257 bob , who uses one ?

[bigrich]

Hey fellas, just a post for discussion for the sake of it
Anyone using a 257 bob , opinions, comparisons to 243 , usefulness on medium game ?
I’m looking at a old m17 custom in 257 bob improved, and just wondering if it’s worth it when I already have a 243. Cheers

[bigpete]

Definitely better than a 243 lol

[Blr243]

Not quite but Have had a soft spot , and interest in the 2506 caliber for a while now , but it will probably never happen as I have a 243 and I can shoot 90/100 grainers fast and flat in my 270 ....so no real caliber gap there for me to fill ...no new toys for me for a good while. Saving $ to ensure I can spend two weeks in north qld in October

[bigrich]

Definitely better than a 243 lol

Oh big Pete, you have a pathological problem with 243’s
Depends on circumstances for use I guess . The bob does have some advantages over the 243 for hunting, not as many good projectiles for 257 bore as 6mm though

[bigrich]

Not quite but Have had a soft spot , and interest in the 2506 caliber for a while now , but it will probably never happen as I have a 243 and I can shoot 90/100 grainers fast and flat in my 270 ....so no real caliber gap there for me to fill ...no new toys for me for a good while. Saving $ to ensure I can spend two weeks in north qld in October

Yeah, I got 243, 7-08 and 30-06 for stalking/hunting rifles. I don’t really have any gaps . But this 257 bob improved m17 custom is a really nice bit of gear .
Trying to come up with a reason for another rifle i ‘spose. 303-25 was popular for good reason too

[Wm.Traynor]

bigrich,
If it's an M17, it would be heavy, wouldn't it?
Is weight an issue?

[deye243]

I know it is a bit of a derail but for quite a while now I have seriously been thinking of a 6.5 257 Roberts improved

[bigrich]

bigrich,
If it's an M17, it would be heavy, wouldn't it?
Is weight an issue?

Actually, it balances and shoulders well. When I mean custom , it’s got a made from blank sporter stock and a lot of gunsmith work. Barrel steps down like a featherweight in front of the receiver. Cock on opening, bueller two piece mounts and more. Beautiful

[bigrich]

I know it is a bit of a derail but for quite a while now I have seriously been thinking of a 6.5 257 Roberts improved

If I rebarreled, I have thought of 6.5-06 as it’s a m17 action. I do believe there is a 6.5x57 German sporting round. Think RWS makes ammo for this. 25-06 is a quarter bore consideration, but stepping up to 6.5 caliber opens up much better projectile choices

[GQshayne]

It is a step up in size from the .243 in my view. So it depends on what your .243 does for you.

In my case, I have a bolt action LSA Deluxe Tikka .243 with 2-12 x 50 on it. Big stock and big scope, so good for wild dogs etc. My other .243 is an FN BLR with a 1-6 Swarovski. This is my pig gun. Ideally it would be slightly bigger, so I could run 120 gn (approx) projectiles. But the .257 needs a longer action than the short .243, so for that reason the 7mm/08 would be my choice.

So I guess that is no help to you at all is it???

[bigrich]

It is a step up in size from the .243 in my view. So it depends on what your .243 does for you.

In my case, I have a bolt action LSA Deluxe Tikka .243 with 2-12 x 50 on it. Big stock and big scope, so good for wild dogs etc. My other .243 is an FN BLR with a 1-6 Swarovski. This is my pig gun. Ideally it would be slightly bigger, so I could run 120 gn (approx) projectiles. But the .257 needs a longer action than the short .243, so for that reason the 7mm/08 would be my choice.

So I guess that is no help to you at all is it???

All good. I asked for opinions

[straightshooter]

I know it is a bit of a derail but for quite a while now I have seriously been thinking of a 6.5 257 Roberts improved

If I rebarreled, I have thought of 6.5-06 as it’s a m17 action. I do believe there is a 6.5x57 German sporting round. Think RWS makes ammo for this. 25-06 is a quarter bore consideration, but stepping up to 6.5 caliber opens up much better projectile choices

A M17 is happiest feeding 06 length and taper cases.
Why not consider a 280 Remington (7mm-06) with an even broader range of projectiles.

