.243 Winchester or .257 Roberts?

Status
Not open for further replies.

J-Bar

Member
Joined
Nov 24, 2010
Messages
4,961
Location
Springfield, MO
I have used a .270 Winchester on whitetail deer for years with great success. One - shot kills have been the rule. Shoulder arthritis is becoming significantly worse. I did not really enjoy checking my .270’s sights a few days ago. I hate to admit recoil sensitivity, but I’m considering switching to either a .243 or a Bob. Most shots will be taken within 150 yards; none over 300 yards at the extreme.

So those of you who have taken whitetails with both the .243 and the .257 Roberts, which would you recommend?

Thanks for your insights.
 
this is hard to answer for me i love a 243 win and the 257 is fantastic. i am not the biggest fan of 25 calibers for hunting but have confidence in 6mms. this makes now sense but u will shoot better if u believe in the cartridge more. if u have a short action i would go 243 if a long i would do a 6mm Remington lol.
 
Last edited:
Ive shot a lot of whitetail size game with the .243, and some with my .250AI.

Performance wise I dont think theres a huge amount of difference. The 100gr bullets from the .243 work just as well as the 100s from the .25s, but there ARE heavier options available to the .25 if you want them.
Currently i shoot 115gr Bergers in my .250AI, and kills have always been spectacular.
My wife and i have both shot 100gr factory loads, 95gr ballistic tips, 95gr Bergers, and 100gr SGKs, from the .243. Performance has been solid, tho I would give a slight edge to the .25 with 115bergers, over the .243 95s, if that maters.

Cost wise the .243 will be cheaper, even with handloads. I considered the AI variant of the Bob, for my t99 build, but cost was higher than the 6.5-284 I ended up going with.
Dies and bullets for the standard bob arnt that much more, but cases can be hard to find and expensive.

Launcher wise, there are a lot more options for the .243. THAT would most likely be the deciding factor for me. The Bob is available in some very nice rifles tho, and as long as you can find one you like, I think the Bob is an excellent option.
 
That's a hard one. I would rate them both top shelf in the performance department. If you have a classic nostalgia appreciation, the Roberts is the easy choice. I would pick a rifle with classic lines, great wood and a solid scope regardless of your choice.
 
For what you want to do, at the ranges you want to shoot flip a coin. But the 243 is the better option if you base the decision on performance. Especially if you choose a rifle with faster twist that will shoot heavier bullets. It is a much more versatile round with much better bullet options.

If nostalgia is more important the 257 will do the job too.
 
Either will work fine with similar recoil as long as the rifles weigh the same. I bought a Kimber Hunter in 257 Rob thinking that it would be perfect. The recoil was pretty sharp. Now, I am not recoil sensitive. My go to gun is a 6 1/4lb Savage in 300WSM, but that 5 3/4 lb Kimber was not comfortable to shoot. If you don't reload consider the 243.
 
100gr 243 is about the most ideal deer cartridge available IMO. It'll give you the same point-blank range as your 270 with kick about like a 30-30.

I carry one - never found anything to shoot with it because I'm not exactly the world's most serious hunter, but my hunting buddies have shot 2 deer with 243s while I was with them. Both shots were somewhere between 200 and 300 yards and both deer were DRT.
 
Last edited:
I'd opt for the .243. And if I wanted something bigger, I'd go with a 6.5 Creedmoor over a .257 Roberts. Hard to beat available ammo selection for the .243 and 6.5 Creed.
 
1. Do you handload?
2. Are you looking for a factory rifle instead of having something built/rebarreled?

If you're answer to 1 is No or 2 is Yes, then go with the .243. Factory ammo is less available and less varied for the .257, and there are far fewer rifles made new in it, so you're either going to be limited in selection or have to rebarrel a gun in it.

Granted, I do have a .257 and have yet to get a .243, but I was specifically looking for something "classy" when I had the .257 built, rather than being focused on performance (to be honest I've never even taken the .257 out hunting - I'm using a 7mm-08 in the field right now).
 
Have you looked into 6.5 Grendel or 6.8spc ,both are pretty soft shooting from a bolt rifle ,have plenty of bullet weights and are flat shooting. Otherwise 243 based on the Walmart test.
 
Thank you for the quick and helpful comments. I expect to use factory cartridges. I do reload for cowboy action shooting, but simply do not burn enough deer rifle ammo to justify reloading for my hunting rifle. There have been years in which the only .270 round I fired went into the deer!

You all have provided much food for thought.
 
As much as I have liked the idea of a custom Mauser/Bob, here's another vote for original .243Win. for several reasons already mentioned. My experience is also that Winchester factory-loaded 100gr PowerPoints will put down a big deer.

Another thing... if you sight-in with American-made ammo, don't expect to throw in a European spec load and run with it. My sights were zeroed for Win. 100gr and, this one time, I tried some S&B 100gr (hotter load) on a tennis ball about 100yds out... S&B hit about 3' high.
 
Last edited:
6.5x55
Or
6.5 Grendel (would work fine for your purposes)

Of the two listed...the Bob. I have a soft spot in my heart for the increasingly forgotten round.

Seriously, though... Get a Swede!
 
