Every year I do a couple three generation hunts with father, my son and two or 3 nephews.

I'm looking to buy a rifle for my nephews to shoot on hunts for Texas hill country whitetails, hogs and axis deer. The axis deer and hogs can weigh upto 200lbs.

Shots will definitely be under 200 yards.

I haven't shot either of these rifles, so I'm not sure how they compare on recoil.

These kids are from 12 to 16 years old, and growing fast.

I do not reload, so we would be using factory ammo.

Any advice would be appreciated.

257 will be a bit less recoil. With max loads with 120 grainers, it will kick a but, but with 100 grains, not as much. 260 will recoil more;
260 sends a 140 at 2800; recoil is 14 pounds
257 sends a 117 plus P at 2900; recoil is 12.5.
More or less.
I have two 257s and like it. I have built 260s and it is a great round as well. Good for longer range than the 257. I would get a257 for your kids.
Of course, heavier bullets are good for pigs; really, either one will work for your kids.
You need to start reloading; start with a Lee loader and you will save lots of money. Factory ammo is way too expensive and hard to get.

There are advantages to both cartridges.

.257 Roberts- a bit less recoil,(but very little) as the heaviest bullets from the .257 aren't as heavy as even the medium weight bullets from the .260 Rem. Bullet weight is an important contributor to recoil.
- Possibly a few more "classic" rifles available in this chambering, if that is important; certainly more used ones available so far.

.260 Rem - Probably a tiny bit more variety available in factory ammo bullet weights, though neither the .260 nor the .257 is dead simple to find ANY factory ammo for, these days.
- Probably a better variety of current factory rifles available for the .260, including some nice trim-size, light-weight ones. That could be important, as having the rifle correctly fit the shooter is an important factor in keeping down PERCEIVED recoil.
- MAYBE a slightly better chance of finding factory loaded ammo in the local stores
- On animals with thick skins and fat layers, better penetration with the heavier bullets at somewhat lower impact speed.

The differences though, on balance, are miniscule.

You and or your young friends really should take up handloading. It would enable you to get far more flexibility (and more "game-specific" ammo) for whichever one you pick.

If it was me and I was going to be restricted to factory ammo, I'd just pick the one most available in the rifle make & model I liked best...or I'd make it all very simple and just flip a coin.

Both are great but I'd lean towards the 260. I have a 260AI which I really like and it will do about anything you want to do and you can go heavier with bullets. 140 gr Nosler Partitions for the biggest stuff.

Either is a good choice. I would choose the rifle you like the best in either caliber. I don't have a 260 but I have a 6.5x55 & 257 Roberts. Both are mild. The 257 happens to be a Kimber which I absolutely love.

I don't have any hands on experience with a .257Rbts but I have used a .260 to kill around a half dozen WTs. The 140gr bullet kills like the Hammer of Thor. Longest shot, 250 yards. I've bought one for my grandkids to use.

I just picked up a 257R here for my Godson's twin sister. Bought my gf a 260 several years ago I handload both. IF I did not load, I would opt for the 260. You can get 260 ammo (cheaper) and at more places. Academy had several loads for the 260, none for the 257. The 7/08 is another good option w/ even more factory loads. Essentially a modern 7x57. Not as sexy, but ballistically the same.

I really like both cartridges a lot. If you reload then get either one (or both). If you are using factory loads then the .260. There are more loads available and there is wider distribution and Remington makes a reduced recoil load for the recoil shy and kids. My opinion for what it's worth.

Jerry Liles

While I would prefer a 257. A 260 probably makes more sense. More options and easier to find ammo. We started the son of a hunting buddy out with a 7-08. That was probably 18 years ago and now at 30+ it is still his go too. He does grab the 300wmag I built him for ELk

.257 is working great for me and my youngest boy.
He shoots 100 grain Sierra's and I shoot 117's.
Both loads seem to hammer Deer whether they are whitetails or big Mule Deer.
I'm partial to the .257 Roberts because I wanted one since I was a boy and my great grandma had one. Heard stories all through my youth about what a deer killer that cartridge is.
Neither could be a bad choice however .260 ammo may be more available in stores (maybe not).

