I'm looking at Varmint hunting and Deer hunting with this gun. It will be a Competitor pistol and should it be a 6mm Remington/257 Roberts Imp with a 14" BBL or 16" BBL. The 6mm would be mice I have dies for it but I think the 257 Roberts Imp would be a good one to. Well what do you guy think 6mm Remington/257 Roberts Imp with a 14" BBL or 16" BBL. Why

[ 07-04-2003, 00:45: Message edited by: Paul Dustin ]

Paul
I only shot a Ruger .243 single shot rifle once & it was so long ago I barely remember it. As you probably are aware I got the 257 Roberts AI on an Encore with a 15 3/4" Barrel so far it has been excellent. You have plenty of bullet choices for varmenting or big game. To date I haven't had a chance to shoot at any critters but it seems that it will be up to the task. I hope to see soon enough.
Rich Jake

[ 07-05-2003, 04:09: Message edited by: Rich Jake ]

My vote's for the 6mm Better for Varmint and with the right bullet its great for deer.

T/C Nut
I can't figure you out. On one hand the 300Mag big shell 30 cal bullet. Now your saying 6mm which is a small bullet for deer size game. I'm not saying it isn't capable, but on the verge of being too small. Any method to your way of thinking?
Rich Jake

Paul-
I'd go with the .257 Rbts Improved. For deer, in my experience, it wins hands-down over the 6mm. No, the paper ballistics won't differ tremendously, but the on-game performance decidedly goes to the improved version of the quarter-bore. And, there are plenty of excellent .25 caliber bullets suitable for varminting as well.

Bobby
As far as bullet choice I think that you are right on. You can go with a heavier bullet in the 257 than you would be able to do with the 6MM. Thanks for explaining it better than I did.
Rich Jake

HI Paul,

For varmints, 6mm. I like the fact that 55 grain bullets available and the 70+ for those windy days.I have been considering rebarreling my XP to 6mmBR.

For deer & varmints, 257AI. For all the same reasons that are listed above.

EDIT: oooppppsssss, in a 16" barrel! Now that i have one, i am really hooked on that length!

[ 07-05-2003, 08:21: Message edited by: MSSmagnum ]

As usual I'm with Bobby "T for Texas" on this issue. I took my first White-tail and countless chucks with a Roberts...I passed that rifle(FN mauser) on to my younger brother...and have been jonezing for another ever since. I think a Les B .25 cal blank needs to be making its way to Dover NH....now for length I'll have to ponder that a while.....

Ditto for the 25 with a 16 inch barrel. I have owned a 257 Rob. AI in a rifle config long ago--wonderful! I would move to the 6 only if varmints were the primary use and deer secondary.

Ernie

T/C Nut
I'm not arguing any issues with you I just thought it odd that someone who seems to favor the large calibers would then opt for the smaller caliber choice in this situation. As for the 85 Gr Barnes you are talking about, That should get the job done. Good luck with your 6Br this fall. Hopefully I'll take a deer with my 257AI & we can compare notes.
Rich Jake

[ 07-06-2003, 01:07: Message edited by: Rich Jake ]

TC Nut-
While the Barnes bullet will work, there are far better choices for deer-sized game considering the modest velocity your 6mm BR will be operating at. Among them are the Sierra 80 grain Single Shot Pistol bullet, the 80 grain Blitz, the 80 grain Speer and the 85 grain Partition. For smaller deer, any of the bullets listed will do just fine. If you are after heavy-bodied bruisers, go with the Partition and never look back...

not to be sticking my nose in but, sierra says the 80gr blitz and 80gr sspb are pretty similar. the blitz is a boattail design, whereas the sspb is not. the blitz is a more streamlined looking bullet. i have some blitz bullets but havn't taken game with one yet. the 80gr sspb works great though and is very accurate in three or so different barrels i've shot them in. i'd say whichever shoots best in the gun. if i remember correctly, i think sierra rated these three bullets for me from softest to hardest. (1)80gr blitz (2)80gr sspb (3)85gr hpbt. all three should give good performance on deer size game.

The Sierra 80 grain SSP would be my number one choice. I have used it for years -- actually, since it was first introduced. It's performance is so predictable that it is almost boring. It expands AND penetrates -- and accuracy is always outstanding. In fact, I even use it on varmints. It may not be as spectacular as the 70 grain SX or the 70 grain BT, but it does the job nonetheless.

Drive this bullet from 2650-3000 fps MV, and you can count on game-dropping performance to the outer limits of the particular cartridge's effective range.

sscoyote,
You know me, I will always choose a 25 over the 6 for deer if the case capacity is identical or close to it. Yes, I know the 6 will do fine, especially with the bullets available. But my preference remains with the 25--maybe it is just sentimental feelings coming through.
See you Monday afternoon. Bring all your load equipment--We are going to be doing a lot of shooting this week. I think I may feel guilty doing soooo much shooting--Just Kidding!
Do you have a +20 Burris insert for the signature rings? If so, bring it with you. The Leupold/Siebert 20 power LER sure looks good on the 6.5-284! Will finish barrel break-in at the clinic. Also will start barrel break-in on the 250 Savage AI XP-100--picked it up today. I have 40 rounds fireformed brass and am choosing a load (Varget & 100 grain NBT's) to do break-in with.
Erik is coming with me. Do you have a lot of 17's loaded. I want to see what Erik can accomplish at the 400-550 yard range.
Ernie

You know of my respect for the opinions of those on this forum. No better classroom than this place. I'll be bringing all my portable loading gear, etc., etc. See ya'll there.