Never used the 257, but I love my 243, its performance (never let me down on white tail) and ammo availability. Mine is a wally world 700 in a Boyd's laminated stock with a bushnell banner, using winchester 100 grain power points.
 
No experience with the 257 rob but quite a bit of experience with the 243 , I shoot mainly 100 gr nosler partitions and have never had an issue with white tail and similar sized game I wouldn't push it any further then that . An other option you have espically at the ranges you plan on hunting is why not just a reduced load in your 270? A 130 or 150 going along at 2500-2700 fps with a good cup and core bullet like a sierra game king will do everything you need at lower velocities and just about as lite recoil without changing rifles or you could add a muzzle brake although I don't care for them due to increased noise and blast they do reduce recoil well espically on the faster cartridges like a 270
 
You didn’t say what 270 you have been using but if you like it, you might try something like a Browning BAR in 270.

I have a 300 WM BAR the has less felt recoil than a 30-06 bolt gun.

There are also recoiled reducers and many different recoil pads/sleds that all but remove recoil as an issue for sighting in and if what you have been using is almost always one shot kills hunting, I think your shoulder will be fine.
 
You didn’t say what 270 you have been using but if you like it, you might try something like a Browning BAR in 270.

I have a 300 WM BAR the has less felt recoil than a 30-06 bolt gun.
Very good point for all we no it could be a an older 270 with a steel but plate and a stock with a lower comb
 
I picked the 257 Roberts - 75gr HP for smaller/lighter game and range use, and 115gr-120gr for bigger stuff. I appreciate that range of weights and uses.

if I need smaller/lighter/cheaper, I'll shoot 223 (or 22-250 on a lark). If I need bigger, I'll shoot 308 or 30-06. .
 
Admittedly I’m biased.
Having shot, and lost, a goodly number of deer with the .243, I’ll venture there is a considerable difference between the .243 and .257Roberts, but NOT with most available FACTORY ammo. My current kill count with the “Bob” is over 100 deer ranging from 70lb yearlings to the largest buck I’ve ever killed (over 250lbs) closer to 200, if I add in the .25-36Marlin and .257wbymag.

Several reasons:
1. To quote writer John Barsness, most Factory .257Robt. is loaded to the pressure levels of a “burrito fart”. Think U.S. manufactured 8x57 Mauser. Weak!
My handloads almost exactly match those of J.B.’s, though we were doing the same things at the same time over a 1,000miles apart.
2. Again, to quote an article by J.B. in HANDLOADER a number of years back on conventional cup-and-core bullets, there is a significant difference in the friction/tension of the jacket to core fit with the larger .257” bullets. His observations closely match my experience.
Simply put, the .257 with similar weight bullets at similar pressures kills better than the .243. No surprise, really.

But here’s the twist; because of current dearth of brass for the .257, a new shooter will have difficulty getting into loading the .257.
There is a abundance of .243 ammo and components. Very slight advantage to .243.

But, personally, If you reload; get some 100-120gr bullets for your .270, and some H4895 and load 40-45gr to get 2,800-3,000fps. This will give recoil identical to a.243/.257 but kills just as good as your current.270 loads. If you don’t reload, Remington makes an excellent “Reduced Recoil” load that will tame your .270.
But really? The whole deal about the .270 is it recoils less than the ‘06. I don’t find the .270 to recoil that much more than a .243/.257.
If recoil is that big of a deal, I suggest a good .223 with a fast twist barrel and a 60-70gr soft point bullet. I actually have had better on-game performance from the .22’s than the .243. The Ruger American Predator in .223 w1/9” twist with the Hornady 60gr Spt comes to mind. The deer in my avatar fell to a Hornady 60gr Spt (MidwayUSA blem!) at ~2,900fps Christmas Day ‘17 fired from my Rem Mod-7. Shot it out my kitchen window at a lased 141yds.
Most important is 1. Shot placement 2. Shot placement 3. Shot placement. If recoil reduction helps, do it! How, is your decision.
But, I suspect you are just trying to justify a new rifle. BTDT!
 
Last edited:
I've shot a pile of deer and one BIG blk. bear with my .243, starting out back in the 70's... And, like I've said before, my 243 became a REAL deer rifle when I switched to 100NP's!

That's the first bullet that gave me the "fast expansion and excellent penetration" that I MUCH prefer to have from my big game hunting rifles.

DM
 
I had shoulder surgery in May and was not inclined to shoot my Rem 700 BDL .270. It kicks like a mule. So used my Rem 700 CDL .243 and had a whitetail on the ground at 8:00am opening day...don't even remember the recoil. So your plan to shoot .243 instead of .270 will certainly work. I have no experience with .257 Roberts, but this narrative has encouraged me to try some reloading solutions for my problem. I was considering selling the .270 and all the reloading stuff that goes with it, but now may have some other solutions..
 
Also, it may be worth considering some reduced recoil loads for your 270 rather than buying a whole new gun. 270 and 243 really are pretty similar - 130gr @ 3000 FPS vs 100gr @ 3000 FPS - so the reduced 270 loads that use a smaller bullet might get you to the same spot at the 243 while sticking with a rifle you're already comfortable with. I don't know the specifics of it but food for thought.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top