I have a Rem 700 VLS 22-250 that I don't use and was thinking about a custom mountain deer rifle in a 257 Roberts caliber. Last weekend my wife purchased me a walnut stock blank at an SCI auction while I was tending to event duties. She thought I carved stocks (I don't, but I did finish two semi-inleted jobs to replace cracked stocks). So now I have a short action available and a gun stock blank. I called Krieger barrels and they said I can't do a 257 Roberts but a 260 Rem re-barrel would work on a #0 featherweight contour. Any comments before I commit and go with the project? I plan on having the stock inletted by Richards Microstocks. Thanks in advance for any replies.

If it can take .260 it can also take .243, 7mm-08 and .308 to start with. Personally I like the .260 but dont have one. 7mm-08 can take a heavier bullet than .260 and that may be an advantage if after deer which is what that rifle would be perfect for.

I don't see why you couldn't do a 257 Roberts, if you really want 1. After all, Remington's factory produced 700 Mountain Rifles in 257 Roberts were all built on short actions.

To my way of thinking, the 260 works best with bullets in the 95 to 140 grain range, while the 257 works best with bullets in the 75 to 120 grain range. If you think that 20 grains of additional bullet weight will be necessary for the game that you're going to hunt, I'd go with the 260. If you think that you might use this rifle to shoot called varmints on a regular basis, the 75 grain .257" bullets can be reloaded to faster speeds than the comperable .264" bullets. Personally, I don't think that any game animal shot through the lungs will react to a 20 grain difference in bullet weight, but I'd probably go 25-284 if deer and varmints were the targets and the 6.5-284 if elk were a regular target.

What style of Richards Micro-Fit are you thinking about? I have used the Modern Classic and Monte Carlo styles.

Jeff

Go with the 260. Fantastic round. The 257 is a little longer and can be an issue for magazine fed rifles with heavier bullets.

Good luck with your build.

Sorry to differ with Krieger, but I just had a 257 Roberts built on a Rem 700 SA, and I LOVE it.
Shoots great, less filling...
John Barsness, who writes for Wolf Pubs, mentioned that the SA works well for a 257 Bob, so I had one built on a SA.
Stick with your original idea of a 257 Roberts, and don't let Krieger skate you off the puck.
Use a different barrel maker.
Mine has a Douglas barrel and is a very accurate rifle. Just got it finished from the gunsmith last OCT.
If you want a Stainless barrel, there are other barrel makers equal to Krieger available, like Hart.

Don

I presently doing a 257 Bob on a Rem 600 action and there will be no problems. What were the resons given by Krieger? Lots of short action Bobs running around.

Get yourself a long throated 250-3000 made up. roger

quote:

Originally posted by bartsche:
Get yourself a long throated 250-3000 made up. roger

Or, a 250-3000AI..

Don

I would go w/ the 260 or 260ai. I think a bit better for deer size game w/ 140gr bullets. No flys on the 7-08 either. A 257Bob on a SA leaves me a bit cold but may work well w/ 100gr.

257 souper

quote:

Originally posted by JoeATCA:
I have a Rem 700 VLS 22-250 that I don't use and was thinking about a custom mountain deer rifle in a 257 Roberts caliber. Last weekend my wife purchased me a walnut stock blank at an SCI auction while I was tending to event duties. She thought I carved stocks (I don't, but I did finish two semi-inleted jobs to replace cracked stocks). So now I have a short action available and a gun stock blank. I called Krieger barrels and they said I can't do a 257 Roberts but a 260 Rem re-barrel would work on a #0 featherweight contour. Any comments before I commit and go with the project? I plan on having the stock inletted by Richards Microstocks. Thanks in advance for any replies.

Joe,

Welcome to the forums...

I am a lover of the 260 Rem and it is my 'GoTo' caliber for most of my hunting... However, I also go nuts if someone cuts up a VLS to make into something else!

Not being a big Remington fan, is contrary to my favorite varmint set up is the Rem VLS...

I have to admit, I'd look around for a Model 7 Laminate Stainless if you wanted a good lightweight 260....or ReBarrel a CDL to 260...
or Even rebarrel a Short Action Rem Mountain rifle to 260...

But it gives me the 'willies' that a poor VLS is going to be sacrificed!

Great choice of caliber, poor choice of donor!

Been there and done that. If your heart is set on the Roberts, it should work just fine with 100 grainers or lighter. Deeper seated 115-120 will work, ya just pay the slight performance penalty. I personally went from the factory .260 tube and rebarreled/rechambered (factory tube fouled badly) to the .260AI, but there's absolutely nothing wrong with a straight .260!



Hank

Hey, what is wrong with a straight .260 Rem on a M-7 action? I have two of them and they are my "go to" rifles here in Texas. One of them even performs miracles while shooting plain jane Remington 140 grain core-lokts!

