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thoughts on 257 weatherby mag
joes
Member Posts: 484 ✭✭✭
I am looking to start a project gun - what are your thoughts on the "257 weatherby" caliber? Joe
Comments
Nice caliber![:D] The 257 Wby Mag. and the 264 Win. Mag. are both great performers and actually the least sought after by hunters. They are considered "overbore" by some. If you are dead set to build a magnum, think about the 264 Winchester Magnum. The 26 calibers offer a much wider range of bullets and they have better ballistic coefficients than the 25's. If you plan to reload, Wby brass can be more $$ than the Winchesters. Factory loads are up there too. I have a Winchester Model 70 264 Magnum and I can't complain about accuracy, even at very long ranges. I've used IMR4350 and 100 gr. Sierra HP's for varmints; 129 gr. Hornady SP for whitetail deer; and 140 gr. Hornady SP for Bear. You can load anything from 85 gr. to 160 gr.
What action will you be using? Get a Barrel, 26 inch with 1-9 twist.
[8D]
I am looking to start a project gun - what are your thoughts on the "257 weatherby" caliber? Joe
Check out the price of brass before you pick a Weatherby...it is very spendy.
Have you thought about a 6.5X284? mrbruce built one or two that shoots like a laser beam out to the end of his range; at 350 yards.
I suppose this begs another question of what you intend to use it for.
I wouldn't recommend it for shooting a large town of prairie dogs since the barrel temperatures will wreak havoc on the throat and rifling. I would recommend it for hunting any other type of wild game with the appropriate selection of a bullet designed for the need. Bullet weights are available from 60 gr. up through 156 gr. from Wildcat Bullets so there is no gap or shortness in the range.
Heavier bullets make better use of the case capacity and combined with slightly longer barrels, provide higher velocities. This also necessitates the use of the slower powders for reloading. I use Re-25, Retumbo and Ramshot Magnum with great results.
If you really want to concentrate on the lighter bullets used in shooting varmints, I'd pick a very different cartridge and practice a little powder, heat and barrel conservation. The .250 Savage is just about unbeatable for both types of shooting, albeit at shorter ranges. I've been using the .25 Copperhead which is the .222 Rem. necked to take the .25 caliber bullets specifically for varmints. Another variation is the .25 x 47mm which is the .222 Rem. Mag. necked up to .25 caliber.
Best.
Mauser 98 action shelin 26" barrel timney trigger elk ridge stockbrownells teflon spray n bake coating Leupold rings and one piece base
the down sides
I will never get the money out of it that I put into it bullets 95grs or smaller shoot like hell out of it new brass is $1 ea and ofbrass is .57 each
Joe's how about you send me $85 bucks for 10 out of 400 chances to win this one I have 10 tickets left it benefits FNRA of Gunnison CO
here is the rifle http://www.remington.com/products/firearms/premier_dealer_exclusives/model_700_LSS.asp
comes with a nikon buckmaster 3x9 ss scope [;)]
+1 on what mobuck said! Get an action of good strength. The right M98, Rem 700, Win 70 or other that will handle the round will do. also the 26" barrel is a must. For all the powder you burn you will need a barrel to burn it in. 26" is the minimum in my book.
Here's a short selection of other .25 caliber cartridges:
I stated originally that a longer barrel was preferable for the .257 Weatherby. There are exceptions as with all things and this is one of them.
I needed 2 ultralight rifles for a pack-in hunt in some atrocious terrain. My normal hunting rifles run the range from 9 lbs. to 14 lbs. so these weren't going to work as I imagined. I had 2 ultralight stocks; one long action and one short action so I worked with those. The hard question was which cartridges and how long the barrels could be and still be very light. I had one - #1 contour .25 cal. barrel that would work and a #1 contour 6.5 cal. barrel that would work after I turned them down a little. One I chambered for the 6.5/284 Norma and the other I chambered for the .257 Weatherby.
The funny part is that I am a devotee of the long, fat barrels but I had weight restrictions that necessitated cutting the barrels down to 22" in order to make weight. I worked long and hard to develop very efficient loads that would produce both the velocity and energy needed for the hunt.
The 6.5x284 turned out to be superfluous since I used the Weatherby the whole time. Scope, bases, rings, sling and 3 cartridges weighed 6 lbs. 3 oz. complete. Pretty easy to carry compared to the heavyweights I normally use. Velocity was approximately 3250 FPS. with approximately 1200 ft/lbs remaining at 600 yards. All-in-all a pretty fair load from a shorter than usual barrel.
Best.
What about the 257 Roberts and it's ACKLEY IMPROVED version?
or a Wildcat 6.5x57 or 6.5x06 and their A.I. versions.
Again, what are your intentions for the rifle? (1)Everything; (2)mostly big game; (3)varmints; etc.[?] Montanna rifles makes a great magnum action or pick up a new Remington/Mauser hybrid M798.
[:I][:I][:I]you're right nononsense! My poor choice of words![:I] [:I]
"...or pick up a new Remington/Mauser hybrid M798."
The M798 is not a hybrid of anything, it's manufactured by Zastava. The Mark X was imported and distributed by Interarms and Charles Daly before Remington outbid CD for the distribution rights. That's all. The actions are the traditional improved version of the FN Mauser M98.
Best.