I've been quite satisfied with the 25-06 on mule deer, pronghorn and coyotes from 20 yards to 400+ yards.

But I'm intrigued by the 257 Weatherby... It strikes me as more of the same. Just faster.

How is it near and far, on mule deer, black bear and similar sized animals? Accuracy? Performance on game?

Thinking of a Vanguard with the 26" barrel, 1:10 twist.

Thanks.

I have a Vanguard Sub MOA in .257 Wby that I have doctored up a little. Superbly accurate with 80 gr. TTSX @ if memory serves correct, about 3975. I've killed several deer and antelope with it and it kills them with authority if you shoot some bone. Nothing to dislike other than the poor factory trigger.

I've had great luck on coues deer, antelope, elk, ND javelina from up close to 600 with 100 TTSX

My brother has had great luck with his Guy. He’s used 120 Partitions at 3250 and 100 TTSXs at 3575. Both have been great deer getters.

My Remington LSS likes the 110 Accubonds!

I moved on from the .257 Wby last year but there wasn't much about the chambering that I could complain about it.
I shot a handful of deer and a wolf with it (100gr TSX) – both near and far. And all had happy endings.

I’ve had a couple. Do your self a favor and take a look at the 270wby. It will do all the 257 will and a little more. Hasbeen

It’s only 200 fps faster, nothing to be amazed about.

I have a 257 Roy in one of the Vanguard Backcountry models. It weighs in at 6 lbs 10oz and has a fluted 24" barrel with the grey cerrakote. I love it and will probably never get rid of it, but if I were in the market for one I would take a long hard look at a 6.5 PRC. I have looked at the load data over on the Nosler website and it will whirl a 120g about a 100 fps faster than the 257 Roy according to their data. They do not have any data for the 100g class of bullets.

Edit to add: One of my bucket list items is to use my 257 to shoot a wolf.

Older Weatherby Vanguard in .257 Weatherby.
Leopold 4.5 - 14 x 40 Boone & Crockett reticle.
Timney 2.5 trigger.
Blacktail Deer at 505 yards.
120 Gr Factory Nosler Partition.

I've been shooting 100 gr E tips at 3600 fps from mine. 2" high at 100 yards puts it on at 300 and 7" low at 400 yards. It has worked quite well for me on about a half dozen deer plus a couple of antelope. Shots have ranged from 100 to 425 yards. It is an ideal cartridge for quick shots when you don't have time to use the range finder. I just picked up some 90 gr Hammers that they claim will do 3900 fps. It should shoot even flatter out to 400 yards and have better terminal performance.

I've only shot out (5) 257 Wby spouts,Custom 700's all. Hint.

Pass a 21" Seex Kreed and hold The Fluff,with a .620 BC at 3050fps. Hint...............

My LSS won’t shoot Barnes for [bleep], loves Accubombs, Partitions and the 100gr soft points.

I used to hunt with a guy that hunted everything with a 257. I have seen him kill 3-4 cow elk with it. It worked for him.

I have owned/shot a Mk V Fibremark for about 35 years.
It is the only gun I have never thought about selling. Superbly accurate with every bullet save factory 120g partitions. Everything else I buy or load I get 5 into a nickel when I do my job. I may just need to figure out why it is only 1 moa with the partitions but everything else is so good I just do not bother.

Kills dead, period, at any range I will shoot. Put a good scope on it and anything up to/including elk is fair game.

RAS

Let me at a really good deal on one including 100 plus brass and dies, low round count, im in.

Barring that, I'm 6.5 PRC.
Or a fast twist 25-06 if I wanted to make life harder for gains that would be more
on paper than in the field.

Clean it to bare metal, then try the TTSX again. Trust me.

The 257 is a great one!

A friend and I acquired a custom 257 Weatherby reamer with less freebore and a 1 1/2 degree throat. We built four rifles for ourselves. Two heavies and two lightweight. Then several friends used the reamer to make their 257s. All rifles use Lilja 3 groove 1 in 10 twist SS barrels.

The rifles use the 115 Berger VLD hunting bullet exclusively. This bullet has a good mix of BC and velocity. IMO a great advantage is the flatness of the trajectory and mild recoil. Most rifles use RL-25 for very accurate, lethal loads. Barrel lengths vary from 24" to 28". Velocities run from 3350 fps to 3700 fps.

While few animals were killed at close distances, many were taken from 250 yds to just under 600. Many kills were spectacular DRTs.