I don't see the 260 as having any advantage in either factory ammo or rifle availability. As great a round as the 260 is, it just hasn't caught on in hunting fields. Both rounds seem to have a cult following though. I was born and raised in Texas. Two-hundred pound Texas white tales dear are rare, even on heavily managed ranches. I'd choose a 257 Roberts. However, those boys shouldn't have any trouble shooting 308 wins with 150 grain loads. Ammo is plentiful, and everyone that makes a youth model chambers it. Remington and savage even make a left hand youth models.

I am a serious .257 Roberts fan, having owned 16-18 of them since my first Remington Model 722 in 1962................However.............. I would probably choose the .260 Remington for what you have in mind. You say you don't reload, which cuts your versatility on both rounds. I haven't studied current factory loads, but I imagine someone loads a premium bullet for the .260 Remington just as they do for the .257 Roberts. The .260 is just a step ahead of the Blessed Bob should your kids or nephews decide they want to go elk hunting and are not yet of the size and strentgh to handle a more powerful elk caliber (how is it that kids and women can slay elk easily with smaller calibers while we he-men require at least 3500 fpe to do the same job?) The only caveat I can see is the recoil factor-the .260 with 140 grain bullets does come back more smartly than the .257. I seem to recall, though, that Remington does offer the .260 with its Reduced Recoil loadings. Start them off with these and progress to the stouter loadings. Just my opinion and probably your choice is six of one, half dozen of the other. Both are splendid calibers. Hint: take the advice of starting off reloading with a Lee Loader. Good luck on your hunt and enjoy your time with your offspring to the fullest.

The OP is hunting axis deer and hogs, not whitetails. The .257 Roberts is a fine cartridge and will certainly kill these animals, but the .260 is probably a better choice for a non-hand loader, particularly when buying a new rifle. The 140-grain bullets are just superior to the 120s on hogs.

Slightly higher power and the ability to use heavier bullets are the only real performance differences between the two. There is only 0.007" difference in diameter between them.



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Get a couple 6.5x55s and start reloading so you can customize your loads. Between now and fall there is plenty time to become and adequate reloader. roger

Ive owned quit a few 257 Robts. rifles and not particularly satisfied with them on the accuracy count, most didn't shoot well enough to suit me, a few did...

My all time choice is the wonderful little 250-3000 and I have seen it do prodigies on deer and even elk. My dad shot more than 50 elk with his and I shot a few also, most with factory ammo..It seems to kill all out of porportion to its paper balistics, much like the 7x57..Every 250 I have shot or even know of, shot little small groups..

My kids and grandkids started out with the .222 and supervision, then the 250-3000 or 25-35, then the 7x57, all good rounds..but the 250 always seemed to be favored by all of them and myself too for that matter..

The only 6.5 I have used to any extent is the 6.5/06 and a 6.5 Gibbs and neither impressed me nor did the .264 Win. or 6.5x55 both based only on observation of deer and Pronghorn kills. Seemed to me the 270 was a better killer than any of the 6.5s..

Nothing wrong with going with either, but I'm going to say go with the .257 Robts. simply because I love it.

Steve..............

quote:

Originally posted by Atkinson:


My all time choice is the wonderful little 250-3000 I just knew you'd say that. roger

The only 6.5 I have used to any extent is the 6.5/06 and a 6.5 Gibbs and neither impressed me nor did the .264 Win. or 6.5x55 both based only on observation of deer and Pronghorn kills.

????????????????? and the .250-3000 is just dandy???? roger

quote:

Originally posted by bartsche:
Get a couple 6.5x55s and start reloading so you can customize your loads. Between now and fall there is plenty time to become and adequate reloader. roger

plenty of time, but not powder.

It seems to me that the question should focus on the rifle. For kids that are 12-16 you probably want the longest length-of-pull that they can handle at the moment. If they can do 13.5", so much the better.

As for calibre, I've always been impressed by the 257. How many rounds can one give a nickname to like 'the Bob'?

In huntability, I don't think that there is any real difference, it's just something for us to talk about while we wait around to go hunting. The round does make a difference in action length and rifle. The 260 tends to be offered in short actions while the 257 with its extra .2" case length tends to be offered in standard actions.

