Elk with 257 Wby? - 24hourcampfire

Who has taken elk with a 257 Wby? What load,results? Any info appreciated. Thanks.

My friend has taken 6 elk, a mix of cows and bulls in Co with his 257 weatherby. He shoots the 115 Berger VLD, Max load of RL-25, fed 215 and Norma brass. Shots ranged from 75 to 450 yds. Some dropped to the shop others ran some and died. None got away. My friend is a good shot and does his very best to place the bullet properly.

Barnes makes a bullet that I would not be scared to use in the wtby on elk at all.. Moose either.

I killed my first 3 bulls with a 257 WBY. A spike, a 5 point and a big 6 point bull. All three were hit one time with a 100 gr. Hornady SP. Pre Interlock bullet.

The spike and 5 point didn't take a step and the 6 point made a few yards. Small sample with a bullet that is no longer available but it worked then and I would not hesitate to hunt elk with a lot of bullets available today.

Yep, I've done a few, maybe five or six elk with the .257 Weatherby. The 100-grain Hornady Spire Point Interlocked works very well. One shot does the job nicely.

God Bless,

Steve

My brother killed a cow elk with my .257 wby and 100 TTSX a few years ago, dropped in her tracks.

A buddy used my rifle to kill a safari worth of animals in Africa ranging from Vaalie Reedbok to Nyala with the same bullet/load and it mollywhopped everything.

My uncle killed many elk with a 250 back in the day. Lost several also, there are a lot better elk calibers, out there. A bad hit (which we all have done, if we shoot enough game, and some won't admit), and a high potential for a lost animal. In a perfect world or a perfect dream we make the perfect shot every time. Reality is a heartbreaker.

I shot a cow laying in her bed @ ~250yds. 100gn TSX @ 3600fps. She did struggle to her feet and fell hard @ the 2nd shot before she ever took a step.

My father in law has killed his last 9 elk with a 25-06, cant see why a 257 Roy wouldn't work.

Originally Posted by Elkmen

My uncle killed many elk with a 250 back in the day. Lost several also, there are a lot better elk calibers, out there. A bad hit (which we all have done, if we shoot enough game, and some won't admit), and a high potential for a lost animal. In a perfect world or a perfect dream we make the perfect shot every time. Reality is a heartbreaker.

Other than breaking bone and getting 2 holes, a gut shot is such, 460 wtby, 50 bmg, or 257 wtby. And sometimes actually, IMHO the faster the round, the gutshot ones may never take a step, at least with deer they don't at times.

lets see, then there is my scenario, double lunged 100 pound whitetail doe that ran almost 200 yards, for the large caliber crowd.... wiht my 50 bmg.....

I wouldn't hesitate a second to shoot an elk with 243. But my shot options and distances will be a bit different than with a 338 mag....

Have done it, with 100gr TSX. I hit it 3 times in/around the shoulder, because I had a good position and don't linger much on the trigger. Pass throughs all. 330 yards, IIRC. Don't have the Weatherby anymore, but I wouldn't pass on elk hunting because that's what I had to use.

Didn't Roy W. kill a Cape Buffalo with one...?

The best rifle for the job is the one you have in your hands.

I've been hunting whitetail with a moose tag in my pocket ... and not any danged chance of a moose showing up ... and I was carrying a smallish deer cartridge. Hey, moose shows up, I've got a gun and they die fine.

My last two bull elk were both 6X6s and both times I was hunting deer with my 7SGLC and 120Ballistics. Two shots, two very dead bull elk.

When I was guiding elk hunters, we had a game; guess what cartridge the hunter is using. Hell, none of us could ever tell the difference in the wound between a .25-'06 and a .300 WinMag.

Although we did have a nimrod once who thought it would be cool to use "solids" in his .375 H&H on elk. That didn't turn out so well; he pulled off a spectacular gut shot and it cost us having to disassemble a cow way back in a downed pole thicket. The poles were stacked up maybe four feet deep. What a horrible situation.

What it takes is a decent cartridge, an adequate bullet and proper bullet placement. The hunter is by for the most important aspect of elk hunting.

Blessings,

Steve

Originally Posted by dogzapper

What it takes is a decent cartridge, an adequate bullet and proper bullet placement. The hunter is by for the most important aspect of elk hunting.

I'll buy that.

