Why oh why do you like this slow moving, efficient, very cool and very nerdy cartridge...

Great deer, and sheep cartridge. 100g bullets over 3000 fps very little recoil. It just has style!

it ain't that slow.
compare it to the 'flat shooting' 6.5 man bun.

light rifle, light recoil, Accurate, dead stuff.
what's not to like?

I like 100 or 120gr bullets in my Feather weight.
mostly the Hornady 120gr H-points.

Because it kills deer and pronghorn at any reasonable distance with a minimum of fuss. It is easy to load for and has been reasonably accurate in any rifle I have used it in. Minimal recoil in a light rifle. What's not to like? It's not the fastest filly in the stable, but fast enough, reliable, and consistent.

Because my name is Robert.

And man, it’s truly a wonderful deer slayer.

Ok, it's only show if you are still living in 1960. It was killed by Remington when they put it in their short action rifles, and made the ammo low pressure, for NO good reason. It was never chambered in a weak rifle. So when the 243 came out, the 257 died, even though it though it was a FAR superior cartridge. Capable of using 120 grain bullets, which the 6mms can't.
With modern loads, both factor and handholds, it is not slow. In fact, my Ruger 77 has a throat so long that I seat bullets only .1 into the case, and easily get 25-06 velocities. Not kidding.

DPCD,
Ok. What load would you recommend? I like the 90-110gr Bullets and prefer Barnes TSX or TTSX or even ELD x.
Thanks.

Here you go, my friend.

.257 Roberts +P

NOT slow.

I am playing with a .257 AI custom I picked up for a song. It has a slow twist, heavy barrel. Whoever built it wanted speed out of light bullets. Just finished fireforming brass, now loading 85 gn bullets to see what kind of accuracy I might get. Barrel is full length bedded so I am curious how it will do and if weather changes will shift my POI...It is a super cool little round and should be a lot of fun for rock chucks way off in the distance.

It's one of the only rifle calibers I've never owned. My interests start at 270 and go up from there :-)

My wife bought me one in my early 20s. ll my kids took their first deer with it - light recoil, easy to shoot well, and low-ish report - what's not to love

Because I brought my used a a great price

I don't and can't recommend loads; I have no idea how long you can seat bullets. I use 25-06 load data, as indicated above. The world would have never had the 243 if Remington had treated the 257 properly.
270? A useless round that should have never been developed. But after WW1, no one here would use a metric caliber (7x64, for example). I have and have owned at least 25 of them; all 270 barrels become pry bars. Never fired one. My mission is to eliminate all I can get.
Rid the world of them!

270 Winchester, best rifle cartridge ever!

quote:

Originally posted by rnovi:
Because my name is Robert.

And man, it’s truly a wonderful deer slayer.

I THOUGHT YOUR NAME WAS EARL!!!

Hip

DPCD,
Sometimes you drive me crazy but you do keep me from going insane!

I love the .270, the 257 Robts,the savage 99 I know you shoot a 414 Hog waller and Im not partial to it, but would never abuse it, just saying. CUT ME SOME SLACK !

Mine is built on a LA. Stout enough to ride a backpack well as a front rest when placing the crosshair on Pronghorn. Works good on wheat field Muleys too.

110 grain NAB or ELD-X at just under 3,000 fps.

I like the Roberts because I do not subscribe to the two action (Long or short) are the only actions mentality. The Bob was born of a Mauser cartridge and performs perfectly inside an INTERMEDIATE Mauser action. Paul got so many things right over a hundred years ago, but his genius has become unappreciated these days.
That is why I like the 257 Roberts.

Paul Mauser was years ahead of his time absolutely a genius back then and now, with what he left us. Anyone that doubts that is a nitwit..

