roberts (I was shooting one of several I've owned over the years). This guy related a story when he saw I was using the Roberts. Seems he operated an air cargo service and had to make an emegency landing in ranch country down in, if I recall correctly, Texas or Oklahoma. Anyway, he landed on a country road and pretty soon up comes a pickup... guy gets out and asks if he can help. This fellow nearly swallows his tounge as the bloke in the pickup is Gary Cooper! Mr. Cooper takes him to his ranch house where he lets him use the phone to get someone to service the plane, then he takes him into his gunroom. Seems Gary Cooper had a "thing" for the 257 Robets too as he had nearly twenty on an upright wall rack, including many very fancy custom jobs from the Winchester custom shop! The Roberts, he told the pilot, was his favorite cartridge! So, Cooper liked the Roberts and was from Bozeman, MT... must have been alright for a Hollywood guy!
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<br>Brad
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<br>BTW, I can't imagine a more shootable, practical and nostalgic battery than a 257 Roberts, 30-06 and 375 H&H.

Brad
<br>You must have read my mind because I am working on a 30-06 and a 375 for my collection. Or I may go with a 8 x 57 in place of the 06. Either way I will be covered. I have an Interarms MKX action and a Brown Precision stock just itching to be a 8mm.
<br>Charlie

Charlie, wow, that's a little spooky! As a guy who works on rifles for "fun and profit" and can chamber for anything, your choices for a personal battery are really interesting. Nothing new, ultra, beltless or named with tostesterone in mind... hmmm.
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<br>Brad

Brad:
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<br>You leave Charlie alone! You guys can't play together any ... MORE!
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<br>Charlie, it's OK. That .17 RUM I wanted is plenty practical, no matter what BRAAAAAAD says!
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<br>(Can I get a little help here?)
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<br>Rick

Suprised that when wishing for a soft shooting little rifle,more don't bring up the 250-3000. It will certainly get you to the 400yd line. Even in Noslers newest Manual(#5),the difference between it and the Bob,is less than 200fps,with 100's.
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<br>After playing with more than a couple 25's,my preference in a short action,is the 25-284. Recoil is a non issue(regardless of rifle weight),accuracy has been superb and performance is rather amazing. She's the pick of the crop,in my estimation.................
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Back when men like Norman Brockway, Jonathan Browning, John Selvridge, Meredith Wolfe, W. S. Blankenship, D. C. Addicks and others were building rifles one at time, by hand, a rifle was so unique it was named. Some times the name of the rifle ( Killdeer, Long Tom, Fool Killer, Castor Oil, and Sudden Death are some of the better known rifles from that era.) was applied to the barrel or other prominant place on the gun.
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<br>I have often wondered if I am not attracted to a caliber because it has a "name" that rolls off of the tounge easier than a group of numbers?
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<br>Rifles should have a name. Davey Crockett's rifle had a name. I did not miss an epsiode of that TV program when I was growing up. Could that be why my gun cabinet houses a Swift and a Triple Deuce insted of a .223 or a .22-250?
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<br>Might that be why you like the Roberts "just because you like it"?
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Charlie--
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<br>Now you and I both know I have a .250-3000, which is another favorite cartridge. Plus I have two 7x57's, and a custom .260--which is the only cartridge I've found to come close to the .257 for all-around varmint/deer use.
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<br>I've tried some of the wildcats, but like many of the hot new cartridges, all they shoot is bullets. Nothing magic, and re-forming and fire-forming cases is more trouble than it's worth. Like you, I want a cartridge with some history, not just hype.
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I seriously considered a Roberts when it came time to select the round for my first full custom rifle. It was to be a light Mtn. Rifle, 7-7 1/4 lbs. What swayed me to the .25-284 was the extra capacity and velocity. I wanted a minimum of 3100-3200 fps. with the infamous Barnes XLC.
<br> With that case, it can be easily obtained w/o strain. Actually mine clocks 3340 fps. But, it may well have not been able to give me the MOA, or less, accuracy I demand for my hunting loads. It's most accurate load, with that bullet is right at 3100 fps., BTW.
<br> Same reasoning applied to my other custom. I wanted 3000-3100 fps. and real accuracy, with the 120 gr. XBT out of a 7X57. I went with the .280 round, not the 7X57. I get 3160 fps., and .2-.5 MOA groups with that one.
<br> These loads also produce less pressure than the equvilent Roberts loads would. They will recoil harder-thanks to the heavier powder charge-but, at that level, it isn't an issue.
<br> As to brass forming issues, what issues ? A pass through the die, and out comes the .25-284 case.
<br> There have been some concerns over reliable feeding. I haven't seen any. My gunsmith did nothing to the feed rails, etc.
<br> I did loose one round in magazine capacity. Since I'm not the kind of shooter/hunter that first dumps a box of cartriages into his hat before opening fire at his buck, this doesn't concern me either. E

