I have a .375,30:06,.308 and several .22 cal. but,, i really need a small caliber gun. The .257 roberts has always sounded like a great gun. I will shoot caribou and sheep, plus kodiak blacktail. What does the board feel about the two compared side by side?

I love the roberts. The cartridge can do what you are asking very well. Since you did not mention bigger animals, (Black bear, Elk, etc.) and you didn't mention varmints) we should all refrain from speaking to those subjects.

Here are some questions to ask yourself.

#1 Are you a handloader? the Bob should be handloaded to realize it's potential.

#2 What rifle are you interested in? There are not a lot of options for the Bob.

#3 Are you thinking about a short action? and are you thinking about 120 bullets? if so, the Bob is best w/120's in a long action..

Either one will serve well. You are intriqued by the Bob, so that's what you should get, (depending on how you answer ques 1-3).

JimF

I would go with the .260, mainly because of bullet selection. If you go custom, the .260 inproved would be hard to beat.

Greg,

I shoot a Model 7 in .260. I shoot 120gr. Noslers
and it is a great rig. One of the clients in sheep camp this past season took a 40+" ram with a .257 Roberts and killed it just as well as the guys with the magnums. I don't think you'll go wrong either way.

Joe

If you use a Mauser action, the Roberts is a perfect fit. It will feed much better than a short cartridge.

Not sure what you mean by "several .22 cal" but neither the .260 nor the .257 RR are very popular.

If I had a .308 for the game you mentioned that's what I would use. Those smaller rounds will never be a .308 Win. And then you will have a cartridge with some stopping power should something big try to eat you. Better to buy better scope or a new shotgun or something.

I'd go with the 260, it's real good combination of bullet weight and velocity for medium game.

Barry

Both cartridges are excellent for the game you mentioned. I tend to favor the .260 because it can fit in a short action, and it can handle bullet weights up to 160 grains, which means you can use it on a wider range of animals.

This is one of those situations where, if possible, buy a rifle in both calibers and you will not be sorry. I have a .257 AI and I love it. 120gr at 3000fps. I would like to build an ultralight in .260, but that project is awaiting on funding. Good Luck!!

Thanks for the replys., Yes i do handload, and yes i like short action guns. but,i would like to shoot 120 grainers.I would be hunting black bear with this rifle as they are very abundant up tustemena lake. Most shots are at about 200 yards max so a long range gun is not needed, having an 06 takes care of the long stuff anyway. Most of all i (need) a nice low recoil rifle to mount a scope i traded for, thats my excuse anyway, and have fun at the range. My friend bearhuntr and i will, i'm sure find some wolves and coyote's to shoot this winter also. By the way the scope i traded for, is an as new burris 4x12,($100.00) this should be just right for a .257 or a .260 i think.

Sounds like you're planning to build, rather than buy, a rifle. If that's the case, I'd tend toward a .257 Improved.

Shoot the factory loads (or first handload in Roberts case) at informal stuff like bunnies or coyotes, then reload the full-power Improved cases for your deer and bear loads.

If you use a Winchester short action, you won't have to seat 120's deep. With a Remington or perhaps Sako L579, your 120's will be deep, but not a big handicap.

Whatever way you go, have fun!

maybe a 6,5*55 or 6,5*57 is a option for longer bullets 154-160g for bigger animals.

I guess the 260 has a little more punch but I do love my Roberts. The 120 gr. Nosler partition can be driven at 2800-2850fps and makes it a wonderful small big game cartridge. Recoil is almost nonexistent and accuracy in my 257 is very good. You also can build a very light rifle for it.

I'd only use it as a deer/sheep etc. cartridge though. IMHO bears, caribou and bigger stuff rate more horsepower. Yes, I do know that the BOB has taken elk etc. but then again Finn Aagard related a story of a elephant being killed with a 22.

Hey Greg, I will take the Burris off you're hands for $100. That way you won't have to spend all that money on a new rifle.

gsf1200, thanks for the offer ,but 100 bones will only ease the pain not eliminate it.(lol)

New member, 1st post, Go with the 260 you won't reget it. My 260 is the Rem. 700 Mount. Rifle. With it and 120gr. Nos. BT. It's hell on wheels. Just my 2cs.

Rooster, thanks for the post. I am a big fan of the .308 and all it's creations re:.358,.243,7.08 and from what i am haering the .260 is a great round. Can you tell me what kind of recoil you get from this load? I normaly shoot a .375 h&h for moose and bear so recoil is not a problem , i"m just thinking a longer shooting sesion w/o the inevitable slight discomfort would be nice. Is there much difference between the .308 and the .257 roberts in the recoil dept. with 120 grainers?

Greg,

You have narrowed down to two great cartridges! Difficult to eliminate one. Factory ammo will be loaded to higher pressures for the 260 with a result of higher velocity. Probably very close velocities from handloads with identical weight bullets. A 1:9 twist for the 260 will stabilize 85g - 140g bullets so the 260 can shoot 140g bullets if desired. It seems that 26 caliber has more match grade bullets if that appeals to you.

I guess in a short action using 120g bullets I would pick the 260 to avoid seating depth issues.......at least with a Rem short action. If an action is chosen with a longer magazine, and you will only use handloads, and never use a bullet heavier than 120g, and could care less about the avaliability of match grade bullets.......then I see no advantage of one over the other.