With a good bullet like the 120g A-Frame I use in my Roberts or a TTSX or bonded I wouldn't worry. With a standard soft point/tipped I 'd be concerned about close range/high velocity penetration on a bad angle.

(Yeah, I know, don't take the bad angle shots. Trouble is, sometimes the animal moves at the last second or it doesn't drop but you think you hit it - let it wander off perhaps never to be found and die an ugly death or take the follow-up shot offered?)

The 257 Roy is one of those cartridges that I have always wanted but can't justify, much like the 264 WM. I'm one of those guys that won't buy a hunting dog unless I can guarantee I have the time to work them. So, much like a high velocity flat shooting cartridge, I won't buy it unless I have the room to run it and, I don't. I did own a 25-06 and used it on large black bear with great success running 120 Hornady interlock HP's dosed with RL25. So I have had luck with it's little brother on fairly sturdy critters. I would dare say a 257 Roy running a stout, quality bullet would do in an interior Grizz quite handily in the right hands, let alone a elk or moose. With the velocity the 257 WM is capable of I personally would find anything under 115 grains a waste of time unless it was a mono metal, partition or bonded. Even in those categories I would only drop down to 100 grains. So, to answer your question a 100-120 Barnes, 120 Partition or a 115-120 bonded of your choice running a healthy dose of a slow burning powder such as RL25 with a magnum primer is as obvious a candidate as any.

Hmm. Wish I hadn't seen this thread. I was lucky enough to win a .257 in the RMEF drawing a couple of years ago. I never thought about using it on elk. Now that concept will keep me awake nights...

Loaded it with 69 gr. of RL 22 in a Barnes TSX BT 100gr. Gets a 3/4" group at 100 yards with that. Does an awesome job on coyotes and whitetail does.

Decisions, Decisions...

I don't know if Roy killed a cape with one but I do know Wally. Tabor did!

plainview,

I used my .257 Wby. a few years ago, to take a cow elk at a ranged 300 yards. One shot and it was all over. The Barnes TSX 100 gr. ahead of 72 gr. of RL22 is about all I use nowdays in the .257, for everything.

On that hunt, I was checked by the local DOW officer. He asked me a bunch of questions, including how far my shot was. I told him, 300 yards, measured. He asked if I had been comfortable taking that long a shot.
My buddy with me replied, "I've seen him make kills at 400 yards before. I'd say he's comfortable taking shots at 300."

I believe Roy Weatherbey took a rhino with one, though he may have done a Cape buffalo too. Will have to look at my references....

On a hunt last fall one of my hunting partners took a good Montana 6x6 with a single 120-grain Nosler Partition. The bull went about 75 yards after a double-lung hit, but the 75 yards was all steeply downhill and ended when the bull ran (literally) dead-on into a big Doug fir.

Oh, and the Partition exited. According to some that's not supposed to be possible with Partition, but there was a big-assed hole in the far side of the ribs.

I'd certainly use it if that's all I had. That doesn't mean it'd be my first choice, or even an equal to first choice, to purchase if I had nothing and was buying a new rifle.

I've had pretty good luck sticking 120 grain .25 caliber partitions into live things made of meat leading to dead things made of meat. It'd be my first choice in the Weatherby.

Tom

Originally Posted by Landkiller

Who has taken elk with a 257 Wby? What load,results? Any info appreciated. Thanks.

I have not but, have loaded 120 gr Partitions with IMR 7828 for a bud's wife, she has taken [IIRC] 2 cow elk, 1 bull elk, a bison, and a couple mule deer with that set up.

I shoot a 25-06 AI at close to 257 WBY speeds and would have no concerns using the 100 gr TTSX's at 3553 fps on any elk.

Gunner

Speaking of 120gr Partitions and 7828. That's combo I used with my Sako .257 Weatherby on this 6X6 at 385 yards. Missouri Breaks, 2004.

Damn nice bull and rifle Pat.

Gunner

Pat,

Obviously it wasn't accurate enough....

Beautiful bull!

Bet it was a lot of fun to dress, quarter, and horse that beautiful bull up outta that ditch.

I gotta go elk hunting, missing it bad.

Gunner

I get the feeling that Scenarshooter would make a 22 Magnum work- Suspect it might have something to do with some highly developed shooting and hunting skills.