[bigrich]

I know it is a bit of a derail but for quite a while now I have seriously been thinking of a 6.5 257 Roberts improved

If I rebarreled, I have thought of 6.5-06 as it’s a m17 action. I do believe there is a 6.5x57 German sporting round. Think RWS makes ammo for this. 25-06 is a quarter bore consideration, but stepping up to 6.5 caliber opens up much better projectile choices

A M17 is happiest feeding 06 length and taper cases.
Why not consider a 280 Remington (7mm-06) with an even broader range of projectiles.

Yeah, 280 crossed my mind. As I already have a 30-06 , I need a 280 even less than a 257 bob . I have brass and dies for 270 win , which could be a option.
But the 257 bob has a bit of edge over the 243 in terms of muzzle energy and bullet weight. I’m fishing for first hand opinions from people who use the bob, but I think their retiring from shooting and the bob with them.

[Gamerancher]

I know it is a bit of a derail but for quite a while now I have seriously been thinking of a 6.5 257 Roberts improved

I used to shoot one in High-power Metallic Silhouette, I built it because my hunting rifle at the time was a .257 Roberts and I had a f#ck-ton of cases. I had started silhouette with the Roberts but 120 grain bullets where a bit "iffy" on the 500m rams, ( not that I actually had any stand on me ).
At the time, Sierra made a 155gr HPBT match bullet in 6.5mm. With a 1:8 twist barrel that rifle would hold 1.5" @ 500m. ( Off the bench of coarse )
I could get those 155's out at 3000f/s, it knocked the rams down with authority.

Back on topic, as a hunting rifle for Australian game, the .257 Roberts is an excellent choice. The thousands of critters that mine have taken attest to that.
You can load 75gr bullets for a fast, flat shooting "varmint" load, ( which is also an excellent "culling" round for use under a light ), through to 120gr bullets for heavier game. The only thing going against it are the calibre restrictions on larger deer species.
I used to mostly use a 100gr bullet for an all-around hunting load out of mine when doing a lot of walking and likely to encounter anything from rabbits to pigs.
The .257 Roberts kicks the .243 Winchesters ar$e! ( Let the fan-boys start whinging )

[Bill]

I think the 257 Bob is caught in no mans land, it certainly aint as Cool as the 250 Savage which works fantastic esp on a SA. and the 6.5 Swede can be run at half throttle and it still leaves the poor old Bob spin tyres trying to keep up.......

[bigrich]

I think the 257 Bob is caught in no mans land, it certainly aint as Cool as the 250 Savage which works fantastic esp on a SA. and the 6.5 Swede can be run at half throttle and it still leaves the poor old Bob spin tyres trying to keep up.......

The Swede at half throttle, mildly loaded, isn’t any better than a 30-30 in my opinion. The bob has decent reach , the one I’m looking at is improved case as well . I guess it’s the rifle this caliber is housed in that really floats my boat. A 120gn out of a improved bob would carry decent punch a good ways out for a lot of game I’m thinking. Not quite a 25-06 , but a improved case bob would work on most stuff I think

[Gamerancher]

My brother in law was always a .250 Savage devotee and we never really saw any different result between the two when we hunted together, which we did a lot.
Was always good for a "discussion" or 3 around the campfire. But, I could always stoke the Roberts up faster and heavier than the Savage, I could run the 100's at the same speed as he ran 87 grainers. My .257 Ackley will match it with the .25-06.
The factory loadings and chambered in short actions always let the cartridge down but in the right action with handloading it can be a very good multi-tasker. ( I have rifles in both standard Roberts and Ackley, I also have 6.5 x 55, I think you exaggerated there a bit Bill... )

[bigrich]

