This is a cartridge that has always intrigued me -- the first of Roy Weatherby's magnums (1944!) and his favorite. I'd be interested in hearing comments on its performance in the field, favorite powders, favorite bullets, any African use, etc.
I know it used to have a reputation as a barrel eater, but my guess is that keeping it just back of full throttle with some of the newer powders would make this a moot issue.

Hi Bill,

I have had a Weatherby Stainless Syntethic in 257 WBY for a couple of decades and have taken countless whitetails with it. Took it to Colorado as a back up for elk but didn't need it.

I hadn't thought of it but maybe I will take it to Namibia this November for leopard and PG after the elephant.

As far as favored loads - when i get home I will go through my log book and PM you some favored data.

As far as a barrel burner, I probably have around a thousand rounds give or take a hundred and have noticed no decrease in accuracy.

GREAT cartridge for everything un the USA short of grizzle/brown bear in my opinion.

Stay well

Thanks Doc.

With out sa doubt one of the best Pronghorn and similar hunting needs ever released.

The ultimate flat shooting cartridge for light game - such as antelope etc.

Try a 100 grs (T)TSX over a healthy dose of RL22. With a bit of luck, 3500-3600 fps should be possible, which makes it a mighty flatshooting proposition.

- mike

Here is a 257 weatherby in the Weatherby Mark V Accumark. IMHO the main reason to shoot a 257 weatherby, rather than a 250 savage, 257 roberts, 25-06 etc. is velocity. I believe that you'll get more velocity out of a 26" barrel than a 24 " barrel. The vanguard and sub-moa iterations have a 24" tube, which is a deal killer for me.

My go to load in the 257 accumark has been a 100 gr nosler partition over 73 gr. IMR 7828, federal 215m primers. Weatherby rifles typically have a good deal of freebore, so I don't try to load to touch the lands. I load my oal just a little over SAAMI specs. I have hot numerous deer and hogs with this rifle. I have yet to have one animal take a step after being hit with a 100 gr. partition at 3650 fps +/-. They were all DRT.
Some other considerations on 257 weatherby, cost of ammo if you don't reload. Barrel heats up quickly so you won't be volume shooting. Hit an amimal up close at 3600 fps and you destroy a lot of edible meat.
GWB

quote:

Originally posted by Bill/Oregon:
I'd be interested in hearing comments on its performance in the field,

I've owned two of them and can tell you that it's a pronghorn shooter without equal. It's also devastating on prairie dogs....(WOW)

However there is a sister cartridge that is IMO a good bit better and that's the .264 Win Mag.

I will take the .264 over the Weatherby any day....it's just a bit more of what the Weatherby really should have been. When the game gets over 400 pounds the heavier bullets are what I want.

I've always been intrigued by the calibre and 2 years ago bought a Remington Model 700 stainless laminate. I topped it with a 4.5-14 scope and installed a Jewel trigger. With 62 gr. IMR 4350 and Nosler 110 gr. Accubonds, shoots 5/8" groups all day long at 100 yards. With 240 yard zero, it's 1 3/4" high at 100 yards and 3 1/2" low at 300 yards. Kills deer like the hammer of Thor!

I have had a stainless weatherby Mark V in 257WBY and it is amazing how fast it will drop a deer no matter what the range. My most accurate load is 75gr of RL25 with 100gr Sierra Pro Hunter bullets. This load shoots under a half inch and chronoes at 3600fps. I am currently working on a load with the 100gr TSX and trying RL22 and RL25.

Bill, for Whitetail, Mule Deer, Antelope, and similar-sized game, especially at distance, there is none better. I've had several and keep coming back to it.

For similar ballistics but a bit more bullet weight, the 270 Wby is more of a good thing, but only if you need the bullet weight, like for Elk or Alberta-sized Whitetail.

I have one and love it. I shoot the 110 Accubonds. It has never been to Africa (yet). But that's only because I have been after dangerous game for the last 7 Safaris and needed two big calibers!

