I'm planning to buy one for roe deer/chamois hunting. What is your opinion? Is it really accurate? What is the expected barrel life? Thanks - Lorenzo

Lorenzo
Hi
Well the 257 wby. is very flat shooting and I know they have good accuracy. Barrel life will be pretty short alright but could last you a lifetime if you don't shoot it too much.

I have a couple of 257's in Mark V Deluxe models one is for sale in the classifieds here. They can be very accurate with the right load and you can push a 100 grain bullet at 3500+ fps depending on the gun, etc. Although, I would use a premium grade bullet with that set-up.

I have two Accumarks in bigger calibers and my friends use them....They are all very accurate guns out to very long range...

It's a wonderful cartridge when proper bullets are used.
A countryman of yours, Dr. Carlo Caldesi, has used it to take game all over the world.

George

I have taken game from pronghorns to elk with the 257wby and find it to be a great cartrdge.I was not overly impressed with the accuracy delivered by my own mark V rifles.However after having the action bedded and a match grade barrel installed(with much less freebore)the gun consistantly shot under 1/2".

Most accurate rifles I own are Weatherbys and especially my Accumark. They say a picture's worth a thousand words. The group above is my 340 with factory 225gr Hornadys with Weatherby factory ammo and the one below is with 250gr PArtitions. BTW, the dark red lines are 1" squares and my 300, 7mm and 257 Weatherbys, all standard MKVs shoot even tighter than that. No bedding, no new barrels, no trigger adjustments no bullshit right out of the box and the safeties don't fire accidentally, the bolt handles don't fall off, extractors don't break and I don't have to rebarrel them. Unless of course they wear out. jorge
PS: The "large" group is right at 1/2". Like I was saying......

I have a Weatherby Vanguard SS 257 wby that shoots under 1 inch with factory 100 gr SP, 100 gr TSX, and 115 TSX. Cant ask for much more than that. Weatherby cartridges are something you either want to shoot, or you dont. Myself, as a reloader, I can tell you that I really enjoy shooting weatherby cartridges.

The nay sayers will tell you about the high cost of factory ammo, or brass if you reload. If that bothers you, look elsewhere. But, if in most cases, you want the fastest hotrod around, then weatherby is for you. Fast, flat, and hard hitting, that's a weatherby. Feed it quality bullets that can take the speed, and hold up when they "get there".

Does it come in a heavy barrelled version at all ??

Like a weatherby varmint rifle in .257 ??

My 270 Weatherby Accumark shoots .60 groups at 100 yards with 160 Nosler handloads. With some factory ammo it is even tighter. The only exception is the Barnes X which open to about 1.25". Short barrel lofe on a Weatherby is bunk IMHO. If you follow the break in procedure and don't pound round after round through on the bench without letting it cool it will last you a lifetime. A great out of the gun box but the one draw back is the Accumark is heavy. The 257 is a great caliber. Even on the 270 recoil is almost non-existant. Cabelas has new Norma brass at reasonable prices. I find that I get a LOT of use out of Weatherby brass.

My Accumark in .257 Wby is ideal for bean field Deer shooting. I mounted a 6 X 24 Burris Signature scope on it and after tweaking with handloads it will shoot one holers with 110 Berger and 115 grain Nosler Ballistic Silvertips using H-1000 powder and 115 and 120 grain Nosler Partitions using RL-22 powder. Yep, a little on the heavy side but what do you want a steady shooting platform that will perform or light shooting stick that will spray bullets. I will pack it and know where it shoots. Good shooting