Originally Posted by Mule Deer

Pat,

Obviously it wasn't accurate enough....

Beautiful bull!

Yep! Pat I really enjoy seeing that pic of that big bull in the hole periodically. It reminds me why I quit hunting them a few years ago!

Originally Posted by scenarshooter

Speaking of 120gr Partitions and 7828. That's combo I used with my Sako .257 Weatherby on this 6X6 at 385 yards. Missouri Breaks, 2004.

I'm going to bet the first thought after walking up on the killer bull wasnt. ( Dam, thats a great bull ) I bet it was ( Dam, that is going to be a beotch getting him out of there ).

Couldn't agree more with rost495. Killed little critters with big guns that ran before giving up the ghost and killed Big critters with little guns that barely twitched before dropping. Hell, I've seen shoulder shot, bones crushed, Elk run far enough that they almost could not be recovered. I'm not a firm believer in the bone crushing approach to killing critters I want to eat. Especially Elk. My wife and I have killed a bunch of Elk over the years with guns ranging from the .257 Rob to a .50 cal smoke pole. The shots through the vitals work best and her .257 Rob did just fine out to 200+ yards. Although I was feeling a little insecure with that caliber, I have to admit of the 3 she killed with that rifle, only one did any traveling and only made it about 100yds before running out of oxygen.

As for the .257 Weatherby, I'd have no problem with it if you can place the shot in the vitals. Elk have BIG vitals! Go for it!

Thanks guys for all of the replies! The elk that I have taken in the past have been with a 7mag and a 338WM but I really want to take the 257 on this one.

Originally Posted by Landkiller

Thanks guys for all of the replies! The elk that I have taken in the past have been with a 7mag and a 338WM but I really want to take the 257 on this one.

Best reason of all...

DF

Originally Posted by Dirtfarmer

Originally Posted by Landkiller

Thanks guys for all of the replies! The elk that I have taken in the past have been with a 7mag and a 338WM but I really want to take the 257 on this one.

Best reason of all...

DF

SHHH, dont tell nobody DF, but I'd love to whack an elk with my 6.5x55 SM. lol

Gunner

Gunner,

Those big boomers in your safe will surely revolt...

I have a 6.5x55 project at the smith almost completed. I sold the 9.3x62 barrel off that FN Mauser with the three panel, Oberndorf bolt handle, Canjar trigger and swing safety. Didn't need two 9.3x62's after trading for the AHR CZ.

I have Laupa brass, Redding dies and plenty of components, all ready to go. It's throated for 140 VLD's, loaded long. Have a bedded B&C Medalist, just waiting.

Will report.

DF

Sounds good DF, and yes, I'd have to sneak the Swede out quietly while the boomers were busy snoring loudly. <G>

Gunner

Originally Posted by Landkiller

Thanks guys for all of the replies! The elk that I have taken in the past have been with a 7mag and a 338WM but I really want to take the 257 on this one.

A few years back I saw the kills a young girl made with a .25-06. They included a very nice mulie buck and a big bull. Think she had a cow as well.

She used 117g bullets and I assume Hornady but am not sure.

Originally Posted by Mule Deer

On a hunt last fall one of my hunting partners took a good Montana 6x6 with a single 120-grain Nosler Partition. The bull went about 75 yards after a double-lung hit, but the 75 yards was all steeply downhill and ended when the bull ran (literally) dead-on into a big Doug fir.

John,

I killed my first bull elk when I was about 13. It was dusk and a quite decent 5X6 bull spooked our of a little canyon and ran broadside in front of me. The range was maybe 75 yards,

I was carrying a .30-'06 and planted two 180-grain Hornady Spire Points dead behind the near shoulder. Like your friends bull, mine ran into a tree ... in my case it was a jack pine.

It was really getting darksome when I approached the bull. He was quite dead and laying on his belly. And, of course, I moaned, "What the HELL have I done? And how the HELL am I going to take care of this huge critter alone?"

So, I figgered the best approach would be to roll him over and start cutting out anything that didn't look like meat.

I could not budge him.

After maybe fifteen minutes (flashlight is out by now), I saw a broken-off jack pine top. And in pushing the bull's body over a little, I spotted the problem.

My bull was literally impaled upon the jack pine stump. Waht are your chances?

Thankfully, I had a limbing saw and about five minutes later I had the tree cut off at the ground. Then, the bull rolled over quite easily.

