257 Bob choices

[picketpin]

The 30-06 has the advantage over the BOb once you get past deer.

THe 30-06 also has the advantage of being a service cartridge so there were a ton of surplus rifles and ammo available for many many years.

My father spent his entire life hunting with a sporterized Eddystone Enfield in 30-06 and shot nealt every big game species in North America. The advantage is the bigger/heavier bullet. If I was going to own one rifle and try and hunt everything I'd get a 30-06.

Luckily dad started me at age 12 with a sporterized 98 Mauser with a Douglas barrel in 257 Roberts.

The 257 Roberts and the 250 Savage were Americas premier dual purpose cartridges medium game/varmints until the the 60s until the 243 and the 6mm Remington/244 suplanted them. Had the Bob been loaded to the same pressures and there had been as many rifles available chambered for it, I'm not sure that would have happend.

The advantage over the 243s is the Bob will shoot a heavier bullet and it has more frontal area.

It also has substantuially less recoil than the 30-06.

Unless I know the ranges are going to be long I hunt with a 257 Roberts or an Ackley IMproved probably 80%+ of the time.

Often if not hunting with a Bon it's only because I'm hunting bigger things, elk, moose, bi bear etc or I expect the ranges to open up.

Us old timers always joke about not seeing very many used 257s but I actually think it's true. Guys that have them like/love them and seldom sell them. I know I haven't sold one in the last 40 years in the same time I've sold uncountable 30-06s, 270s, 7mm Mags, 243s and ..............

If nothing else buy one and hunt rockchucks, coyotes, antelope, deer and sheep with it. I have only one negative, it is just a tiny bit too big to shoot as a full time varmint rifle, the recoil is just enough that after a days of shooting prarie dogs, it ceases to be fun.

That being said the first custom rifle I ever had made was a Ruger #1 in 257 Roberts with a Shilen tube set up to shoot 75 grain Sierras at 3500 fps. 40 yrears later I still have it and it will still knock a chuck a long ways away.

the best

Ross

 

[boaman88]

Not a Ruger but is still my first 257 Roberts. Got lucky and found this unfired Winchester Featherweight for the wonderful price of $550. Could not pass it up. Glad I didn't. Turned out being one of the most accurate factory rifles I have bought in a good long while. Tried two loads so far. First was some reloads with Nosler Ballistic Tips the second is Hornady factory with their interbonds. Both shot very nice sub 1 inch groups. Several were less than an 1/2 inch. Can't wait to get a chance to hunt with it. I have for many years felt the 25-06 was pretty much the perfect deer cartridge. I have also felt the 25s were always quite a bit under rated by most hunters. They simply don't know what they are missing.

 

[Anonymous]

Boaman88 Your killing me . :^)

 

[boaman88]

Somedays you just got to be lucky. Was only about 6 months before that I found a barely used Ruger Ultra-light in 257 Roberts for $ 425.00. At Gander Mountain of all places. Last good deal I found there. That one went to a friend that had been looking for a fair deal on a Ruger 257 for years. Called him on my cell phone and told him about it. He begged me to stand there and wait with it in my hands until he could drive 40 miles to get it. He was quite happy to say the least.

My best deal ever was a tang safety Ruger 77 in 25-06 I found bright and early one morning at a gun show. It had a fairly plain looking stock and was missing the rings. That was back when I had an FFL and the dealer that had it at the show sold it to me for $275. Took it home and put rings and a scope on it. Went to the range with some Winchester 120 PEP ammo. First 5 rounds could be covered with a quarter. It rapidly became my favorite hunting rifle. Unfortunately about three years latter my house was broken into and that was one of the rifles that was stolen. There were No 1's taken too but that one hurt me more than any of them. The next worse was the Ruger 77 tang safety in 7x57 with a factory laminated stock. Never seen another one of those since.

 

[USAFA71]

Another option for the 257 is a Savage. It is not a listed caliber, but if you call their custom shop at 800-370-0708, then ext 6, and ask for Effie Sullivan, she can set you up with what you want. It is not a "custom" rifle as they will only use the parts they have available for their standard guns, but I had them make me a left-hand 257 with Accu-trigger and Accu-stock on the short action, and it will shoot 100 gr Nosler Partitions into 1.1" at 100 yds for six shots-more than adequate for Missouri white-tails at 100-150 yards. My only regret is not getting it in stainless. But that now gives me an excuse to get another 257!