I need a "small bore" would love a 270-08, but that doesn't exist, so I'm torn between these two...

I'm most likely just going to buy a Kimber 84M Mondana.

I'm (terrifyingly) limiting myself to short-actions because I'd like a VERY light rifle...

the range on the 257 is tempting, but the 7mm just seems to be more versatile and still good for sheep/deer out to 400.

I handload already, so ammo availability is a non-issue.

7mm-08 hands down.

Can't go wrong with either, but my fav would be the 257.

Don't know if Kimber makes their rifle in 260, but if so, that would be an excellent compromise between the 7-08 and the Bob, IMO!

For sheep & deer? IMO, the Bob is enough. You can run the numbers out to 400 yards. Both cartridges are going to be darn similar.

Where the 7mm-08 shines is with heavier bullets. If I were going to shoot a 160 or 175gr. bullet I'd go 7-08 (actually, 7x57, but let's not split hairs here...). The Bob is only going to take you to 120 gr., max. I have a Bob and I get an honest 2,750fps out of a 20" bbl with a 117 gr. bullet.

That's enough to get an elk done...allthough a tad light for less than perfect angles. The 7-08 gives you more bullet...and more performance on bigger animals, like elk +. Still, I hear of people who take Black Bear, Elk, even Moose with a Bob.

So, long story short, I'd do a Bob for slighter animals. Elk + I'd take the option for a heavier bullet.

(I'll qualify this: I've never hunted Sheep. I've put bullets into pigs and haven't heard that sheep are tougher than hogs. So if a Bob is good enough for piggies then it would be enough for a sheep. I'm sure someone with more experience could qualify this more...but I just can't see how a sheep would care.)

Of those 2 the 7mm/08.

For me, make mine a 308.

The .257 shoots a 100 gr. bullet vs. 140 gr. for the 7-08. Are you shooting big varmints or big game? I like the 7mm.

7/08 would be my choice.

there is no logic to my thoughts! If it were my first and only rifle I would buy the 7-08, however if I had a 30-06 on up I would buy a .257 Roberts. If I were recoil sensitive and in a light rifle the 100 grain bullet from the roberts is going to recoil less than the heavier 7-08 bullet.

I have both the 257 and a 7-08, and feel that the 7-08 would be the better route to go in a short action rifle.
I have three Remington 700's in 257 Roberts, all short actions. It's my experience that the Short actions don't support heavy 25 caliber bullets as well as a long action does. But, there are a whole lot of guys arguing that point with me. Of course, for them, they are right. I find that even with light weight 87 grain bullets like Speer's TNT, the bullet must be seated so deeply into the case for it to function thru the magazine, the ogive is well below the case mouth leaving a gap at the case mouth.
My 7-08 is a new FN Model 70 that is a dream to shoot, and will accept the 140 grain bullets I shoot very well.
The above is just my opinion, and that probably ain't worth a whole lot.

Don

Both are excellent rounds.I think the decider here would depend on what other cals you have now.

I agree with the others that there is no bad decision. I would go with the 7-08 because of increased ammo availability. It's purely an issue of convenience.

Whenever Im tempted for a 257r, I end up prefering 7x57[120gn monometals 3100mv for everything you have any business to point a 7x57 at] infact those bullets are fine for biggame out of 7mmSTW,....an 7mm08 is as close to an .270/08 as youll ever find.

quote:

would love a 270-08,

From description of preference above.

I think you should go with the 7-08, what is there, 0.007" difference in bullet diameter?

The 257 Roberts is only a viable option because you handload, and can load it to full potential.

But, it is all good, and you won't go wrong with either choice.

A fella could always split the difference and buy a 260 Remington...

quote:

Originally posted by nordrseta:
A fella could always split the difference and buy a 260 Remington...

***or the superior hand loaded 6.5X55. roger

7MM-08 first.., then the .260 rem.

wow... constructive responses here, thanks.

I have (either mine or dads):

Rem 700 25-06 that shoots like crap and is heavy.
Mauser 98 30-06 that is reasonably light, but not a tack-driver with OTC ammo, working on a handload ATM
Mauser 98 35 Whelen tack-driver, handload only.

the 25-06 is a lost cause to me, so you can basically ignore it, I'm not interested in making it work...

as much as I like the bob, I think the 7-08 just makes more sense... the 270WSM would as well, but that gun is a pound heavier from Kimber (most likely source), and if I can load hot & heavy in the 7-08, I'm not losing much to the 270, and 7mm bullet selection is endless.

