December 13, 2012, 02:04 PM | #1 |
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257 Roberts
Please educate me on this round. How accurate and what size game is it good for, max range etc. Thanks.
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December 13, 2012, 02:43 PM | #2 |
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It can be a very accurate round if your rifle and you are capable of producing accurate groups. It isn't far behind the .25-06 in speed, light bullets will break 3000 FPS. It is best suited for deer sized game, but with today's premium bullets it is capable of taking elk sized game.
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December 13, 2012, 02:50 PM | #3 |
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The .257 Roberts is a great round, one of the classic deer cartridges in my view. Recoil and report are both on the mild side, always an asset for most shooters. To be fair, its performance really isn't anything that can't be duplicated (in most cases) by the .243 Winchester or 6mm Remington, and the ol' .25-06 certainly has a modest edge on it (especially with slightly heavier bullets). However, it's fun to shoot a classic that's a little off the beaten path, as it were. Try it, you'll like it!
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December 13, 2012, 02:52 PM | #4 |
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Pretty cool round.
It's almost like a .25-08, as it comes close to the .25-06 but in a short action. Doesn't quite make it but close. Short-action might require "custom" work though, I don't know how they usually chamber it but it certainly would fit. It's also kind of like a 25 caliber .243. Ever so slightly faster than a 243 with lighter bullets, about the same up to about 85-90gr and slightly faster above that. Assuming, that is, you're talking about a good, modern action and loading it to modern pressures.
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December 13, 2012, 02:57 PM | #5 |
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IIRC, the .257 was the 7mm Mauser cartridge case necked down to take a .25 caliber bullet.
If there is a better deer-sized game round than the 7mm Mauser, I'd like to see it... I've never shot a .257, but I've talked to several folks that have used them, and they say that it is a dandy deer cartridge... quite a bit better than the .243... I imagine it is very similar, performance wise, to the 6.5 Swede, which is MY deer cartridge of choice. To make a really long answer shorter.... use it with confidence on any deer sized game out to probably 300yds or so, if the shooter is capable. Bullet choice is probably very important... don't use light, thin jackted bullets on bigger deer... common sense stuff.
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December 13, 2012, 03:12 PM | #6 |
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The .257 is a great deer and antelope rifle. I am sure somebody will report killing elk or bear with one, but that is stretching it.
Hornetguy describes it pretty well. There is one problem. Rifles and ammunition are not common, the "Bob" has been superceded by newer guns and cartridges. They are not necessarily better, just newer. (I looked on Midway, there is more selection of ammo than I expected. Maybe it is making a comeback.) |
December 13, 2012, 03:18 PM | #7 | |
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.270_Winchester "The 'Bob" is a necked down 7x57 ..... and is outperformed by just about any .308WIN or -06 Springfield based case. I can not think of any advantage it would have over any of those, save it is easier (and safer) to make a cheap sporter out of a '93 or '95 Mauser in .257 Roberts than just about anything else, in deference to the low MAP of both those Mauser models and the 'Bob. |
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December 13, 2012, 03:30 PM | #8 |
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In fairness, there are practically two different ".257Roberts".
The old guns and the old data have long since been out-done by modern actions, cartridges and powders. However, a "Modern Bob", loaded to "+P" pressures, which really are "normal", modern pressures, is very much the equal (give or take) of other 25 caliber rounds and similar. It doesn't have significant advantages over any number of other rounds, but then neither do a whole bunch of other rounds that people love. There's always a "worse" and a "better" of everything.
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December 13, 2012, 06:18 PM | #9 |
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I like my custom commercial FN Mauser chambered for that cartridge.
If I had a custom rifle made for it, or bought a non-collectable commercial one, I would take it to a gunsmith and pay him a small amount to ream the chamber out for the AI version. You can use all the normal Bob ammo or reload the formed AI brass. I've read in several places that the AI version of the .257 Roberts is the "best" of all the AI ones. You will get an extra 150 fps which gets you very close to 25-06 but using less powder. Gregg |
December 13, 2012, 06:48 PM | #10 | |
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December 13, 2012, 07:29 PM | #11 |
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Is the round stout enough to take a Mule Dear.
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December 13, 2012, 07:42 PM | #12 |
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YES , Try Hornady light mag in your 257 Roberts. For a little added boost.
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December 13, 2012, 08:31 PM | #13 |
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Oh yeah, mule deer are fine. When I built my AI version, I had antelope in my thoughts. Hasn't happened _yet_ but the whitetail deer have been impressed.
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December 13, 2012, 09:05 PM | #14 |
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#1: It's NOT a 25/06. It's 10% behind that bigger cased round with most bullet weights.
