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  #1  
Old 11-09-2013, 03:26 PM
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dollman dollman is offline
 
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Default thinking of buying a 257 weatherby magnum

thinking of buying a 257 w/m whats your thoughts on this cal ,will be using it as a all rounder ,deer ,fox etc ,I will be reloading this cal all advice welcome atb steve
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Old 11-09-2013, 03:46 PM
vcool vcool is offline
 
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I love mine, just be aware of the potential for meat damage if you are shooting at closer ranges. Also look in to the intended impact for the type of bullet you intend to use because the speeds this round can attain can go beyond what some bullets were designed for, depending on the range etc. It might be a quarter bore, but it is alot of gun.
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Old 11-09-2013, 03:49 PM
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Dick284 Dick284 is offline
 
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Needs Premium bullets!
Needs Slow burning powder
Uses Expensive brass

What's not to like..........
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Old 11-09-2013, 04:19 PM
BackPackHunter BackPackHunter is offline
 
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im not a fan of belted cases
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Old 11-09-2013, 04:31 PM
elkhunter11 elkhunter11 is offline
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BackPackHunter View Post
im not a fan of belted cases
If you size so that they headspace off of the shoulder , there is no issue.
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Old 11-09-2013, 04:35 PM
New Hunter Okotoks New Hunter Okotoks is offline
 
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I have a 257 Wby in an Ultramark Mark 5. Very nice, very accurate gun. Hard hitting and recoil is very manageable in my opinion. I have loved the ballistics of the 257 Wby. and always wanted one in a quality rifle. It fill the hole between 22-250 and 300 WSM very nicely.

I love it. I trust my life, the life of my Family, and the life of my friends to it and so can you.
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  #7  
Old 11-09-2013, 08:05 PM
farmer23 farmer23 is offline
 
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Default 257 Weatherby

Great rifle for deer & antelope but coyotes and anything smaller it really makes a mess. Flat to 300 yards and hits really hard even at that distance. Its my favorite deer cartridge by far.
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  #8  
Old 11-09-2013, 11:19 PM
Bulldog Hunter Bulldog Hunter is offline
 
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I have a Lazermark Mark V. Used 110gr Accubonds on my antelope this year, needless to say 175yrds and a neck shot requires a cape from the taxidermist. They hit very hard, and I'm not afraid to shoot elk or moose with mine, killed both with one shot. Put the bullet where you're supposed to, and it's not going far. Its my go to rifle for the past 6 years and love it. As far as a coyote rig, way to much gun. Pelt damage will be extreme.
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Old 11-10-2013, 07:46 AM
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i wouldnt go any heavier than 100gr premium bullets.
its definitely not the gun to take to a range and blaze 50 rounds in an hour.
ive used one for wolves foxes lopes deer elk moose, it doesnt kill any better/worse than any other round. the average shooter in average hunting situations should get a lifetime of use from the gun.
a well built 25-06 will almost as good with substantial cost savings.
a 257stw is the next 25 cal that is readily available over the 257wby.
check out the weatherbynation website for purist wby drivel.
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  #10  
Old 11-10-2013, 07:51 AM
Dustin98 Dustin98 is offline
 
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It's a great cartridge. Low recoil and I know a guy who shot a moose with it, a bear, and now he's taking it elk hunting.
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  #11  
Old 11-10-2013, 08:07 AM
bobinthesky bobinthesky is offline
 
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As Roger said, the 257 Wby is best suited for 100 grain bullets.
I was using the 100 gr Barnes TSX in mine and it didn't really like the 115 or 120 grain bullets I tried. Any 100 grain bullet I put through it would shoot under 1 inch at 100 yards all day long with good velocity.
I never shot anything larger than deer with it but it flattens them with enough authority that I wouldn't hesitate to use it on elk or Moose at reasonable ranges.
As has already been said, brass can be expensive. I got good life out of mine though, 7 or 8 reloads if I recall correctly. One thing that I did was keep my eyes open at gun shows for bags of new brass. These can sometimes be had for a fraction of the cost of new brass in the stores and if you can't find 257, get .270 wby or 7mm wby and neck them down to 257, provided you don't already have one of those calibers in your gun rack.