LLS

The straight 257 Roberts and the 100 grain bullet is a marriage made in Heaven..
Short action 257 Roberts all the way!!!

Don

If you like Remington actions, I'd sell or trade into a Rem Stainless Laminate Mountain in 260, 700 LSS, heard happy owners rave about them, and they do have a good feel/fit to me, but I would shy away from any bolt with a key lock, none for me, not my thing, but the older and newest versions are free of them to my knowledge.

Another option, a stainless Syn Ruger, ask Seafire about his.

I too would go with the Roberts. Its my favorite deer cartridge. In a Short action Remington you would have a great little rifle,
I have 2 Rifles chamberd for the Roberts now and an AI being built.
The old Reminton 722 short action was chamberd for the Roberts too.
If I could find one of those i would jump all over it if the price was right.
I have no Quarell with the 260 either But if I can't take it with the roberts I lily will want somthing bigger than a .260 too !
...tj3006

.25 Souper?

So if you had a choice of two different 257 Roberts.. one would take bullets up to 120 grains.. the other would take bullets up to 140 grains, or even a 160 grains if you happen to need it....

Would you take the one that would use up to 120 grains, or take the one that would use bullets up thru 140 grains???

if you want the ability to take 140 grainers, then do the 260 Rem...

if you are happy with 120 grains.. take the 257 Roberts...and feel happy you don't have the need for any larger bullets than that!

As much as I honor the 257 Roberts... I'd rather have the 6.5 bore! and 140 grain bullets available...

of course my favorite cartridge is the 6.5 x 57... or 6.5 x 257 Roberts to some....

But I built mine on a long action Model 70...

quote:

Originally posted by Leftoverdj:
.25 Souper?

.25/08 methinks...


Hank

IMO the .260 Remington is possibly the finest deer round ever devised.......and it's right in there with the 6.5 X 55!!!!

quote:

Originally posted by vapodog:
IMO the .260 Remington is possibly the finest deer round ever devised.......and it's right in there with the 6.5 X 55!!!!

Vapo...

for a guy from Nowhere Nebraska, you are a pretty astute individual!

A pic of a rifle he has, made me feel the same way long ago! VZ24 6.5x55......

You are splitting hairs on those calibers anyway.

Both are great calibers so how would you go wrong with either?
We have multiple 243's, 260 rems & 7/08's and they all get the job done. Never tried the 257 R but have had hunters on my ranch that did well with them.
Son shoots a 260 using 140 grn Core Lokt out of a Browning A Bolt Stainless / Syn and deer just give it up. Never lost one yet. Easy on the shoulder too.
Wife and I both shoot 140's out of 7/08's and daughter takes deer with 100 grn. 243. All deer to date dead and found using any of the three calibers.

Well it certain that the .260 can use bigger bullets , than the Roberts , I,m not sure that makes it a better cartridge for deer hunting.
The .260 would be better if you wanted to hunt Elk with the same rifle, but using seafires logic , the 7mm08 must be better than the 260 cause it uses bigger buulets. Then of corse the .308 uses bigger still, the .338 fed is bigger still prety soon we will be necking up the .358 win(another good round) to .366.
My point is that both the Roberts and the .260 are excelent rounds and on deer you would be hard pressed to a better round.
I like the old classic, Roberts real well...tj3006

quote:

Originally posted by vapodog:
IMO the .260 Remington is possibly the finest deer round ever devised.......and it's right in there with the 6.5 X 55!!!!

Ditto! If you want a lightweight 260 "mountain rifle", I suggest a Kimber 84M Classic or Montana. I've got a 84M Classic and it shoots 129gr Hornady SP handloads extremely well. The handload is very effecient at dropping deer DRT given proper shot placement.

quote:

Vapo...

for a guy from Nowhere Nebraska, you are a pretty astute individual!

Vapo, 260RemGuy, and myself are all from NE. Vapo is from Nowhere, 260 is from Somewhere, and I'm east of Nowhere and south of Somewhere. We all advocate 6.5s. Must be something in the water......

Gidday Guys,

The 260 has to be one of the best deer calibres ever invented. Sure the 308, 7-08, are good also but they boot a bit more than the 260 with 100 - 120 gr.

The 6.5 x 55, 257Bob and 6.5 x 57 are great also but they are best in long action rifles and as such weigh more than a good light mountain rifle. Sad but true.

The 260 is a winner. Get one then just sharpen your knife coz you are going to give it a lot of use.

