Gentlemen,

My apologies if this has already been discussed, but stuff moves down the list too quickly in this forum.

My goal is this: An affordable, Lefty, S/S rifle in 257 Roberts weighing about 7 lbs.

I'm thinking about starting with the Savage 16/116 Weather Warrior series.
Is the Short 16 an option for changing to 257 Roberts? How extensive are the required modifications?
Is there a preferred donor rifle/caliber for a project like this?
Or better yet, can I just buy a 16 or 116 action?

I won't be doing any of the work myself, just selecting the components to be assembled. If I'm completely off track with this, please let me know any better ways to start on this. My thanks in advance. I really want a 257 to play with and the Roberts seems to make the most sense.

it's a VERY easy one...

get the 10, in 308, get a 257 barrel, and have your smith swap it (you could do it, too with the proper tools) and blue it.

zero trouble
jeffe

I concur, let the smith swap it. If you'd like, you can have him headspace it with a traditional shoulder, or with the nut.

Pre-fit barrels are available from Pac-nor, Sharp Shooter Supply, and Lothar-Walther, among others.

If you use a prefit barrel and the nut, gunsmith installation takes less than 1 hr. HTH, Dutch.