257 roberts ?

B

ballistictip

New member
anybody got a comments on the 257 Roberts, thinking of re-barreling a savage to one, was going to do a 25-06 in a long action(don't have) but can do a Roberts in a short action(which i have),will it make a good deer and antelope rifle?,what gr bullets work best?
 
257 Roberts is based on the 7mm Mauser case like the 6mm Remington. They are a mid- size case (falls between the 30-06 and 308 case lenght) if you use a short action , the chamber throat needs to be cut short or you will run out of magazine space before you seat a bullet to where it comes close to the lands.
If you are a handloader you will know what I am talking about.
The 257 Roberts is a dandy, less muzzle blast , recoil , and longer barrel life than a 25-06. The 257 Roberts would be a tad better deer killer than a 6mm Rem. or 243 at least on paper. 100gr 6mm vs a 120gr 257 bullet.

The only experiance I've had with a 257 Roberts , was a west Texas oil field hands' truck gun. An old rusty and beat up Remington 721 or 722 (can't remember) , he had an old scratched up 3X Weaver scope with a very fine cross hair on it. He knew I was a gun nut and wanted me to try it out.
Long story short - I free handed a beer can set up at a hundred yards. Gun and trigger felt good in the hands. Accurate with very little recoil.
 
Many, many Elk are killed each year with a .257 Roberts. It is just about perfect for Deer, Antelope and Pig. I would be very comfortable hunting Black Bear with a .257 Roberts. I love mine and it kills better than you think it should. 100 grain bullets are great all around but 115 to 120 also work well.
 
Ruger 77 in .257 Roberts lives in the truck. It is my primary rifle for just about everything. Put's coyotes down in their tracks everytime.
 
i have a real old Ruger 77 in a 257R, back before they built the bases into the receiver, and it shoots great!
 
I have a Remington 722 in 257 Roberts, nice cartridge, made in 1951, I have used 87 grain spire points and Sierra 117 grain pro-hunter bullets in it, both worked good. Has to be one of my favorite cartridges.
 
My mom killed a huge polar bear with a 257R in 1963 in Point Barrow Alaska. The back up gun was a308 Norma mag that was frozen and inoperable. I have the 8 mm film of it. She shot it four times but it never went anywhere.

I have that gun now and I love it more than any other gun.

I think it is a great deer caliber that can be loaded into a great coyote gun.
 
Originally Posted By: GySgti have a real old Ruger 77 in a 257R, back before they built the bases into the receiver, and it shoots great!

Hey Sarge
Got any pix of that rifle.
I don't think I've ever seen a Ruger without integral bases.
Heck, I didn't even know there was such a thing, but that don't mean much.
Thanks
 
It was very popular for years.When the .243 came along sales dropped big time.To bad as it's the better choice for big game and no more destructive on varmints.
 
I have one in a Ruger M77 Mk. II. I have killed about 20 deer, one javelina and a hog or 2 and a coyote or 2 with it.

I was shooting the Hornady Light Mag 117 grain interlocks with good results.

Mine is not a half inch grouper like I would like probably because of the light contour barrel, but plenty accurate for deer. I have not shoot anything with it lately, but venatic loaded me some 90 grain Sierra Game Kings that I have been wanting to test on a deer or hog.
 

No problem re-barreling a Savage short action, with a 257 Bob,
or a 6mm Rem(both based on the 7x57 Mauser). I re-barreled
a Savage Model 16(was a 22-250 Rem. from Savage), with a
6mm Rem., in a magnum contour. I love this rifle. I never
considered the 257 Roberts, since I have a 25-06 Rem. already,
but I am sure it would be a nice rifle, in a Savage short
action. Just get the dies before you do the barrel swap,
and beg a once fired case off someone. Full length re-size
the once fired case, and use that case to head space the barrel
to your dies. A piece of cake to do the swap. There are
videos on YouTube, IIRC.

Squeeze
 
thanks for the info! what gr bullet can i shot in the short action vs the la, i kinda thinking of running 90 0r 100gr sierra gameking, will either of those work
 
Either of those should be allright, I think you should be able to go as high as 115 or 117 depending on the bullet shape.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: ballistictipthanks for the info! what gr bullet can i shot in the short action vs the la, i kinda thinking of running 90 0r 100gr sierra gameking, will either of those work

The Savage Short action isn't that short.
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I have never had a cartridge COL limited by the Savage
action, or blind box magazine. The detachable box magazine
may have a tighter limit, if you are using that action for
the barrel swap. For the 6mm Rem., loads with the Sierra 100 gr.
Pro Hunters fit easily. I am sure the 115/117 gr. .257 cal
bullets will fit, seated to factory ammo specs. I am not sure
about seating out to the lands, but if ordering a barrel
talk to the barrel maker about a "short" throat, if you feel
the need. I measure my chambers, and in some cases seat .005"
off the lands. I have enough space in my action to do that.

Squeeze
 
I am a fan. I don't shoot one much, but my wife had a Ruger tang safety 257 Roberts, and is now shooting a custom Remington 700 257 AI. I can't imagine a better all around caliber for a woman to shoot.
 
I had a small ring mauser re-barreled to 257 last year. I intended it as a coyote gun, but dropped two whitetails with it this year. 70 gr. Sierra varminters for dogs and 100 gr. Nosler ballistic tip hunters for deer. I get good groups out of both with a 1-10 Shaw barrel. Wouldn't trade it for the world.
 
Remington 700 Classic 257 Roberts is excellent on song dogs.
110 gr AB
Picture060.jpg

IMG_0360.jpg

100 gr BT
IMG_0374.jpg

Both bullets hit to the same POI at 100 yds.

JD338
 


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