Many years ago I decided to build a rifle just for my wife for deer hunting. she's 5'2" and petite so needed a petite rifle. So with the help of a stockmaker friend, I built her a cute little .257 Roberts. 09 Argentine 98 action, 20" lightweight barrel, curly maple classic style stock. My friend rust blued it, such a cute little rifle. But it sat unused for many years. Then after our sons were raised, I talked her into a deer hunt on our property. I loaded up some very mild loads ( 35 gr. of 4064 with 100 gr. Nosler BTs). We zeroed it in and off we went. Towards the end of the season, a big doe offered a clean standing shot, and with one shot and a brief run, she christened her rifle. The next year she decided to go out again. On a mild evening we went out together again and in a short time a nice buck came running. I managed to stop it: she was ready and again, one well placed shot, a brief run, and she had her first buck. I've been able to take quite a few hunts all over the country including brown bear hunts on Kodiak Island, I can honestly say that being with my wife on those 2 hunts were probably THE most memorable to me. I've loaded up some more loads for her this year and hopefully another buck will hit the ground. THAT is why I like the .257 Roberts so much!!

Friends, you, too DPCD,

Since DPCD opened with a salvo against the .243 Winchester, I've decided to enter the fray. Admittedly, I'm an old fart, but there is absolutely nothing wrong with many cartridges that are considered anemic and obsolete by todays opinions. Cartridges like the .250-3000, the .257 Roberts, the 6.5x55 Swede, the 6.5x54 MS, the 7x57, the .30-06, and all the way up to the 9.3x62, are unquestionably fine cartridges, as long as one accepts the antiquated notion that hunting is a sport that requires stalking to within a reasonable range to make an ethical shot. These cartridges will never set any speed records, set your hair on fire, give you a concussion, or cause your retina to separate. They can also be made in wonderful light rifles suitable for men, women, and children. If these cartridges have a fault it is this: they are old fashioned and not extolled as the next best thing to shooting lightning bolts by the pinheads in the gun press who are beholden to ammo manufacturers always eager to create a new useless cartridge that is ultra-high velocity and capable of slaying all manner of critters at ranges the world's armed forces relegate to indirect fire weapons. So, if you have a .257 Roberts or any of the cartridges listed above, you already know what great cartridges they are and will continue to successfully harvest game without feeling old fashioned or under gunned.

Thanks to all.
At 69 with grandkids now shooting, I am leaning toward the 257 Roberts, 7x57, .308, .222 Rem, 6.5x55 Swedish and light loaded bigger bores.

Thanks for the confirmation on my thinking.

I did however buy a 257 Weatherby for me as I feel the need for speed every so often....

I just purchased a FN 250-3000 little rifle to go with my lovely savage 99 TD in same, I have killed many deer and maybe half a dozen elk with 99 Savage, some DRT some ran up to 50 yards, about like my 338 or any other gun..My 3 cousins got 3 Rem model 760 pumps in 257 Roberts caliber and we could never tell they were better killers than the 250-3000 on deer, elk, and antelope, except on paper both with factory ammo back in the day..Even today with handloads there is little difference. I am sure the 250 is the hands down most accurate caliber out of the box, inasmuch as Ive never seen one that didn't shoot pin holes, but surely there must be.

A YOUNG man here with VERY little knowledge and experience. BUT, in my opinion....dead is dead am I right?! Just like an AR is an AR rifle correct? Whether it be a 243, 257 Roberts, 7 x 57, 7 x 64, 270 vs 280....BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH. I would like to think if it puts meat in the freezer it wouldn't matter. I don't know anything about them b/c I don't own one.

Just like a physical therapist (They always act like they're a neurosurgeon when it comes to exercise and evaluation) once told me about a patient who once injured his back. He tried to be very specific and precise when it came to explaining the location of pain and the injury: "It's not a strain of soft muscle tissue, it's a spot at the musculotendinous junction adjacent to the non-injured facet of the transverse process".

My response was: " Does it really matter? His back is hurting..."

quote:

My response was: " Does it really matter? His back is hurting.

I was hunting with a surgeon.

As he was gutting a deer.

I told him Doc we are not trying to save his life.

We are going to eat him.

Hurry up.