In the process of deciding the caliber for a small bore deer/varmit rifle. I would probably use it more for deer/antelope hunting. The rifle would be built on a pre-64 standard action and would like to use a longer throat for both to seat the bullets out a little farther. I have always used more medium bore rifles, so kind of new to the small bores. Thanks for any help offered.

Ozark Hunter

The two cartridges are very similar, as one would expect, since the cases are the same and the bullet diameter is very close.

If it is primarily a varmint gun, and occasionaly used for deer, I would give the 6mm the nod.

If it is primarily a deer gun, the 257 would be the choice due to the availabilty of heavier bullets.

In my opinion, at 75grn bullet weight and up, the Roberts holds every advantage.

I have a 6mm had a Roberts that I replaced with a 25-06. Sure wish I had the Roberts back.

The Roberts gets my vote.

I have a 6mm Remington and it is my favorite antelope round. I also use it for varmint. When it comes to deer, I prefer to use my 257 Roberts. You can take advantage of the superb 110-120 grain bullets.

AR is the "BOB" headquarters. I would also recommend the 257 since you will use it primarily for deer and antelope.

6rem, 257 bob, 7x57 .. there are effectively all the same .. do the same job, and can be very very very accurate.

walmart tends to have 6rem in stock

i love my bob

If you want a sweet cartridge, look at the 6.5-06.

Sir:

I have 25 years of experience with the .244 on deer and antelope. During that time I used the 85gr or 86 gr bullets. I never had a deer take a step after he was hit with the .244.

In recent years I have used the .257 Improved on deer, antelope and sheep. I used the 100gr bullet on antelope and the 120gr on deer and sheep. The results of the .257 were the same as the .244.

Either chambering would be an excellent choice.

I have a 6mm and a 257 Ackley. The 257 is way better for deer sized game.

i would go with the roberts soley based on the heavier bullets available. beyond that, there isn't much one will do that the other won't. i prefer the idea of using the standard length action over the short action for the roberts it just doesn't cramp things up so tightly with the 120's. the roberts improved runs right on the heels of the std.25-06, so close that it don't make a pinch worth of difference. don't get caught up in the 25-06 thing... the roberts/roberts imp'd will do anything it's bigger brother can do without all the powder and global warming .

Make the 6mm a fast twist and shoot 115's and get superior ballistics.

Roberts hands down

quote:

Originally posted by Tyler Kemp:
Make the 6mm a fast twist and shoot 115's and get superior ballistics.

And hope the one 6mm 115 grain bullet shoots well in your rifle...or you go with the 257 and have many choices in that bullet weight.

As stated above, they are essentially the same and both were derived from the venerable 7X57.

Having said that, the Roberts has an undeniable advantage with 115, 117 and 120 grain bullets. A staggering variety of components is available to the hand loader, and when one steps up pressure a bit, the 257 is as modern as any other johnny come lately. Notice I said step up the pressure, not hot rodding, it doesn't need it to be at its best.

quote:

Originally posted by ozark hunter:
In the process of deciding the caliber for a small bore deer/varmit rifle. I would probably use it more for deer/antelope hunting. The rifle would be built on a pre-64 standard action and would like to use a longer throat for both to seat the bullets out a little farther. I have always used more medium bore rifles, so kind of new to the small bores. Thanks for any help offered.

Ozark Hunter

I would have said flip a coin but then you mentioned antelope. Antelope hunting sometimes involve longer shots and with 100-grain bullets the 6mm out performing the Roberts after 300 yards. Is there a big difference after 300 yards? Not in my mind but it’s something you may want to look into while you make your decision. I think you’ll be happy with either one.

Me, I'd pick the 6mm. Both will work equally well on deer & Anteope but the 6mm I think is better suited to varmints.

6mm Rem definitely.. especially on a LONG action.. totally different critter..
if wanting a short action, go with a 243 AI instead...

6mm offers much better bullet selection across the board...

I built the 6mm Remington for long range work, on a model 700 long action, with a fast twist ( one in 7)

however, now that has been said..

I picked up a Savage take off stainless heavy barrel, that was brand new. for $60.00...
it is chambered in 25/06..

however I am going to have the barrel set back a hair.. and have it rechambered into 257 Roberts...

in both 6mm AND 25 cal AND 6.5 mm.. I think the 57 mm case is ALL you need!

anything any larger just gives you a bigger powder expense, more throat erosion, bigger boom, more recoil.. and 50 fps more MV...

I'm more into practical, than impressing someone who has to be macho in life to try and compensate for one of their perceived short comings..( a trait that I have always said is the biggest seller of ANY magnum cartridge under the 375 H & H..)

The .257 has always been a favorite. Having said that , a 6mm. Rem. with a fairly fast twist and a deep throat on a standard length action is about as good as it gets for speed goats and mule deer.
Just flip a coin. Which ever you get you'll be satisfied and the game will never know the difference. roger

quote:

Originally posted by seafire/B17G:
I built the 6mm Remington for long range work, on a model 700 long action, with a fast twist ( one in 7)

If I were to build a 6m/m today, that's exactly how I'd do it too. Picking up a used 6m/m(244) is another matter entirely as the twist rate limits one to about 100 grains in bullet weight. I do not mean to reignite the old 243/244 argument, but a fast twist 6m/m is like a fast twist 223 -a cut above as it were.

I have been a 6MM fan for many years. I never had any trouble taking Mule deer in Wyoming or Whitetails in Texas with the round. That said I am going to build a Roberts with my next loose Mauser action.

The 6mm rem is a LOVELY cartridge with a wonderful choice of bullets that rewards the skilled shot who keeps to reasonable distances, angles and picks his shots.

