I don't reload and I've been toying with the purchase of a light wt. mountain gun for eastern (MD and VA) whitetail deer. My Win. M.70 in .270 with a 24" brl. and a BOSS gets a little heavy in steep country in my old age. I don't reload so anything more exotic than a 257 or 6.5x55 would seriously limit my choice in guns.

The 257 is the least gun I'm considering. It's light recoil is attractive but, how far out would you feel comfortable against a 'big' (150 - 185 lb.) eastern whitetail?

How would you compare it to 6.5x55, .260 or 7mm 08 for the same purpose?

My experience with .243 has shaped my thinking. I killed a few deer with my sons Model 7 in .243 using 100 gr. nitrex bullets. The M. 7 didn't shoot them as accurately as the 75 grain bullets it liked best, but I figured it was accurate enough to @125 yrds. I shot one small deer at @15 yrds through the socket of a shoulder, through the lungs, ribs on both sides and the bullet stayed under the skin on the far side. It worked, but only just. I came to the conclusion the .243 with those bullets was only adequate to @100 yrds for the purpose.

Any comparable .257, 260 or 6.5x55 experience?



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You punched a 100 gr. 6mm Speer grand slam thru the ball socket of a deer and you are complaining that its not up to snuff since you dug a slug out of the far side. Thats interesting, I would say dam it worked pretty dam good. As to your question, flip a coin, I like the 6.5 x 55 but have hunted some back in 1980 with a 7mm-08, I have a friend that shoots one and collects a Moose with it every year. Lots of guys like the 257 Roberts, I had one back in the 1970's, it was ok, I just never warmed up to it. Since the 6.5 x 55 is pretty much under loaded some what in the States, you will be collecting slugs on the off side when you hit the ball socket. So you will not be that happy, I would suggest 7mm-08 or you can just lung shoot them, and then with would not matter a wit, I think the 243 and good bullets like the Speer is just fine for Maryland White Tails. One of my buddies been shooting his White Tails in CT with a 243, his only rifle and 100 gr Nosler Partitions loads from federal, he shot a lot of deer over the years with that combo. But as with any cartridge placing the bullet in the right spot, is number one.

Anyone who argues that there is any difference in the 6.5 x 55, 7 x 57 , 7/08 or 260, in performance on deer has not worked with one of them.

That is on any whitetail regardless of size. Even the lighter bullets in either caliber are more than adequate.

the rifle should be more the choice as the calibers are going to do the job. We did get a Browning MicroMedallion in 7/08 for a niece and that is one very nice packaged rifle.

I am looking at getting one in the same for my 10 yr old son who is a lefty. I only wish it was available in a 260,since I do like 6.5 bore the best. ( 7mm is just as good, but one has to like something better than other things in life, unless it all gets boring).

Cheers and good shooting
and good luck with the project
seafire

Years ago I used a 257 Roberts on whitetail deer in Vermont. That is hilly country and I can appreciate your desire for a light weight rifle where you hunt. I used the old Nosler Partition at 100 grains ahead of 48 or 49 grains of the original 4831 powder. Velocity supposedly was in the 3000 to 3100 fps range with the 24 inch barrel.

The deer were in the 100-125 pound range for the most part and properly hit did the job nicely,for the most part. On occasion, however, especially if the deer had been spooked earlier, it did not. They went down and immediately got up and attempted to run off.

I have just had a 260 Rem put together on a Mauser 98 action for my grandson to use when he's big enough. If you study the ballistic tables, especially at longer ranges, you will find the 257 runs out of energy a lot faster than the slightly larger diameter 264. Also you still have 100 and 120 grain bullets available as well as the 125, 129, 140 and 160 if needed. In other words you have many more bullet options as well as the same options you have with the 257. You have the same or higher velocities available. I chose the 260 Rem over the 6.5 x 55 because of the higher velocities and energies and therefore ranges available. The 6.5 x 55 is fine if that's what you like.

The 7mm-08 is another fine choice for more or less the same reasons. Recoil is or can be minimal.

I think you would be better served with the .264 diameter than the 257 and you can have them in the same light weight rifles. Even the Ruger 77 Ultra Light in 308 is a delight to carry but recoil is noticeably more but not intolerable.

My vote goes to my sentimentel favorite, the 6.5x55 Swedish. The 6.5 bore diameter dominates my safe, and there's something special about hunting with a cartridge more than a century old. It worked then and is even better now thanks to advances in propellants & projectiles. A 120 or 129 grain bullet will do fine on deer, but what makes the medium-capacity 6.5s shine is the long, slender 140 grain spitzers. Driven at moderate velocity, they fly flat and, thanks to high SDs and the pedestrian velocity levels, they'll penetrate incredibly well and negate the need for any premium bullets.