This caliber is lots of fun and you won't regret the purchase Just make sure you have hearing protection on before you shoot, like all high velocity rounds, the muzzle blast is pretty fierce!
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Old 11-10-2013, 08:37 AM
shooter55 shooter55 is offline
 
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I traded my 300wm weatherby for a 257 last year with no regrets. Nice shooting rifke with manageable recoil and accurate shooting ..
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  #13  
Old 11-10-2013, 09:16 AM
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whitetail Junkie whitetail Junkie is offline
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by New Hunter Okotoks View Post
I have a 257 Wby in an Ultramark Mark 5. Very nice, very accurate gun. Hard hitting and recoil is very manageable in my opinion. I have loved the ballistics of the 257 Wby. and always wanted one in a quality rifle. It fill the hole between 22-250 and 300 WSM very nicely.

I love it. I trust my life, the life of my Family, and the life of my friends to it and so can you.
Did you get a nice hunk of wood on that bad boy?

Im buying the Ultramark in a 257wby this winter....I already got the scope for it

Got any pics of the gem? That would make my day!
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  #14  
Old 11-10-2013, 09:58 AM
.257Weatherby .257Weatherby is offline
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dick284 View Post
Needs Premium bullets!
Needs Slow burning powder
Uses Expensive brass

What's not to like..........
Exactly what Dick284 said
Nothing Shoots Flatter,hits harder or flies faster...
There are plenty of choices to tempt your pocket book and cheaper than 3GBP
everytime you bust a cap on a Fox...
Tight Groups,
Rob
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Old 11-10-2013, 10:30 AM
elkhunter11 elkhunter11 is offline
 
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Quote:
Nothing Shoots Flatter,hits harder or flies faster...
In factory .257" based cartridges perhaps, but several larger bore factory cartridges do better in all three areas. That being said, I have owned a 257WBY, and I found it to be a good cartridge, but I prefer other cartridges.
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  #16  
Old 11-10-2013, 10:46 AM
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I'm also seriously considering buying one of these. Just can't decide on what model of mark V I want. Accumark or deluxe ??????


Gilly
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  #17  
Old 11-10-2013, 10:50 AM
New Hunter Okotoks New Hunter Okotoks is offline
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by whitetail Junkie View Post
Did you get a nice hunk of wood on that bad boy?

Im buying the Ultramark in a 257wby this winter....I already got the scope for it

Got any pics of the gem? That would make my day!

I'm sorry, I got my "Marks" confused! Lol!

What I do have is a Mark 5 Accumark. It has an HS Precision stock and a 26" fluted barrel. I have a VXIII 4.5-14X40 on it right now. Nice rifle, but not an Ultramark as I stated earlier.

Here are some pics of mine:








Last edited by Pixel Shooter; 11-10-2013 at 11:13 AM. Reason: fix pics
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  #18  
Old 11-10-2013, 10:59 AM
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Not trying to high jack the op thread but does the extra 2" of barrel on the mark v make much of a difference over the vanguard series?

Gilly
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  #19  
Old 11-10-2013, 11:02 AM
elkhunter11 elkhunter11 is offline
 
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Quote:
Not trying to high jack the op thread but does the extra 2" of barrel on the mark v make much of a difference over the vanguard series?
About 40-50fps per inch.
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  #20  
Old 11-10-2013, 11:15 AM
Jims71duster Jims71duster is offline
 
