NCsmitty
Member
Take a look at GunsAmerica, they have quite a few used and new chambered in 257 Roberts.
http://www.gunsamerica.com/Search.htm?T=257+Roberts
NCsmitty
http://www.gunsamerica.com/Search.htm?T=257+Roberts
NCsmitty
Where are the .257 Roberts?
- Thread starter TexasPatriot.308
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Swampman
Old Fart
Back when I used to guide, about half of the hunters that I'd classify as incompetent or dangerous were carrying .243's.
I never saw a hunter with a Bob that fell into either category.
Just sayin'...
I never saw a hunter with a Bob that fell into either category.
Just sayin'...
gdcpony
Member
I love the Bob! I also have a .243 that I picked up for a steal too. Which do I grab for about any hunt? The Bob. Why? It comes to the choice of 100gr bullets at a chrony'd 2700fps (.243 with Varget out of a 22" barrel) or 3250fps (.257 with H414 out of a 26" barrel). Both guns shoot about one MOA and kick the same too. So the real question is "Why not?"
Not to mention the feel of the Boyds thumbhole over a cheap synthetic, the throw of that old Mauser action vs the Savage, and the carefully worked trigger vs that dang Accu-crap one make there only one choice. The feel of a rifle you trust shooting a cartridge that has never failed you, can be the greatest shooting experience in the world.
I also like to be different. After all, I am doing an AR style .257Roberts as well.
Here is mine undergoing some work as I can't resist tinkering:
For the OP, I would look at getting a cheap action and having a barrel screwed on. Many "economy" rifles/actions are on the market and are made quite well and easy to rebarrel.
Not to mention the feel of the Boyds thumbhole over a cheap synthetic, the throw of that old Mauser action vs the Savage, and the carefully worked trigger vs that dang Accu-crap one make there only one choice. The feel of a rifle you trust shooting a cartridge that has never failed you, can be the greatest shooting experience in the world.
I also like to be different. After all, I am doing an AR style .257Roberts as well.
Here is mine undergoing some work as I can't resist tinkering:
For the OP, I would look at getting a cheap action and having a barrel screwed on. Many "economy" rifles/actions are on the market and are made quite well and easy to rebarrel.
mdauben
Member
I guess "significantly" is another of those subjective words and the generally available +P loadings for the Bob narrow the difference, at least a little.
I have a liking for all the "quarter bores" and to for me they are just about ideal for deer size game. Of that group, there's no doubt that the Weatherby is the king, ballistically. But does that couple hundred feet per second, or that couple inches less drop, make a huge difference from a practical viewpoint for a deer hunter?
tdoyka
Member
If I wanted a .243, which I already own and don't care for, I would be looking for one. texaspatriot
thats why we go with the 257 bob!
thats why we go with the 257 bob!
Saleen322
Member
The 257 Roberts is still available around here. Folks like the short action weight, decent power and mild recoil. In fact they are so popular Grice gun shop actually had some special runs of Model 70s and Model 7s in a number of calibers including 257 with great looking maple stocks. Grice always has some on stock. Below is a link to their most recent flyer that may give you some ideas. I think one of the special run 257s is on page 2. Hope this helps.
http://issuu.com/digitalwires/docs/grice_low_res_9d624641324abe?e=2287058/5362623
http://issuu.com/digitalwires/docs/grice_low_res_9d624641324abe?e=2287058/5362623
Arkansas Paul
Member
I didn't read all responses so this may have been suggested. If Ruger is currently producing it, I bet WalMart could order it for you. My brother had a rifle ordered that they did not currently stock. Good price. It came in in about 2 weeks IIRC.
Dr T
Member
On Cabelas: Use the Gun Library to buy it online and have it shipped to you locally.
In the North Metro Denver store in the last several months I have seen three very tempting 257 Roberts:
A Mannlicher-Schoenauer with full length stock and dual triggers for about $1100 and two Ruger No. 1-B's for, as I recall, $695 each.
Just sayin'. And for the Southwest Central Texas I hunt, it is just about right.
In the North Metro Denver store in the last several months I have seen three very tempting 257 Roberts:
A Mannlicher-Schoenauer with full length stock and dual triggers for about $1100 and two Ruger No. 1-B's for, as I recall, $695 each.
Just sayin'. And for the Southwest Central Texas I hunt, it is just about right.
There is one on Texasguntrader.com in Bryan.
http://www.texasguntrader.com/index.php?a=2&b=478401
http://www.texasguntrader.com/index.php?a=2&b=478401
Palehorseman
Member
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- Feb 28, 2009
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- 736
Saw a Remington BDL 700 lefty in .257 Ackley improved with scope advertised in the Thrifty Nickel for 500 bucks, seller said it is like new.