Here in Texas, we are blessed (or cursed, depnds on who you ask!) with a large population of wild hogs, and some can be rather large and tenacious. They are built like a tank and can soak up an improper bullet like a sponge. But I have long lost count of those which fell to 140 grain, 6.5mm bullets from a number of calibers. I've used most of the available 140 grain bullets, and you can generally count on an exit from even the most oblique angles. And of all the hunting I've done, it seems that the 6.5mm, 140 grain bullets, when driven at 2500-2850 fps MV, tend to drop game quicker and more decisively than even the large-capacity magnums.

With all that being said, the .260 will do virtually the same thing as the Swede, and the 7x57 or 7-08 will give you very similar performance.

By the way, in the Swede, I have found nothing that compares to Re-22 when 120-140 bullets are the projectiles of choice.

I've used all of the above rifles. My designated deer and cow elk rifle is a Winchester Featherweight in 6.5x55 SM. I use a fixed 4 power Leupold in Talley mounts. Looks great, shoots great. Try 140 grain Partitions or 130 grain TSX's. Accurate, and great penetration. A 2x7 Leupold would work just fine also.
I get to hunt Idaho, Oregon, and Nevada every year. That rifle is one killing machine.
JCN
PS Norma factory ammunition is fast, and works well. Everybody in Scandinavia shoots 6.5x55 SM's so they have that load down cold. Get the 139 grain hunting load. You will thank me for this advice.

Hey Holzauge,

How about the 6.5 mm remington @ 140 gr. what an awesome caliber I understand remington is reintroducing this caliber in their guide gun.

Tom

I bought a Mod. 700 Mountain Rifle in a .260 Rem. when they first came out. Put a Burris 3-9 compact on it and have been completely satisfied. I'm using the 125gr. Nos. Part. with H-4831 which has given good velocity and accuracy. Hope that helps.

I live and hunt in your part of the country, and as seafire indicated they will all work extremely well and are easy to handload. I was in your position a few years ago, and had the opportunity to use a friends Encore rifle in 270 with 24 inch bbl, and it was all over for the competition after two hours of carry. IMHO, there is nothing at any price that carries and mounts as well as the Encore with a 24 inch hunter bbl on it for an overall length of 38.5 inches. I have 223, 243, 270 and 45-70 bbls for mine.

I know, I know, a single shot...what about follow up, etc. On the other hand, it seems fitting that us old crafty guys get everything with 1 shot anyway A realistic and conservative time for a second shot is just under 3 seconds anyway.

As for caliber, you can get anything you want with the custom chambers running about $100 more than the factory offerings. A complete factory Encore should cost about $470.

Sabot,
An Encore never occurred to me! Might work. Could I get it in stainless steel?

All but one of my rifles are stainless. I gave up carbon steel years ago a I hate slathering my deer rifles with stinky stuff to keep them from rusting. It's almost always wet during the season here.

Yes the 100 gr. bullet preformed well but that was at 15 yrd.s and I wonder if it would have worked as well at 125 yrd.s. That's a real question not sarcasm. I just don't know. I'm only familiar with much heavier stuff. I used 12 ga. sabots for years at ranges up to 100 yrd.s and a 30'06 using 165 grains beyond to about 350 yrd.s. Then I went to a .270 using 130 gr.s and in my experience it's fully adequate out to at least 350 even in a stiff breeze. But the gun is heavy.

I like .243 for a lots of reasons and purposes but if I were to choose .243 for deer, it would have to be set up to use the heavier bullets well. What twist rate would I need to shoot the 100 gr. .243 bullets as well as the Model 7 shoots the 75 gr. bullets?

Of the (3) carts. you mentioned, all are better than a .243 for deer size game IMO. The only problem is factory ammo in all (3) is limited. Have you thought of a .308? With 150gr bullets it is a deer thumper & recoil isn't bad. Ammo is available literally anywhere.
Like seafire & the others have said, there isn't much diff, btwn. the carts. you specified other than ammo availability. I would go 7-08 or .260 as they fit nicely in a M7 or true short action. The .257 & 6.5x55 really need a med. to long action for best reults w/ 120-140gr bullets.

holzauge,
Of the three listed there is very little difference in performance. I personally love the .257 Roberts and with the Hornady ammo can't think of a reason not to recommend it. I have been loading for mine so have used a variety of bullets. I've taken deer cleanly with the 100gr. Nosler BT, Barnes X, and have some 117gr Hornady's to play with. There isn't a deer made that will stop the 100gr. Barnes X at normal distances.

Now that I've spewed my belief in the Roberts, I'll also say that the .260 and 6.5 are both great options.