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Hunting & Fishing 257 Weatherby?

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redneckbmxer24

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    • Jan 15, 2005
    12,203
    9,257
    Gulf Coast, FL
    Does anybody run a 257 Weatherby? I was doing a little reading on it the other day because it's one of the few commercial cartridges I haven't had and it seemed pretty appealing. It seems most of the people who have one are very happy with it so I figured it may be worth at least trying. The only thing that scares me is the cost of brass, you can buy Lapua 338 brass for the cost of Weatherby brass.

    If you have one what do you use it for and how do you like it? How is barrel life?

    I would probably use it as a general purpose deer rifle, maybe antelope too if I ever go out west. I've never shot a deer with a .257 anything before but I've heard it does a lot of damage. I do like the idea of being able to run a steaming 100gr and basically be able to hold a bit to 500 yards.

    Also another question since I'm sure a person or two here has or has had both, how does it compare to 25-06? How much more velocity do you get with it and is it worth the extra cost to load?
     
    Re: 257 Weatherby?

    It uses a good bit more powder than the 06 version for not a huge payback, roughly 10grains for 250fps. That being said it is an awesome deer/elk round and just as impressive varmint round when using the right bullets.

    When loading for it I believe Nosler has brass for it which seem to give better longevity than the Weatherby/Norma cases.
     
    Re: 257 Weatherby?

    My father wanted a .257 wby mag for a while. Then we saw a box of ammo for sale for it in Cabelas. $84 at the time. LOL killed that urge real quick.

    Personally I'd look more toward a .25-06. One of my buddies had one and it was a deer killing machine.
     
    Re: 257 Weatherby?

    I guess the grass isn't always greener then.

    One thing I did notice is that Miway has the Weatherby 100gr norma spitzer for $35.99 but yet 20 pieces of brass is $38.99... WTF?
     
    Re: 257 Weatherby?

    There probably is no finer deer\antelope cartridge rifle combo made off the shelf.
    Yes brass is expensive but how much are you going to shoot it?
    It is not a rifle that most people shoot a lot because of barrel heating.
    I have three of them and they are easy to load for.

    Many people use 7RM or 264WM brass. I personally have not had that great of results using brass of different headstamp and I have had great results with Norma brass.

    The other issue is few bullets in the 25 caliber size with decent BC's.
    I currently use the Barnes 100gr TTSX bullet and once those are gone I am going to give the 115 Bergers a try.
     
    Re: 257 Weatherby?

    I would shoot it a decent amount because it's not a good idea taking a shot at a deer at any sort of distance without knowing exactly where that bullet is going to go, that's how animals get wounded.

    The bullet selection is definitely lacking but I would probably just run a 90-100 grain nosler BT or something similar. I always do head or high shoulder shots so you can use a light varmint bullet and put them down, doesn't need to be anything special. I don't really need the perfect bullet for my purposes. I just want a flat shooting 0-500 yard shooter.

    I probably won't get one for this year but I'm definitely interested in setting one up and doing some shooting with it next spring/summer. This year I'm going to run a 243 with a 75vmax for long range stuff and probably 100gr core lokt factory stuff for short range to try to do less meat damage.
     
    Re: 257 Weatherby?

    With the .257WBY, I'd stay away from the ballistic tips because of the velocity. My best friend has a .257 and gets great results with the 110 accubond out to 900yds. If I remember correctly, he has formed brass from some 7MMRM.
    The cartridge is an absolute laser for antelope, deer, elk. If you want a rifle with little hold over out to 400-500 yds, you can't get much better. Barrel burner, yes. Pluses and minus for everything I suppose.
     
    Re: 257 Weatherby?

    I'm not too concerned with the velocity, I would actually like it if it means shooting flatter to 400-500 yards. I know it destroys meat but I try to go for the head most of the time. Just about anything is going to destroy a lot of meat in a high shoulder shot.
     
    Re: 257 Weatherby?