TexasPatriot.308
Member
.257 Ackley Improved....hmmmmm....couldn't find the ammo at Walmart....don't sound like something I need.
NCsmitty
Member
You can fire standard 257 Roberts ammo in a 257 Ackley Improved chamber and the brass will fireform to the chamber dimensions. You do need the proper dies to reload the Ackley Improved brass which can run approximately 100 FPS less than a 25-06 using the same bullet.
If you do not reload, then indeed, you do not need a 257 Ackley Improved.
NCsmitty
SwampWolf
Member
Question already answered:
Swampman
Old Fart
.257 Roberts Improved
I never see regular .257 Bob at OUR WalMart! :banghead:
While some might consider "improving" the .257 Bob to be akin to getting a gold medal bronzed, I really love mine.
It's built on a SAKO L579 action with a Douglas super premium barrel, Fajen hand checkered stock and Canjar "push to set" trigger (4 ounces set, 2.5 lbs unset). When I got it, it had a nice Leupold VX III, 1.5 x 5 scope on it that listed new at that time for $345.00.
The best part is that since it was a "Wildcat" caliber, no one seemed to want it and it had been in the store quite a while. I got the whole package for less than $600 (this was quite a few years back). That price included scope, hand tooled Bucheimer sling, dies and 100 cases.
My point is, that haunting your local gunstores and pawn shops can be very rewarding, it may take a while, but the payoffs can be great
I probably wouldn't have spent any extra money for an Ackley Improved chamber back then, but since it made the rifle cheaper, it was a no-brainer for me.
Now that I know the caliber is capable of shooting into less than a quarter inch with 100 grain Nosler Partitions at 3287 fps muzzle velocity from a 23 inch barrel, I LOVE my .257 Roberts Ackley Improved and would never willingly part with it.
Just remember that the money you spend on a custom "Wildcat" isn't likely to be recouped if you ever decide to sell it, unless you're selling to friends or acquaintances who've seen what the rifle is capable of.
Despite the fact that factory ammunition can be fired in the improved chamber, I wouldn't try to get one unless you intend to reload.
The extra room in the chamber drops the velocity of standard ammo a lot. IIRC, muzzle velocity with 117 grain Winchester +P loads was just a little over 2500 fps.
I never see regular .257 Bob at OUR WalMart! :banghead:
While some might consider "improving" the .257 Bob to be akin to getting a gold medal bronzed, I really love mine.
It's built on a SAKO L579 action with a Douglas super premium barrel, Fajen hand checkered stock and Canjar "push to set" trigger (4 ounces set, 2.5 lbs unset). When I got it, it had a nice Leupold VX III, 1.5 x 5 scope on it that listed new at that time for $345.00.
The best part is that since it was a "Wildcat" caliber, no one seemed to want it and it had been in the store quite a while. I got the whole package for less than $600 (this was quite a few years back). That price included scope, hand tooled Bucheimer sling, dies and 100 cases.
My point is, that haunting your local gunstores and pawn shops can be very rewarding, it may take a while, but the payoffs can be great
I probably wouldn't have spent any extra money for an Ackley Improved chamber back then, but since it made the rifle cheaper, it was a no-brainer for me.
Now that I know the caliber is capable of shooting into less than a quarter inch with 100 grain Nosler Partitions at 3287 fps muzzle velocity from a 23 inch barrel, I LOVE my .257 Roberts Ackley Improved and would never willingly part with it.
Just remember that the money you spend on a custom "Wildcat" isn't likely to be recouped if you ever decide to sell it, unless you're selling to friends or acquaintances who've seen what the rifle is capable of.
Despite the fact that factory ammunition can be fired in the improved chamber, I wouldn't try to get one unless you intend to reload.
The extra room in the chamber drops the velocity of standard ammo a lot. IIRC, muzzle velocity with 117 grain Winchester +P loads was just a little over 2500 fps.
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GooseGestapo
Member
- Joined
- Jan 6, 2003
- Messages
- 6,153
Having owned a "Bob" for thirty years, (custom M98 Mauser w/E.R.Shaw bbl), and having shot it side-by-side with .243's, I'll take the "Bob" over the .243, any day! (I've used/owned a couple of other "bobs", too. A friends Ruger No.1, and a Ruger M77MkII). I also own a Weatherby .257mag...
I've owned several .243's. The last deer I shot was with a .243, (Dec.12) only because I'd picked it up on a whim last Jan. with gift cards from Academy Sports recieved from my family as "stocking stuffers". It's a Savage Axis and with 65gr Horndy v-max gets 1/2moa @ 3,660fps, and /w 100gr Sierra's, 2/3"moa 5-shots). I "wanted" a .243 because I had several hundred bullets and cases on hand from range pick-ups and bargain shelves.......
