I want to get another barrel for my Blaser R93 and was looking at the .257 WTHBY for whitetail and smaller size game, but was wandering about recoil since my wife wants to try hunting some day. The reason for the WTHBY cartridge is because I won't have to purchase another bolt head for my rifle. The ballistics look great for this cartridge, but I do not have any experience with it. I do have a .300 Win Mag to compare it to though. How does the recoil compare to this?

I shot a frineds 257 Wthrby about a month ago. I felt it's recoil was very similar or a little less than a standard 270 Win.

I personally like the 25-06 better. It is hard to fill that case without going over pressure. The 257 is very overbore. I can understand your reasoning for not wanting to change bolt faces though. That could be a real pain.

quote:

I do have a .300 Win Mag to compare it to though. How does the recoil compare to this?

The .257 Weatherby is a pussy cat compared to the .300 Mag.....

About the same as shooting a .270 Win., .280 Rem. or the like. Nothing for your wife to worry about unless she is recoil sensitive. Lawdog

I purchased a Remington 700BDL last year in .25-06 and quickly became attached to it. It's quite accurate and hard
hitting for its size. It's a great field caliber for deer size game. Having said that, I'm less than thrilled with it at the range. Most of my shooting today is at the bench where it's a bit much in the recoil department. Like most calibers the recoil is minimal when shooting at game, but something else when punching paper. Still, I sure as hell wouldn't care to part with it. Best wishes.

Cal - Montreal

Cal, "If I could only own one rifle to hunt varmints to deer(God forbid) it would be the 25-06!!!" GHD......pastor at the church of GHD....25-06!! GHD Back to the original question....loading the .257 Weatherby using 100 or 115 Noslers, or my favorite deer killing bullet, the 117 grain Sierra SPBT at the lower listing of loads for the said bullets should not be overly obnoxious to the shooter!! GHD

Thanks for your replies. I've been doing a little research on this caliber and have learned that its an excellent long range caliber, but what about smaller animals, such as black buck antelope, at ranges less than 100 yards. Would bullets not perform as well as expected at shorter distances and higher velocities with the .257 caliber? Keep in mind that I do not handload and I would be limited to factory Weatherby ammo.

Factory ammo from Weatherby will cost you an arm and a leg. Especially if you want a premium bullet that won't explode at close range. With smaller game you'll probably still get an exit hole but it may be 6" in diameter. I'd epect a lot of bloodshot meat. You can alos expect to pay $30 to $50 a box for ammo. If you want to go with this caliber I'd seriously consider starting to reload. Otherwise I'd buy a second bolt with a standard bolt face and get a barrel in 25-06.

Elkhunter, even if your only choice in barrel lemgth for .25-06 is 22" versus the .257 Wthby barrel length of 26"?

I have a Blaser barrel in .257 Wby, and it is very pleasant to shoot, certainly a lot more pleasant than the .300 Win Mag. Nice caliber.

About barrel lengths, be aware that the Blaser barrel lengths include about 1/2" for the locking mechanism in front of the chamber. That transforms the nominal 25.5" for a .257 Wby into about a 25". The .25-06 nominal barrel length is 22.7". Not that 1/2" matters much in reality.
- mike

With the difference in barrel length I'd probably go with the 257. The 25-06 needs barrel length to work. I'd still consider reloading for it to really cut your ammo cost. The Lee kit is only $69. You could save enough on ammo to pay for the kit after loading 4 boxes of shells.

I just ordered the .257 Weatherby barrel. Now, the waiting game begins. Thanks everyone.

Since I do not handload and Weatherby seems to be the only manufacturer of the .257 Wthby Mag, I'm limited in selection. I'm leaning towards ordering the 120 grain Nosler Partition rounds due to the bullets reputation. Would you agree for an all-around bullet for medium size game? If you are aware of any other manufacturers, please let me know. I believe Federal used to produce them, but I do not see them in their line-up.

Your on the right track.
Nothing wrong with Weatherby ammo, except price.
Don't throw the brass away.

If you can get it with Nosler slugs, you'll knock down anything you aim at.

For deer size (and smaller) game, don't overlook the 100 grs (Hornady?) SP loads either. I know, that combination sounds like a bullet failure waiting to happen, but a lot of people seem to get good results with the 100 grs SPs on lighter game. Besides, they often shoot really well, and they zoom right along...

Off hand, I can't think of factory .257 Wby ammo apart from Wby. Norma sells some of the brass under their own name - not surprisingly, since they manufacture the Wby fatory ammo...

