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.257 weatherby

6K views 61 replies 22 participants last post by  Ken S. 
#1 ·
any of you guys have one, ive been really looking hard at one, I just think its kinda cool round, plus I have a bunch of .257 bullets! any pros and cons? is it a barrel burner?
 
#2 ·
I have one. Agreed its a cool round.

Pros;
Fast
Accurate
Uncommon (not everyone else has one)

Cons; (None for me, but others will give the typical.)
Expensive
Cant buy ammo at wally world the night before Pa. deer opener.

Do I think its a barrel burner? No.

Obviously the 257wby burns more powder to get the extra velocity over other 25 caliber rounds. So a cartridge that burns more powder will erode a throat quicker. Under real life conditions I doubt most shooter will ever shoot their guns enough to burn out a barrel.

Good luck, Tony
 
#3 ·
I bought one a few years ago off a guy trying to save money for his wedding. I couldn't be happier with it! I think the most common con to it is the price of ammo and availability. The nice thing is by the sounds of it you are a reloader so you would have a one time investment and then have some brass to work with. I actually found some brass when I first bought the gun so I lucked out with that too.
 
#8 ·
I have owned one for almost twenty years. Great cartridge. I use it for woodchucks and deer. It is a lazer! Mine is the now discontinued USA made Mark V Stainless. Sorry to say the 7/08 Rem. cannot be compared to the Weatherby. I have owned one of those too. Great cartridge in it's own right but I will take the 257 anyday for long shots on deer sized game.
 
#10 ·
grovey said:
Flat shooting is all it has going for it in my book. The lil 7mm-08 leaving @ 2650 with a 162 amax has as much energy at 400 yds as that big belted flat shooting magnum leaving at 3500fps with it's 115 gr pill. The 7mm-08 does that with half the powder too.
Your comparing apples and oranges. But if you do want to compare, the 257wby has over 150 more ft lbs of energy compared to the 7-08 at 400yds. The 257wby also has over 14" less drop at the same distance. The 257wby does it with about 1/3 more powder not twice as much, which comes to around $.10 worth of powder per case or $2.00 per box of reloaded ammo.

Good luck, Tony
 
#12 ·
Asajoe1 said:
I'm too lazy to look it up, what is the difference in drop at 400 yards between the 2 and 115 g. isn't the only bullet to choose from is it?
14"+ at 400 yds, The 257wby easily only drops 1/2 of what that 162gr 7-08 does between the muzzle and 300+ yards. 120gr bullet's are available in the 257" and 7mm, and would make more sense to compare the two with equal bullet weights instead of a 162gr 7mm vs a 115gr .257.

Good luck, Tony
 
#13 ·
In terms of comparing different chamberings, wouldn't it be more adequate to compare cases with the same projectile and similar case capacities? For example,

257Wby/25-06Rem
7mm-08Rem/7x57Maus.
7mmRM/280Rem
240Wby/243WSSM

I feel the 7mm-08 is in a completely different class than the 257Wby Making a comparison completely one sided favoring the Weatherby over the 7mm-08.

Being I own both a 7mmRM and a 280Rem, there isn't much difference in performance. A mere +/- 150fps favors the 7mmRM in the 150gr class projectiles. In terms of powder consumption, the 280Rem can be loaded with much less powder to achieve a close ballistic performance to the 7mmRM.

IMHO
 
#14 ·
My point was... imo it's shoots flat, but the shine wears off after that. The 7-08 being in a totally different class was my point. Depending on how you fudge the numbers the 7-08 @ (2700)162 gr hits harder at the long ranges (400 ish + )the 257 weatherby 115gr @(3400)is designed for. It does it with 25 grs less powder, less recoil, and 2" inches less bbl. It's the bc of that 7mm bullet that lets even the lil 7-08 hang on.
 
#17 ·
Ken S. said:
In terms of comparing different chamberings, wouldn't it be more adequate to compare cases with the same projectile and similar case capacities? For example,

257Wby/25-06Rem
7mm-08Rem/7x57Maus.
7mmRM/280Rem
240Wby/243WSSM

I feel the 7mm-08 is in a completely different class than the 257Wby Making a comparison completely one sided favoring the Weatherby over the 7mm-08.

Being I own both a 7mmRM and a 280Rem, there isn't much difference in performance. A mere +/- 150fps favors the 7mmRM in the 150gr class projectiles. In terms of powder consumption, the 280Rem can be loaded with much less powder to achieve a close ballistic performance to the 7mmRM.

IMHO
I agree, those would be better comparisions. I had a couple of 25/06 Rem. rifles over the years. I bought the 257 Weatherby because it was faster and more powerful, less efficent, yes but I was willing to burn more powder even if the cartridge was overbored and not as efficent. As another example, I own a 2003 Ford Mustang GT Convertible in near mint condition. Is it efficent on gas? No not with that big 4.6 L High Performance V8. I am willing to get less gas mileage for more performance. If I want efficent I drive my Jeep Compass 4 cyl. The Mustang like the 257 is cool. The Compass like the 7mm/08 is efficient.
 
#19 ·
Ok last time... the light bullets don't carry velocity or energy very well,and they don't buck wind very well. I know the example i posted drops more,( it's based on a 308 case) but beyond 400 yds ( where the BIG BELTED MAGNUM is supposed to shine).... the example i gave has MORE ENERGY! NOT LESS... MORE ENERGY. And if thats the case then why does one need a 257 bee for deer? For those shots inside 450 yds? Because it drops 6 inches less than your buddys gun at 400yds? If you look past those trees there's a forest over there. Done.
 
#21 ·
If someone wants to use the 257 for deer so be it, it doesn't matter if it is needed or not, most people will agree that deer can be killed with smaller calibers than the 7-08 so if that logic is used it isn't needed either. We have all heard the saying I have more guns than I need but I don't have all the guns that I want.
Good shooting
drags
 
#23 ·
good ole boy said:
You call a puny anemic 4.6 big.
That little runt isn,t even 290 cu.in.
Anyway,it,s all what the rifle is gonna be used for and how it suits the individual and what itch they need scratched.
That 4.6 L V8 is 281 ci. and FAR from puny or anemic. It's rated at 260 HP which is 60 more than my 1986 Mustang GT coupe I used to own and it was a 5.0 L HO 302ci. The 2003/04 Mach 1 is the same size engine (4.6) and it's rated at 305 HP. Either one, the Mach 1 or the GT has plenty of power to get you in trouble. By todays standard the 4.6 is a BIG motor. The 03/04 Cobra is the same size and it's rated at 390 hp. That's alot of pony's in anybody's book.
 
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