Weatherby 257 magnum
- Thread starter Hoppy-tn
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rabid wombat
Member
@Hoppy-tn, First, welcome to the forum!
I do not have a 257 Weatherby, but it has a reputation as a killer. What I have read, it was Roy Weatherby’s favorite round. That said, my wife shoots a 257 AI. The 257 AI slays deer. The Weatherby is a bigger case, and a faster round...it will work, if you do your part! Others like @LoonWulf, @Nature Boy, @troy fairweather should chime in
I do not have a 257 Weatherby, but it has a reputation as a killer. What I have read, it was Roy Weatherby’s favorite round. That said, my wife shoots a 257 AI. The 257 AI slays deer. The Weatherby is a bigger case, and a faster round...it will work, if you do your part! Others like @LoonWulf, @Nature Boy, @troy fairweather should chime in
troy fairweather
Member
If I was going with a weatherby I'd go 257 or 7mm. Both have way more powder then the 270 and 6.5cm. The 257wb is on of the flattest round out to 400-500 yards. Ammo cost will bite you if you don't reload.
WisBorn
Contributing Member
@Hoppy-tn welcome to the group.
I think you have made an excellent choice in a rifle with the meateater addition. I don't have a 257 Weatherby, but have owned a couple of 25-06 Remington rifles and they worked very well on whitetails. The extra velocity of the 257 Weatherby will just make it a little better
My favorite rifle is my Weatherby Mark V ultra lightweight.
Good luck with your search!
I think you have made an excellent choice in a rifle with the meateater addition. I don't have a 257 Weatherby, but have owned a couple of 25-06 Remington rifles and they worked very well on whitetails. The extra velocity of the 257 Weatherby will just make it a little better
My favorite rifle is my Weatherby Mark V ultra lightweight.
Good luck with your search!
This thread has a good discussion about the 257 WBY in relation to some of the other similar cartridges primarily the 6.5's.
https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/257-weatherby-vs-6-5-300-weatherby.883982/
I happen to have a stash of 257 diameter bullets and I've been seriously considering either a 25-06 or 257 weatherby magnum. I had a 250 Savage Ackley Improved I found it to be a wonderful little cartridge.
I would have no problem owning any of its larger siblings also.
https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/257-weatherby-vs-6-5-300-weatherby.883982/
I happen to have a stash of 257 diameter bullets and I've been seriously considering either a 25-06 or 257 weatherby magnum. I had a 250 Savage Ackley Improved I found it to be a wonderful little cartridge.
I would have no problem owning any of its larger siblings also.
Thanks for the advice. I don’t do much shooting. I buy a gun put a scope on it, sight it in, and that’s it unless I hunt with it. I have always hunted with a browning 7 mag and dropped every deer I shot with it. a couple years ago the wife said I could start buying more guns so I bought a 270 and the first deer I shot had to be shot 3 times before it finally feel to the ground for its last time. Next I bought a 6.5 creedmoor and just bought a 300 mag a month ago but have never hunted with eithier. Last week we were at sportsman warehouse and the wife saw the meateater addition and said,,,that’s a pretty gun,, you want to buy one 
Of course I said yes, they have a 257magnum and 6.5 in stock so was thinking about the 257 since I don’t have that caliber.
Of course I said yes, they have a 257magnum and 6.5 in stock so was thinking about the 257 since I don’t have that caliber.
WisBorn
Contributing Member
Which model of Browning 7mm do you have?Thanks for the advice. I don’t do much shooting. I buy a gun put a scope on it, sight it in, and that’s it unless I hunt with it. I have always hunted with a browning 7 mag and dropped every deer I shot with it. a couple years ago the wife said I could start buying more guns so I bought a 270 and the first deer I shot had to be shot 3 times before it finally feel to the ground for its last time. Next I bought a 6.5 creedmoor and just bought a 300 mag a month ago but have never hunted with eithier. Last week we were at sportsman warehouse and the wife saw the meateater addition and said,,,that’s a pretty gun,, you want to buy one
Of course I said yes, they have a 257magnum and 6.5 in stock so was thinking about the 257 since I don’t have that caliber.