What folks are describing,is why I was never warm to the 270Win. Just something about the cartridge,that doesn't appeal to me personally,despite it being a fine round(I've had five of them). It has no luster,to my eye. Same goes the '06,despite it too,being a sound choice.
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<br>The rifle that a man uses most and is the happiest with,can earn that position by a myriad of reasons. I have nostalgic pieces,some are even what most would consider "pretty",but they don't excite me the most. Everybody should own at least one such rifle. The one he grabs,when he knows the chips are down. "Old Reliable",if you will.
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<br>Besides a specific rifle warming the heart,most look upon specific chamberings the same way. The 7x57 is one of them,that is often maligned. A pard summed it up nicely,when he related that "he wouldn't own a rifle,that had a damn times sign in it". He calls it the "7 times 57",despite his understanding both the bore diameter and case length in millimeters. Funny how guys see the same animal differently.
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<br>I've a warm spot for the 7-08,in fact I'm much more keen upon it than I've related here and I've talked it up a bunch. There's a comfort factor in that chambering for me,because I have shot it so much. Trajectory tables and energy retention figures,can't begin to measure that. It is a Giant Killer in my eye(and hands),but most would overlook it as a mundane offering,with little or no flash. I guess that leaves more for me and I greedily welcome that.
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<br>Choosing a cartridge,then a specific rifle to house it in,is a thought provoking process for some. Others barely give it a second's thought. I'm a "thinker",regarding the selection/building process. I weigh heavily,the role that both cartridge and rifle will play and try to marry one to the other. I've dabbled enough,that I can consistently make myself very happy with the final outcome and I'm the ONLY guy that matters in that equation.
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<br>This has been an interesting Thread,to learn what others crave and why....................

<blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr><p> all they shoot is bullets <p><hr></blockquote>
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<br>5 words that pretty much say it all. Jeff Cooper took three or four pages to make the point in his classic article "The Caliber Game".
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<br>I found it pretty illuminating to read the article in Peterson's Rifle Shooter on the Lazzeroni cartridges, which mentions that when someone pointed out to Lazzeroni the ballistic and physical similarity between one of his creations and some older item, he admitted he'd never heard of the older round.
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What Big Stick said is one of the reasons I love the .270....When I was a young man in the early 80's I was reading Bob Milek talking about his Ultralight Arms .270 and it seems several others at the time were really talking the cartridge up...I was saving my cattle feeding and grass cutting money for a woodstocked ADL in 7-08 when I saw my .270 on the rack at a local pawn shop...Went and dumped my Lipton tea jar and bought my first centerfire rifle...It's been a love story every sense...I believe the .270 Win is the most performance the average guy can get in a soft kicking rifle, anything more begins to get on people in my opinion and my experience.
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<br>I had a friend of mine whose brother had a BDL or Cassic in .257 Roberts and at that time he didn't reload so he fussed over finding ammo for it...Now that's no longer an issue he loads for it..
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<br>Mike

P.S. I kow O'Conner gets credit for the .270 win, but all I ever read of his was a few months back somebody on the board posted a link to some of his old stories so I went and read a couple! He was before my time!!
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<br>mike

I'm still new to the 257 AI but the first 500 to leave my barrrel show very good performance. I'm not saying this extra will translate to much in the field but on paper it looks good.
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<br>The Sierra 100gr bthp matchking seemed like a good place to start. Using cream-of-wheat-fire formed winchester +p brass, the 257 AI has produced the following data using h4831 sc and cci 200 br primers out of a 26" Shilen barrel.
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<br>(five shot average 100 yrds - benchrest)
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<br>50 gr - 3244fps - .7" group
<br>51 gr - 3298fps - .7" group
<br>52 gr - 3329fps - .4" group
<br>53 gr - 3372fps - .2" group - been able to reproduce this more than once
<br>54 gr - 3408fps - .8" group
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<br>Presure looked ok untill 54gr here the primers started to flatted a little. Extraction is smooth and primer pockets are still tight after 5 shots. These loads heat a #5 contour barrel real quick.
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<br>The 257 AI seems to nicely meet the performance of a 25-06. I still need to test 117-120 gr bullets before that is my firm opinion though.
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<br>I probably would not have a 257 AI had it not been for the action I had to use. It is a intermediate military action that could not be (within reason) modified to handle a 25-06-length case. Since this was my first attempt at doing the majority of the work myself, I didn't want to put up too much money.
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<br>Overall, I'm not disappointed with the 257AI.
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