opinions on 257 robert

ddhotbot

looking for opinions on 257 roberts for white tail deer.dont know alot about this round .thanks don
keep on bangin boys

He Dog

What is not to like Don? Actually it is a slowly dieing cartridge, and if you are not a handloader, the pickins are slim for available ammo. Currently (as far as I can find locally) Rem, Win, and Hornady make ammo in .257 Roberts. The Rem and Win are round nosed, and the Hornady light magnum the only spitzer. In both of my rifles, The light mags groups to about 1" at 100 yards, while the other two group to about 11/2"-21/2" at that distance. The recoil is mild and I am recoil sensitive. Subjectively it seems more mild than .243. The .260 Rem is currently being touted as probably the finest white tail cartridge (some of that is hype of course), but it will do little the .257 won't, as factory rounds are loaded down to barely above 6.5x55 ballistics. Out to about 200-250 yards, the .257 Roberts is a very fine round for white-tail or mule deer. It is mild enough in recoil to use in getting your son or daughter started shooting or hunting. Because it is dieing, not many rifles are built today in the caliber, Ruger's Mod. 77 Mk II, ( I restocked mine on a Fajen laminate and re-triggered with a Timney) and the Win mod. 70 featherweight, was but I am not sure it is in production this year. Those are the only ones I have found in production that chamber it in the last couple of years, but it is not too terribly hard to find a nice older rifle in that caliber. You can find pre-64 model 70 win.'s in shooter condition for under $1000, and I recently picked up a Herter's XK-3 (built on a large ring Mauser action) for under $300. I have long wanted to pick up a H&R 300 Ultra in .270 and re-chamber it for .257Rob. Silly looking rifle, but it fits me like a glove and with a trigger shoe is a joy to shoot. Enjoy!





Edited by - He Dog on 04/19/2002 15:39:33

sgt.207

Used a Ruger M77 in 257 Roberts with Winchester 117gr+p ammo to take a nice 4 pointer in NY several years ago. At about 100 yards the deer dropped in its tracks.

Recoil is very light making it ideal for recoil sensative persons and young shooters.

jsclarkey

well, there are the good the bad and the inaccurate.i had a ruger m77,yes the original!in .257 roberts and it shot like a smooth bore.would not and could not group under 3 inch's at 100yds. maybe the gun-maybe not,definatley not the ammo!tried several.shooter--maybe buti can group a 742 in .308 less than that at 100.and we all know that is not the gn doing that.sooo you can take it from there! will they let you shoot before you buy? if not then look for some where you can if you are indeed interested in this cartridge. after all it is a WILDCAT.shoot often miss less and have fun,clarkey

snickers

I would be embarrassed to say how many 257 Roberts rifles I own. It is and has been my favorite whitetail rifle for years. 3" groups are either the shooter or the rifle but not the caliber. I have a Ruger # 1 that I have tried everything with and can't get it to shoot like I know it should. I have seveal that will shoot like target guns. Very mild recoil and just a great caliber. Oh yea it is no more "Wildcat" than a .308 Win.

MONEY TALKS mine says good-bye

groundhog devastation

ddhotbot, 257Roberts is a great choice for whitetails. And like someone already said it would make a good caliber to teach a youngster with. I had an original round top Ruger in 257 and a Ruger ultralight in 257. Both were accurate enough, 1" guns. The advent of the 243 and 6mm opened the door for the decline of the Roberts. I think it is a fine cartridge. GHD

jsclarkey

1 question,how many snipers have used the .257 roberts, i rest my case. why try a follower when you can get the leader .308 is the natural choice for the same money and you can get any type of ammo in any price range you want, or would ever need.from varmint to heavy game the .308 IS the preferred cartridge of short action sportsman. shoot often miss less and have fun, clarkey

snickers

I am not sure what a snipers choice of caliber has to do with deciding if a 257 Roberts would make a suitable whitetail round. In my opinion the Roberts is an excellent choice.

MONEY TALKS mine says good-bye

25-06

Clarky, how many stores or dealers do you know that will let a person shoot a gun before buying it? I do not know of anyone who does this. And, if they did, it might take a while to find a good load for that particular rifle. The best most of us can do is look at the barrel closely, try to see the throat as best as you can, and take your chances from there. Most guns that people think are shot out respond to a good cleaning quite nicely. Your Ruger was probably one of the early ones that had a long throat, and that may have been the reason for it not shooting very well. I had one in a 7x57 that did about the same, 2-3" at 100 yds for 5 shots. Traded it for a 25-06, which is what I think the fellow should get. More guns, more ammo available, and, more velocity and energy.

jsclarkey

sorry fellas, i did not mean to draw so much fire. i am just voicing my opinion and i did not mean to upset any one.sometimes my strong opinion outweighs my sense. whatever you buy,just practice often and have fun with the gun no matter what the caliber and action. shoot often miss less and have fun, clarkey

ddhotbot

thanks guys!! clarkey ,i guess this is what makes this country as great as it is .we can whole hartedly disagree and then go have a beer together.anyway i thank all of you for your advise and i value all your opions ,otherwise i wouldnt ask for them.ok lets start this over ,i guess what i am really asking is if you were too own a rifle that would do anything from white tail too varmit hunting what caliber would you choose?
keep on bangin boys,don

snickers

Probably going to have to start a new topic. I'll have to think on this one a little bit but the 25-06 will be tough to beat.

MONEY TALKS mine says good-bye