Personally, if I were going to go with a standard action I'd go for the 270. Maybe one could load it down about 400fps for practice and learning, but plan on full loads for hunting. When my son was 12 he used my 270 Win at full load. At first he had a slip on recoil pad and shot a couple of gazelle, but we noticed that the length of pull was excessive (probably about 14.5"). We took off the slip-on and he used the pre-64 M70 hard butt, as it was, and never looked back. He was 12 and about average size. He still thinks fondly of the 270 as a learner's rifle though he got a Win compact 243W for his 5'0" wife.

If someone were looking for a short action, then one can also consider the 7-08 mentioned above by others. Bullet selection will be wider and it provides a mild step up in power. As I get older I tend to appreciate diameter a little more than speed, as long as 300 yard shots are covered.

Myself, ironically, I might indulge is a bit of nostalgia and handload the Bob to +P loads. Powder and primers can be found if you look hard. But how many rifles are currently available?

Short action-260 rem
Long action-6.5x55

If you are worried about the recoil, replace the original recoil pad with one from Limbsaver.

Remington makes a "managed Recoil" load for the 260. You can buy factory in that and factory in the full loads. Either should work on the pig.

Both my boys shoot 6.5x55's. They got them when they were 8 and 11. In fact, my then 8 YO shot a big 175 lb PA whitetail with his last winter. DRT.

I gave them the option of either a .257 or 6.5x55.

Had we been building Rem 700's or the like instead of 98 Mausers they would be shooting a .260.

The 8 YO was shooting a 100 gr BT at 2700 fps, for all intents and purposes a load equal to a .257.

The 6.5x55 has a nickname too: The Swede!

Nothing wrong with either the 260 or 257. I just think the 260 is more versatile.

FWIW, I took a nice BIG 250 lb Axis last May with one shot from a .260.

The 260 is certainly more versatile and very easy to shoot. My daughter started with it at 11 and 80 pounds and killed a dozen deer with it with one shot each. Remington, Federal, and Nosler will give many options for factory ammunition and it is a very easy round to load for if you ever start. Also, you will soon start seeing Rem. 700s in the SPS with a 24 inch barrel and X-Mark pro trigger for under 600 bucks. That said for animals under 400 pounds they are a horse apiece.

quote:

Originally posted by TX Nimrod:
The OP is hunting axis deer and hogs, not whitetails.

Perhaps you should read the OPs post:


"Texas Hill country Whitetails, hogs and axis deer."

Oops. Of course the word wasn't bold in the original post......

Just found another good option: Ruger American rifle in 6.5 Creemore. Ruger's website says they will be available in June. If this sounds good, order now and start looking for ammo now.

I have a 260 for our ranch gun..it is in a steyr proHunter I love it. It is accurate and has an ajustable length of pull...it will fit anything from a 10 year old to a full grown adult...you can frind them for around 800..it is a lot of gun for under a 1000.

I guess I'd have to say go with Bob! I bought one as soon as I was on active duty and had a place to keep it. I have used it for everything from Rock Chucks to Mulies and it's been great. The coyotes hate it when using 75gr Hornady HP's. If buying factory the Hornady options are great. The Rem loads are weak by comparison.

There's isn't anything wrong with the .260 though.

My choice would be the 260. I have never owned a Bob, but I feel the 260 is more versatile. Not that the Bob wouldn't do the job, it will. The 260 has the versatility to load a 100 grain BT for the Whitetail, since Hill Country whitetails are not huge, but can also load the 125 Partition for the bigger hogs, and still be kid friendly.

My daughter opted for my 6.5-284 with 120 Sierra SPT. She was 11. Even after a rebarrel since the original was too short (talk about muzzle noise), she still considers it her rifle. I think the 260 would be about the same.

.257 Roberts for the win!



I get a bit over 3,000 fps with 100gr. Hornady's and 2,850 fps with 117 gr. SGK's. Both group about 3/4" at 100 yards in my Rem. M7 Mannlicher.

The Bob is just a great cartridge at any age.