My brother in law was always a .250 Savage devotee and we never really saw any different result between the two when we hunted together, which we did a lot.
Was always good for a "discussion" or 3 around the campfire. But, I could always stoke the Roberts up faster and heavier than the Savage, I could run the 100's at the same speed as he ran 87 grainers. My .257 Ackley will match it with the .25-06.
The factory loadings and chambered in short actions always let the cartridge down but in the right action with handloading it can be a very good multi-tasker. ( I have rifles in both standard Roberts and Ackley, I also have 6.5 x 55, I think you exaggerated there a bit Bill... )

Thanks for the comments and info GR . You confirmed what I suspected to be the case . What projectiles and powder did you find useful in the 257 ?

[Bill]

I had a nice 250 Sav L579 with a 24inch Tobler stainless tube for a few years and regret ever selling it. 100gr Nosler BT at 3240fps That every bit a 257 Bob right there.

Of course I'm exaggerating Gamerancher but the Swede for me has always been about exceptional SD with the fast twist and deep penetration. It why all my hunting with it has been with 140-155gr projectile for over 25yr now. The 257 Bob would make a sweet fallow rifle but it would need to be on the right action like a M70 featherweight

[Gamerancher]

bigrich, I used to get my best results with AR2213 and 100 & 120grain bullets, the old stuff, not SC. They reckoned SC could be loaded using the old 2213 data but I didn't find that at all in my rifles.
I no longer get to do the sort of hunting that I used to and haven't really done a lot with the Ackley, got involved in competition shooting fairly heavily and that has been my focus for the last 20 odd years. I think I settled on AR2209 in the Ackley, I've actually been thinking about getting it out of the safe and using it a bit more. I've got a few more hunting opportunities being offered to me that it will suit, so I might be able to help out with better data after that, sorry.

Don't get me wrong Bill, I'm into my 6.5's as well. ( I've got a 6.5 Creedmoor, 6.5 x 55 and the 6.5/.257 A.I.)

[bigrich]

bigrich, I used to get my best results with AR2213 and 100 & 120grain bullets, the old stuff, not SC. They reckoned SC could be loaded using the old 2213 data but I didn't find that at all in my rifles.
I no longer get to do the sort of hunting that I used to and haven't really done a lot with the Ackley, got involved in competition shooting fairly heavily and that has been my focus for the last 20 odd years. I think I settled on AR2209 in the Ackley, I've actually been thinking about getting it out of the safe and using it a bit more. I've got a few more hunting opportunities being offered to me that it will suit, so I might be able to help out with better data after that, sorry.

Don't get me wrong Bill, I'm into my 6.5's as well. ( I've got a 6.5 Creedmoor, 6.5 x 55 and the 6.5/.257 A.I.)

I have 2209 and re22 powder available, should do the job. The more I think on it , a 6.5 on a improved 57 Mauser case sounds interesting

[Gamerancher]

I sort of came up with the idea when building my first dedicated silhouette rifle. I had an action, I had a bunch of Roberts cases, I liked the ballistics of the 6.5mm's, ( sectional density and retained energy ) so I spoke with my barrel builder. He reckoned he could do what I wanted so we went ahead. One of my first outings with it was at the Majura range in the A.C.T. Stuart Elliot was still a local back then and on walking past he picked up one of my rounds and knew straight away what it was. He commented that he had tried it as a benchrest round, ( for the 500m fly I believe ), he reckoned it would be a great silhouette round. It wasn't too shabby on putting furry critters on the ground either. I used to use 120 grain bullets for the 200m chickens, 300m pigs and 385m turkeys and the 155gr ones for the 500m rams.
I think I used 120gr spitzers when hunting with it.