The list just keeps growing:

29 coues wt
8 elk
4 mule deer
2 antelope
2 javelina

IMO it is the one of the best chamberings for coues wt. This is my rifle's trajectory for 4000 ft:

100 +3.0
200 +4.9
300 +3.7
400 -0.9
500 -9.3 drift in a 10 mph 90 degree crosswind 8/9"

+1, 200 fps isn’t that big of a difference. More powder, more recoil, more noise, more cost, and factory ammo cost are just crazy. But if it’s just something you want go for it.

I have had a number of 257 Weatherby's, Mark 5's, Vangaurds, one custom Mauser, and 700's. I shot the barrels out on coyotes, chucks, and jack rabbits....one heck of a splat with 90g Sierra bthp.

I had a reamer ground with zero freebore than another with .070 freebore where you could neck down 264 WM brass to 257 Weatherby in one pass through a full length sizer with it's slightly shorter neck with a perfect double radius shoulder.

ON short freebore 26" barrels, 100g bullets are doing 3850 shooting groups in the 3's and smaller, 80g TTSX is bug hole accurate at 4150 fps with R#19. 115's are doing 3600, with both the 100 and 115g shooting R#22 with Fed 215's, all of these are with zero to .070 FB chambers.

I have one left today, a 9T, 25", shooting 115g Bergers at 3590 fps and it is a Hammer of Thor., R#22 and 215's taking about 15 or so rounds for load development.

A lot of us older guys cut out teeth on super fast, low BC Rounds. In today's world, we have the advantage of higher bc rounds. My world was turned upside down(the light came on) when I started shooting 180g Hornady ElD-M_.796 BC) in a 280 Rem...jeez, where the heck have I been?

You may want to re think your bullet choices?

Imagine how awesome it would be if someone was smart enough to chamber a 257 Weatherby in 8 twist and shoot a bullet with a .330 G7?

What would be your cleaner of choice? Thank you!

110 accubond or the 100 TTSX(tipped) are the way to go for 500 and in. I hunted with the 257wby for 6 seasons and it killed every deer DRT. Don't ask the 257 to go beyond 500 and it will just kill everything you hit with it. Very fun gun to hunt with when you learn it drop/trajectory.

after 20 some years using a 257 Weatherby mag. rifles with my handloads and i do still prefer my Ruger #1 best with this cartridge ,have shot some nice bucks with this cartridge from 30 feet too a measured 700 yards with my biggest horned buck at 30 feet . son and i have killed many bucks out west and in my home state too it is just one heck of a antelope and deer cartridge ,all with my own handloads . last year started using Hammer bullets and Reloader 25 powder both the powder and the 103 gr. Hammer Hunter bullets have improved accuracy in my 257 Weatherby mag. rifles and so far worked well on deer and antelope too. my handloads have and will work past 500 yards if you have the right rifle ,good custom barrel and a long range good scope, so build a good custom rifle it makes a big difference. good luck,Pete53

Don't forget to make the mag-box long enough while you're wishing.

Killed over 100 deer with it. Have used 100 spire point, 80 grain TTSX and am currently using 100 grain TTSX. It is known for bang/flop if I do my part. This is out to 350 yards, which is my self imposed limit. Rifle/load can certainly do much better/farther. These were all factory ammo. It can shoot 1/2 inch when I do my part. Vanguard with 24 inch barrel, Timney trigger and Leupold VX6 3-18X44. Newest rifle is Vanguard badllands with 26 inch tube. No other mods at this time. Both do fine for me.

I’ve got a Vanguard in .257 and I love it. One whitetail and 2 javelinas. It loves 100grn TTSX’s.

I have a CDL, 110 Accubonds shoot very well in it

Northern California Blacktail.
Weatherby Sub MOA Vanguard.
.257 Wby 120 gr Nosler Partition.
505 yards.

That’s a great Blacktail.

For a hunting round hard to beat a 257 Wby. I have used mine only on hogs and deer, but the results have been impressive. The 100 gr TTSX seems to jerk the ground out from under deer and hogs.

GreggH

I had two built on Win 70 actions, both very cool rifles, recoil about like a 270 but I got tired of hard to find and expensive ammo and neve unpacked my handloading gear after a move (did same with 240 Wby).