The rifle is a "beater" imo, and is what (this year) sits in the kitchen... doe was shot out my kitchen window at ~140yds....
(btw, the PrviPartisan 100gr Spts are good... if you trim the meplats).
But, back to the "Bob"...
The .243 seems better on "paper" but in the field, the larger bore of the .257 and better construction of the bullets, makes it a more reliable performer on big game.
Good grief, at how many deer I looked for in an attempt to retrieve "evidence" of deer shot/poached, and lost, with a .243. (back in the late '70's and early '80's, the Rem. 742 in .243 was the 'night hunters gun of choice'.. (The problem with the .243 is bullet performance... blow ups at under ~50yds, and failure to expand at over 250yds).
On the evening I had a chance to compare them side-by-side, a co-worker and I were "culling" deer on an airport where they had become so populated as to be a hazard to aircraft. Because it was inside the city limits of a municipality with an ordnance agaisnt discharging firearms, the only recourse was to have state game 'n fish personnel do the "culling" due to a provision in the city ordinance.
My co-worker had/used a Rem. M788 (state owned and purchased ammo) and I had my .257.
Longest shot was 378yds, later checked by survey grade stakes where hill-side was being cleared. Shortest was ~40yds.
He was using 80gr Remington factory @~3,300fps and I was using 75gr Hornady handloads at a chrono'd 3,500fps (max load of H414).
The .257 was at NO ballistic disadvantage. No bullets were recovered. (amazing, except that no shots under 150yds were body shots....head shots). Even the 378yd shot (mine) was a spine hit that completely penetrated broadside. And 75gr Hornady HP is supposedly a "varmint" bullet.. (our varmints run ~120lbs....
The .257 exhibited a noticeably louder "ka-whap" on impact than the .243. Even my co-worker was amazed at the difference. Both of us were sighted in for ~250yds, so out to max distance we could see to shoot and/or make a reliable "hit", there was no advantage either way. Point and click...
But the number of deer that went down "right there" was much to the .257's advantage. None were lost with the "Bob"; two "got away" from the .243, though were found the next day by the buzzards.
The "Bob" has always been hampered with medicocre or worse factory ammo. Only the Hornady with 100gr and 117gr bullets, and the Federal +P 120gr Nosler Partiton'ed "Premium" (what a joke... still "mild" loads) came close to tapping the "Bobs" potential.
A good friend had/has a .25/06. My handloads with 120gr Sierra's chrono's exactly the same as his .25/06, only I'm using 5.0gr LESS powder.... And, I've got a 22"bbl to his 24"... But then again, he's got an "Interarms" MkX, and mine is an E.R.Shaw bbl...
BTW; There IS a reason that the 117gr Hornady RN "Interlok" is still loaded in factory .257WbyMag ammo. Out to 300yds, the trajectory is "no issue" and the bullet is superlative on game... I've got several hundred that I picked up covered in dust at an 'old timey' gun shop and here and there. Most were under $8/box..... I'll probably never use up all the 100gr Hornady PtSpt and 117gr RN Spts' in .257" I've got in my lifetime. Especially if I keep "playing" with such as the .243, and .223, .22-250, .375Ruger, .338MX, ect, ect.
I've owned several .243's. The last deer I shot was with a .243, (Dec.12) only because I'd picked it up on a whim last Jan. with gift cards from Academy Sports recieved from my family as "stocking stuffers". It's a Savage Axis and with 65gr Horndy v-max gets 1/2moa @ 3,660fps, and /w 100gr Sierra's, 2/3"moa 5-shots). I "wanted" a .243 because I had several hundred bullets and cases on hand from range pick-ups and bargain shelves.......
The rifle is a "beater" imo, and is what (this year) sits in the kitchen... doe was shot out my kitchen window at ~140yds....
(btw, the PrviPartisan 100gr Spts are good... if you trim the meplats).
But, back to the "Bob"...
The .243 seems better on "paper" but in the field, the larger bore of the .257 and better construction of the bullets, makes it a more reliable performer on big game.
Good grief, at how many deer I looked for in an attempt to retrieve "evidence" of deer shot/poached, and lost, with a .243. (back in the late '70's and early '80's, the Rem. 742 in .243 was the 'night hunters gun of choice'.. (The problem with the .243 is bullet performance... blow ups at under ~50yds, and failure to expand at over 250yds).