    <div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: redneckbmxer24</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I'm not too concerned with the velocity, I would actually like it if it means shooting flatter to 400-500 yards. I know it destroys meat but I try to go for the head most of the time. Just about anything is going to destroy a lot of meat in a high shoulder shot. </div></div>

    If you're not too concerned about velocity why even consider it over the 25-06?
     
    Re: 257 Weatherby?

    I did some extensive load ups on the one I owned. It may have just been my rifle, but what I found was pretty telling.

    With the right bullets in a hunting situation it was killer. However, Berger (all) match bullets wouldn't run through it accurately (as they came apart). As did the SMK's of all weights. It was a 1-10" twist. Sierra GMK's and Hornady huting bullets held together okay. The thing really loved Noslers. I didn't try any Barnes, but I'm pretty sure they would do as well as the Noslers.

    As noted above, typically I was in the top 50's for powder loads. With the 25-06's I worked with and owned, I was in the top 40's low 50's for powder loads.

    So, if you're really looking for a laser, it's the real deal. There's not a lot of meat destruction on a deer if you hit them in the chest. At least I've never gotten much meat from a deer there. Hit him in the shoulder and you've destroyed two quarters. But I could say the same thing about a 25-06 and even the .257 Rob and .250 Sav. The idea is not to shoot the meat you want to eat.
    .25 Cal's are great for power/low recoil combinations. My .257 WBY didn't kick much and it shot extremely flat. I would own it again, but I have to say, I've shot a ton of deer and generally prefer my .257 Roberts over the .257 Weatherby.
     
    Re: 257 Weatherby?

    Built one earlier this year. Haven't shot anything with it yet (except a turkey).

    Really likes 110g Accubonds and 115 Berger VLDs over H-1000

    cg1v.jpg
     
    Re: 257 Weatherby?

    I love my .257 weatherby.

    I shoot...

    Combined Technology 115gr BST BT bullet
    Weatherby brass
    Retumbo powder
    215M primers

    With these bullets I am getting a MV around 3325 fps.

    I've been using this load during the spring and summer to take care of the Texas hog problem. I've shot em' from about 25 yards all the way out to just under 400 yards using the 115gr and haven't had any trouble knocking them down!
     
    Re: 257 Weatherby?

    My 257 Weatherby Accumark is a death laser. Weatherby brass, 100 grain Barnes TTSX, 72 grains RL22 and a Federal 215m primer 3550 FPS. ½ MOA if I do my part.
     
    Re: 257 Weatherby?

    I think any of the .257s would make a great deer/antelope gun. I prefer the 25-06 over the .257 weatherby only because its more friendly to the pocketbook. I have used 100gr sierra sp. And had a nice pass through with very good short blood trails on 2 whitetail, 1 antelope, and 1 ferral hog. (Everything Ive shot with it)
     
    Re: 257 Weatherby?

    I have owned about every commercially available .257 there is- I still kill most everything with my rusty-trusty rem 700 25-06.

    My grandfather bought a Custom Rem 721 .257Ackley from Ackley himself, my father always used a 722 .257bob.

    I just don't see the Weatherby doing anything over the 06 that justifies the huge jump in cost and drop in barrel-life.

    I have never taken a shot and said "Dang I wished I had that extra 200fps"

    I do a bunch of killing with a .243 too so.......
     
    Re: 257 Weatherby?

    Ok I've gotta have one. I was looking on hodgdon's online data and to me it looks like the 257wby gets about 300-350 more than the 25-06 with 100gr bullets. That's enough for me to justify an extra 10 grains. Not that I would ever shoot it this far but a 100gr Nosler BT at .393 BC is only 6.5-6.9 mils to 1000 yards at 3500 and 3600 FPS.

    I'm impressed to say the least and will be buying one to say I tried it if nothing else.
     
    Re: 257 Weatherby?