HogWild

Heck if I tell the wife I have three homeless scopes can I build three new rifles? 257 Roberts all the way. That'd be my first choice.

Greg:

Given your answers, I'll retract my suggestion of the Bob, and resubmit my vote for the 260.

The 120's are too long for a short action rifle in .257

The 260 will take a 120 gr. bullet @ just below the base of the neck and still fit in a 2.800 mag box.

JimF

The 257 Roberts is a choice and the 257 Roberts Improved is even better. The 260 is a flash in the pan Remington has already discontinued some models of the 260. Good Luck

The two are designed to fullfill different roles and are designed differently.
The Roberts was originally designed to accomodate round nose bullets. In order to load the round with spitzer bullets just off the lands, one needs to exceed the standard 2.80 inch OAL. I believe Ruger chambers their Robert's guns in their long action instead of their SA.
The .260 was designed as long range target round. The 140 gr. MatchKing load has the same wind drift as the famous 168 gr. .308 load, but with 1/3 the recoil.
Either with today's premium bullets will do for what you envision. Even the 100 gr. premiums will leave nothing to be desired on the deer class stuff. E

I own both a 257 and a 260....and the 260 goes hunting alot more than the 257 does. The main reason for thatis the 257 has a short detachable magazine and the barrel likes long bullets.This does not make for a good combination. The roberts is a great cartridge but after hunting with them both the 260 just does the job a whole lot better. I am feeding it 95 grn V Maxs at 3100 fps,129 grn Interlocks at 2600 fps(my 13 year olds whitetail load= 0 kick ) and GS 110 grn HV's at 3150 fps.. It has handled everthing from Coyotes to Mule deer....It can also be had in 260 improved if you want to go that way should be good for another 100 to 150 FPS.. All in all its a darn good flash in the pan

TwoSixty,

Just have to ask how you like the GS 110g HV bullets. They sound so interesting to me but have not had a chance to try them. I noticed on their website they claim 3,300 fps from the 260 Rem using that bullet. You are getting a little less. Does 3,300 seem realistic? Did you stop at 3,150 for accuracy, pressure signs, or some other reason?

Have you had the chance to try them on game? How did they work out?

Sure appreciate any input. Pending good feedback, I am considering trying them in a 260 Imp I am having built.

Thanks,

HogWild

HogWild, I just got them and have not had a chance to try them on game yet. That load is 3/4 inch, it could posssibly better if I played with the seating depth some. I have not had a chance to do that yet. As for the velocity, my rifle is a Model 7 and it the old style with the 18.5 inch barrel,so I feel pretty good about the velocity of this load. That 3300 could be done with some more barrel.
I have seen that way the HV bullet performs on game in .223dia & .308 dia., they are impressive,so I expect good things out of this 260.

Since you have a 30-06 and a 308 Win, I would tend to go with the 257 and if you are going to build or have it built, I would go with the improved version. You already have a large spectrum covered with the -06 and 308, so go with the gun that will cover the other areas the best. If you want lite guns, look to the Ruger 77 I think they still chamber it in the Roberts. Most people who take the time to get to know the Roberts, tend to like it.

TwoSixty,
What sort of accuracy and terminal performance are you getting from the 95gr V-Max?
Thank you.
montero

I just got a 257R Ruger MKII in August. It is built on a long action which allows for seating out to the lands without any problems. I am loading Nosler 115 grain Partitions and 115 grain Ballistic tips. So far a am grouping around 1" @ 100 without any real work with loads. Whatever you choose have fun and enjoy.

I woul choose
a 257 or 257 imp. A nice round that will do well for your game. The 260 is to my mind too little boiler room for the caliber.

Cheers
/ JOHAN

The .257 imp feeds fine in a M98

I love the 264 caliber. I have 6.5x55, 260 Remington and 6.5-270 Wildcat on hand today. I have harvested pronghorn with the 120 gr Nosler Ballistic Tip with stunning results. Two animals that dropped to the shot when fired from my 6.5x55 M700 Classic with handloads. One at 65 yards and a head shot and the second in the chest head on at 260 yards.

All four of my 6.5 long guns shoot well. The 6.5-270 is a M98 reworked by Ray Montgomery from Clifton, Colorado...this guy knows how to perform a barrel/stock job and at a very modest price. Most accurete of my 264 collection.

I have one of each. The 260 is a 700 Mountain rifle. I shoot 120 grain Sierra's out of it. Shoots under an inch. I shot two deer with it last year. Two shots, two deer. The farthest one of the deer "ran" was 10 yards. The other dropped in its tracks.
The 257 is a Remington ADL short action. I'm still playing with this one. Hope I can get it to shoot like I want it to.
Bob257

If the range is "short" and the game is bears, .260. No brainer due to heavier bullets. The 160 gr. will punch thru things that will make a Roberts blush. First time I've ever spoken in favor of anything over a Roberts, but I don't do bear, and I do like range. Also like my posterior. Sorry Bob.

The 257 is simply a more powerful caliber than the 260 Rem...I like the 257 and a 120 gr. bullet at 2900 plus puts it in the .270 Win catagory.

Don't get an improved chamber. They waste barrel life and ammo for nothing. Resale will stink also.

The .257 Remington Roberts was snake bit from the begining as it will not fit right in a short action and wastes space in a long action so skip over that one. It was never popular anyway.

Consider the .243 Win, 25/06 or the new .243 WSSM which is the one that I want next.