I'm looking for a lightweight whitetail rifle to someday pass down to my daughter. The Ruger Ultralight in 257 Roberts seems to fit the bill but I just can't seem to get comfortable with the thought of taking deer with the small caliber rifle.

Can anyone with experience with this cartrige give me some advice. The smallest rifle I've taken deer with is a 7-08, but it has become my favorite.

They are just deer, drill the shoulders with a good bullet and critter dies.

I use a 223AI frequently, only breakout the 250AI (257 Roberts in another form) for BIG game....

I have been using the .25-06 since the early 70's. My dad and bother have both switched from the .30-06 to the .25. My dad's best friend switched from .30-06 to .243 for one year, then went to .257 Roberts. With 100 grain or heavier bullets, the .25 calibers are great rounds. I prefer 115 grain bullets in mine, while my dad likes 100 grain. They all seem to work for Whitetails, Antelope, and anything else within that size. Have a friend in Wyoming whose wife uses the .25-06 for everything up thru Elk (she has killed a couple with one shot each). She did move up to .270 for Moose. Moral is that the .25 calibers will serve your needs. I would like to find a handy little .250 Savage, but would be very happy with the Roberts in the package you are talking about.

Try it...I predict that you will be very pleased!!

I agree with those who praise the Roberts.
I might even anticipate that you end up using it yourself.
However If you are not a handloader you might consider somthing else.
But with a good bullet 100 grains and up out to about 300 yards the deer will die prety darn fast !
...tj3006

SteveM70,

You can't go wrong with a 7-08, however, there are no flies on the 257 bob.
The following are pix of a Texas hill country white-tail doe taken at approx. 80 yds with a 257 roberts loaded w/110 gr nosler accubonds. Complete penetration and plenty of blood to track. Deer ran about fifty yds. before piling up. Very little bloodshot meat.
GWB







[

The Bob is great for recoil sensitive shooters hunting deer. It has plenty of power for most any reasonable shot on deer. I prefer the heavier bullets in the Bob myself, anything over 100gr should do the trick. Lots of guys swear by the 100gr but I like just a little more weight behind my shot. You don't give up a whole lot in trajectory and it'll do the trick on the biggest whitetails out there IMO.

quote:

Originally posted by MikeyB:
The Bob is great for recoil sensitive shooters hunting deer. It has plenty of power for most any reasonable shot on deer. I prefer the heavier bullets in the Bob myself, anything over 100gr should do the trick. Lots of guys swear by the 100gr but I like just a little more weight behind my shot. You don't give up a whole lot in trajectory and it'll do the trick on the biggest whitetails out there IMO.

Throw in the biggest mule deer also. roger

I have not used the 257 Roberts but I have used a bolt action 250 with 120 grain bullets on two Texas does. Both were bang flops.

A friend of mine has used one for years. He is very careful had has never had the least problem with it.

I think that once you use it on a few deer you will be looking for another one.

Having taken whitetail cleanly with the 223 and 243 I can assure you the Bob will be plenty, all the more so if you choose 115-120 grain bullets.

For deer season this year I switched to my M99 250 Savage. The doe I took with it didn't complain about my not using a bigger caliber. Got complete penetration through the ribs on a broadside shot with a 100 Speer Hot Core.
I used the .257 Roberts a couple of months ago in Wyoming during an antelope hunt. Put the 100 Hornady through the near shoulder and out the short ribs at 375 yards. My son got a doe this year with his .257, again complete penetration, slight quartering away with the 100 TSX at 200 yards.
The 25s are great deer loads, my old 270 hasn't been used in several years for deer hunting.

quote:

Originally posted by SteveM70:
I'm looking for a lightweight whitetail rifle to someday pass down to my daughter. The Ruger Ultralight in 257 Roberts seems to fit the bill but I just can't seem to get comfortable with the thought of taking deer with the small caliber rifle.

Can anyone with experience with this cartrige give me some advice. The smallest rifle I've taken deer with is a 7-08, but it has become my favorite.

I shoot a 257 AI, with no problems.

Thanks for the replies. After reading all the positive responses I ordered the Ruger Ultralight in 257 Roberts and am anxious to get my hands on it.

I am a belever in Hornady bullets but will likely try 100g. triple shocks in this one to help with recoil. And then ofcourse, I will have to do some field testing before handing it over to my daughter

Steve, my gals Ruger Ultra Light .257 Roberts really likes 100 grain Sierra's and IMR-4064 powder at or near max from the Sierra cookbook, try your Hornadys and see what ya think, great little rifles, you may not want to give it up!

I have a Win 70 feather in a 257 Rob, didn't find a great load in time for deer season so I bought some factory Hornady 117 gr BTSP.Sighted it in a 2 inches high at 100 meters, shot a couple of average groups with it and then lent to my buddies wife to use. She's just a tiny little thing and the feather was just what she needed. Hunting out of a ground blind on the family farm, with the rifle on top of shooting sticks with a buck at 180 yards she missed her first shot, jacked another in and aimed more carefully and down that whitetail buck went.
This gal also had a draw for mule buck 2 weeks later and from a prone position shooting up hill the 117 gr bullet hit low on the front shoulder ,took out the top of the heart and exited out the ribs on the other side. This outstanding 6x6 was a 300 pounder, and we skinned that deer I couldn't believe how much damage that one small bullet did. I find it amazing that animal could still go another 40 yards before he tipped over.
Might have some trouble geeting my rifle back from this gal!!

257 Bob is just what the Doc ordered for deer hunting with minimal recoil. If I had a itch to get a rifle chambered in a .257 caliber cartridge, my choice would be the Bob, but alas, 6.5mm bores scratched my smallbore itch (6.5x55 & 260 Rem) .

