Gentleman,

I've got an itch for a new .257 Weatherby. My apologies in advance if this is a dumb question but would just like to run an idea passes the experts here.

Would it be possible to convert say a Winchester Model 70 in 25-06 to the 257 WTHBY?
The reason for this is our legislation. I know I could rebarrel a rifle chambered in 7mm Rem Mag but the licensing aspect would take +- 3 years. I don't mind paying the extra for the metal work. What are your thoughts?

Or should I have a commercial Mauser opened up? Standard length magnum actions are pretty scarce here.

Any other suggestions?

Regards
MD

2 things are necessary, a reamer and enlarging the bolt face to suit the larger case rim.
Feeding MAY require some smoothing of the mag box and altering the feed lips of the magazine, everything else is straight forward.

Cheers.

Don't forget about the extractor, very important. I am sure the feeding would requiere some alteration to the rails or mag box whichever it has. You might get by with just a new mag box.

416 & Jim,

Thanks for the input. Much appreciated!

I've narrowed down my options to a Winchester Model 70, Musgrave VZ24 and a Ruger M77 MKII to use as the base. Any pros or cons with the chosen rifle? What are some of the other CRF actions that would be better?

The Musgrave comes with a 26" barrel so leaning towards that.

The plan will then be to drop this into a custom walnut stock.

Keep the suggestions/ideas/advice coming gentleman. It is very much appreciated!

Couple comments
Its a great cartridge
Mske d=sure the barrel is 26" or more to get the value from the 257W
Its a simple conversion in a sako or Rem 700 in 7Mag, just chamber and screw in a .257 barrel.

DF06,

Thanks for your comments. You are right the 257 is a great cartridge. I've been using a Vanguard now for +- 6 years with outstanding results. I regularly take kudu, zebra, hartebeest and wildebeest using nothing but the factory 120gr Partition load.

I realize the 7mm rebarrel is the easiest but like I said, if I want to rebarrel a rifle I would have to apply for a change of calibre and wait +- 3 years for it to be approved by our incompetent government! It will be a big problem trying to explain why my gun license says 7mm Rem instead of the .257 Wby which would be stamped on the barrel.

By rechambering a .25-06, I 'could' still leave the 25-06 stamp on the barrel and then when the change of calibre gets approved, just have 257 marked on the barrel ( serial number would be the same). In the interim, my license and barrel would reflect the same number!

Hope this makes sense as to why I was enquiring about rechambering instead of rebarreling!

Regards
MD

You sure have a lot of complications to deal with.
Good luck on your project.

DF06,

And it's even stranger that I could do all this metal work, a high grade custom stock, engraving and still have a decent amount of cash left over to put towards a premium scope for less cost than importing a Weatherby Mark V!

Sorry to bring this up again.

The metal work is done. Ended up using a Mauser 98 action with a truvelo 26" barrel. The 257 Wby is the gunsmiths pet cartridge so he knows what to do to make it work.

The other area I'm looking for assistance is with regards to the small bits and pieces. Any one have any recommendations for the following items? How tight are the current export rules regarding these items?

1. 3 Position Safety
2. Metal Grip Cap
3. Best recoil pad? Something in red or orange
4. Bolt Handle.


Regards,
MD

The 257 WBY is a great light caliber but my opinion is that the M98 might not be the best choice for high pressures, unless it is a modern recreation and not a military of unknown quality.
BB