Does anyone shoot both the 240 and 257 Weatherby? Is there much of a difference between the two? I’m looking at buying a new gun for my daughter that I can carry, and we can both share on hunts (deer/antelope). She grew up shooting a Vanguard in 223 and stepped up to a 243. The 243 is a old Belgium made Browning BAR. The gun is pretty heavy and the semi auto take away a lot of the “kick” so I was wondering how the 240 or 257 would compare. Do they kick a little more than the 243 or is it more like a 270?

Thanks -

Can't tell you on the 240, mines not built yet I'm building mine for the same purpose, deer and antelope. But people say the 257 is right about 270 Win recoil.

Are you looking at the new Vanguard 2's? They have a 240 coming out soon. I have played with these a bit, they're not too light, not too heavy. The pads are nice, and the trigger is very crisp (plus its user adjustable). Counter guy at my LGS picked one up in 25-06 and he really likes it.

Ca hunter
They aren't related in any way except the weatherby name

257 is based off the hh case
240 based off 3006

Personally, i'd go for a 25-06 over both of your choises and yes i have shot both. (still have a 240)

I shoot both the 240 and 257 Wbys. Both of mine are custome guns, the 240 on a Rem 700 action and the 257 on a Sako action. Both have lilja 26 inch ss barrels.
I have shot antelope, mule deer and coyotes with both.
The 257 is quite a bit more powerful, being able to shoot 120 grain bullets and shooting 100 grain bullets about 350-400 fps faster than the 240.
I like both of these cartridges. Actually had the 240 built for long range coyote shooting, but have used it very little for that purpose.
If I could have only one of them, it would be the 257.

I have both in Weatherby rifles with only the trigger adjusted and action bedded. Both shoot extremely well with 100gr Sierra Pro Hunter bullets. In my 257 I recently shot several 3 shot groups at 100yds that all were under .300" and chronoed at 3600fps. If I had to choose, I would go with the 257.

I shoot both in Mark V actions. The older 240's are built on full size 9 lug actions.

My 240 has a 26" barrel and the 257 has a 24" barrel.

There is a bit of difference in recoil between the two, although I wouldn't say the 257 has much recoil.

Since your daughter shot the 243 well, I don't think the 240 would bother her or even be much of a step up, but there is a big difference between shooting a 243 and 257 in terms of muzzle blast and more recoil.


The 257 might be all the gun she'll ever need depending on the type of hunting you do. My wife has shot two elk and one bison "hunt/shoot" for meat.

I don't believe either elk died any slower than the elk I've taken with the 300 or 7mm Wby.

The 240 would be great to add if then she later had a larger gun for bigger big game.

Stock design and scope placement/eye relief have always been a factor in the felt recoil for me. I had a Model 70 in 270 Wby and felt recoil was greater to me than my Mark V in the same caliber.

I believe the new 240 Wby are built on smaller 6 lug actions and are definately lighter weight.

I read a great article about Ed Weatherby taking the new 240 wby on safari and shooting plains game. He said something to the effect that he pulled the trigger and watched the antelope drop through the scope....The lighter recoil of the cartridge kept the animal in the field of view.

For you stated purpose, the 240 would be fine, but the 257 may be more versatile down the road.

I have two 240's and a 257 Vanguard I picked up recently. The 257 is a definite step up in recoil from the 240. My 257 feels about like a 25-06, but I attribue that to the stock fitting better than the couple of 25-06's I have owned. Anything that burns that much powder at that velocity is going to have quite a bit more recoil, and apples to apples, the 257 WM will always be the hardest kicking 25 out there in commercial cartridges. Based on my experience with two daughters growing up, I wouldn't think the 257 is a good choice for a girl. Even if the recoil doesn't bother them, the muzzle blast is pretty attention getting. When I tried out the 257, the range officer at our club actually walked down and quizzed me as to loads. Given the muzzle blast and noise, he was concerned that I had concocted some unsafe loads. He seemed less than convinced that they were factory 100 gr.

The 240 will be slightly worse than a 243, but the difference will be largely due to individual rifles. The 6mm Rem, 240 WM, 6-06 and 6-284 are all nearly the same.

Here is a recoil formula that gives a factor for comparison. It is not in foot pounds it is just a factor but I find it to fairly accurately predict. Bullet weight (in grains) + powder charge (in grains)X muzzle velocity (in fps)divided by 3500( constant) divided by rifle weight in pounds.
If thinking 25-06 I'd go .270 virtually no difference in recoil but the 25-06 seems to blast more.

Thanks for the input. The 25-06 kicks a little too much for her already (Grandpa has super thin/feather weight 25-06 that she does not like).

I think this year we’ll stick to the 243 and hopefully next year, she be able to handle the 257 Wby because I....I mean she....would like one! I think the heavier bullets will also work better on bigger Mule deer!

I don't own a 240, but I do own a 257. The recoil is fast, kind of a sudden "snap", but it's not a heavy kicker. My rifle is heavy, over 8 pounds, almost 9 with scope and loaded rounds. It's a heavy gun for a 25 cal. I also have a featherweight 257 Roberts AI that is probably equal to that 25-06 fwt your daughter doesn't like.

I would say the recoil is pretty darn close between the fwt Win and the Wby mag.

Whatever she shoots, make sure the stock is made to fit HER, not YOU. Stock fit will go a long way towards either helping or hurting the recoil to the shoulder.

My daughter has a 257 Roberts in a sporter weight Savage.

The fullsize stock on the Vanguard fits her perfect. She likes the big check rest compared to Daddy’s Remingtons. The one thing I don’t like about the Vanguards and Weatherbys is that they are heavy, but it keeps the recoil down. I’m hoping that she can handle the 257 Wby next year. I wouldn’t mind carrying a heavier rifle in the field if we could both shoot it.

I also have both, and I have a daughter and young sons that hunt. They all love the 240 which is in a Mark V ultra light. None of them care for the 257 in a Mark V custom that wieghs a solid 2.5 lbs more. To a small framed shooter the 257wby is pretty violent. As to killing deer, both will do very well even on the brutes with a good bullet and reasonable shot placement. I also enjoy carrying the 240. On days when I know I have miles to walk the 240 is at the top of the list.

Just a note on the recoil formula given. The riqorous formula which calculates recoil energy has the bullet weight times muzzle velocity but the powder charge times 7000, which reflects the fact that the burnt gases jet out behind the bullet at a much higher velocity than the bullet. This has a big effect on cartridges like the 257, where the powder charge is a significant fraction of the bullet. In the case of the 257, it would under estimate the true recoil by 30-40%.