PS: This rifle has claimed a half dozen Texas Whitetails and five piggies in the Downtown Farm District of Hondo.

Here's a happy kid that shoots a .257 Roberts, 100 grain Sierra's at about 2850 fps. 3 Bucks and a doe so far.

This is what is called six of one and half a dozen of the other.

I guarantee you there is absolutely nothing that will differentiate these two on field performance.

I'd suggest you take a good look at a .243 too.
Availability of ammo for one big thing.
It's plenty for these size animals and easy shooting too.
Good luck,
George

quote:

The differences though, on balance, are miniscule.

This sums it up nicely.....

I have one of each and the only real difference is that the .257 Roberts wants to be handloaded.....the .260 Remington comes with a lot of authority right out of the box

quote:

Originally posted by georgeld:
I'd suggest you take a good look at a .243 too.
Availability of ammo for one big thing.
It's plenty for these size animals and easy shooting too.
Good luck,
George

I have to agree. If you don't reload, the 243 is a great choice. I started reloading because I bought a 257 Roberts. Once I started reloading it led me to other not so common cartridges like the 6.5x55, 338 Fed, 350 Rem Mag and 9.3x62. Now I reload 9 different cartridges.

quote:

Now I reload 9 different cartridges.

addicting isn't it?.....I now have three lifetime supplies of shotshells with steel shot because of this addiction!.....

Since the OP says he doesn't reload and didn't mention that he plans to, I'd suggest walking into Wallyworld and seeing what they have the most ammo for.

Then I'd buy a few hundred assorted loads and go with that.

On the other hand if the OP was thinking of starting reloading, it'd be a matter of taste - old classic, in a medium action vs newer not-so-classic in a short action.

I have a 260 Rem, and like it (a lot), but I doubt it's greatly superior to the Bob in any meaningful way for hunting.

quote:

Originally posted by vapodog:

quote:

Now I reload 9 different cartridges.

addicting isn't it?.....I now have three lifetime supplies of shotshells with steel shot because of this addiction!.....

I'll never be able to shoot the bullets I already have. Too many calibers and too many bullets for each. I've finally reached the point where I won't buy another rifle unless it's in a caliber I already reload.

For variety of cheap but good factory ammo or more expensive specialist ammo, short action, can be had in almost any make of rifle and can be had in very light rifles at smart prices plus some makes have shorter stocks for youngsters, you just cannot compete with a 7mm-08.

No matter which way you twist and turn, the 260, 243, 257, 308 will not do anything the 7mm won't do as good as or better. Great range of bullets, 120gr good for lighter recoil and then move up to 140 and 150gr as the kid and game gets bigger.

quote:

Originally posted by Saeed:
I guarantee you there is absolutely nothing that will differentiate these two on field performance.

I think that this is a practical and true statement when discussing the 257Roberts and 260Rem. The question becomes, at what point are the differences "significant" for hunting? I would put the 6.5x55 Swede in the same rung with the "Bob" and the 260. There would not be any difference for a hunter.

However, I might start to question equivalence when it moves away in either direction, to a 243 smaller, 25-06 taller, or 7-08 bigger. I might start to question, but the difference in the field would still be hard to perceive.

quote:

Originally posted by eagle27:
For variety of cheap but good factory ammo or more expensive specialist ammo, short action, can be had in almost any make of rifle and can be had in very light rifles at smart prices plus some makes have shorter stocks for youngsters, you just cannot compete with a 7mm-08.

No matter which way you twist and turn, the 260, 243, 257, 308 will not do anything the 7mm won't do as good as or better. Great range of bullets, 120gr good for lighter recoil and then move up to 140 and 150gr as the kid and game gets bigger.

Well, yes, I probably would choose a 7-08 over a Bob, Swede, or 260, but I don't think that it would make a significant difference. For a difference a person would end up going to a 'standard' action, to a 7x64 (280 Rem) or its twin, the 270 Win. Those would provide a little more distance and punch. But probably only 2-5% of the time. So for light and efficient in a small-packaged rifle. anything from a 243 to a 7-08 would be great and the Bob, Swede, and 260 sit right in the middle. But the 243 and 7-08 may be easier to find in the appropriate compact rifle.