On the evening I had a chance to compare them side-by-side, a co-worker and I were "culling" deer on an airport where they had become so populated as to be a hazard to aircraft. Because it was inside the city limits of a municipality with an ordnance agaisnt discharging firearms, the only recourse was to have state game 'n fish personnel do the "culling" due to a provision in the city ordinance.
My co-worker had/used a Rem. M788 (state owned and purchased ammo) and I had my .257.
Longest shot was 378yds, later checked by survey grade stakes where hill-side was being cleared. Shortest was ~40yds.
He was using 80gr Remington factory @~3,300fps and I was using 75gr Hornady handloads at a chrono'd 3,500fps (max load of H414).
The .257 was at NO ballistic disadvantage. No bullets were recovered. (amazing, except that no shots under 150yds were body shots....head shots). Even the 378yd shot (mine) was a spine hit that completely penetrated broadside. And 75gr Hornady HP is supposedly a "varmint" bullet.. (our varmints run ~120lbs....
The .257 exhibited a noticeably louder "ka-whap" on impact than the .243. Even my co-worker was amazed at the difference. Both of us were sighted in for ~250yds, so out to max distance we could see to shoot and/or make a reliable "hit", there was no advantage either way. Point and click...
But the number of deer that went down "right there" was much to the .257's advantage. None were lost with the "Bob"; two "got away" from the .243, though were found the next day by the buzzards.
The "Bob" has always been hampered with medicocre or worse factory ammo. Only the Hornady with 100gr and 117gr bullets, and the Federal +P 120gr Nosler Partiton'ed "Premium" (what a joke... still "mild" loads) came close to tapping the "Bobs" potential.
A good friend had/has a .25/06. My handloads with 120gr Sierra's chrono's exactly the same as his .25/06, only I'm using 5.0gr LESS powder.... And, I've got a 22"bbl to his 24"... But then again, he's got an "Interarms" MkX, and mine is an E.R.Shaw bbl...
BTW; There IS a reason that the 117gr Hornady RN "Interlok" is still loaded in factory .257WbyMag ammo. Out to 300yds, the trajectory is "no issue" and the bullet is superlative on game... I've got several hundred that I picked up covered in dust at an 'old timey' gun shop and here and there. Most were under $8/box..... I'll probably never use up all the 100gr Hornady PtSpt and 117gr RN Spts' in .257" I've got in my lifetime. Especially if I keep "playing" with such as the .243, and .223, .22-250, .375Ruger, .338MX, ect, ect.
Last edited:
LAGS
Member
If you guys like the .257 Roberts, and you handload, then try shooting a .257 Roberts "Improved".
It takes the round to a whole new level, and you can still fire the standard 257 Roberts in the gun if you don't want or need that extra power.
A friend bought his wife a .257 Roberts, and he got it rechambered to the Improved.
His wife could use it for Deer with .257 Roberts and a Mild Kick, and He could use the same rifle shooting the Improved rounds, and not feel like he was shooting a Ladies Gun.
It takes the round to a whole new level, and you can still fire the standard 257 Roberts in the gun if you don't want or need that extra power.
A friend bought his wife a .257 Roberts, and he got it rechambered to the Improved.
His wife could use it for Deer with .257 Roberts and a Mild Kick, and He could use the same rifle shooting the Improved rounds, and not feel like he was shooting a Ladies Gun.
Palehorseman
Member
- Joined
- Feb 28, 2009
- Messages
- 736
Southside830
Member
My dad hunts with a .257 Roberts. Its a Remington 700 Mountain rifle. That gun has taken countless Texas whitetails. He loves it.
morcey2
Member
That makes no sense! There are no mountains in Texas to justify the use of a "Mountain" rifle.
LAGS
Member
@ EB1
I agree in a way,
But that was years ago, and they were a Young Couple just starting out and could only afford one rifle at the time.
They also had a .357 Ruger that she could shoot .38's that didn't scare her and he could shoot the .357's.
Sometimes in life you just have to make compromises to fit your situation.
I agree in a way,
But that was years ago, and they were a Young Couple just starting out and could only afford one rifle at the time.
They also had a .357 Ruger that she could shoot .38's that didn't scare her and he could shoot the .357's.
Sometimes in life you just have to make compromises to fit your situation.
I was referring to this part of the comment. Why would you feel a .257 Roberts is a ladies gun?
Sounds like someone who calls Sportsters a ladies motorcycle. Doesn't make any sense to me.
I am man, I must shoot the bigger and ride the bigger. I just don't understand. Guess it is a generation gap. I mean my wife has done more than most mean I know. Why would I make a comment about something being a ladies rifle. Maybe if it was pink, but then again in these days, who knows.
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