I bought my daughter a .257 Roberts as her first gun five years ago. She has shot four deer with it with no problems. I load 100-grain Nosler partitions for her using the starting load for IMR 4350 shown in the Nosler manual. Recoil is negligable in her Model 70 Featherweight, and the load will shoot minute-of-angle.

A friend bought the Ruger lightweight in .275 Roberts for his son when they first came out. His son has killed a dozen or so deer with it with no trouble.

The Roberts is a great cartridge.

Dave

SteveM70---You have been duped. All those deer previous posters got with .257 Roberts were the only deer left on the planet that don't read forums such as these. All other deer are educated and know they are to laugh if shot with a .257 Roberts. I feel sorry for you being taken like this. I cant offer you full refund on the rifle you ordered,but I would be willing to help you recoup a part of the loss for such a worthless cal.

quote:

I am a belever in Hornady bullets but will likely try 100g. triple shocks in this one to help with recoil.

+1 on the Triple Shocks. I've not used them in the Bob, but they kill all out of reason to their size and weight. You'll probably find the Bob more than adequate with this bullet.

LWD

MY BOB HAS TAKEN WHITETAIL HOGS AND TURKEY OUT TO 250 YARDS AND ALL WERE DRT.

I have a friend in East Texas who has taken his deer every year for the last 6 years with a .257 Bob Mannlicher-Schoenauer, one shot each, 100 grain factory loads. I'm a Bob beginner, taking my first deer with factory 100 grain loads last year. Seems to work fine, if you don't mind a short walk to find the carcass.

LLS

Count me in as another fan of the .257 Bob. Using 100 grain Sierra Game Kings on top of IMR 4350 my Ruger 77 has taken several Kentucky whitetails - and shoots sub MOA to boot!

I have used my bob on elk with excellent results. A guy I hunt with used to use a .243 for elk and moose.

I'm pretty sure a .257 has killed more than its share of deer.

turfman

My Bob dropped 2x deer, a 250# hog, and 2x racoon this year in Texas.

It's a superb Deer round!

110 deer and hogs with the 100gr TSX over 39gr/4064...and still counting.

Perry

Perry, that's a helluva lot of animals with the TSX. Obviously there working well for you. Any problems with them at all so far?

The .257 Robts is an excellent deer rifle, Mule deer or whitetail..It is a 250-3000 on steriods, and you can't get a better recommendation than that...I still shoot the 25-35 and the 250 Savage on deer with excellent success, but have to limit my shots with the 25-35 to about 150 yards standing broadside.

I'm a believer in the "BOB" for deer.
I have killed a bunch of blacktail bucks with it using 100 gr Partitions and IMR 4064. I'ts my favorite deer thumper. With a 90 sierra hp and some 4064 it's hell on coyotes too. Reciol is almost nonexistant, it would be a great cartridge for a small framed person.

The pictures of the carcass above look about like all the bucks I've shot with it. I never have shot one directly in the shoulder or the guts with it. Thru the boiler room it kills em like lightning with very little mess to clean up and they go 40-60 yards and pile up. Sometimes they just hump up and tip over right there. Good luck.

My 76 year old dad that has been hunting for 60 year thinks the 257 bob is the cats a--. His most resent one is a browning BBR he uses the 117 roundnose hornady and I dont think he has lost a deer and most are bang flops.

He says I use a cannon now. I use a 308.

Ed

I've killed deer with cartridges ranging from .222 to .375 H&H.....the .257 Roberts takes a back seat to no cartridge I've used. Use it with confidence....it's a fine deer round.

I agree with the others !! bob is a great deer cal.I like bob so much I had Tip Burns build my 12 yr old girl one , in fact I think I can go pic it up today !!!! just in time fer x-mass

Ok deer slayer, post some pics of your daughters Roberts !
...tj3006

Deerslayer, nice looking rifle.......and chair!

I bet that one is a tack driver.
Proably a little heavy, I have a 25,06 set up about like that.
I don't know how heavy it is but I set it up as a sit in one place and watch a clear cut rifle. I have the same more or less stock, except I went with a nutmeg laminate.
Let me know how it shoots.
Great powders for the Roberts are IMR-4064 and H-414 for light bullets RL-22 for 120s IMR-4350 and H-4350 seem to work prety well with just about anything you want to shoot...tj3006

Id like to work up a load using 117 gr round nose .altho I did pick up some nolser 115 gr bt to try a load with . thanks for the load info . I will let yall know what I come up with . thought Id add that its a remy 700 long action . with a shilen #5 barell cut to 24" 1-10 twist set in a boyds gray lamanated thunbhole stock.

Deerslayer,
I am not much of a fan of thumbhole stocks but that is a very nice looking rifle. Hope your daughter does well with it.

Shot my first deer, mid last century with a 257 Roberts. The rifles I am having made for my son and daughter are 257 Roberts. Noslers bullets produce outstanding results in the Bob.

Another great round is the 257 Wby.

Why not the 257 Bob? I own more rifles than I could possibly use for deer hunting (7mm-08 up to a 35 Whelen with several magnums). Last week I made my longest shot to date on a doe (172 yds) with of all rifles, a 25 WSSM. It's just a 257 AI in another form, but it's NOT a 25/06!! The doe was hit broadside through the lungs and ran about 35 yds. I was suprised at the blood trail ahe left. I'm partially color blind and I could follow the trail. I shoot Nosler 110 gr AB's in the WSSM and this was the 2nd deer I've killed with it and both were beyond 150 yds. The first I shot with the WSSM was a bang/flop at 165 yds. The 257 Roberts will do just as well with most hunting bullets. I'm very happy with my WSSM, but would rather have a Bob now that the WSSM's are probably going to be discontinued after 2007. Browning isn't listing the WSSM's for 2008 along with no A-Bolts.