To make a long story short, it took me about three hours to gut, skin, quarter and hang the quarters of that bull. Not bad, considering I'd never seen it done before and had only killed twenty or so deer at that time. Even in my prime, my record for gut/skin/quarter and hang was an hour and a half, and usually it too fully two hours.

It was way dark and way cold, but it was all worth it.

I'll never forget looking over the kill scene. My big old bull was dead and properly butchered. I threw the horns over my shoulders and marked my way out to the road with cruisers tape. Young, satisfied and really really happy.

It was one of my best hunts and one I will always remember.

BUT, in killing one hell of a lot of elk (almost as many as I am old) and seeing maybe another 200 killed, I have never seen another who impaled himself on a tree or anything like that.

What are the chances????

Blessings,

Steve

Rooms,

That is a heck of story! I've seen some animals bang into stuff while making the death run (including a few that broke off horns or antlers) but never seen any get "stuck."

A few years ago I was hunting with your John Nosler in New Mexico when he killed his first elk bigger than a spike. It was so big-bodied we didn't think the antlers were quite as large as they were, and when he shot the bull at around 350 yards across a canyon, it walked behind some small trees and didn't come out. We found it dead over there just at dark, in a narrow little depression much like an elk-wide ditch, belly-down. It had evidently walked over there and sunk directly down on all four legs, as if getting ready for the trophy photos.

Luckily there were four of us, but we could NOT roll that bull more than slightly on his side. Essentially we took it apart from the top down, which was a PITA in the cold and dark. Even with four people it took over two hours to get the job done and pack the meat uphill 150 yards or so to the top of the ridge. We left the antlers down there until the next morning, as the caped head was a good load for one man in itself.

John,

Prolly the worst job I had during my guiding years was a cow my "hunter" killed. He whacked it and it rolled down into Yreka Creek (Hell's Canyon).

It wasn't too cold, maybe 20� and the creek was still running.

When we got down there, the old bitch was stuck belly-down in a rock V in the creek. The V was probably twenty feet down and solid rock. And his cow was damming up the water.

So the nimrod's guide, that would be me, had to skinny down on a rope and literally whack parts of cow off. I'd pout the pieces in a double garbage bag and the hunter hoisted them up on a rope and decorated a tree with them.

Yreka Creek was running red and I knew for damned sure I was gonna freeze to death.

When we got done, we had most of the elk in the tree and the ribs still damming up the creek.

Have you ever been so cold that you built a HUGE fire, got nekkid, dried your clothes and got unfroze by the fire? My hunter thought it was funnier than hell, so I told him, "Pete, next time is YOUR turn down in that godforsaken frigid hole."

He was a good guy and we enjoyed many wonderful hunts together after that. And we always laughed about that big bitch of a cow, laying belly-down in that impossible creek.

Oh yeah, and he always had to point out how VERY TINY my dick was when nekkid and trying to warm up by the fire

Please give Eileen a couple of squeezes from Karen and me.

Your buddy Steve

Steve,

Now that's funny! Though not so funny when you're in the middle of it.

Two of the five moose Eileen and I have killed ended up in the water, one for each of us. Hers was a small cow in shin-deep water, but mine, unfortunately, was a big Alaskan bull, and the problem was the opposite of yours: The weather was warm and the mosquitoes abundant. My guide and I didn't want to use Deet when handling moose meat, so we got drilled for five hours while butchering the bull from the top down. Man, what hunters through for some growth-hormone and antibiotic-free meat!

Give Karen a hug from both of us.

Originally Posted by dogzapper

Originally Posted by Mule Deer

On a hunt last fall one of my hunting partners took a good Montana 6x6 with a single 120-grain Nosler Partition. The bull went about 75 yards after a double-lung hit, but the 75 yards was all steeply downhill and ended when the bull ran (literally) dead-on into a big Doug fir.

Brother Steve, I hope your mom and dad knew where you were after dark, being 13 years old! <GRIN> Different times, different places, sigh.

John,

I killed my first bull elk when I was about 13. It was dusk and a quite decent 5X6 bull spooked our of a little canyon and ran broadside in front of me. The range was maybe 75 yards,

I was carrying a .30-'06 and planted two 180-grain Hornady Spire Points dead behind the near shoulder. Like your friends bull, mine ran into a tree ... in my case it was a jack pine.