Happy Hunting

Hamish

All my Robers rifle are built on long actions. But I recently took a 120 grain partition loaded just off the lands for my long action ruger, with me when looking for a short action to build a another roberts. The cartridge(A dummy by the way) Would fit easilly into the magazine of both a short action
ruger and a remington 722.
You certainly can load the bullets out longer with the long action, but my Dummy round was 2,93. I loaded up a few with 48.5 grains of RL-22 witch is probably prety close to a safe max for the cartridge.(aliant says 46.3 is at 48,000 cup) , so
While I can't say the short action does not limit at all , neither can it be said that it is much of a problem either.
By the way the RL-22 load with the 120 grain partition gave me a .4 inch group at 100 yards from a 20 inch 6.5 LB Ruger. Can't wait to shoot it over the chrony. I hope for 2850 give or take 50 or so...tj3006

I think Hamish must be 'on to something' as anyone notice how many posts he has made?

260 hmmmmm

quote:

Originally posted by 6.5BR:
I think Hamish must be 'on to something' as anyone notice how many posts he has made?

260 hmmmmm

I noticed that! He must spend more time shooting than dicking around on the computer. roger

quote:

Vapo, 260RemGuy, and myself are all from NE. Vapo is from Nowhere, 260 is from Somewhere, and I'm east of Nowhere and south of Somewhere. We all advocate 6.5s. Must be something in the water......

Must be the same reason you live in Nebraska instead of Iowa!

When I use to travel Nebraska for business it is hard not to be get caught up in the Cornhusker fever...

I use to love the bumper stickers...

"I root for Two Football teams..
The Cornhuskers, and whoever is playing against Iowa"

Gidday Guys,

Now I have gone and buggered it up. 261 posts.

Yep I do spend most of my time in the hills now trapping and hunting for a living.

For the last 6 weeks I have been trapping possums for their fur and shooting rabbits and goats for pet food. I also sella bit of venison under the counter to all the poofter townies who are too lazy to get off their butts and get their own.

The 260 and 222 are getting plenty of work now.

I'm off back out there again in the morning down to Haast now that the weather has come right again. Two more weeks in the sticks, don't you wish you had a job like mine.

Happy Hunting

Hamish

roger

quote:

Originally posted by Hamish:
Gidday Guys,

Now I have gone and buggered it up. 261 posts.Hamish

Not to worry! 270 isn't far away. Real meaning that is. Sorry about that BR! NO CB is not related to me. roger

Gidday Roger,

Sorry mate the 270 will have to be on the backburner for a while. The weather has turned again so I'm slowly going broke waiting for it to change. Heavy rain warnings for South Westland up to 300mm (1 foot)over the next 24hrs.

I will just have to use the 260 for the forseeable future though I feel in no way disadvantaged with this. But have now reached 264 posts so the 6.5 cal is still right.

Happy Hunting

Hamish

My advice is not to have Kreiger do the metal work and do not have Richards do the inletting.Others can inlet better, and I reccomend Shane THompson 208-547-0383.

I do not know how Kreiger chambers, but I do know know they charge a lot over the going rate for an individual smith. I do know how at least one other major barrel maker chambers, and it is now where near as a good a job, and costs more money (considerably more) then you could get by going to an individual.

You asked for comments, so there you go. Those 2 comments can save you money and get you a better end product.

You will probably be happy with either cartridgeand my vote is for the .257. Mountain Rifles are supposed to be light , but too light isnt good. I dont know the dimensions of a #0 contour barrel but if its less than .625 at the muzzle its probably too light to shoot well, and for the cost of a custom barrel that would be a huge dissappointment.

quote:

Originally posted by FC363:
I dont know the dimensions of a #0 contour barrel but if its less than .625 at the muzzle its probably too light to shoot well, and for the cost of a custom barrel that would be a huge dissappointment.

That isn't necessarily true. A light barrel will shoot just fine if it is a quality barrel installed properly. Can you blast away with it? Not a good idea but they will deliver more than acceptible accuarcy for a three shot group. That ought to be plenty for a hunting rifle.

I have a 5# 6oz .270 and have built rifles as light as 5# 2oz. These are scoped and ready to go weights. They balance just fine and we have killed game shooting off hand with them. It is a matter of balance and weight distribution, not muzzle diameter. As long as a rifle maintains proper balance, you are OK.

Usually, adding a barrel that has a muzzle diameter of .625 will throw all the weight forward on a very light rifle, killing the balance. This will be more difficult to shoot then a rifle with a lighter weight barrel. I doubt if I own anything in .30 caliber and under that has a muzzle that large.

I shot sihlouettes for years and shot rifles off hand a minimum of 300 days a year, even in the rain. I am quite aware of what it takes to properly balance a rifle and make it "shootable" in the field.

And back to Joe's original post-if I wanted a .257 Roberts and had the 700 short action, then I would have no problem at all chambering the bbl in the short action. Some people claim that the long action gives you the ability to seat bullets out farther, letting you put more powder in the case. THat is very true. What is not said is that if you load to the same pressures, the long action round will have 30-50 more fps maximum gain. This will come at a weight gain of 4-8 oz. Persoanlly, I would use the short action.

But the .260 is a nice round too and would serve you quite well in the field

How about a 25-08