.257 Roberts

[218bee]

I love the 257Robts. Try IMR4350 with Sierra 100gr bullets. I get just shy of 3000...and sub one inch 3 shot groups at 100yds.
So far 2 antelope, 2 mule deer, and two whitetails all one shot each. Most shots around 100-150yds but the one buck antelope was a measured 250yd one shot kill.
Rifle is a Win 70 featherweight...groups start to open after three shots with that thin barrel.

[FergusonTO35]

Thanks. The rather heavy magnum contour tube on my .257 really helps the accuracy and keeps it cool. A quick three shots will get it warm but with no loss of accuracy I can tell. I've never shot it fast enough to get it hot and see no need to.

[waco]

I just got a 1983 made Ruger M77 in 257 bob with a Redfield tracker 3x9

Rifle is 98%

$500

[FergusonTO35]

Very nice! Love those tang safety 77's.

[FergusonTO35]

Well folks, the .257 came through for me today. Was sitting in a ground blind watching an open field when a nice fat doe came through. She presented a broadside shot at 75 yards and I put a 117 grain Sierra in the lungs. She stumbled, twitched, and it was lights out. Upon field dressing I found the slug had shredded the lungs and the top of her heart making an exit wound the size of a half dollar. This is the same performance I got from the 150 grain Pro Hunter when I took a deer with my Marlin .30 WCF last year.

[218bee]

Atta boy. Great cartridge

[FergusonTO35]

Well gents, looks like the .257 is going on vacation with me. We are going to Las Vegas, and I'm planning to spend alot of time at the Clark County Shooting Center which has a 200 yard range among other things. I loaded up some rounds with H380 and H4350 under 117 grain Sierra Pro Hunters to see what it likes. Hopefully I can stretch it out to 200, I've never even shot at anything beyond 120 yards or so. Bringing my Remington 870 and Glock 19 too.

[OnHoPr]

Have fun Fergie. Take that Bob and sight in about 2" @ 100 yd, check the wind and lay them in there at 200 yd.

[Texas by God]

All the 57mm based cartridges are excellent. I would hunt Elk with a .257 Roberts using Barnes or Partition bullets. As far as bullet selection goes; 60 to 120 grs is a pretty good selection! The only reason I don't use a Bob is my wife uses a custom Sako .250 Sav & I use a Tikka T3 25-06. For Whitetail. They work. Best, Thomas.

[shdwlkr]

Some mentioned the limited bullets for the .257 roberts looking at my old information back when I had one. J-word bullets went from 60 grains to 120 grains, lead went from 65 grains to 120 grain. Wished I still had the rifle but life and divorce change many of our plans.

[EDG]

Mauser really knew what he was doing with the 57mm cases and that has affected the .257 too.

Bullet weights are not a problem for me though I shoot a 25-06 that has about 500 rounds through it. I think about 20% to 25% of it life has been shot up. I can't see anything in the bore but cleaning it with a synthetic patch that is aggressive grabs the bore a little in the first 6" of rifling ahead of the chamber. I have shot 11 deer and a coyote with the 100 grn Sierra flat base in my rifle. I have also used the 243, 6mm Rem and 6.5X55 a lot. My brothers have also used the .243, 6mm and the .270 a lot. With maybe 75 deer between us with 15 different calibers the 6mm and the .25-06 are my favorites. I think the .257 would be better than either round.

The .243 does not shoot as flat and I think the .257 100 grn bullets work better than the 6mm 100 grn bullets especially at ranges exceeding 300 yards.
Another couple of rounds I would like to try include the .250 Savage with a 100 grn bullet and the 6.5 X .250 Savage for a couple of light rifles.

[Three44s]

I own and shoot more .25-06's than .257 Roberts, but like both a lot.

The .257 Roberts is substantially softer on recoil.

I do like the added jazz of the .25-06 though for long shots on coyotes!