With the .257 Wby on order, as suggested above, you should really consider getting into handloading. It would not only give you a different perspective on shooting, but it would allow you to shoot a lot more. Don't believe anybody telling you how much money you'll save by reloading, that is usually NOT the case, but reloading provides you with a totally different point of view of shooting and you learn a whole bunch in the process.
- mike

Thanks Mike and Bigdog2. I saw the Hornady spire points offered, but was hesitant to even inquire about these because of what you mentioned Mike. If you say people are obtaining good results with these on deer and smaller game I'll give them a try. Plus they're a lot cheaper.

quote:

Originally posted by Dthfrmbv:
Since I do not handload and Weatherby seems to be the only manufacturer of the .257 Wthby Mag, I'm limited in selection. I'm leaning towards ordering the 120 grain Nosler Partition rounds due to the bullets reputation. Would you agree for an all-around bullet for medium size game? If you are aware of any other manufacturers, please let me know. I believe Federal used to produce them, but I do not see them in their line-up.

If you don’t want to pay the cost of Weatherby ammo for your .257 Weatherby you can always purchase Nosler factory ammo in the following loads;

.257 Weatherby Magnum 100 Gr. Ballistic Tip® $59.95
.257 Weatherby Magnum 110 Gr. AccuBond® $64.95
.257 Weatherby Magnum 115 Gr. Ballistic Tip® $59.95
.257 Weatherby Magnum 115 Gr. Partition® $65.95

The prices are straight from Nosler and are still steep but I have bought it for under $50.00 a box when on sale. Brass isn’t bad either. Lawdog

I've been thinking about this post a bit more and it seems that if this rifle is for you, the Weatherby is probably great. But it's probably going to be a handful for most women in the recoil department.

Unless she shoots alot, most women will probably prefer something more around the lines of a 257 Roberts, 250 Savage or 243/6mm.

There's always two major components to recoil--Bullet Weight and Speed. A 257 will keep the weight down but the Weatherby's going to push the recoil right back up and then some.

In my experience with the 257 WBY is the 100 grain bullets kick a lot less but still do the job on any deer. The 120 kick a bunch more but are the better elk load.

My only experience with the caliber was with a Weatherby rifle. The recoil felt comparable to a non-magnum .30, but then I REALLY do not care for the Weatherby stocks.

If I were in the market for the "only" rifle, the .257 -- in a classic stock, and using the X bullet -- would be my choice.

I used to feel the same way about the stocks. I prefered the lines and feel of the traditional straight lines of a Ruger walnut stock. Well after shooting some hard kicking Weatherbys I still wasn't convinced until I bought one. My first was a really light 300WBY. It moves around a lot but it doesn't hurt. That's when I began to appreciate that funny looking stock. They are designed like that to turn recoil into muzzle rise rather than so much rearward kick. Now I own 3 Weatherby's and I have come to love their stocks. I have 1 deluxe and 2 Accumarks. The .257 I can shoot like a light 22-250 varmit rifle. I do what I call, limp wristing it. Meaning I don't hardly touch it at all so I don't make it move. If I tried that with my 7 mag or 300 I would be sporting a magnum browe. My 13 year old boy really likes my 257Wby.

Each to his own, eh? I know people that love the appearance of the Weatherby stocks. But then I know people that love thumbholes too, so there's no accounting for taste.

Appearances aside, that stock design really accentuates recoil for me. From .300 on up, the guns are useless to me, as I am too afraid of them to do consistent work. I guess stock fit is such a personal thing that one's own experience is the only thing that counts.

quote:

Originally posted by Hired Gun:
I used to feel the same way about the stocks. I prefered the lines and feel of the traditional straight lines of a Ruger walnut stock. Well after shooting some hard kicking Weatherbys I still wasn't convinced until I bought one. My first was a really light 300WBY. It moves around a lot but it doesn't hurt. That's when I began to appreciate that funny looking stock. They are designed like that to turn recoil into muzzle rise rather than so much rearward kick. Now I own 3 Weatherby's and I have come to love their stocks. I have 1 deluxe and 2 Accumarks. The .257 I can shoot like a light 22-250 varmit rifle. I do what I call, limp wristing it. Meaning I don't hardly touch it at all so I don't make it move. If I tried that with my 7 mag or 300 I would be sporting a magnum browe. My 13 year old boy really likes my 257Wby.

Add another one that saw the light on Weatherby stocks. I too like the looks of a classic stock but when a stock is designed to do a job and does it it's hard to argue with success. Lawdog

My .257 Weatherby Winslow is a pussy cat as far as recoil goes. I've owned .270s that kick harder. Sure, Weatherby ammo IS expensive, so the only route for serious shooting is to handload, and the brass is readily available. Any good supply house like Midway, Graf, Natchez, or Wideners has an outstanding selection of .25 caliber bullets to offer.
LLS