I prefer the 7-08. But then I have a .257 Wby.

quote:

Originally posted by Dark Helmet:
wow... constructive responses here, thanks.

I have (either mine or dads):

Rem 700 25-06 that shoots like crap and is heavy.
Mauser 98 30-06 that is reasonably light, but not a tack-driver with OTC ammo, working on a handload ATM
Mauser 98 35 Whelen tack-driver, handload only.

the 25-06 is a lost cause to me, so you can basically ignore it, I'm not interested in making it work...

as much as I like the bob, I think the 7-08 just makes more sense... the 270WSM would as well, but that gun is a pound heavier from Kimber (most likely source), and if I can load hot & heavy in the 7-08, I'm not losing much to the 270, and 7mm bullet selection is endless.

Originally I was going to recommend the 7-08, but now that I know what you have, I'd go with the Bob. Lou

I am a big lover of the Roberts.
And I own 2. I have owned a couple of 7mm08s , and just could never really get very excited about the round.
However, if you are going after game above about 400 lbs, the 7mm bullet would be a better choice.
That being said, I strongly prefer the 165 grain .308 over the 160 grain 7mm08. My limited experience has allways gotten me about 150 FPS more from the .308 with mid range bullets...tj3006

I would suggest a Tikka T3 Lite in 7mm-08. A best kept secret that comes with scope rings and sling swivels and is a tackdriver. Its also very reasonably priced and available.

Dark, this is about as good as it gets on AR! Excellent points and advice. I have a Ruger Ultralight in 257R. I love the gun and the caliber, but it is not a 400 yard gun! I also have a 7x57 but it is a CZ (full stock) and is NOT a light gun, however, the accuracy and bullet weight would make it a 400 yard gun in a pinch ie. no wind, known range, stationary target etc.
Peter

If it is white tail out to 250 yds. the Bob is all you need. Even the 250-3K can do the job with the right throating. roger

as said, you can't go all together wrong with either one, but i'm thinking you might be better served with the 7mm. bore.
it's somewhat a personal thing, but i just don't like flingin' 100 gr. bullets at a deer size critter and just when the bullet weight gets into "my" good deer sized range in a .25 bore( 117 and 120 gr.), the roberts sort of starts to fall on it's nose. when you consider the max distance you mention, definatly for the 120's.
the roberts is one of my favorites along with the 7x57 and i have hunted deer for 39 yrs+/- with both. the roberts is a fantastic short to medium range deer gun, but despite what jack o'conner wrote about his wife's gun, 400 yrds is pushing the roberts with proper bullets for deer size game.

Where I live and farm, fine red dust gets everywhere. Carrying a scoped rifle in a tractor cab or pickup can be a pain. I found a Rem 722 in 257 Bob. You have to go to rifles that old to get decent iron sights. I thought the cal. would be good for coyotes and an occasional try at bigger stuff. I bought it from a careful handloader with about 80 rounds loaded with 100 grain bullets. To me these loads were neither fish or fowl, I like the classic 117 bullet for deer. Well, I didn't have it for very long before I found one of my cows well away from the rest of the heard and water, with a new born calf. It was nearly dark and I had circled around to the road to go home when I found a 250 lb. wild boar crossing the fence into the place heading for the calf. I'm sure it smelled the afterbirth. By the time I jumped out with the rifle and was able to take the shot, it was 50 yards off. Certainly no feat of marksmanship, but I had to aim from quartering away between it's front legs. It dropped to the shot. I don't know but I suspicion that a 25-06 shooting that bullet might have over expanded and not have given me the penetration. I have always been a heavy bullet and bigger bore fan but I have a lot of faith in the Bob.

I have a 257R that I love, but I wouldn't have it if it was in a short action. My loads won't fit a short action magazine.

If I were you and only looking for short actions, I'd look into the .260Rem and have both bases covered, 100grn-140grn. The 129grn hornady will match what you are looking for out of a .270-308.

My 257R is probably my most accurate rifle, but I'd have to be desperate to take a 400yd shot with it. 350yd is about the reasonable limit(or pushing it), and then it runs out of horse power for big game, imo. I run a max load Re-19 topped with 117grn hornady btsp, and it is a fine deer combo.

