My Big Brother, who passed away recently after a short unexpected battle with cancer, always talked about wanting a .257 Weatherby Magnum to deer hunt with. I found a NIB Vanguard Accumark today at a good price. I don't know anything about the cartridge other than what I've read.
Anybody got anything to share about the cartridge or my rifle?

Sorry for your loss. I'll bet you shoot your biggest buck with it.

Thank you👍

Sorry for your loss also. Great cartridge and the Vanguards have a reputation for being good shooters.

I don't currently have one, but did for a while. It is a very impressive cartridge. Hits like the proverbial lightning bolt and recoils like a .270, which is not bad. It is VERY flat shooting and if you're not a turret twister, there's probably not a better max point blank range cartridge out there.

On the other side of the coin, compared,to smaller cases, it is a barrel burner. Cases with much smaller capacity shooting much higher BC bullets will beat it in wind drift by the 300 yard mark and widen the gap from there.

Even so, I say get the .257 and think of your brother smiling when you smite deer with it.

John

Zero at 300 yards .

100 yards = 2 inches high
200 yards = 2.2 inches high
300 yards = 0
400 yards = 7 ish inches low

This is what always attracted me . I have a 257 and 270 Weatherby mag (ballistics nearly match ) and really love the performance of the cartridges even with their poor BC projectiles

Sorry to hear this.. Super cool cartridge.. Had 4 or 5.. Wish I still had one.. May fix that soon.. You will LOVE IT!

John nailed it.
I initially owned a Vanguard and liked the chambering enough to have a custom built. For a 400ish yard range point and shoot, it's tough to whoop.

Condolences on your brother's passing. It'll probably put a smile on his face if you're able to satisfy his past want.

Terribly sorry to hear about your brother.

Buy it. Then buy a scope you've always wanted and shoot the hound out of it.
A buddy has one of the .257 Vanguards and it's a laser.
Yes, smaller stuff will eventually beat it in terms of trajectory and drift, but not for sheer unadulterated speed. I like the idea of a 6.5 Creedmore, and I want one, but you'll never boast of 3300-3400fps with a Creedmore.
These days, methinks if I had one I'd be tempted to reach for 110 accubonds and RL 26 for my first move, go forth and smite all things in my domain that need smiting.
I have a .25-06. I love my .25-06. I've had it for 20 years and it's not going anywhere. But sometimes, at night, I can hear it crying in the safe, wishing it was a .257 Weatherby.

Do you mean Mark V Accumark or Vanguard Accuguard?

I've got a bit of history with the .257, it can be a light recoiling, flat shooting, spectacular killer of deer sized animals in open country. It was Roy Weatherby's favorite cartridge. Does well with 4831. 7828, H1000, RL22.

Vanguard Accuguard. Stainless with the spiderweb stock.

Sorry for your loss. I own 2 Stainless Vanguards, a 270 Win and 7MM Mag both will shoot groups under a inch at a 100 yards. No problems with either, for last 4 years.
Hope you reload, shells are pricey. I like RL26 and Norma MRP powder. 115gr Nosler Partitions, bullets work best in my Winchester 257 Roberts.

I don't know if you hand load or not but I would not own a .257 otherwise. R-22, R-25, 7828, H1000 and Magnum are all good powders to try. Very sorry to hear about your brother. My condolences.

Sorry for your loss.

It's definitely a cartridge for handloaders. I'm on my 3rd 257 right now and will probably always have one. Great cartridge with a great MPBR. Brass is cheap as you can use 7RM or 264WM brass of various makes, but you must check your neck diameter and compare with loaded round neck diameter to determine whether or not neck turning is needed(IE my current 257 has a no turn neck, but still requires turning with R+P or Win brass. Norma 257 brass is much thinner and the only brass I've found that will work unturned. I turn Win 264 brass as it leads to outstanding concentricity). 100grain pills are all that's needed and R22, IMR7828, or R25 are great powders among many others.

Good Luck

loder

Thank you all for the kind words. He was a good man, SERIOUS DEER HUNTER, and great Brother.

I looked at the Weatherby website today and saw their 2 box break-in procedure. I ordered a 6x20x50 Vortex to put on it and am about to order the Talley rings that Weatherby has in their store unless I'm advised otherwise. Cheapest I have seen on ammo, is Hornady's 90 gr GMX loading at 37.99 a box and a 100 gr SP Weatherby loading for around the same.

I can and have reloaded, usually with a Lee hand press. Hope to turn a room into a serious reloading room very soon.

A great cartridge. Some like RL 22, which is my present powder, but I'm probably switching to IMR 7828 when I get my present rounds shot up.

That 300 yd zero is spot on. They'll seriously reach out and touch things.

A good way to think of ones brother every time you light off a round.

Remington 700 SPS, Burris Euro Diamond 3-10X40, 257 Weatherby. Factory Nosler 110 Accubonds. You won't be disappointed with the 257 Weatherby of your choice.

