I've this burning desire for a Weatherby cartridge lately. I'm currently tied between these two, with a little thought also given to the 7mm. Mostly a deer rifle, hopefully a plains game rifle in the future (where it'd be accompanied by a 375 H&H). I'd love any input on this decision regarding pros and cons. I load my own, so factory ammo availability isn't an issue.

Brandon, I've hunted quite a bit with the 257 Wby, and it is indeed a laser. That being said, I do prefer the 270 Wby, as it gives very similar performance and trajectory, but can handle bullets up to 150 or even 160 grains, which makes it more versatile. If you were sticking to Whitetails and Antelope, I'd do the 257, but if you're contemplating Plains Game, go with the 270 Bee.

No flies on the 7 Wby either, but it's way overkill on Deer, unless your average shot is 650 yards :-)

P.O. Ackley said the 257 Weatherby was the best round Roy came up with, FWIW

I have had three .257s, one a custom, and I really like the cartridge. It provides lower recoil than the others using bullets of the same sectional density, my favorite bullet is (was) the Hornady 120HP. For most deer the .257 is the cat's meow.

But if I wanted a step up in power it would be to the 7mm. It outperforms the .270 Weatherby and the 7mm Remington with max loads but can be throttled back to .280 performance for deer etc. No real need for the dozens of bullet weights and styles in this caliber, but it is ample for any North American game. No flys on the 0.007" smaller .270 Weatherby, but the 7mm would do it best for me.

P.O. Ackley said a LOT of things......


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I've had three 257's and one 270.

The 270 was very inaccurate, but all three of the 257's were tack drivers...

I have both.Any difference in accuracy would be contributed to the rifle in question NOT the calibre. My 270 Wby puts 130 gr Barnes TSX bullets into groups under 1 inch @ 200yds. The 257 is about the same with lighter bullets. Not a lot of difference in trajectory. If I could only have 1 it would be the 270 Wby.

Thanks for the replies, guys. Off to do a little searching at local shops this coming weekend. Seems like either will fit my needs just fine. Larger plains game would just mean using the 375.

So now the big question is whether or not I'd be satisfied with the 257 in a Vanguard 2 (24" barrel) or any of the three in a Mark V with the longer 26" barrel. Do the weatherby's tend to follow the 50fps/in rule of thumb?

Weatherby cartridges do benefit from the extra barrel length.

If you are taking a .375 and a bee, then I would take the .257. In reality, any of the three will do whatever is needed.

Something to consider.
Ruger had a 28 inch barrel #1b on the market.
I think that would be fun !...tj3006

I've never owned a 257 Weatherby, my 25-06 does everything I need done.
Now, I DO have a 270 Weatherby barrel for my switch barrel rifle, and it is an absolute hammer! I only ever run 150gr Partitions for game, kills llike lightning. I used mine with said bullets on 1 plains game trip, took a zebra and blue wildebeast with it, both one shot kills. If this will be the sole purpose for this rifle, then this is what I recommend. The 257 has little doubt taking the same game, but, I think the heavier bullet provides more of a safety margin.

Cheers.

I've owned 3 .257s and still have 2. Its a lightening killer of deer sized animals until the speed drops off. It easy to get enthusiastic about it in open country, it is very flat shooting.

My .270 Weatherby came along a little later. It will do everything that the .257 will do as far as trajectory , drifts a bit less in the wind and brings half again as much energy to play. Recoil is a bit more, granted, but these aren't light rifles and it doesn't amount to much in either case.

For plains game I'd go with the .270, due to some of the bigger species and oftentimes short range. A fast big (or at least bigger) bullet will do everything a fast little bullet will do.

One is about as good as the other in the field, on paper the .270 holds the best hand..Of the two Id opt for the 257 Wby, better yet the 7 Wby as it can be loaded with 175 gr. bullets and you would get less meat destruction.

I don't like WBY rifles for meat hunting as velocity is the demon of blood shot meat, thus the standard 257 Robts, or better yet 7x57 would be my all time choice for deer size game. But that's just me.

I love both, but since Barnes came along with the 110 grain TTSX it's hands down the .270. Weatherby rifles are made for the TSX with the long mags and the freebore. All of my 270Bees have shot the 110 and 130 T/TSXs VERY well. At 3700+ FPS from a 26" Mark V it's hard to beat from a laserbeam standpoint. And with the 130 at 3400 that will cover the rest till you need the .375.

From my personal experience which of course will be different being Australian but my preference is 270 "anything" over 257 "anything"

257 is hard to beat. The speed and flat shooting is a big plus. It will kill just about anything you want to shoot at. JP

I had 2 257, my first was an accumark I bought for my self with my "stock show" money. Shot a lot of deer with that gun, it was a shooter, sold that to my brother--he still has it 15 years later....it still will shoot well under an inch.

Ed

Its hard for me to take a 100 grain/3500 fps rifle hunting when its standing in the cabinet beside a 130 grain/3500 fps rifle. That's what it comes down to now, with my own rifles.

I´ll vouch for the .270Wea. 180grain Woodleighs at +3000ft/sec and 150grainers at 3280 ft/sec....What´s not to like?.

That is true. I still like my 257's . If I am going to get something bigger it would be a 7STW or 300 Weatherby. That just me--JP

I never quite forgave Weatherby for not putting 26 inch barrels on the Vanguards. That's as much personal preference as anything. It sure seems like 50 fps per inch across a lot of rifles. It may not make any difference in the field but it's free horsepower and I want it. The other thing I have trouble with is my vanguards routinely out shoot my MarkVs. Lighter too.

quote:

Originally posted by gunsmith jp:
That is true. I still like my 257's . If I am going to get something bigger it would be a 7STW or 300 Weatherby. That just me--JP

I'm a long time fan of STW with way over 25 years worth of playing. There's currently 4 in the stable. I can't help noticing that my .270 Weatherby crowds it real hard. Not bad for a cartridge from the 40s.

Not a huge WBY fan, but I like the 257 and 340 cartridges.

I'll take the 270 WEATHERBY. I wanted to have had one but I found it very expensive Weatherby Mark V and ammunition also seemed very expensive. So I bought a .300 Winchester Magnum but I'm still dreaming of the 270 Roy.

Ovny.

I really like my 257Weatherby.
When the 6.5Weatherby gets going I will buy one. I am not a 270fan at all.

RN5287

I sent you a P.M.

Thx

Steve

I have a stainless Weatherby in 257Wby and a Vanguard S2 with 24" barrel. I also have a Mark V in 270Wby.

This deer was taken in November 2015 at 140yds with the Vanguard S2 with 100gr TTSX.



I do use my 270Wby when shooting down into a couple of cut overs due to the weeds and brush. I use 150gr TSX's in it.