I have 7 calibers larger than my 257 Roberts. It recently occured to me that for 90% of my hunting and ANYTHING I'm likely to kill in East Texas, none of those calibers have any real world advantage over a 115-120 cup and core from the Roberts. I guess I'm a slow learner.

So you never have a situation where a 350-400 yard shot could use a 3400fps .270 110gnTTSX with only -10-12" drop at 400 yards?

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Originally posted by 416Tanzan:
So you never have a situation where a 350-400 yard shot could use a 3400fps .270 110gnTTSX with only -10-12" drop at 400 yards?

Nope. I've seen game at that distance but I have always been able and capable of creeping closer to within reasonable distances.

Scott, I think we all have favorite calibers depending on where we live and hunt. I could take just about everything I hunt here in Co with my 30-338mg or the 30-06 or the 280AI no maybe I need the 300WSM tough choice.

I know the feeling. As I get older and hopefully wiser, I find myself grabbing a 6.5x55 and leaving the 7mm Mag in the gun case more and more often. And when I need more than the 6.5 I tend to go for a 9.3x62.

You simply can't argue with what works. And both of those have been working for a long, long time.

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Originally posted by scottfromdallas:
I have 7 calibers larger than my 257 Roberts. It recently occured to me that for 90% of my hunting and ANYTHING I'm likely to kill in East Texas, none of those calibers have any real world advantage over a 115-120 cup and core from the Roberts. I guess I'm a slow learner.

10-4 roger

Try a .22 centerfire and you may learn even the .257 Roberts more than needed. Not a knock on the Roberts.

Scott

On most of the Deer leases I have been on in Texas, IF I wanted to make a shot much past 200 yards i would have to spot the game and then stalk BACKWARDS.

Once upon a time I had a very accurate custom 300 WBY mag and I wanted to shoot something with it at long range.

I had good zeros to 600 yards.

So I would set up in places where a long shot would be possible. Never saw any deer far off...

I would see deer, up close, and actually stalk backwards, in hope of getting a long shot...

I finally gave up, and just shot deer with my Ruger No1 in 45/70.

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Originally posted by N E 450 No2:
Scott

On most of the Deer leases I have been on in Texas, IF I wanted to make a shot much past 200 yards i would have to spot the game and then stalk BACKWARDS.

Once upon a time I had a very accurate custom 300 WBY mag and I wanted to shoot something with it at long range.

I had good zeros to 600 yards.

So I would set up in places where a long shot would be possible. Never saw any deer far off...

I would see deer, up close, and actually stalk backwards, in hope of getting a long shot...

I finally gave up, and just shot deer with my Ruger No1 in 45/70.

LOL. Funny but very true. I used to always do a 200 yard site in. I've switched to 100 yards since the longest shot on my land may be 120 yards. It's more likely to be much closer and fast.

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Originally posted by Chief Sigs:
I know the feeling. As I get older and hopefully wiser, I find myself grabbing a 6.5x55 and leaving the 7mm Mag in the gun case more and more often. And when I need more than the 6.5 I tend to go for a 9.3x62.

You simply can't argue with what works. And both of those have been working for a long, long time.

Those are great calibers, I have them both. They do make a great duo and cover everything I'm likely to hunt. My 6.5x55 is heavy so I'm starting to lean towards the 257R. The 9.3 is perfect weight for it' power yet I still bought a 350 Rem Mag because these damn rifles are addicting.

I guess I'm gravitating to under 30 calibers more since my gun range banned anything 30 caliber and over. Something to do with the city a lawsuit & the dangers of large, fast bullets. It's funny because you can shoot a 7mm Weatherby but not a 30/30.

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I guess I'm gravitating to under 30 calibers more since my gun range banned anything 30 caliber and over. Something to do with the city a lawsuit & the dangers of large, fast bullets. It's funny because you can shoot a 7mm Weatherby but not a 30/30.

I thought Texas was firearm friendly?

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Originally posted by carpetman1:
Try a .22 centerfire and you may learn even the .257 Roberts more than needed. Not a knock on the Roberts.

Bingo. With a good bullet this can be done.

100 yard and 200 yard scope sight in mentioned. Back in the 40's Jack O'Connor wrote an article for Outdoor Life about sighting in a scope. Weaver Scopes liked the article enough so that they made a reprint of the article and included it with new scopes when they were still made in El Paso. Part of the jest of the article was that most hunting rifles sighted in at 25 yards would be a little high at 100 and back on around 200-250 depending on muzzle velocity, bullet etc. Basically line of sight being straight and bullet path being an arc, your line of sight cuts through the arc twice--so make that first one at 25 yards. Much easier to sight in at 25 also. Sighted in this way you are in the kill from muzzle to around 250 or so with no compensation. Now for you folks wanting longer shots but can't get back far enough, maybe mount your scope backwards and simulate long range shooting. I guess a 3x-9x on 9x at 200 yds would give you an 1800 yd shot????

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Originally posted by 416Tanzan:

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I guess I'm gravitating to under 30 calibers more since my gun range banned anything 30 caliber and over. Something to do with the city a lawsuit & the dangers of large, fast bullets. It's funny because you can shoot a 7mm Weatherby but not a 30/30.

I thought Texas was firearm friendly?

Long story but its the gun range in Garland. Been there 40 years but recently some geniuses decided to develop housing all around it. Now someone is claiming they were hit by a stray bullet in their living room. People are claiming to find shell casings in their lawns. Yes that is one heck of a ejector. Anyway, the local news station made it a story and the next thing I know I can't shoot my 308 at the range anymore.