    To the OP- sounds like you're dead set on the 100gr ballistic tip? They shoot great on paper, but I would like to suggest trying the 110 Accubond or the 115 gr TSX. With the speeds the Weatherby runs, I'm afraid the BT may explode on impact and not penetrate enough to do the job. I say this based on my limited experience with the .300 WBY and the 180 BT. Limited experience because it only took one instance and I moved on to a tougher bullet. When hitting big bone, like a shoulder, I'd want something that's going to punch on through. Just passing on what I've experienced. You're going to love the .257 WBY!
     
    Re: 257 Weatherby?

    Thanks bugholes.

    Engine, I've used the 150BT's in several 30 cals and experienced the explosiveness as well. I shoot deer in the head or top of the shoulder at the spine and I've dropped them in place with everything from 223 running a 40gr Vmax to 300RUM using Amax's, swifts, and partitions. I'm not too worried about the explosiveness because I know they are going to go down. I want to stick with the 100's for the flatter trajectory. I figure if I wanted to go lighter I would just use 243 and heavier I would use 270. I think its going to perform great for my needs with the 100gr BT's. If for some reason it acts differently because of the velocity (although my 300RUM ran the 150's at the same speed) of the 257wby then I can always change up bullets.
     
    Re: 257 Weatherby?

    As already mentioned, avoid the Ballistics Tips.

    One of the worst hunting experiences I ever had was helping with a group of hunters, one of whom was using a 25-06 with Ballistic Tips.

    He wounded deer and pigs with every shot. The ones that we recovered had surface wounds that looked similar to a hole made by an ice cream scoop.

    When he returned the following year, he had changed to a 308 with 168 Amaxes and dropped everything DRT.
     
    Re: 257 Weatherby?

    Wby brass is made by Norma, good quality and expensive.

    The .257 is an ok deer and sheep round. The .264 bullets have a better BC so I would step up one notch.
     
    Re: 257 Weatherby?

    <div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: jeffbird</div><div class="ubbcode-body">As already mentioned, avoid the Ballistics Tips.

    One of the worst hunting experiences I ever had was helping with a group of hunters, one of whom was using a 25-06 with Ballistic Tips.

    He wounded deer and pigs with every shot. The ones that we recovered had surface wounds that looked similar to a hole made by an ice cream scoop.

    When he returned the following year, he had changed to a 308 with 168 Amaxes and dropped everything DRT.

    </div></div>

    If you put one in the top of the shoulder or head a deer won't know the difference between a BT and a Partition. I guarantee it, I've shot deer with a 40gr vmax and they went straight down.
     
    Re: 257 Weatherby?

    <div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: 500grains</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Wby brass is made by Norma, good quality and expensive.

    The .257 is an ok deer and sheep round. The .264 bullets have a better BC so I would step up one notch. </div></div>

    I want to stick with a factory chambering, none of the factory chambered 6.5's will shoot as flat as I'm looking for. I'm also not going to be using it beyond 500 yards so if I can get around a .400 BC that will be more than sufficient.
     
    Re: 257 Weatherby?

    <div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: redneckbmxer24</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: jeffbird</div><div class="ubbcode-body">As already mentioned, avoid the Ballistics Tips.

    One of the worst hunting experiences I ever had was helping with a group of hunters, one of whom was using a 25-06 with Ballistic Tips.

    He wounded deer and pigs with every shot. The ones that we recovered had surface wounds that looked similar to a hole made by an ice cream scoop.

    When he returned the following year, he had changed to a 308 with 168 Amaxes and dropped everything DRT.

    </div></div>

    If you put one in the top of the shoulder or head a deer won't know the difference between a BT and a Partition. I guarantee it, I've shot deer with a 40gr vmax and they went straight down. </div></div>

    My experience is different, but pick what you want to, I and others are just trying to help you from our actual experiences.

     
    Re: 257 Weatherby?