#2: It's NOT NEARLY the equal of a 7x57 simply due to the 7mm being a bigger heavier bullet. #3: It's a very fine deer rifle. Light recoil while carrying decent energy and trajectory levels to 300 yards. #4: In actual field use, it seems to be superior to the 243 Win even with equal weight bullets. #5: You don't have to hotrod the 257 to make it a deer killer. It will push a 100 grain bullet around 2900 w/o stressing even the older rifles. #6: All these observations are based on my owning and using every cartridge I've discussed. |
December 13, 2012, 11:36 PM | #15 | ||
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December 14, 2012, 08:00 AM | #16 |
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That is one nice deer.
I have often thought that I made a mistake going with the 25-06 instead of a Bob or Bob Ackley. The Ackley version almost duplicates the 25-06. |
December 14, 2012, 08:59 AM | #17 |
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I have the Ackley on Mex Mauser.That a small ring short 98 .I have been shooting it over 20 years and it kills real well on deer and antelope.I have not shot an elk with it,but with an Accubond or Partition at modest range I think it would be fine.The key would be the willingness to not pull the trigger unless the right shot was offered.
The 115 Ballistic tip has a BC of about .435.That is comparable to a 150 gr 30 cal bullet.So,a standard Roberts will easly give a similar trajectory to many .308 to 30-06 150 gr loads.The 115 gr Berger I have not used yet,but with a BC of .475 it will fly with a 168 gr .30 cal Matchking. The standard Roberts works in a fine velocity range.Versus the AI?Well,I do like my AI,but more is not always better than enough.The Roberts is cool because its enough. I have throttled back on my AI loads a bit,but I get 3050 with a 115 Nosler BT from a 22 in bbl. One mil high at 100 yds puts it zero at 300 and one mil low at about 430 yds at my altitude of about 5000 ft.I zero at 300.My standard duplex fixed 6x by 42 mm Leupold is one mil center crosshairs to duplex post tip. An antelope who fits brisket to whithers in the full duplex is a touch over 200 yds.Center crosshair to one duplex post,probably too far to shoot at about 430 yds. That little range estimation tool has been a great part of my success. BTW,Mine is built with a 7x57 mag box.I seat the bullet to the base of the neck and have plenty of mag box room.You have to deep seat in a 2.8 box. Mine is1 in 10 twist Any slower will not like bullets over 100 gr. A friend who did not understand controlled round feed extractors managed some case separations fireforming to AI.Forcing the extractor to snap over the rim places too much loads on the un fireformed shoulder and sets it back.Just feed up from the mag,as CRF was intended Oh,on ammo availability,I just buy 500 rds new brass.For the hunting rifle volume I shoot,I load 100 rds to fireform,and go shoot them.I use two 50 rd boxes.I don't usually shoot more than 50 at a session.So,I rotate through as two lots of 50 till I get neck splits,then I junk them and fireform new brass. |
December 14, 2012, 09:52 AM | #18 |
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My go to Deer and Antelope rifle is my Model 70 Featherweight in 257 Roberts. Plenty accurage.
I shoot Berger 115s @ about 2800 FPS. The scope I use is a old Leatherwood ART (Automatic Ranging Telescope) MPC scope. If you're not familiar with this scope, you sight it in at 200 yards. It has stadium lines set for 18 inches ( the size of the average deer's body). Its a 3X9 scope, at 3x its set for 200 yards, at 9X its set for 600 yards. You fit the deer in the stadium lines using the power ring and it automaticly adjust for elevation. The 115 Berger is more the capable of putting down deer at 600 yards. No sir, you wont be disapointed with the 257 Roberts.
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December 14, 2012, 11:22 AM | #19 | ||
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Here is my buddies buck from 2009, he shoots good deer and if he doesn't find one he generally passes.
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December 18, 2012, 08:13 AM | #20 |
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257 Roberts is an exceptionally good cartridge for the deer hunter. But its popularity began to fade when Remington came out with 25-06. Unfair but true.
Jack
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December 18, 2012, 08:38 AM | #21 |
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The 7x57 (7MM Mauser) round is a fantastic hunting cartridge, similar in ballstics to the 7MM-08 and some argue more versatile when handloaded in MODERN rifles. Being a wildcat of the 7x57 the .257 Roberts is a fantastic hunting cartridge especially for deer. I like it better than .25-06 because felt recoil seems less to me.
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December 18, 2012, 12:17 PM | #22 |
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257 Roberts?
The 257 Roberts is an excellent medium sized game rifle. However, if one doesn't handload it's not really worth bothering with because of the limited factory ammo available. Mine took a 250lb Red Stag yearling at 188yds(lasered)
DRT with 100gr Partition. Unfortunately you can't buy that kind of ammo.
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