I harvested several yotes yesterday with my 7x57 using 130 gr bullets at 2850 fps. Got to thinking about something smaller and faster. What is everybody using out there?

I don't want to go to the 220 Swift that my friend uses. Something in between but no smaller than a 6mm Rem. Any ideas would be helpful.

Any wildcats that are working?

Thanks!

Snapper

Has anyone used the lighter weight bullets out of the 257 Roberts and had good results?

Snapper

Have shot 75 grain with some good results and a lot of 87 grain. Also shoot 100 grain well. It all depends on the twist. Mine is a ruger with a 1-10 twist. Good Luck

I have a 1in10 twist Douglas barrel on a M98, it shoot's all bullet weights very well. The 87's shoot the best with groups of .5" and the barrel is a featherweight 22"

Thanks for the information on your loads. I'm leaning towards the "Bob" as they say and wonder if the 60 grain bullets at 3800 fps are grouping well.

Anyone shooting the 6.5x55 for predators? What loads?

Keep the ideas coming.

Snapper

The 6mm is enough smaller than the 7mm to justify having it also, but I think the .25 and 6.5 sizes aren't that much less than a 7mm.

The 6mm-284 with a quick-twist barrel and long bullets to buck the wind and use Lapua brass.

Snapper - I shot some of the 60 gr out of my Roberts back when I had one and hunted heavily with it. The bullet wasn't terribly accurate in my rifle and WAS terribly explosive. If you want some gory kills, this is the bullet for you.

As a long range choice in the .257, you would be better off with a bullet having more mass. This little 60 gr bullet was actually designed as a pistol bullet for that strange little 357 Mag necked down to 25. It's really not a great choice for the 257 IMHO.

The .257 is a dandy rifle but perhaps you should also consider the 243. It has a good reputation as varmit rifle with fine velocity and great long range trajectory. And you will even have a bit less recoil. Just chose your bullets carefully for the 243. Some don't seem to perform well on game.

From a practical standpoint, I would consider the 243 first and Roberts second and 6.5 third...even though all three will do your task well. You won't be the only kid on your street with a 243, but I think you would learn to appreciate it.

Thanks guys. I'm always leaning towards a dual purpose gun, which was my thinking when looking at the 257 or 6.5, but think I should take a longer look at the 6mm.

Get a 240 wby. It is the king of the 6mm cartriges and an excellent 300 to 400 yrd round, especially with 75 grain v-maxs.And chances are you will be the only kid on the block with one.

A 257 Robts. or a 250 Sav. would be a great choice, especially on the wind blown plains...that is what most used in my younger days and noone has improved on them as far as I can tell....Get a barrel from Lothar Walther and request a twist for the light bullets.

A Bob or Savage with the Speer 87 TNT will dust yotes very well, and with other bullets double as a fine deer gun.

Snapper: Why not go with a .257 Imp.? Just re- barrel. You could make cases out of your 7 mm cases. My 257 Imp. drives tacks with a 75 gr. V-max. My thoughts anyway. Bear in Fairbanks

Snapper... Get a 250 savage... period!!

Snapper...sorry we didn't get a chance to talk much the other day. I was going to suggest the .257 AI as well...I just happen to know of a .257 Ruger that needs a good home However, I would also not overlook the 6mm either. I was looking at the ballistics for the Federal 80gr Speer HotCor...3470fps isn't slow Imagine what you could do with a 58gr Vmax or 70gr Ballistic tip...spooky!

Thanks again for the replys.

I decided to take the advice of Ray and Bear in Fairbanks and re-barrel to the 257 imp with a Lothar barrel. My goal was to shoot the 75 grain V-max and maybe the 90 grain bullets as well.

Bear-in-Fairbanks: What powder are you using and what twist is you gun?

Snapper

You can never have to many guns.

Snapper: So far the most accurate load for my .257 Imp. is with the 75 gr. Horn. V-max. The powder charge is 46.4 grs. of IMR-4895 & the bullets are seated 0.010" off the lands. The powder charge is the accurate load in the Sierra manual for their 75 gr. bullet. I generally try to start with the accurate load in the Sierra book & go up & down about 1 1/2 grains then play with seating depth. I generally find that seating depth is as or more important than powder type/charge. I've gotten about 0.31" groups with 5 shots with this. Understand, this is a reworked Ruger Mod. 77 with a 24" Kreiger barrel, blueprinted action & single set Canjar trigger. I'm still working on loads using a slightly heavier bullets & seem to get good results with 85 gr Nosler Ballistic tips using the accurate powder charge out of the Nosler book (#5). The twist is standard for the .257 (1:10 as I recall). Haven't really tried heavier bullets in it yet. I have been told it should work best with the medium weight bullets (100 gr. or less).
Hope this helps some. BTW, tried to chrono the 85 gr. load but chrono acted up in the cold. Was able to get 1 reading which came out to about 3350 fps at the muzzle. I really like this rifle. Hope this helps some. Bear in Fairbanks

I think the 6.5x55 is more properly used on larger game but both cartridges will suffice. IMHO the Roberts is superior for varmint applications. The AI is terrific but not absolutely necessary. My Ruger #1 tosses 75 gr. VMAX's at 3500 fps + and in the 7's. Nosler BT's at 3400+ in th .5" range. Highest recorded velocity about 3500, best group in the 2's. It is superior to the 6mm for larger game and I don't think it gives up any ground to the 6's for varmints.

Snapper: Think about a 6.5-284...brass is available....or you can form your own. 100 grainers should sizzle....and you can always move to a 140 load for deer Elk bears.

I would recommend the Roberts. I have had two and both were excellent. I use mine mostly for deer. I shoot 100 grain BT or 117 grain Hornady. I prefer the 25 or the 24 bore. A AI .257 would be the cat's meow. Great dual purpose cartridge that will run the 87's at around 3500. I assume you are not pelt hunting???

If you aren't after the pelts(which I assume you aren't), a 6.5 will do a great job.

I took a coyote yesterday morning with my 260/100 gr. Nosler Ballistic Tips loaded @ 3010 fps. Hit him right in the neck/shoulder junction at 70 yards. What an exit! Stick my fist through it if I dared get close enough to that stinky bastard.

The .243,.257,.260 and 6.5x55 are all excellent. They are all very close in case capacity and velocity with the same weight bullets. I have used the 243 and 6mm for chucks and couldn't ask for anything better. I am using my 6.5x55 for varmints this year with 85gr and 100gr. Sierra's. Of the cartridges listed, I favor the .260 or 6.5x55 because you can get heavier bullets if you need them for big game and they shoot just as well as the other cartridges with the lighter varmint bullets. I definitely gotta try some of the 95gr V Max's.

Since you already have a 7X57 I say go with Bob or Bob improved. I am building up a 6.5X55 BJ ack imp. now but I already have the 22-250 so Iam on the other side of the coin from you. My dad has a 25-06 that I shoot sometimes and really like the versatility of the 25 since you can get bullets from 75 on up. The 3000 savage or sav imp. is a really nice efficient round but it has a little more of a limit on distance but not much.