    I've shot deer with BT's too, 150's from a 300RUM at a little more speed than the 257 gets 100's to. They exploded on the shoulder but the deer all dropped like rocks. On head shots it took most of their head off.

    If you can kill a deer with a shot to the same place with a 40gr vmax from a 223 or 22-250 thats at least as frangible if not more, you can't tell me a bullet weighing 2.5x more going the same speed with a bigger SD won't kill them even better.

    I would never attempt to take a vital or center shoulder shot with a BT, but there's no denying if you put them in the right place they will work every time.
     
    Re: 257 Weatherby?

    Just relaying direct experience with the 25 cal BT and that only, since that is what you asked.

    If you think they are all the same, try them out.

    I hope they work well for you.

    Good luck this season.
     
    Re: 257 Weatherby?

    I fail to see how its any different than any other frangible bullet at good speed. 30 cal has more mass but what about the 40gr vmax? That has much less mass and it kills em deader than hell. I've head shot deer with a 22 and they go down, theres no way possible that a 22 with all of 100ftlbs of energy on target can kill a deer but a bullet traveling 3x the speed upon impact with 2.5x the weight and 20x the energy won't. Even if it does fragment on impact its going to blow it all to hell and kill it dead, it's not like its going to give it a flesh wound.

    Deer aren't some super creature that is hard to kill, people kill them with pellet rifles. A groundhog is harder to kill in one shot than a deer is. I've shot groundhogs longways through the chest blowing it's whole bottom half off and they still crawl away with their front paws dragging whats left of their guts and organs.
     
    Re: 257 Weatherby?

    I didn't want to get into a pissing match with you over what rifle/ bullet combo you should use. However, I <span style="text-decoration: line-through">have</span> had to comment on the fact you say you have killed deer with a .22lr.........

    Never mind, not wasting my time.

    Carry on redneck, good luck.
     
    Re: 257 Weatherby?

    I've own the 700 cdl sf 257 roy for a couple years, and only taken 1 deer with it so far. Was using 115 balistic tips and the deer droped like the hammer of thor hit him. The bullet didn't pass through with a high heart and lung shot but it did make jello of everything in front of the diaphram. The deer dressed out at 190 lbs.
     
    Re: 257 Weatherby?

    I have shot deer with mine up here in Alaska mine is a 257 Weatherby Vanguard.115gr partitions through both front shoulders no blood shot or meat damage just a small hole pass through.One at 160yds one at 300yds.Both bucks dropped like they were lightning.Ive owned mine for 2yrs great rile you will like it.
     
    Re: 257 Weatherby?

    Its a Weatherby, WHAT'S NOT TO LOVE!!! ....besides maybe price, availability, and choice of gun and ammo manufacturers chambering the weatherby cartridges!

    Seriously though, 257 is fun and its deadly on all but the toughest of wild game...
     
    Re: 257 Weatherby?

    Go for it. I have killed several wild hogs and whitetails with the 257 Roy. I have had everything from full custom rigs to the Weatherby vanguard. My suggestion would be to buy one of the new S2 vanguards. 70 to 72 grains of RL 22 and a Barnes 100 grain TTSX or TSX and start shooting. You will like the caliber.
     
    Re: 257 Weatherby?

    I had one for while and loved it. Killed my first pronghorn, my largest whitetail and several pigs with it. Mostly used 80gr TTSXs at 3700. Mild load, but very accurate and effective. Also killed some pigs with 115gr VLDs, which worked great. I used winchester 7 mag brass. Worked fine. Neck was a little shorter and capacity a little less than Wby brass, but it worked well. Got my best accuracy from 7828, and velocity was as good as anything else - very fast.

    Just out of curiosity, I ran the numbers comparing a 140gr Amax at 2800 to a 115gr VLD at 3400. The Wby really spanks the .260 in trajectory, which was expected, but what surprised me is the .260 actually had the advantage in wind from 100 yards and further.

    Great cartridge, the .257 Wby. I think you'll really enjoy it.

    John
     
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