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I have a 300 wby mag and its a gorgeous gun but as others have said the. Weatherby ammo is very expensive. As stated by one other on here, the 25-06 is almost identical in ballistics, the wthby is so slightly better that its not even noticible. The ammo for the 25-06 is dirt cheap compared to the wthby. They use the same pills and is available in lots of gun makes. I looked hard at a 257 just cuz I wanted another wthby but after lots of looking it never made sense for me. But I do love my 25-06 and it shoots the 120 partitions in groups real close to an inch at a 100 yards.
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  #21  
Old 11-10-2013, 12:06 PM
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It was Roy's favorite cartridge in his line up. I believe he even took a Cape Buffalo with it.
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Old 11-10-2013, 12:15 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by fordtruckin View Post
It was Roy's favorite cartridge in his line up. I believe he even took a Cape Buffalo with it.
Like Layne Simpson said, "From mice to moose".........
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  #23  
Old 11-10-2013, 12:22 PM
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north american hunter north american hunter is online now
 
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I love my .257 weatherby, awesome caliber
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  #24  
Old 11-10-2013, 01:07 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by elkhunter11 View Post
About 40-50fps per inch.
not always...............

every rifle and load combination is different.......

http://www.shootingtimes.com/2011/01...magnum_031706/
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  #25  
Old 11-10-2013, 02:19 PM
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i have the wby history book and (if memory serves me) it said he had too give the cape buffalo a couple of rounds.
i have two 257wbys ultralites with 26" and had one 257 in a deluxe with a 24", it was 50 fps between the long and short bbls in both guns with the same load. so from my simple test it was 50fps.

jims duster, a well built, AI'ed 25-06 is very close but not the run-of-the-mill 2506.
I like the 2506's too.
if didnt have enough 257 brass too last me for the rest of my miserable life id be cradling a 270wby.that caliber is a wolf in sheeps clothing.
if the slower powders were available at the time of invention the 257wby would probably have been built on a fullsize 300wby case
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  #26  
Old 11-10-2013, 02:51 PM
farmer23 farmer23 is offline
 
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Default Brass

As far as ammo price goes Frontier Firearms has Weatherby ammo at really low prices. Last time I saw 257 ammo online the sale price was $240/8 boxes so right around $30/box. They also stock 270 & 300 Weatherby sometimes but it usually does not last long. I just checked and there is non in stock but they seem to get it fairly regularly. Keep an eye out since it makes shooting a lot cheaper.
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  #27  
Old 11-10-2013, 03:25 PM
elkhunter11 elkhunter11 is offline
 
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Quote:
not always...............

every rifle and load combination is different.......
Of course it varies somewhat, but in general, that is a reasonable range to expect. The problem with the data at your link, is that it only compares a few loads with two barrel lengths, in a couple of rifles, and pressure isn't taken into account. Due to differences in chamber dimensions, the rifle with the 24" barrel may be producing more pressure, with the same load, than the rifle with the 26" barrel. Unless you compare the two barrel lengths at equal pressures, the data is pretty much meaningless.

I have run the same load,same lots of components, over the chronograph, from three different rifles, with the same barrel length, and seen well over 100fps difference, but during load development, I was able to work up the load in all three rifles to a very similar maximum velocity, before any pressure signs appeared. Load results can be misleading, if you don't try to understand them.
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Last edited by elkhunter11; 11-10-2013 at 03:41 PM.
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  #28  
Old 11-10-2013, 03:55 PM
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Comparing a 24 inch 240wby to a 26inch 240wby we Chronied a difference of dang near 100 fps ....using the same factory ammo....so EH11 numbers are pretty close to our in the 240wby.

LC
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  #29  
Old 11-10-2013, 10:12 PM
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whitetail Junkie whitetail Junkie is offline
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by New Hunter Okotoks View Post
I'm sorry, I got my "Marks" confused! Lol!

What I do have is a Mark 5 Accumark. It has an HS Precision stock and a 26" fluted barrel. I have a VXIII 4.5-14X40 on it right now. Nice rifle, but not an Ultramark as I stated earlier.

Here are some pics of mine:







Honest mistake!....Nice looking set up!
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Old 11-11-2013, 06:02 PM
Faststeel Faststeel is offline
 
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Was antelope hunting with a fellow from Medicine Hat 2 weeks ago and he nailed his antelope at 367 yards with his 257 with 100gr TSX. Prone off a bipod. One good shot. FS
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