I also have several 6.5mm chambered barrels for Savage bolt guns that I need to try but I have been having so much fun and luck with the quarter bores I have not take the time go get to them!

Three 44s

[Norske]

I own two Ruger 257's. The first center fire game rifle I bought was a "Centennial" Ruger M77 257. I chose it over a 24 cal because even thought there are a lot of old 257's out there, they are rare on used rifle shelves. The cartridge is that good. Mine's a deer rifle, but has been used as a walking coyote rifle. Those 25 cal varmint bullets are hard on hides, though. Accuracy is good for a game rifle, not very good for a varminter. Over the years, that 1 1/2" rifle has accounted for 43 whitetail deer with one shot/deer. The newer Ruger is an ultralight (I'm getting old). It's showing itself to be another game rifle, but shooting that lightweight thing is hard for me to learn. I also own a 6.5 Swede. When I did that, I had to quit teasing friends that owned both a 270 and a 280.

[FergusonTO35]

I think most of the problems with the Bob have been due to lightweight barrels and the 1:12 twist that many of the older ones had. Some cartridges just don't get along with a light barrel and this seems to be one of them. Also, many rifles had a long throat and a short magazine. My rifle is the opposite: 1:10 twist magnum contour barrel with short throat on a .30'06 length action. Seat all my rounds to 2.780 with very good results so far.

I'm probably going to stick with the Pro-Hunters in the .257. They are accurate, modestly priced, and make stuff go dead as well as anything I have ever tried. The short ogive is ideal for the 2.780 OAL too.

[FredBuddy]

Glad to see this thread resurface.

Just yesterday I finally put 2 different cast boolits on paper with my Savage that I converted with the Midway barrel as described above. They both shot as well as previously used j-words !

Just one problem: the rifle is clunky. I favor slim, quick handling rifles that come to the shoulder ready to fire. However the A & B barrels have no sights.

I'm thinking about taking the scope off, finding a barrel band front sight and a rear peep. Then put on a slim stock with a hard butt plate .

Why, you ask? When a groundhog stands up in a bean field, you have about 2 seconds to nail him!

Keep up the good work, .257'ers.

[FergusonTO35]

I would just have one hole drilled and tapped and put a Williams or Marbles ramp on the front. I wish manufacturers would at least give us sight mounting holes with plugs for us Luddites who still use those things.

I took the .257 to the big range today. At 100 yards, the rifle definitely prefers 38-38.5 grains H4350 over the 34 grains H380 I had been using. 1" groups were no problem, and I got one at 3/4". I bet a real rifleman/woman (i.e. anyone other than me) could do alot better than that. The Clark County Shooting Complex is a really nice place, actually better than a certain uppity private club I used to belong to back home. I'll try to go again before our trip is over.

http://www.clarkcountynv.gov/parks/p...ting-park.aspx

[Lloyd Smale]

4064 has been my favorite 257 powder for years. Followed closely by h4350 and re19

I would just have one hole drilled and tapped and put a Williams or Marbles ramp on the front. I wish manufacturers would at least give us sight mounting holes with plugs for us Luddites who still use those things.

I took the .257 to the big range today. At 100 yards, the rifle definitely prefers 38-38.5 grains H4350 over the 34 grains H380 I had been using. 1" groups were no problem, and I got one at 3/4". I bet a real rifleman/woman (i.e. anyone other than me) could do alot better than that. The Clark County Shooting Complex is a really nice place, actually better than a certain uppity private club I used to belong to back home. I'll try to go again before our trip is over.

http://www.clarkcountynv.gov/parks/p...ting-park.aspx

[FergusonTO35]

I love 4064 in .30 WCF so I may standardize on that one for both after I shoot up the remaining H380 and H4350. What loads do you prefer and with what OAL and bullets/boolits?

[CLAYPOOL]

My first Robert's didn't shoot real well till I went to those 120 Grain Sierras and IMR 4064. My book load says 2550 - 2600 FPS.

[FergusonTO35]

What charge are you using?