Mauser 98 in .257 Roberts

[jimmyraythomason]

I just bought this barrel on Gun Broker.com a couple of days ago. The barrel is a 24" sporter in .257 Roberts threaded for a large ring Mauser. I'm going to put it on either a Gew.98 or a Colombian receiver. I plan to use it as a deer/varmint gun using 117/120 grain bullets. What is the maximum effective range that I can expect from factory ammo such as Honady Light Magnum? I do not handload and have no experience with this caliber. Thanks.

 

[Jim Watson]

I figure the maximum effective range of a .257 Roberts on Alabama game is the range at which you can get good hits, dependent on quality of barrel, ammo, and shooter.

 

[jimmyraythomason]

Fair enough but that would apply equally to every caliber that I own. ASSUMING that the barrel is of high quality,ditto for the ammo (Hornady),good glass(Leupold) and assuming that my 40 plus years of rifle shooting experience has prepared me for the shot, what can I expect? By the way Alabama whitetail deer are BIG.

 

[Jim Watson]

All I can suggest is to look at the Hornady ballistics and compare their heaviest load for The Bob with something you are familiar with. By the way, I am from Alabama, too.

 

[jimmyraythomason]

Thanks Jim. Er..Roll Tide or War Eagle?

 

[Jim Watson]

Hell of an engineer.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

The Bob is a good 300 yard cartridge -- especially when you remember that all of the 300 yard shots I have actually paced out turned out to be more like 175 yards or thereabouts.

 

[woof]

Also consider that the vast majority of whitetails are shot at under 100 yards.

 

[frogomatic]

good choice there. I built a .257 bob on a gew 98, and I love it, though I decided on a 26" barrel. Haven't used it on any deer sized game yet, but I know it destoys prarie dogs at 300+ yards with hornady 117grn ammuntion. Bob's got alot going for him in a mauser action. based on the 7x57 so it fits in the mag well without any modification, no need to alter the feed ramp or mag lips, it's an excellent cartridge for many applications. I'm really happy with mine, definately one of my best decisions for a rifle.
I started with a 1916 non-military Mauser, discarded the original barrel and stock, kept the original double set trigger and stag horn grip cap, butt plate, and trigger gaurd. Added a shillen barrel cut to 26", williams reciever mount apperture sights (for a rather long sight radius), did a matchless polish on the bolt, did a swing safety conversion, made a stock from a black and white laminate blank, fit the horn furniture, tweaked the trigger (when set, it pulls cleanly at 10 oz.)...all in all it turned out to be a fantastic gun. I hope you are as happy with yours as I am with mine.

 

[jimmyraythomason]

If I'm hunting specifically for deer, I'll probably leave the Bob at home and take any number of larger calibers that I have. I want to use this rifle as my primary coyote gun(I also have a Steven's 200 in .223 Rem.). Deer would be a target of opportunity. Being a big fan of the 7x57 Mauser,I always wanted to try it's little brother. Since deer can get quite large here I don't want to be undergunned. I know of one buck taken in my area(Blount County,Al.)that weighed (in the "round")360lbs on a certified scale at the local farmer's co-op. It had a normal sized 8 point rack but it's nose measured 4" across. No need to call B.S. on this one as the guy who killed it is a friend of mine and I have seen it personally.

 

[skinewmexico]

I still remember the 257 Roberts making it's reputation BEFORE it was overloaded with 117-120g bullets. And I can't imagine being undergunned for deer, if you can place a shot.

 

[jimmyraythomason]

An average mature buck here is around 135-150lbs,I know of several that were over 200lbs taken this past season,so I'm confident that the .257 will be more than adequate. I just dont want to second guess my choice when I could have carried a larger caliber. For the record, I have defended the little .223 Rem as a deer round so I feel the .257 is up to the task. I guess I will just have to gain experience with this cartridge to fully appreciate it.

 

[Art Eatman]

Plenty good to 300 yards, since out there it's more up to your skill than the bullet, anyway.

 

[jimmyraythomason]

Point well taken,Art. I don't think I would risk such a long shot anyway. At least not on a deer,now a coyote.......

 

[GooseGestapo]

I hunt in and only live 3mi from the Alabama state line, and own 2 "Bob's". I took one of the three deer I killed this past year (a "low" year for me) with one of the "Bobs".

I've killed the largest deer I've taken with the Roberts, a 250lb+ 10pt, dropped with a single Hornady 100gr Interlokt at ~175yds in 1983. I took the longest two deer I've shot with it also; One doe whitetail at a surveyed 413yds with a Hornady 75gr BTHP, and a mule deer at a measured 378yds with a Nosler 85gr BallisticTip.

My preference is either the 100gr Hornady PtSpt, or the Sierra 100gr BTSP. I've taken deer with most everything from 75gr to 120gr. The 120's aren't necessary, but don't hurt on really big deer or Elk. Although it wouldn't be my first choice for elk, neither would my .257wbymag, for that matter. First choice isn't far off though, a it's a Remington M7 in 7mm-08.......w/140gr Nosler Partition at 2,800fps.

After ~80 deer taken with the "BOB", I can say it'll probably do the job, if you do yours (place the shot).

FWIW; I took the doe I killed this year with the Berger 115gr VLD. At 2,900fps over 45.0gr of IMR4831, it performed as advertised, expanding after approx 2" entry, and left perhaps the best exit wound I've ever seen from a Roberts. I broke the spine behind the shoulder, from a broadside shot at ~110yds. The deer hit the ground before I could recover from what little recoil the rifle has..... Another deer shot at almost the same distance with a 150gr Winchester Power point from my 7mm08 was indistinguishable from the Roberts.... Another deer shot from the same blind on another day at 50yds further with a .30/06 w/165gr Sierra BTSP, actually ran (approx 100yds) because I took out the heart instead of spine..... (sorry, the wind was really whipping that day, and I pulled the shot... fired from my Colt LtRifle (weighs 6.2lbs w/4x scope, and has a 4lb trigger pull.......).