.

Truly sorry for your loss.

I have had a few and now I own a MKV Fibermark in 257. Shoots as flat as Nebraska.

My load is 69 gr RL22 and 110 accubond at 3520 fps. Killed a few head with it

I had a Vanguard MOA in .257. It was maybe the most accurate, out-of-the-box factory rifle I have ever played with. Also, had a new production Mark V. It was accurate and shot 100-grain TSX factory loads at 3,750 over an Oehler. Great cartridge and though expensive, the factory ammo is phenonenal.

Vanguards and Accuguards are pretty heavy, so if this is a walkabout gun, think about that. The 257 WBY is one hell of a cartridge. I have always wanted one, but the less expensive ones are heavy and I am not fond of the typical Weatherby stock found on the more expensive ones.

So sorry to hear about your loss. What a great way to honor and remember him.

I purchased this exact rifle and topped it with a VX3 4.5-14 CDS with 30mm tube. Just finished the two box break in, and while to.e consuming, cleaning is a breeze with minimal copper fouling. Will be working on load workup with Nosler 110 grain Accubonds and H1000.

Have had a Mark V and Remington 700 CDL in the caliber. I love the caliber, and hope this new one is a tack driver. Almost seems there is a cult like following for this caliber.

Enjoy, and know big brother is smiling every time you toast a case full of powder out of it.

Thanks for the replies, I have reloaded other centerfire cartridges and am decently comfortable with that. Is there anything to known special about the Weatherby? What brand dies are recommended?

300Winnie I purchased a VX3i 4.5x14x40 and several hundred 110 grain accubonds, among other bullets.

Incredible cartridge! I shot a half inch group with factory Weatherby ammo(115 gr Nosler BTs) in my 700 CDL SF. I showed the group to a very knowledgable reloader.. He said he might be able to beat it. Well I gave him 2 boxes of empties. 2 weeks later he dropped off both boxes loaded with 66 grains of H4831 using Fed 215M primers. Bullets are 117 gr Sierra Game Kings with an overall length of 3.250. I shot three shots. All three were in the same hole!!! I told him to load me up 3 more boxes! Killed a deer this past hunting season. Dropped in its tracks. Nastiest most accurate deer round I have ever seen.

Incredible cartridge!! Flat, fast, hard hitting... all with minimal recoil. Just absolutely hammers game. I've had more DRT kills with the 257 than any other cartridge. It's my favorite of all time for South Texas hunting.

Although I prefer the 115gr Nosler Ballistic Tip, the 110 AB is a great bullet, especially with H-1000. Be careful with the AB though. In my experience it seems susceptible to pressure spikes when running close to max loads, the 115 NBT, not so much. If for some reason the 110's won't shoot in your gun, try the 115 NBT with RL-25. This combo has consistently been the most accurate and fastest in every 257 I've owned. 70-72 gr will be the sweet spot, yielding 3300-3450 fps.

So sorry to hear about your brother. Buy that .257, and you will always be thinking about him when you use it.

I have had my .257 Wby. for around 35 years. It was the Fibermark model, and I have since stocked it with a McMillan Edge.

Favorite load is RL22 and the Barnes TTSX 100 gr., pushed at 3700 fps, with phenomenal accuracy. 2" high at 100 yds. gives it a 300 yard zero. Hard to find much that is flatter than the .257 Wby. This rifle has accounted for more game than all my other rifles combined, from coyotes to elk, with caribou, pronghorn antelope, a grand slam of north american sheep, mule deer, and whitetail deer in between.

Nowadays, it gets used mostly for pronghorn and whitetail deer over alfalfa and wheat fields. As I get a bit older, it becomes more of a chore to carry it on long hikes due to weight, but that's not an issue for sit and wait hunts or shorter hikes.

As others have said, there's a lot to like about the cartridge. About the only drawbacks are expense and the fact that most rifles so chambered tend to be on the heavy side. Mine is a custom Pre-64 Model 70 with a laminate stock, 27.5 inch barrel, and a Conquest 4.5-14x50 up top. At just under 11lbs it only gets used when I'm sitting and hunting over bean fields. It's definitely not a mountain rifle! I'm running the 100gr TTSX and it hits deer like lightning. One of my all time favorites.

I have had 2 and still have 1. BAD TO THE BONE is the 257 Bee. If you go factory ammo go with the Weatherby 100 SP for the price they shoot great!

110 Accubonds are the ticket. It kills like lightening.

That's a fine looking .257! I have a Lipsey Number 1 that I am fond of as well.

Sorry about your loss. I have owned 3, and killed my last two Elk with. I agree with everyone else, great cartridge. The only down side is that because of its reputation as a barrel burner, I was hesitant to shoot it for fun. I never did own one that liked the smaller bullets, but they all loved 115 grain bullets.