It was really getting darksome when I approached the bull. He was quite dead and laying on his belly. And, of course, I moaned, "What the HELL have I done? And how the HELL am I going to take care of this huge critter alone?"

So, I figgered the best approach would be to roll him over and start cutting out anything that didn't look like meat.

I could not budge him.

After maybe fifteen minutes (flashlight is out by now), I saw a broken-off jack pine top. And in pushing the bull's body over a little, I spotted the problem.

My bull was literally impaled upon the jack pine stump. Waht are your chances?

Thankfully, I had a limbing saw and about five minutes later I had the tree cut off at the ground. Then, the bull rolled over quite easily.

To make a long story short, it took me about three hours to gut, skin, quarter and hang the quarters of that bull. Not bad, considering I'd never seen it done before and had only killed twenty or so deer at that time. Even in my prime, my record for gut/skin/quarter and hang was an hour and a half, and usually it too fully two hours.

It was way dark and way cold, but it was all worth it.

I'll never forget looking over the kill scene. My big old bull was dead and properly butchered. I threw the horns over my shoulders and marked my way out to the road with cruisers tape. Young, satisfied and really really happy.

It was one of my best hunts and one I will always remember.

BUT, in killing one hell of a lot of elk (almost as many as I am old) and seeing maybe another 200 killed, I have never seen another who impaled himself on a tree or anything like that.

What are the chances????

Blessings,

Steve

Brother Steve, I hope your mom and dad knew where you were after dark, being 13 years old! <GRIN> Different times, different places, sigh.

Originally Posted by Sakoluvr

Originally Posted by dogzapper

Originally Posted by Mule Deer

On a hunt last fall one of my hunting partners took a good Montana 6x6 with a single 120-grain Nosler Partition. The bull went about 75 yards after a double-lung hit, but the 75 yards was all steeply downhill and ended when the bull ran (literally) dead-on into a big Doug fir.

Brother Steve, I hope your mom and dad knew where you were after dark, being 13 years old! <GRIN> Different times, different places, sigh.

John,

I killed my first bull elk when I was about 13. It was dusk and a quite decent 5X6 bull spooked our of a little canyon and ran broadside in front of me. The range was maybe 75 yards,

I was carrying a .30-'06 and planted two 180-grain Hornady Spire Points dead behind the near shoulder. Like your friends bull, mine ran into a tree ... in my case it was a jack pine.

It was really getting darksome when I approached the bull. He was quite dead and laying on his belly. And, of course, I moaned, "What the HELL have I done? And how the HELL am I going to take care of this huge critter alone?"

So, I figgered the best approach would be to roll him over and start cutting out anything that didn't look like meat.

I could not budge him.

After maybe fifteen minutes (flashlight is out by now), I saw a broken-off jack pine top. And in pushing the bull's body over a little, I spotted the problem.

My bull was literally impaled upon the jack pine stump. Waht are your chances?

Thankfully, I had a limbing saw and about five minutes later I had the tree cut off at the ground. Then, the bull rolled over quite easily.

To make a long story short, it took me about three hours to gut, skin, quarter and hang the quarters of that bull. Not bad, considering I'd never seen it done before and had only killed twenty or so deer at that time. Even in my prime, my record for gut/skin/quarter and hang was an hour and a half, and usually it too fully two hours.

It was way dark and way cold, but it was all worth it.

I'll never forget looking over the kill scene. My big old bull was dead and properly butchered. I threw the horns over my shoulders and marked my way out to the road with cruisers tape. Young, satisfied and really really happy.

It was one of my best hunts and one I will always remember.

BUT, in killing one hell of a lot of elk (almost as many as I am old) and seeing maybe another 200 killed, I have never seen another who impaled himself on a tree or anything like that.

What are the chances????

Blessings,

Steve

Brother Steve, I hope your mom and dad knew where you were after dark, being 13 years old! <GRIN> Different times, different places, sigh.

Probably wasn't allowed back into the house until he brought meat with! Part of that whole "earn your keep" deal. (grin)

A tick over or under 400yds, I forget now. 100tsx full pass through and tipped over at the shot.

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This is the offside.

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Working the "gutless" method.

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My 275# arse, half of her arse....and my trusty Roy.
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