[bigrich]

My brother in law was always a .250 Savage devotee and we never really saw any different result between the two when we hunted together, which we did a lot.
Was always good for a "discussion" or 3 around the campfire. But, I could always stoke the Roberts up faster and heavier than the Savage, I could run the 100's at the same speed as he ran 87 grainers. My .257 Ackley will match it with the .25-06.
The factory loadings and chambered in short actions always let the cartridge down but in the right action with handloading it can be a very good multi-tasker. ( I have rifles in both standard Roberts and Ackley, I also have 6.5 x 55, I think you exaggerated there a bit Bill... )

Your 257 ackley matching it with 25-06 has got my attention what do you think is practical range for a 257 ackley ?

[Gamerancher]

We used to do a lot of open country hunting, our hunting rifles were built to most folks target rifle specs. Tight chambers, long heavy barrels.
Mine has a #5 weight, 24" barrel with 1:10 twist rifling. The rifle weighs in at around 4.2kg and yes, I used to carry it on foot on long hikes.
From memory it was sighted in around 3" high @ 100 for a 300+ yard zero and drop at 400 was around 10". ( Working on a MPBR on an 8" target area )
Basically that meant a dead on hold on the vitals of our main target species from 0-360 yards for that "bang-flop". ( No hold over/under guess-timations required.)

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[Wrangler]

G,day fellas
Great to hear there are still 257 roberts fans out there. I also have an old M17 my father bought second hand in the 1950s chambered in 303/25. After decades of use he had the chamber reamed to 257 roberts to be rid of the recurring rimlock hassle and fitted a timney trigger. That old barrel finally chucked the towel in and I had it rebarreled about 10 years ago. Thousands of rounds all with the original peep sight. The chamber has a long throat and feeds flawlessly from the M17 mag Evan when using charger clips.
The Roberts is a fantastic round for Aussie medium game and a choice doubt you will regret.

[phill55phill]

Very underrated due to loading manuals under loading them to suit 1895 mausers which a lot of them were built on so loads are low pressure ,I have just built one with a 1.8 twists I can use the longer projectiles now available and work up some loads so I can get the best out of it

[phill55phill]

Very underrated due to loading manuals under loading them to suit 1895 mausers which a lot of them were built on so loads are low pressure ,I have just built one with a 1.8 twists I can use the longer projectiles now available and work up some loads so I can get the best out of it

[gunnnie]

Love the 'Quarter-bore' family! Don't own a 257Roberts, but do have a 257Roberts Ackley Improved 40deg on a Browning BBR.
LOVE the round and the rifle is chambered in.

[animalpest]

Don't have a Roberts but do have a 25/06. Absolutely fantastic cartridge and is my favourite calibre. Pick it over my .243 rifles any day.

Funny how people state one calibre has better bullet selection over another. I generally use just one to three bullets in each calibre so don't need hundreds of different ones!

In .257 I use 75gr V-max, 100gr Nosler BT and 110gr Accubond. I still use some 120gr Speer Grand Slams from long ago on some big stuff. That covers everything

[BillyBob257]

Still have my very first centrefire rifle bought just over 30 years ago. A Ruger M77 in 257 Roberts.
As a youngster new to the sport, I wanted a rifle that could handle the small stuff up to medium sized game.
Contenders at the time were the
243 - everyone had one of those. (Probably for a very good reason)
270 - That scared the bejesus out of me as people told me it kicked way too hard. (Funny how things change as my go to rifle these days is my 300 Win Mag or 30-06 and I really miss my 375 H&H.)
25-06 or 257 Roberts.
I must admit Nick Harvey was very fond of the 257 Roberts and influenced my decision to buy that rifle many years ago. Though it hasn't been a super accurate rifle and I seldom use it these days - it opened the door for me to a wonderful world of hunting and shooting in Australia over 30 years ago.
All my early hunting memories were associated with the 257 Roberts
For that reason alone - I still love the 257 Roberts and have kept that rifle.
For that reason, I go with username BillyBob257 on this site
Back then it had that wow factor over the 243 - that something different. It was able to do everything a 243 could do plus a little more.
These days it still has that wow factor for me when I pick up any hunting rifle and go out into the Aust bush. Not because it is vastly superior to any other caliber - just because it was my key that opened the door.