I've had three, still have two. First was a MkV around 1975, shot a few caribou with it then sold it - too pretty to hunt SC Alaska with. Next was a Jarrett-barreled Ruger No. 1. Rough on the outside on purpose - it's a hunting rifle for goodness sakes - but it's the most accurate No. 1 I own, and I own a bunch of accurate ones. No point mentioning the aggregate it will shoot, no one would believe it anyway.

The last is an AccuMark I bought nine years ago. Attractive without being fussy, it shoots better than the old MkV, not as well as the No. 1. Never had much barrel erosion looking through a bore scope on the latter two, I load to max but don't let the barrels get hot - fire slowly, never more than three shots at a time. Why haven't I mentioned how the cartridge kills? Why? Anyone with any sense knows it shoots flat, burns a lot more powder than a .25-06, and has a high cool factor. With good bullets (I prefer 120 Hornady HPs from many kills) it is as good or better than any deer/antelope cartridge - no secret there. I have better choices for elk, moose and bear.


.

I have one, a custom on a Sako action, with a 27 inch barrel. It is the greatest for long range big game.I have shot seven antelope one mule deer and one coyote at 510 lazered yards, with this gun.
All of these have been with a 100 grain ballistic tip at about 3600 fps.
The antelope have been at 150 to 400 yards and all were very quick kills.
Other than expensive brass and using a good bit more powder, it is great.
I won't be without one,

Hate to disappoint on barrel length, but I'm going to buy one of the New Weatherby Series 2 Vanguards with 24-inch barrel. I'd prefer 26, but can live with 24 and a few fewer feet per second. Will report when I have the rifle in hand.

Bill,

I have a vanguard in 257 wby with the wood stock. I load 115 gr ballistic tips over RL-22 and a mag primer. Mine shoots sub-moa with that load. It shoots RL-22 better than RL-25, IMR 4350, and H4831.

The wood stock rifle is a bit on the heavy side. Not sure what you're looking for, but mine weighs as much as my M70 338 win mag. If you can stand the sight of it (I couldn't), and weight is a factor, look at the synthetic stocked rifle. It's a pound lighter I believe.

Here's mine

Lots of good info here.

257 weatherby was my first ctg to reload many years ago.

I thought all ctgs needed inside neck reaming. silly me.

I still love the ctg.

My dad bought it from Roy, mesquite stock, german action, gold name plate. Used it as a saddle gun since it had nil recoil. Gave it to me. I shot coyote to bison with it. Mostly 100 and 115 nosler partition as back in the day that was all that would stand up to velocity.

Accuracy in multi lug bolts is more to do with bolt lapping (god there are alot of them lugs), than your powder/bullet./primer recipe.

The ctg destroys hearts of most animals.

Andy

Bill,

a gentleman up here in Grants Pass has one for sale on the board, over at the range.. Low miler...decent price

He hangs on 24 hour instead of here...

if you are interested in talking with him, PM me and I can run down his phone number.. he's a real religious guy, so he is on the up and up to deal with...

quote:

..... and has a high cool factor.

My Squeeze, The Winkelmeister has a 257 Witherbee in a Blaser R8. Neat package.

I'm loading his cartridges with a healthy dose of H-4831SC behind 100 gr. Swift Scirocco II's and Barnes 80 gr. TTSX's. Accuracy so far has been superb and that right outa the starting gate, too!

If you're into Hyper-Velocity this is where you want to be, for sure.

Blaser has re-intoduced this barrel for their R93 & at the moment I'm undecided as to whether I'm gonna give up the 25-06 Remington barrel for the 257 Witherbee. It's a 25.6" barrel length; I guess I could live with that.

Got to admit one of the drawbacks here in Europe was had a real issue trying to locate brass for this cartridge, and at a reasonable price, too.

Well we've got 80 cases & they ought to do us for the interem.

The real acid test will be next year's Namibia jaunt with Springbok culling, so head shots @ 300 meters. Let's see what the 25-06 & 257 Witherbee do there - I'm anticipating impressive results.

I loaded this cartridge for a buddy's Blaser K95 with a 650 mm barrel, we used Barnes TSX bullets and Norma MLP2 powder.