DH,

If you don't reload, a 243 or a 308 Win will provide a larger selection of factory loads than either of 257 Roberts, 260 Rem, 7-08 or 270 WSM!!!

AND they both can be had in a light short action rifle.

quote:

Originally posted by merlinron:

it's somewhat a personal thing, but i just don't like flingin' 100 gr. bullets at a deer size critter.

for reference, right now I hunt deer with 250gr bullets in the Whelen... soooooo yeah.

and yes, I do handload...

Don't really understand the comments about the short action and the 117-120gr bullets. I have had several Bob's and it's no trick to get 2800 to 3000 fps from a 120gr bullet from a short action. And a good 120gr 257 bullet at say, 2900fos, does NOT "fall on its nose" at 300yds+.

The first bolt rifle I ever owned I built myself when going to Gunsmithing School in Trinidad, Co. It was a 257 IMP. and it is truly one of my favorite rifles, and has done very well with 87grn - and 120grn bullets, on prairie dogs, Antelope, and white tails. a couple of years ago I had the itch to build another rifle and after a month or so of trying to come up with the right caliber I decided on a 7-08 IMP. It is truly a dream to shoot and is now another of my favorites. If I had to, I could part with any other rifle I have, BUT those two.

i have both... love them both.. interchangable for 99% of all shots.. and when they are not, what you REALLY waqnt is either a 223 or a 375HH

anybody else here that shoots a bob getting 2900 out of a 120 stuffed in to fit in a short action mag?.....
i know i learned long ago to not even consider the short action for this exact reason....i guess every gunsmith that i ever talked to about it was wrong, too, and remington was wrong when they needlessly switched actions it was chambered on to accomidate a longer oal with the roberts.

120gr at 2900 is easy .. use 760

Barsness states his Roberts is an Rem722sa, and doesnt find much extra cap./vel. advantage with seating an .25cal dia bullet out further in longer actions.Barnsness article

Here is another quote from Barsness from another forum on this same topic:

"I have one of the Kimbers and my standard load is a 115-grain Nosler Partition at juist about the same muzzle velocity that's possible with a 100-grain bullet from a .243. I know this because I have owned and hunted with several .243's quite extensively--along with with several short-action Bob's.

It is a screaming myth that 115-120 grain bullets cannot be used "effectively" from a 2.8" magazine .257 Roberts. In a 24" barrel, as a matter of fact, the 120-grain Partition can be pushed to nearly 3000 fps with published loads. It is also quite easy to get 3200 out of a 100-grain bullet in the Roberts, even in most 22" barrels, which shoots noticeably flatter than a .243 (or .250 Savage) at 300-400 yards.

Now, whether a 115-120 grain .25 caliber bullet actually kills better than a 100-grain 6mm bullet is another question. I have seen plenty of big game animals killed with both the .243 Winchester and .257 Roberts, and a pile more killed with the 6mm Remington, .240 Weatherby, .250 Savage, .257 Ackley, .25-06 and .257 Weatherby. Whenever the bullet hit the right place the animal died.

In fact the more animals I see shot the less I'm certain about how much difference bullet diameter, weight, and velocity make. Even bullet construction is far behind bullet placement.

But it is easy to load heavy bullets in a short-action Bob. I have done it in a half-a-dozen rifles, and there's no noticeable difference in velocity--unless, of course, the barrels are very different in length."

When in doubt, buy both. He who dies with the most toys wins!

my friend my kimber is shooting 100 grain TSX bullets into 3/4 of an inch over 46.5 grains of H4350. Other who have chronographed this load say its over 3000 fps.

A 100 TSX at 3000 FPS!

So its a stretch for me to imagine what a 7-08 with a 140 would do in the world of grass eaters that this would not do!

Shot 3 today to verify POA, light recoil, .7 inch group. I am ready to go hunting!

quote:

Originally posted by N E 450 No2:
Of those 2 the 7mm/08.

For me, make mine a 308.

+1

c'mon,
the same people that chamber the roberts in short actions and then down load the ammo to compensate for it (amongst other more legit reasons)are the ones paying for whatever he writes......

quote:

Originally posted by Dark Helmet:
I need a "small bore" would love a 270-08, but that doesn't exist, so I'm torn between these two...

I'm most likely just going to buy a Kimber 84M Mondana.

I just answered that one for myself and bought a 257 Rob Kimber MT. It's one of my favorite rounds. Match it with a 270 or 30-06 and you've got yourself a dynamite two-gun battery.