We had that happen at the Memphis public range. They started making all kinds of strange rules to prevent it. Nothing over .308, no full metal jacket etc. After that they built a thick header in front of the benches so a bullet couldn't be fired over the backstop, I kinda thought this was a good move. About a year later we got an anti gun mayer and the range was closed to all except police and sherriff's dept's. Now the public still pay's for the range they just can't use it.

Terry

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Originally posted by bartsche:

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Originally posted by scottfromdallas:
I have 7 calibers larger than my 257 Roberts. It recently occured to me that for 90% of my hunting and ANYTHING I'm likely to kill in East Texas, none of those calibers have any real world advantage over a 115-120 cup and core from the Roberts. I guess I'm a slow learner.

10-4 roger

I'm with Roger on this one.....for most of my hunting the .257 Roberts getserdone

I use a 243 up here in NY..does the job on both deer and bear..on the bear u need to be right on with shot placement, but it will get the job done..

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I thought Texas was firearm friendly?

That is what you get for thinking. Most of Texas IS firearm friendly, it is just some of the larger metropolitan areas with their ever expanding suburbs.

Scott the .257 Robert's is a good choice for hunting in Texas, especially down where your land is. Yes, I know I prefer a .375 H&H, but realities are what they are and a 117gr. Remington Core-Loct out of the Robert's does just fine on white tails.

Luckily the range I use is private, and has good lawyers as members. It came in handy when the county decided to extend the public walking trail....so it went right behind the berms! It is also the range the local LE groups use. They went to the council meeting and told them how stupid it was.

As to the smaller calibers, I don't think there is much that can't be killed cleanly with a good 257 or 6.5 (my favorite).

I've come to this notion myself and I aint even old - just imature for my age.

quote:

Originally posted by scottfromdallas:
I have 7 calibers larger than my 257 Roberts. It recently occurred to me that for 90% of my hunting and ANYTHING I'm likely to kill in East Texas, none of those calibers have any real world advantage over a 115-120 cup and core from the Roberts. I guess I'm a slow learner.

scottfromdallas , I think you are absolutely correct in that opinion, and I don’t think you are a slow learner at all, because there is nothing in the East Texas woods or any place else in Texas, that can’t be taken with a well placed .22lr.

However if you make that comparison for North America then the 257 will, in some places be sorely lacking! Even the largest animal in North America can be killed with a .22lr, or things smaller than the 257, if everything is PREFECT but I certainly wouldn’t choose either in the alders of Alaska or anywhere else grizz, polar or brown bear roam where even some of the largest of deer type rifles would be marginal. The .338 up, being a better choice, and a 375H&H ideal for the bigger boys on the tundra.

I’ve been hunting on my own for 69 years from the age of six years to about the age of 20 yrs mostly in Texas, and the rest of my life in many countries, and have taken almost everything Texas has to offer with a .22lr, and everything it has to offer with a 243 win.

During WWII we hunted everything with a 22lr because larger metallic cartridges were hard to come by because most of the brass was used to make ammo for the war effort. Because of that fact it took me years to stop shooting everything in the head. I about wiped the deer population out on our ranch with a single shot .22 lr in the North end of the Texas hill country during WWII feeding four families who moved onto our ranch while my father and my uncles were fighting in the war. Even with the 22lr I never lost a deer shot with it but I picked my shots for head shots only.

I’m not putting your 257 down at all, it is a fine cartridge, just saying that though it is just as good as most deer rifle chamberings for Texas and the majority of hunting in North America, it may not be as good as some of the larger rifles you may have in your battery for all animals hunted in North America, or for plains game in Africa. Still I think most folks tend to think things like the hot 22s and 6mms and some even think the 25s are too small for deer I simply do not believe that they are good only for P-dogs, and jack rabbits! That is absolute nonsense IMO!

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Enough gun is exactly what you have discovered. It doesn't have to burn a lot of gunpowder to be effective.

I love my .257 Roberts for deer. It works well, is easy to shoot well, doesn't hardly recoil, and is pretty accurate. If your shots are close you could probably use about anything really.

Growing up I had the priviledge of getting to know an old couple who's parents actually settled an area that was quite primitive. They ranched mostly but this mans wife probably put more game on the table than the men of the house. They were busy working, she was handy with her rifle, and if a tasty critter came by the house she'd quite often take advantage of the opportunity.

Her rifle was an old Winchester with a Lyman scope in .22 Hornet. She shot things in the brain. She said " not much to eat up there, the rest is usable."

I just "acquired" a beautiful old Mannlicher Schonauer in 8X56 Mannlicher. Absolutely beautiful bore and [on and on and on and!!] Only thing missing is the sling loop and screw. I figured on a nice rifle to hunt the thick stuff here in Or for elk and deer. Then I walked into the gun locker and started looking around. My goodness! 300 this and that. Two 458 Wins and a 416 thrown in. Two 375s so this is stupid. The last time I fired ANYTHING over 6.5 was 4-5 years ago. The stuff around here drop very nicely with the old 600 in 250/3000 Ack Imp. Oh Well! It is still a beautiful rifle and will look great and reek of Kenya and hunts long gone. It is funny how a rifle that has been over in the veldt for years just "feels" different? Sometimes I pull the old Rhoda 577 my dad used and it smells like the Kalahiri or the Rift Valley.
Aloha, Mark