[quote=rcamuglia]Imagine how awesome it would be if someone was smart enough to chamber a 257 Weatherby in 8 twist and shoot a bullet with a .330 G7?[/quote


i did build a Weatherby Mark 5 action Brux barrel 8 twist 28 inch length barrel ,but i still like the Hammer Hunter 103 gr. bullet at 3680 FPS better , my 1st shot with this rifle at a big game animal with a lay down bi-pod was a buck antelope at a measured 460 yards thru the heart a one and done thing in Wyoming last year 2022. we also went to the Weatherby factory they said they could build you a 8 twist barrel on a 257 Weatherby mag. rifle if you go thru the Weatherby custom shop

half a dozen deer have not moved at the shot with 110g Accubond and 115g Bergers, 3590-3600 fps. A nephew has the rifle now. I am working on a 257 Roberts AI with the 133's on a long action 700.

Interesting!

I bought a Weatherby ultra lightweight from a gun dealer friend a few months ago. It had sat in the previous owners safe for a very long time. It was 25 years old and has a muzzle brake to boot along with an inaccurate temperamental Swarovski Scope on it. First time I took it to the range it shot this. Factory ammo 100 grain TTSX bullets. The barrel is a # 1.5 contour 26" long. Gun weighs 7 lbs on the nose without the scope and it recoils like a BB gun. I have since removed the factory trigger and replaced with a TT primary in the hopes of improving accuracy.

I have 9 Factory boxes of 100Gr TTSX and 1 box of 100 Gr Sciroccos which BTW shot great in the 257 Mark V I sold a few months ago. Anyone interested in the sciroccos shoot me a PM. I see no reason to reload for this rifle.

That's some mighty fine accuracy.

Guy

Thank You, it is replacing my Accumark in 257 bee since it that much handier to use and almost 3 lbs lighter. The original trigger did not have a clean brake, I have not shot it since then. It has also does not have a drop of bedding in the stock.

Pretty simple. The .257 Weatherby kills whatever you shoot with it if you him 'em in the right place.

Recoil is low, for a magnum.

Trajectory is incredibly flat, even though that's not all that important with lasers, etc.

Kills are ... impressive.

I really can't think of a better deer or antelope cartridge. Black bear, too. I wouldn't hesitate to hunt elk with it.

I got a nice mule deer buck last year on public land with my LH Weatherby Backcountry Ti in .257 Weatherby -- 100gr. TTSX. One shot and sharpen the knife.

Holy grail stuff right here.
Light weight, accuracy, speed, power, all a guy needs. That 357 hits like lightning. I wouldn't hesitate to bust an elk with it. Deer sized game is a breeze. I like the 110 accubonds and 100 grain interlocks.

West Texas Ord has data for a 25-7PRC running 133 Berger’s oal around 3.2”
Screamer!

During my magnum crazy I bought a 270 Weatherby Mark V Deluxe. I always wished I had bought a 257 Weatherby instead. If I would have stuck with the weatherby’s I would have traded off the 270 for a 257. I migrated back to standard calibers so never pursued it.

the 257 wby is a bad motor scooter for sure. I have killed a pile of critters with 2 of them and need a new barrel on my custom 700 now as it is getting pretty crispy. I got about 1300 rounds through it. Nothing in the lower 48 I would not hunt with the 100 gr. TTSX at 3700 fps. Kills very well and hits way above its weight class for sure. YMMV

Up close one gets explosive impacts. Good performance out there with not quite so much damage.

Other than hogs this goat is my only 257 Bee kill. It was a super windy day in N.M. and my guide and me snuck to within 15 yards of him and his harem. Once he figured out he was screwed he moved back and stood in front of his does. He was in a bad spot in a little draw up against a fence line. We had a uncomfortable stand off for about 25 seconds and he hit the afterburners and flew past me. First shot connected at about 35 yards and slowed him a bit and he changed direction. 2nd shot at about 75 yards hit the same spot behind his right shoulder. The 120 gr Partitions @3300 fps made a mess on that side and the two exits are visible on the left.

Went on an elk hunt with a few friends on a ranch about 100 miles south of here in Montana in 2012. One of them used a .257 Weatherby Magnum with 120-grain Nosler Partition factory ammo to take this bull. It died promptly--and the bullet exited. (But my wife Eileen andpaternal grandmother also killed "eating" elk with the .257 Roberts, which worked fine. Which is yet another reason I'm less than impressed with "minimum caliber/cartridge" for XYZ game anymore.)

i still feel the 25 caliber bullet is very under rated by most hunters and hand loaders ,also the old 257 Roberts cartridge is very under rated.

Underrted? If a 25 cal is underated IMP it would be the 250-3000!