As I have gotten older my lust for speed has ebbed slightly. In my younger day I was never happier than when toting a rifle chambered in .257 Weatherby. I have had several and made my longest deer kill to date with a Mark V fitted with a Broughton barrel in an HS Precision stock. As the components to load my favorite over-bores became increasingly tough to find, namely RL22 and Federal 215 primers my .257s went down the road to fund more economical options. Recently I have acquired a Ruger #1 in Roys favorite and have been going through some old loads and trajectory tables in deciding where to start. I have re-ignited an old flame. I had forgotten just how flat and devastating a 100 grain Barnes TSX is loosed at 3600/3700 FPS. It makes adjusting for wind so much easier and boiler room hits on deer to 400 yards are far less than complicated. I will be hitting the range tomorrow for the first run with the new Ruger. I will be shooting TSX, Accubonds, Partions, and Gamekings. With any luck this rifle will be ready for South Dakota next week and I can't wait.

The first high power rifle I bought with my money at 14 years of age was a ruger 77 in a 25-06. I used it for whitetail, and varmints and loved it. a few years later around 1997 when I was getting out of college, a slick black stock with grey webbing,fluted SS barrel caught my eye at BB pawn in Abilene. It was a Weatherby accumark in a 257. I bought it as it was Left handed and had a nice discount attached to it. This was my favorite rifle for many years...a 100 grain X bullet and a stiff charge of R22 or Magnum, was all it needed to best 3450 fps and shoot 3/4 MOA. This was before dialing turrets and long range shooting TV. I made many 300+ yard shots at coyotes, and smacked a deer or two in the edge of wheat fields to at the 300 yard mark and touch further. I still have that rifle, it sets in "my" room on our ranch. I have not taken it out in awhile, but is one heck of a varmint rifle, and unequaled for whitetail, might have to break it out this year...

For the past several years I have pondered parting ways with this rifle or that one, but never my 257 Rob AI. Those little 1/4 bore lightning bolts just flat out get the job done on anything up to a big mulie and are a real pleasure to shoot. I have even been bitten by the 6.5 LR fad somewhat, but for anything that "I" consider practical hunting, the 257 gives me all the confidence at range that I will ever need with a nice flat trajectory.

I haven't shot a lot of things yet with my .257 Weatherby mk. V deluxe but I don't plan on trading it either. Great cartridge!

My 257 Roy is custom built on a Sako action. It has taken 8-10 antelope, several deer and a coyote that thought he was out of range at 510 yards. Its my favorite deer size cartridge and I have used it for about 12 years.

Great medium range open country cartridge for
deer sized game, particularly if recoil
is a concern. My son and I used them a fair
bit CWDing. If a bit more
Recoil doesn't bother you, there's several other
Cartridges that do the same and more.

My first outfitted hunt was with a 257 Weatherby Lasermark, with the late Greg Rodriguez down near Kerrville. There was a huge Scimitar Oryx out in pasture that was only visible through a 4" opening between two trunks of some Cottonwoods about 200 yards out, with the animal at about 375. At first he didn't want me to shoot, but then decided I'd probably his the trees anyway. I laced the shot through the opening and dropped the Oryx on the spot. He was so impressed with the cartridge that he wound up buying one. Those are some great memories.

I hunt with some Colorado ranchers and farmers for elk every year, they love the 257 Wby, for elk, and Ive seen them use'um..and with 100 gr. bullets those elk drop at the shot almost every time, and a few made it 15 or 20 yards, its an impressive sight...What I see as a down side is a awful lot of bloodshot meat!! I'll stick with my 30-06 or my .338 Win.based on that alone.

I have recently acquired a Vanguard S2 with a synthetic stock. It is proving to be too much gun (read: recoil for an old man) to shoot paper at 200 yards. I would sell or trade. Mike

When the Lipsey's special last year was the 28" barrel #1 in .257 Weatherby...I sat on the waiting list all year until told it had been discontinued.

This year is the 28" barrel #1 in 6.5 Creedmoor. I'm thinking about trying to get one of these.

My friend picked up an Accumark in 257 and it was a joy to shoot.

I have a 25-284 I barreled several years ago on a Win 70 SA. Not as fast as the weatherby, but one of my favorite deer rifles.

I love my 257Weatherby and have taken a number of pronghorns out to 600+ yards.
I have a great shooting 25-06 that has taken more pronghorns out to about 450 yards.
After my daughter shot out(and that is hard to do) her 257Roberts I had it rebarreled with a Douglas SS premium barrel and she has taken deer, pigs, and a bunch of African plains game with it.

My latest thing is 6.5mm. Built a 264Win mag and have taken a sheep with it. Also have a Tikka in 6.5X55 that has taken a bear and a bobcat.

The 264mag will go with me to Africa in 2017 for my return trip along with the 338Win mag

Ive had great success on deer and elk with my 250-3000. The secret is not to take going away shots and keep the range at 300 yards and under, seems to work every time..Mostly I used factory WW or Rem corelokts early on in my youth but in later years went to the Nosler 100gr. partitions, but I finally found the best yet, the 110 gr. Accubond in my Ruger 77 FWT. If your gun is a 99 Savage 1x10 twist then it will usually shoot them, if its a 1x14 it may or may not, Mine won't. However, it will shoot any 100 or 117 gr. flat base bullet. Ive used the 117 gr. RN Hornady at 2600 to 2700 FPS on cow elk in an alfalfa field at ranges to 200 yards and it worked very well, and filled my freezer with wonderful meat, and fills my cardiologist and wife with glee.

I have shot a .257 Wby Accumark with 6X24 Burris Signature for years on long bean field Whitetails. Top loads include 100 grain Barnes TSX and 115 and 120 grain Nosler Partitions. The former at 3600 plus fps the later at 3450 fps. The magic powder is Rl-22 with Fed 215M primers. My grandson says you can see the fleas on a squirrels nuts with the scope, it also does quite well on Mulies and whitetails. Good shooting.