This guy calls it his "death ray gun" because it shoot so flat and kills so well, really big Turkish wild boar, red deer, chamois, roe deer, wolf, ibex and others.

quote:

Originally posted by Gerry:
at the moment I'm undecided as to whether I'm gonna give up the 25-06 Remington barrel for the 257 Witherbee. It's a 25.6" barrel length; I guess I could live with that.

Got to admit one of the drawbacks here in Europe was had a real issue trying to locate brass for this cartridge, and at a reasonable price, too.
.

You know Gerry, if it was me and I already owned a .25-06 I would probably not bother with the .257 Wby. I say this being the proud owner of a .257 Wby R93 barrel, which has seen successful duty on long range propositions such as pronghorn and springbok.

The .257 is a great cartridge, but the .25-06 is not that far behind. Call the .257 an honest 3500 fps cartidge with 100 grs (tsx) bullets, where the .25-06 will do 3300 fps. Either way, that is pretty fast. In reality, ballistic compensation has taken a lot of the guesswork out of elevation adjustment for long range shooting these days - although wind compensation still remains an issue. So whether you shoot at 3500 or 3300 fps is not all that important.

On the up side for the .25-06 is longer barrel life, better selection of brass and price for brass and ammo is better too. All in all, if I did not have either cartridge I *might* still choose the .257 Wby - hey, we are all infatuated with those ballistic numbers - but if I already called a .25-06 my own, I'm not sure I would bother changing.

- mike

quote:

The .257 is a great cartridge, but the .25-06 is not that far behind.

I've owned two .257 Weatherbys, three .25-06, and three .257 Roberts and the only quarter bore I hunt with today is the Roberts, Why?....it does everything the others did but in a featherweight M-70 package which I prefer. I don't believe I've lost anything substantive by using the Roberts!

A friend of mine when I was in high school had a .257 Wby from when they were made in Germany. I loved that rifle and have always wanted one. Right now my only quarter bore is a .257AI. With it I see no reason for a 25-06 and have started to feel the want for a 6.5x284 or a .264 Win mag instead of the .257 Wby. However having just bought a .270 WSM I might not need those either.

My stainless 257 LazerMark:



Simply a deer/hog/axis/sika killing machine with 110gr Accubonds and a stiff dose of IMR-7828.

I have two,one is a rebarreled Winchester Mod 70 Winlite,26" Hart stainless barrel,Canjar trigger.The other a 10 lb. FN Mauser,28" Hart stainless barrel also Canjar single set trigger.Both are tack drivers and do everything I ever wanted in 25 caliber.Other than my 220 Swift,out of 40 + rifle's,shoot them more than anything.

Mod.70


Top,257,bottom 30-378

quote:

You know Gerry, if it was me and I already owned a .25-06 I would probably not bother with the .257 Wby.

Mike,

Your advice always welcome and practical; especially for us here in Europe who have to consider the logistical chain. 25-06 Remington verges on the "bothersome"; the .257 Witherbee is simply ugh, difficult.

Winkelmeister blasted a hapless Roe Buck Spike on Saturday evening with the 257 Witherbee. Surpisingly it didn't cut it in half, the 100 gr. Swift Scirocco II performed excellently, right thru the X-Ring at +200 meters, too.

100 TSX and 72 gr RL22 will go past 3600 fps and flattens longer whitetails. I often use it when watching an open corn/beanfield. It's velocity is a perfect match for the Barnes bullets and I have only shot four with it, but all are one shot kills. The longest was about 450 yards on a doe, ran about 50 yards. I also shot a big buck running quartering away at about 275. It hit him in the left hip, skidded just under the hide on his left side breaking all the ribs and stopped in his neck. He rolled and was dead when I got there.

They are "cool" and do seem to kill deer and such in their tracks at any range like no other, even with a conventional double lung they just drop. With bullets like B-tips and Sierras they will leave some bloodshot meat, but you won't get allot of adrenalin or lactic acid in the meat that's left. The 25-06 and Roberts are fine, but if I had a 170 class at 300 yards on a windy day and could choose between the three...

My Mk V really likes the 115 gr Partition over a healthy dose of IMR 4350...but this whitetail did not!

I shot one a good bit on whitetail and hogs when I was younger. I had a WBy accumark LH and it was deadly with 115 and 100 grain bullets.