The "Bob" "gets er done...." !
BTW; Hell of an Engineer, means a WAR EAGLE! grad........
here's back at you Jim;
(Alumini 1978, Wildlife Management......)

 

[Clipper]

The.243, .300sav, .35rem and Mosin-Nagant in the safe all play second fiddle to my FN Mauser-based .257 Roberts AI at deer season. The only way I'll ever use anything else is if it's broken.

 

[jimmyraythomason]

Thanks folks,I'm feeling pretty good about my Bob right now! I used to have a Remmy M7 in 7mm-08 that I bought in the '80s. I took several deer with it,wound channels were awesome! I don't know what possessed my to let it go!

 

[SaxonPig]

Building a custom rifle but not reloading?

You need to start reloading.

 

[jimmyraythomason]

Just never had the urge to reload.

 

[NCsmitty]

jimmyraythomason, There is no factory ammunition specifically produced for a varmint load. All loads that I'm aware of are heavier jacketed game loads.
Either you use what's available, reload your own or have the varmint loads of 75-85gr custom made.
The 257 Roberts is certainly worth the effort.

NCsmitty

 

[jimmyraythomason]

Thanks NCsmitty,I have had a tough time locating .257 ammo already. Many of the suppliers list a variety of brands but are out of stock. Typically, I use the same ammo for varmints that I use for deer(in my other rifles). I may have to start handloading as a matter of neccessity.

 

[Coyote_Hunter_]

Jimmyraythomason –

You can feel GREAT about your .257 Roberts. I picked one up at a gun show several years ago and it is my favorite rifle. (And I have a fair number to choose from.)

To get the most out of your Roberts you will need to handload. I run several bullet types through mine, including 100g TTSX, 110g AccuBond, 115g TSX and 120g A-Frame and Partitions.

Standard .257 Roberts SAAMI pressures are 45,000 CUP but SAAMI +P pressures are 50,000 CUP. There is no reason not to run the higher pressures in modern firearms, although it is not recommended for older firearms.

My Roberts pushes a 100g TTSX bullet to 3200fps. That gives the load a MPBR of about 310 yards. At 450 yards the bullet is down only 20” and still retains 2188fps and 1063fpe – more than enough for deer and antelope.

By the way, it makes a great varmint cartridge, too. I run 75g V-MAX around 3500-3600fps and have used them to take two coyotes in the 480-490 yard range (plus many more at shorter ranges).

But like I said, you’ll have to handload to get this kind of performance.

 

[jimmyraythomason]

Thanks for the encouragement,Coyote Hunter. I haven't decided which receiver I'll use yet. If I stay with th e standard pressure factory loads then The Gew 98 made in 1899 will be okay BUT if I use higher pressure loads then I would prefer the Colombian receiver.

 

[GooseGestapo]

Of the current available factory loads, either the Hornady or Nosler Custom are going to offer you the best performance.

Hornady offers the 117gr BTSP Lt Magnum at about 2,970fps, as well as the 117gr SST. If your gun will shoot it well, this latter offereing will get the job done on anything you'll want to use the Roberts on in Alabama. Otherwise, I've had great success with the 117BTSP, when they aren't defective. I've gotten 2 boxes of 100 that were full of (over 50%) defects that would give tumbling flyers at over 100yds due to core-jacket separation. That along with problems with 7mm 140gr SST's, and some .338 200gr Spt's, I'm almost leery of using Hornady bullets. I'll extensively test them before taking them on an distant out-of-state high $$$$ hunt.

However, Nosler Custom offers the 100gr BallisticTip, 100gr Partition, and 115gr BallisticTip in factory loads. Although these aren't cataloged at as high of a velocityas the Hornady LtMags, I can personnally vouch for either of the 100gr loadings as they very, very closely match my reloads for the "bob". And, you really can't go wrong with a Nosler Partition.

My Custom M98 will shoot near 1/2" with the 100gr BallisticTips and several different powders, and the trajectory will fulfill any practical use you'll have.
(Ruger M77 isn't nearly as accurate. It's the barrel, you know !!! The M98 wears an E.R.Shaw circa 1983, and after about 1,500-2,000rds is in it's prime.. except for some pitting I picked up in the summer of 1993. Until the barrel fouls after 30-40rds,however, it'll still shoot near 1/2moa however.

If you are in the east central part of the state, PM me regarding some bartering some ammo loading if you desire, after aquiring some brass. I'm game for 5gal buckets of wheelweights for my bullet casting.......

For varmints I prefer either the Hornady 75gr HP or the 85gr Nosler BT. I whacked about 50 prarie dogs one afternoon back in 1993 in Montana with a box of 100 of Nosler 85gr BT's loaded to about 3,400fps. Even with only a 2-7x Leupold w/2moa dot reticle, I was whacking them to over 400yds with only minimal holdover and windage. Of the recovered and inspected "dogs", most were either blown into several pieces or shreaded to where if I held one up over my head, parts would touch the ground.....devastating to say the least.......
If I go back, I'll take a .223 and a .22-250, just 'cause I can...... Don't really need something as heavy as a .25... Even though the M98 with scope weighs only about 7.25lbs.

 

[jimmyraythomason]

Got a box of this coming..REMINGTON EXPRESS CORE-LOKT RIFLE AMMUNITION 257 RBTS117 SP. Calela's $29.99 per 20 plus $8.95 shipping. Supposed to be here Monday. GooseGestapo,I am in Oneonta,about 150 mile from Atlanta. Perhaps we can make some sort of trade.