When I found "mine" it was in the form of an aftermarket barrel for Savage bolt guns.
I am a lefty also ......... I don't own a lefty bolt gun ..... go figure ........ but Savage has built a plenty of them.
When this barrel came up for a hundred something with brass, I figured my 30 year plus itch was meant to end ......... and so it did.
Best regards
Three 44s
I didn't own a bolt gun at all for lots of years, finally just in the last 5 or 6 years have started picking up a few. 3 of them are leftys, 2 of which are savage, but I have never looked into the barrel swap thing. Hmmm
I think the "old school" riflemen here know, understand and appreciate what a good caliber the .257 Roberts is. Yes it has been overshadowed by the 6mm's but IMO the .257Roberts is a better caliber than the 6mm's. You can't convince me to use 6mm on elk but I would do so with a .257Roberts given the same shot. Sure, you don't see them around much anymore but I suspect that's because those of us who have them won't part with them.
Death to every foe and traitor and hurrah, my boys, for freedom !
Don't dismiss the 260. You can do more with a 257 than a 243, using hand loads, and you won't find 260s on the shelf, but I put a light stainless barrel from either a model 7 or a mountain rifle on a 722 action ,I stocked, and it is about the only thing I have used in the last several years and I have my choice of most of the modern calibers and a lot of wildcats. Deer I killed today was around 400 yards and there have been a lot more out in the next zip code. I use 243 brass, so no problem there.
I have a nice ruger #1 in 257 Bob. Good gun, great round. I don't thing bullet selection is limited in the 25's.
Get it you won't be disappointed.
Originally Posted by starmac
LOL! It's addicting ........ run away now while you still can!!
Best regards
Three 44s
Addicting isn't the word for it. lol I actually misspoke as I have a lefty savage 22 I didn't count. lol Now I am suppose to meet a guy in another hour and a half to pick up another lever. ALL levers are leftys. lol
+1+ for the 257 Roberts!! Light recoil, accurate as all get out, fairly flat shooting with the lighter bullets and with shot placement, absolutely deadly with the 117's. I agree with UPNORTHWIS about the 308, too. But if you reload, I would not hesitate to get a Roberts!
rmcc
How hard is it to build a savage? I'm not seeing any factory rifles in .257 Bob except the No.1 and a Kimber. Are they still out there?
I would consider a 308, but I have developed a flinch from my 7.7-06 and want something light-recoiling but having enough punch to take deer and anything smaller. I am in the process of setting up my loading stuff at my new house, but i haven't yet.
Chris
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"Si vis pacem para bellum"
I built a savage (Stevens 200, actually) from a barrel I bought at MidwayUSA. I also bought the guages (go and no-go), wrench for the barrel nut and a barrel vise. It was very easy. The hardest part was removing the old barrel. That rifle shoots very nicely with jacketed, I am slightly ashamed to admit to not having tried the NOE bullets I cast last year yet. (Very much on the to do list.) I can highly recommend this as a way to get your .257 Roberts. The rifle Basix trigger was also a good addition to the build but is not strictly speaking necessary.
Hope you can get yours built or bought!
Doc
AS another recommendation for the caliber, my oldest son took a very nice whitetail buck with his great grandfather's .257 a year ago. His grandfather found him one used at Scheels and made him a surprise gift of it this Fall. He got a nice mule deer buck earlier this month. It is easy shooting and definitely puts venison in the freezer. A fantastic cartridge.
Doc
I have a custom Mauser in 257 Roberts. Very handy rifle. Twenty inch barrel moderate heavy taper. It shoots the Nosler Hunting Balistic tip 100 grain into very small group. Get a long enough magazine so you can load three inch col and you can get near 3000 fps. Shot a nice Pronghorn with it in Wyoming this fall. 275 yards with a 30 mph cross wind dirt nap for the Pronghorn.
The 257 Roberts is like the 6.5x55 in that it kills more effectively and efficiently that the paper ballistics indicate. Loaded with an 87 grain bullet, the Bob is an awesome varmiter. With 100 grain bullets, whitetails stand no chance. With super premium 117/120 grain bullets, the Bob has been pushed to take elk within reasonable range limitations. I personally dont like boolits in anything under 7mm, the exception being my Lee 22 Bator mold for plinking in reduced 223 loads. There is no going wrong with the Bob, which is why I own two! And oh, for the handloader with a modern, strong action, the 257 Roberts can be pushed to be right on the heels of the 25-06 with plenty of safety. My personal favorite is my BRNO 21 small ring 98 intermediate action chambered in the Bob. Nice, light, modern, super-strong action that the 257 Roberts is designed to fit perfectly. Nirvana!