My wife used her blaser R93 this year in Africa and took a Kudu and impala with her 257 wby mag. She was using 100 grain hornday bullets--I'd load a little tougher bullet next time


By coachsells at 2011-07-06

I loaned a guy some money on one and had it for several years. I was real dissapointed when he came back for it. I think my next one will be on a single shot action with an even longer barrel, say a 28 incher on a Ruger number one. I love the caliber. It is so flat you really cant believe it until you've tried one. DW

Over the years I have owned two Weatherby's, a 340 and a 300. I still have the 300 and the only other Weatherby that interests me is the 257.

quote:

Originally posted by dwheels:
I loaned a guy some money on one and had it for several years. I was real dissapointed when he came back for it. I think my next one will be on a single shot action with an even longer barrel, say a 28 incher on a Ruger number one. I love the caliber. It is so flat you really cant believe it until you've tried one. DW

You won't be dissapointed with a 28" barrel !!

I love my 257 Wby. As others have mentioned, a load of 100gr. TSX and Rl-15 works great in mine.

quote:

Originally posted by Moparguy:
100gr. TSX and Rl-15 works great in mine.

Is RL15 a typo or intended?? Normally, a powder like RL22 is used for this combination.
- mike

Bill:

Do yourself a favor. Just get a 25-06 or, better yet, a .257 Roberts. Brass is cheaper and they will do everything the .257 Weatherby will do with a lot less powder and a whole lot less recoil and muzzle blast. I shoot a .257 Roberts and it is a joy to shoot and it will easily push a 100 grain TSX to 3000 fps. That's all you need from a 25 caliber. Just my two cents.

mho, Thanks, I did make a mistake. Should have said RL 22 and TSX.

quote:

Originally posted by Crazyhorseconsulting:
Over the years I have owned two Weatherby's, a 340 and a 300. I still have the 300 and the only other Weatherby that interests me is the 257.

Both good choices (the .300 and the .340 Bees).

But so is the .257 Wby, if you like to hunt prairie goats and deer in the wide open spaces.

The neat part is that for some reason, occasionally a guy finds a real deal on the .257 W'bys. I bought my composite stocked MkV in "as new" condition (with a scope but no box) at a gun show in Roseburg, OR for $400...and it is a "gin-u-wine" tack driver. My suspicion is that I got it that cheap because it needed a good barrel cleaning.

I also have a 7m/m Wby and a .300. Would like to have an original MkV .375 Wby Mag to replace my .375 H&H Magnum Mauser, but likely won't happen this year. The new house and new car (new to me) have sorta put the kibosh on that for a while.

BTW, Remington put out a few M700s in that chambering too. You might look around to see if you can find a take-off bbl cheap on one internet site or another. That's how I got my first 7m/m Wby tube.

quote:

Originally posted by Dave Bush:
Bill:

Do yourself a favor. Just get a 25-06 or, better yet, a .257 Roberts. Brass is cheaper and they will do everything the .257 Weatherby will do with a lot less powder and a whole lot less recoil and muzzle blast. I shoot a .257 Roberts and it is a joy to shoot and it will easily push a 100 grain TSX to 3000 fps. That's all you need from a 25 caliber. Just my two cents.

I like to burn powder and for what I use both of mine for,neither of the above will do what the 257 Wby will do.

Bill: I own two, an old Ultramark I bought at the old Weatherby store on Firestone Blvd years ago and McMillan stocked Vanguard. Both rifles are incredibly accurate as the target shows, but they are also impressive killers. I've shot in excess of fifty deer with it and as many hogs, most using the 100gr Hornady. ALL, ALL have been DRTs. It is the most amazing killer I have ever hunted with. Nowadays I've switched over to TTSXs behing 71.3gr of either RL-22 or MRP and F215 primers. The Ultramark is on it's second barrel after roughly three thousand rounds. jorge


http://i1211.photobucket.com/a...37/jorgeIg/257vg.jpg

Jorge: That's the kind of accuracy I keep hearing about with this cartridge.
AC: I, too, have found some good buys at the little club gun show in Roseburg. Best score there was a Second Model Maynard carbine, caliber .50, in very good condition for $300 ...