It's worth remembering that if the 75gr vmax doesn't work then the next lowest weight for the Roberts is 85gr. The 6mm has a large variety of 55, 58, 60, 70, and 75gr varmint bullets as well as 85/87 and 90gr ones that double for both duties. Over 100gr there is only the 105gr speer in hunting style.

Much as I love it I'd not reccomend it if your deer are particularly large, if you drive deer or if your seasons are short and the pressure to kill a buck high. The 6mm do require 'placement'

quote:

Originally posted by 1894mk2:
It's worth remembering that if the 75gr vmax doesn't work then the next lowest weight for the Roberts is 85gr.

?? Sierra and Hornady also have 75gr HP's.

they are both based on the 7x57 case so just pick what kind of bullet weight you want and go from there

quote:

Originally posted by olarmy:

quote:

Originally posted by 1894mk2:
It's worth remembering that if the 75gr vmax doesn't work then the next lowest weight for the Roberts is 85gr.

?? Sierra and Hornady also have 75gr HP's.

yeah, and in all of my 6mm chamberings.. the Hornady 75 grain HP is actually significantly more accurate than the 75 grain V Maxes are..

I just wish they were still $10.00 a box... or else I would have had the foresight and money to buy about 3 life time supplies of them at the time...

Thank you all for the input. I'm still uncertain, but either choice should work great. Decisions, decisions.

quote:

Originally posted by olarmy:

quote:

Originally posted by 1894mk2:
It's worth remembering that if the 75gr vmax doesn't work then the next lowest weight for the Roberts is 85gr.

?? Sierra and Hornady also have 75gr HP's.

Whoops memory must be getting a bit cranky. Sorry.

put the two bullets next to each other, close your eyes and pick...........................................................the roberts.

Since you are splitting hairs - 243 Win will load to duplicate the 6mm, a wide variety of brass and bullets - cheap to premium with both found alottawhere if not everywhere. It is the perfect 6mm case.

quote:

Originally posted by Quintus:
Since you are splitting hairs - 243 Win will load to duplicate the 6mm, a wide variety of brass and bullets - cheap to premium with both found alottawhere if not everywhere. It is the perfect 6mm case.

If you're saying the .243 is the equal of the deep throated 6mm me thinks that's poopy.

OK it's poopy...and there are splitting hairs in your poopy. If you want a performance boost in the perfect case build a 6x284. Otherwise - splitends.

Hooo...BOY!

Talk about a question with no decisively correct answer....

My own view, which isn't "THE" answer either, is this:

I have a 40-X .257 Roberts built especially as a "walking" P-dog rifle. That was a bad choice on my part. After the second day with it at Big Sandy, Montana, I found there was just too much noise, weight, cumulative recoil, etc., for ME to want to shoot a third day of 250+ rounds per day from it....even with the lightest bullets available. (I switched to my .22-250 barrel for it, and then even lighter, to a Micro-Medallion in .223 Rem.)

So, if I HAD to take a rifle with a cartridge built off of that case poodle hunting again, I'd take my .244 Remington and shoot 60 grainers with loads no hotter than about 3,250 f.p.s. (Not too evil muzzle blast, and easy to shoot well with all day long for at least a few days.)

OTOH, if I was going to hunt only desert goats & deer, no varmints, and had to use that basic cartridge case, the .244/6mms would rust away in the vault. I'd carry another of my Roberts-chambered rifles, a very early Ruger M-77 RS. Would use a bullet from 110 to 120 grains, depending on what I had and which of those available the rifle liked best.

after my support for the 6mm Rem...

I end up and go do the opposite...

Marlin XL 7s are on sale this week for $257.00 at Bi Mart this week...

I am picking one up...but I am going to switch the barrel off immediately...the Marlins will take a Savage Barrel...

and Midway has 257 Roberts barrel in 24 inches made by Adams and Bennett for $129.00.. blued and all...

so I am taking off the Marlin barrel and selling to a friend.. and putting a 257 Roberts barrel on it..

so I'll have a Marlin XL 7 in 257 Roberts for about $325.00...

what a hypocrit!

quote:

If it is primarily a varmint gun, and occasionaly used for deer, I would give the 6mm the nod.

If it is primarily a deer gun, the 257 would be the choice due to the availabilty of heavier bullets.

Ditto. This first response was correct.

quote:

Originally posted by seafire/B17G:
I am taking off the Marlin barrel and selling to a friend.. and putting a 257 Roberts barrel on it..

so I'll have a Marlin XL 7 in 257 Roberts for about $325.00...

what a hypocrit!

Sounds more like fun than hypocracy to me Seafire. Good snags there!! You should have loads worked up, and accuracy tweaks done just in time for "squeak" season (only 3 months away)...so good timing too.

"Have fun, will travel" must be your motto...si?

AC

John! Good luck on the AB barrel; some OK some not so OK. roger

Owned a 6mm and took a few deer with it But I must say the damage was extreme every time bone was hit.I got rid of it and acquired a 6.5x257.it kills em' dead without the old hand grenade in the body cavity look.For me its the 257 hands down.



"I like them close.Harder to miss that way"

quote:

Marlin XL 7s are on sale this week for $257.00 at Bi Mart this week...

Last week some nutcase tried to kill a teacher with a brand new Marlin XL 7, I think in .308, and failed because it jammed.

It was a 30-06.

Police: Virginia student's rifle jammed after firing 2 shots at ...
Dec 9, 2009 ... "Probably what prevented a further tragedy was that the gun jammed," Colgan said. Hamilton bought the Marlin .30-06 bolt-action rifle Monday ...

well wymply...

I wasn't planning on going out and try to shoot a school teacher anyway...of course the gun jamming probably is attributed to the idiot trying to shoot it, instead of it being the gun itself..

just ask donnie q... he knows all about jamming guns...happens to him in jihad training all the time..