My .257 Roberts....has a steel tube Weaver T-10Attachment 123483Attachment 123484Attachment 123485
Last edited by atr; 12-02-2014 at 08:31 PM.
Death to every foe and traitor and hurrah, my boys, for freedom !
Browning made a limited run in 257 Bob in the A Bolt, I was fortunate to find one..........
"Always do sober what you said you'd do drunk. That will teach you to keep your mouth shut." - Ernest Hemingway
It's not hard at all!
The trick is to find a barrel. I was lucky and in the right place at the right time and knew what was being offered and it's value.
A few years ago Midway was selling Adams and Bennett barrels like hot cakes. The .257 Roberts was one of the options for both Savages and Mausers. Now the Mausers were short chambered so they required finnish chambering.
I did not own any Savages back then but had Mausers ..... four 24/47's and one CZ 24. A Roberts would be fine in the intermediate actions. But I hesitated. I am a cheap skate you know! Hiring a gunsmith would cost more money ........ LOL!
The opportunity slipped away as the AB barrels dried up!
Then I started acquiring Savage rifles.
I bought the tools ....... an action wrench and a barrel nut wrench. Now, you have to be aware that there are two nut wrenches involved (the notched has been their standard since Christ was a Corpral). Savage also puts out barrel nuts that are smooth and it takes a different wrench.
I like to put my receiver wrench in a regular vise (clamp the handle in there) and then clamp the barreled action sans the front scope base. I get the nut wrench in place and prefer to use a half inch breaker bar (nice long one) and break the nut loose. Get a bit of oil on the threads and work it under the nut as soon as you can (especially with stainless components). Loosen the receiver wrench so that the barrel will turn out easily. You will not be able to back the barrel out until you relieve the pressure on it but don't remove the action completely ...... just loosen it.
And that's it for removal. People often use hammers to tap on the nut wrench ...... I have used impact occasionally but I really prefer the added control of a long 1/2" flex handle.
To mount your new or new to you barrel ...... inspect the threads of both the barrel and the nut you are going to use. Here is a bit of disagreement ....... some only use a bit of oil to lube the threads. I use anti-sieze. The fear with over lubing is that a barrel will come unscrewed. I fear thread galling far more and stainless is even more prone than chrome moly steel. Especially since I have a LOT of barrels and switch my stuff at will. My threads are going to get a LOT of miles. You chose which camp you want.
Get yourself a GO gauge and put one layer of cellephane tape over the bolt face end. You will have to jockey the affair around some to get a FINAL headspace where you want it because as you tighten the nut on the barrel it will slightly change it. You see the nut is drawing the barrel away from the bolt face (increasing headspace a little).
A lot of folks don't bother with precision gauges ....... I have done it both ways ....... there you use a loaded cartridge or a full length sized case without primer or powder. If you use a loaded cartridge you want a DMZ of about five miles in front of your muzzle ..... (I also place my action on safe but continue to treat the rifle as a hand grenade with a lost pin).
You could put the tape on the head of the case as well if you wish to have just a bit of room. I generally keep my headspace pretty short so to limit brass growth. Remember, with in reason, if you are neck sizing those cases ..... they will only grow once.
If you have to full length your brass then I'd look more at a tight headspace but if this a rifle you'd use on something that gets grouchy ....... I'd favor a little room and figure on cases being more expendable than your hide.
When the A&B barrel in .257 Roberts barrel suddenly appeared on the Savage forum ....... (they have been out of circulation for several years in new form) I jumped.
The surest and least costly way I know to get a pre-fit barrel for a Savage in .257 Roberts I know of would be to contact ER Shaw. I have heard that they actually made the AB barrels back in the day for Midway, whether that's true or not, I don't know.
So ....... that's about the size of it!
Best regards
Three 44s
Last edited by Three44s; 12-03-2014 at 08:32 PM.
I love the Bob but haven't done much work on it yet. I may have the only Howa 1500 so chambered. Originally a .30'06 it was rebarrelled by E.R. Shaw.
Currently casting and loading: .32 Auto, .380 Auto, .38 Special, 9X19, .357 Magnum, .257 Roberts, 6.5 Creedmoor, .30 WCF, .308 WCF, .45-70.
probably my favorite round for under 300 yard deer hunting
Have four 257R rifles. One is a Ruger Hawkeye and others are built on small ring and large ring mauser actions. Needless to say, I enjoy shooting a .257 Roberts rifle. Matter of fact, enjoy shooting my 7x57s and 6mm Remington too, brothers to the 257R.
I built one on a small ring Mauser action back when Midway had the barrels. My favorite jacketed bullet slinger.
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