[Perferator]

I'd like to hear from the other .257Roy owners on the strengths of the caliber/cartridge and what was your first impression when shooting this round. Of course, you could share a particular shot you took with it

 

[MikeG]

I have one, and have killed my two biggest deer with it. Just by chance as I do hunt with different rifles.

It is accurate (a run of the mill Vanguard a.k.a. Howa) but they are rough on bullets. Did lose one doe with a bullet that evidently fragmented. Chased it (literally) a quarter mile through the woods before losing it. Intended to do some bullet testing on pigs but the opportunity did not come up. The same brand/type of bullet killed a big buck but fragmented, penetrating the spine with a piece. At the time I did not realize what was happening, so I think it is a pretty good guess that the same thing happened to do the doe except she did not get the lucky bullet fragment to put her down on the spot.

Accurate, fair amount of recoil for a quarter bore, and expensive ammo. My first experience with case reforming so I am learning a few things.

Gonna try some "X" bullets and see how it does.

 

[Rugerfan0374]

My Dad has a Vanguard in 257 Weatherby, he loves it and had killed a few with it.

Mike, my Dad's 257 , shoots the X bullets quite well. His is a Vangaurd Deluxe.

 

[Bird Dog II]

I knew a guy who had one. He splash wounded a couple of deer on close range shots and one we never found. You couldn't shoot more than 75 yds where he hunted anyway, so I don't get the point. Anyway, if it were me, for anything bigger than antelope, I would use a heavier bullet and slow it down a bit. Or just get a .25-06

 

[MontyF]

I'm watching this thread with some interest since my youngest son is considering a Vanguard in .257 Roy. My only experience with 'em was a guy i used to hunt coyotes with had one. Most of his shots (especially quartering) weren't pass throughs. The ones that made it thru rendered the fur useless.

 

[dshusker]

Flat shooting, fairly accurate. Too much recoil for me. Unless you are hunting large mule deer, would stick with 25-06, 7mm-08, or even a 243. I read somewhere that some hunters were reporting issues with the 24" barrel. Supposedly, the cartridge functions better with a 26" barrel because the powder buns more uniformly? I believe the Mark V is built wi a 26" barrel?

 

[Bird Dog II]

I guess you would want one for very long range deer and antelope work. I think a .270 WSM is a better choice for that niche. Or a 6.5x284. I also think the .25-06 is more fun and more practical to shoot and load (barrel life, efficiency, etc).

 

[bsn]

Its a fine cartridge with the proper bullets, most complaints are due to bullet falure due to the extreme velocity. The all copper bullets perform reliably up close or out far in the 257 Roy.

 

[Bird Dog II]

If you can get them to shoot accurately, which is not at all a given. I agree about heavier bullets though. I imagine Swift A-frame 120s or some other bonded 115s to 120s would be good as well.

 

[tpv]

I have one, and have killed my two biggest deer with it. Just by chance as I do hunt with different rifles.

It is accurate (a run of the mill Vanguard a.k.a. Howa) but they are rough on bullets. Did lose one doe with a bullet that evidently fragmented. Chased it (literally) a quarter mile through the woods before losing it. Intended to do some bullet testing on pigs but the opportunity did not come up. The same brand/type of bullet killed a big buck but fragmented, penetrating the spine with a piece. At the time I did not realize what was happening, so I think it is a pretty good guess that the same thing happened to do the doe except she did not get the lucky bullet fragment to put her down on the spot.

Accurate, fair amount of recoil for a quarter bore, and expensive ammo. My first experience with case reforming so I am learning a few things.

Gonna try some "X" bullets and see how it does.

Mike, Speer just introduced that bullet that is loaded into the Fusion ammunition. It is a bonded bullet and they call a "Deep Curl"
Whatever that means. Anyway, it holds with my experience of "flat base bullets giving the best accuracy at the 100-250 range. I'm going to try them next in my 270.
Midway has them.

 

[MikeG]

So many rifles, so little time!

 

[Perferator]

I knew a guy who had one. He splash wounded a couple of deer on close range shots and one we never found. You couldn't shoot more than 75 yds where he hunted anyway, so I don't get the point. Anyway, if it were me, for anything bigger than antelope, I would use a heavier bullet and slow it down a bit. Or just get a .25-06

It really depends on the bullet....to mention the obvious. Last year I culled a small doe at 40yds. Nice exit hole and the deer went 3ft.....straight down.

I was using my 45-70 with non-magnifying red dot scope. After one evening I brought out my .257 w/ 8.5-25x scope just so I could see better in failing light. Sure did help me put a good shot on that doe.

The bullets I'm loading are Sierra GameKing 100gr.

 

[Perferator]

My Dad has a Vanguard in 257 Weatherby, he loves it and had killed a few with it.

Mike, my Dad's 257 , shoots the X bullets quite well. His is a Vangaurd Deluxe.

Mine is a Vanguard Sporter. Quite similar to the Deluxe except for the satin finish rather than the shiney.

 

[beartracker]

Mine is a Weatherby Mark V Synthetic that became a 257/300Wby and the other is a Mark V Accumark. They are flat shooting, fast, hit hard and most game are DRT when hit by a 257Wby if the right bullet for the game encountered is used. Roy made four cartridges that I think were his greatest. 257Wby, 7mmWby, 300Wby and 375Wby.

 

[beretzs]

I am in the process of getting a 7mm Rem Mag Vanguard rebarreled to a 257 Weatherby. I am going to stick a 26 or 27" Pac Nor on the rifle. I think the 257 will do its best with tougher bullets like the PT and TSX type bullets, but again, I haven't ever shot one, so I am just going off of the generated speeds. I am sure the 25-06 is gentler and such, but I want a fast one. Looking forward to seeing how it shoots when it is done. Should be a fun deer rifle. Scotty

 

[beartracker]

I am in the process of getting a 7mm Rem Mag Vanguard rebarreled to a 257 Weatherby. I am going to stick a 26 or 27" Pac Nor on the rifle. I think the 257 will do its best with tougher bullets like the PT and TSX type bullets, but again, I haven't ever shot one, so I am just going off of the generated speeds. I am sure the 25-06 is gentler and such, but I want a fast one. Looking forward to seeing how it shoots when it is done. Should be a fun deer rifle. Scotty

Sounds cool Scotty, and it will be a killer. Can't wait to hear about that on in the future.

 

[beretzs]

Thanks Mike. It will be a late Winter project I think. Probably be some time in the Spring when I finally get it all together. Scotty

 

[langenc]

Hope you handload. And dont try to get the last 100 fps out of it.

 

[beretzs]

I do handload, so that is part of the fun in it for me. 50 cases will last me quite awhile, and since they are Norma cases, they should hold up pretty well for book loads. Scotty

 

[beartracker]

I do handload, so that is part of the fun in it for me. 50 cases will last me quite awhile, and since they are Norma cases, they should hold up pretty well for book loads. Scotty

Scotty, you will have to break in your new barrel. One shot and clean, then do it again, and again until it begins to not leave copper at all on the patches then 5 at a time for a while and you will know when it is pretty much broke in. Now don't let a bunch of people tell you it is not needed, because if they say you don't need to settle your barrel in by shooting it smooth so it can get in the groove, they don't know what they are talking about. You will need 40-60 cases to use in your break-in work and early load development trying to find what it really likes. Then get you another 40-60 cases for your shooting and hunting loads. These 80 to 120 cases would be bare minimum for you to do your job of break-in and load work well.