Opinions on 257 Weatherby Magnum?

[JLT]

For me it would entirely depend on where I lived. As stated above the 257 weatherby is not economical at all. It's hard on barrels and brass etc is expensive for all weatherbys. But to each his own. I know that I would use the 7mm rifles more for deer.

The reason I say it depends where I live is because I live in Mississippi and long shots are not the norm in the southeastern woods. Calibers like the 257 and 25-06 work great out west for long flat shots where deer can run and die in thin cover but slower and larger bullets seem to work better in the woods delivering more kinetic energy. The 25-06 and similar seem too fast and the deer run farther and are harder to retrieve in dense cover.

My experiences with a high velocity .25 are different. My first deer rifle (almost 40 years ago) was chambered in .25-'06 and I've had one on hand ever since. I've shot more deer and similar-sized game with the .25-'06 than anything else and this cartridge, loaded to its potential and using a properly constructed bullet, kills like a lightning strike. The Weatherby delivers even more energy and hydrostatic shock for a given bullet weight, so I would expect the Weatherby chambering to deliver in the same way.

 

[oldhoward]

The 257 WBY is a good round for game in north America. Deer die on the spot and the damage is impressive, hogs I had a few run 20 yards or so and die most just drop at the shot. I hunted pd's with the 257 and the red mist is impressive. I have about 1350 shots down the factory barrel and it still shoots 1 to 1.25 inch groups with the right load. You must clean the copper out of the barrel, it builds up fast. If you look thru a bore scope my barrel looks like a well used charcoal briquet! I went to the 257 wby because after 40 years of shooting a 300 WM I wanted something easier to shoot with flat trajectory of the 300's. I was not disappointed.

 

[mic2377]

The 257 WBY is a good round for game in north America. Deer die on the spot and the damage is impressive, hogs I had a few run 20 yards or so and die most just drop at the shot. I hunted pd's with the 257 and the red mist is impressive. I have about 1350 shots down the factory barrel and it still shoots 1 to 1.25 inch groups with the right load. You must clean the copper out of the barrel, it builds up fast. If you look thru a bore scope my barrel looks like a well used charcoal briquet! I went to the 257 wby because after 40 years of shooting a 300 WM I wanted something easier to shoot with flat trajectory of the 300's. I was not disappointed.

While I don't shoot specifically the Weatherby I do have much experience with the fast .25 calibers.

As a hunting rifle for medium game their effectiveness is exceptional. My .25-06 in particular has killed a dozen deer, not one of which has moved from where it stood. It is referred to as the "lightning rod." I think this is a combination of high velocity, low recoil, good accuracy, and bullets constructed properly for the caliber and speed.

I would have a 257 Wby if I didn't already have a .25-06. The only downsides would be a slight increase in muzzle blast and the marginal barrel life, but these are non-issues for a hunting rifle.

 

[Brians356]

I remember an article in the Varmint Hunter magazine,the gentleman really loved the 257W and explained why it was so good on everything from varmints to African plains game.I think it was mostly due to the good sectional density and high velocity,lots of good bullet choices for hunting and a few for target.Some of us believe the 25caliber could have been better than the 6.5mm if better decisions had been made for twist and bullets back in the day

Interesting. I've noted hereabouts that the 6.5 Creedmoor is really a "6.5-250 Ackley Improved". I also notice the 250 Ackley will move a 100-gr bullet at the same speed as the 6.5 Creedmoor. But the 25-cal 100-gr has a higher BC (**) than a 6.5 100-gr, so ...

The problem for some folks is that so few truly premium 25-cal bullets are available (e.g. Berger today makes exactly one 25-cal bullet - 115-gr VLD Hunting.) But there are plenty of good 25-cal hunting bullets, largely owing to the popularity of the 25-06 and, to a lesser degree, the 257 Roberts and 257 AI.

(** Nosler Ballistic Tip: .257 100-gr: BC .393; 6.5mm 100-gr BT: BC .350)
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[onelastshot]

Never given much thought to purchasing a .25 caliber; I've got a couple of 6.5's and they're so close in so many respects, it doesn't make sense to duplicate coverage with a second caliber. Going to put a 257 Weatherby statistics in comparison to a 6.5-284 and see how they compare.

 

[PAshooter20BR]

257 Weatherby shooting 80 grain TTSX. 3900 fps, holds right around 1 inch at 300 yards. What's not to love?

 

[JRS]

Never given much thought to purchasing a .25 caliber; I've got a couple of 6.5's and they're so close in so many respects, it doesn't make sense to duplicate coverage with a second caliber. Going to put a 257 Weatherby statistics in comparison to a 6.5-284 and see how they compare.

There is no comparison. The Weatherby has substantially more case capacity.

BTW; Randy Robinette's 25 caliber 88 Gr. BT has a BC of .42, and the BC for his 110 Gr. BT is .52

 

[Brians356]

I read somewhere a long time ago that the 257 Weatherby launching a 100-gr bullet was the flattest-shooting sporting cartridge available. Considering only widely-available loaded ammo, it still might be, to 400 yards or so.
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