Stainless a bolt stalker 7 mag,had it for about 20 years. Only hunting gun I had. About 4 years ago after you took 3 or 4 shots the bolt would not open and unload.had to let it cool down before it would eject the shell. I had gunsmiths look at it,work on it and it still does it everytime so wife said I could buy a gun to replace it and the browning hells canyon speed 270 was the next gun I bought. Love the gun but as I said earlier I was not happy with the first deer I killed with it so the search continues for my deer hunting gun. Bought the 6.5 creedmoor just to buy it, bought the 300 mag last month but haven’t got my scope for it yet to try it out, then the wife saw the weatherby meat eaters so now I get another gun, surely between the 300 and what ever I buy in the weatherby I can find my new deer hunting rifle, of course the wife doesn’t need to know that
Captcurt
Member
I had a Vanguard in 257 WM. It shot well, spitting a 100gr at around 3500fps. I bought the Weatherby ammo with 100gr Norma bullets for $32 wholesale. (I can still get it for $35). The loaded ammo was cheaper than unprimed brass. Shot all of that up sighting-in and reloaded them with 110gr Accubonds. Shot 2 whitetails with that load neither of which took another step.
I checked my book for bullet drop. A 130gr out of a 270 was 14" low at 400 yards when sighted-in 3" high at 100 yards. With the same sight-in the Weatherby is down 7". Now that is pretty flat.
Grumulkin
Member
I have experience with the 257 Weatherby. Accuracy in mine is excellent. It is a good deer hunting gun.
I have no experience with the 6.5 Creedmore. The 257 Weatherby has more velocity and range than the 270 Winchester. You do know there is such a thing as a 270 Weatherby Magnum?
I am not in the least trying to dissuade you from getting a 257 Weatherby but you should know that it will take more powder than the 270 Winchester and brass will be more expensive and maybe harder to get. The 270 Winchester is plenty for the ranges at which deer are usually shot.
WisBorn
Contributing Member
@Hoppy-tn you have my wheels turning on why the bolt is not opening up on your Stainless Stalker after 3-4 rounds? That's not a lot of heat at that point.
Never sent in a Browning so I'm not sure how there warranty is.
I had a A-Bolt Stainless Stalker in 300 win mag great gun just traided it on something else.
@LoonWulf shot the barrel out on a A-Bolt 7mm and replaced the barrel making it a 375 Ruger.
Not that I don't think you should get as new Weatherby, just want to see your Browning still shooting an occasional deer!
FYI you will find that the THR is the biggest bunch of ENABLERS out there.
Never sent in a Browning so I'm not sure how there warranty is.
I had a A-Bolt Stainless Stalker in 300 win mag great gun just traided it on something else.
@LoonWulf shot the barrel out on a A-Bolt 7mm and replaced the barrel making it a 375 Ruger.
Not that I don't think you should get as new Weatherby, just want to see your Browning still shooting an occasional deer!
FYI you will find that the THR is the biggest bunch of ENABLERS out there.
That actually reminded me to ask, as i was wondering.
Is it that you cant lift the bolt handle? Or cant get the bolt to retract.
Can’t get the bolt to retract.If I remember right after the 3 rd shot you have to hit it hard with your hand to open it. If you shoot it a 4th shot you can forget opening the bolt until it cools down.
After the 3rd shot you can clean the barrel out and it will shoot fine for another 3 shots.
I rarely shoot it over 3 times unless I am shooting milk jugs for fun. was a good excuse to talk the wife into letting me buy a new rifle so worked out good for me. That gun is very accurate though. I am left handed so it is a left handed version with the boss system on it.
After the 3rd shot you can clean the barrel out and it will shoot fine for another 3 shots.
I rarely shoot it over 3 times unless I am shooting milk jugs for fun. was a good excuse to talk the wife into letting me buy a new rifle so worked out good for me. That gun is very accurate though. I am left handed so it is a left handed version with the boss system on it.
troy fairweather
Member
Sounds like a throat problem, maybe carbon is built up.
That sounds like a definite possibility especially if the throat area hasn't been scrubbed properly in a while. Most of my not quite 100% loads for my 7mm get a bunch of carbon blown back around the necks before they seal up.
The other possibility I see is that there's rust or pitting in the chamber and cases are staying hot enough to stay stuck to it.
Are there any scratches on your cases when you do get them out?
Arkansas Paul
Member
No personal experience with it but it should be pure poison on whitetails.
One thing I would really think about though is bullet construction. Use a good, controlled expansion bullet. As fast as the big Weatherby is, bullets like ballistic tips are going to hit and come apart quickly. It will likely cause massive but rather shallow wound channels. It will probably drop them in their tracks most of the time with these bullets, but it's going to wreak havoc on the surrounding tissue.
I'd look into Barnes bullets.
One thing I would really think about though is bullet construction. Use a good, controlled expansion bullet. As fast as the big Weatherby is, bullets like ballistic tips are going to hit and come apart quickly. It will likely cause massive but rather shallow wound channels. It will probably drop them in their tracks most of the time with these bullets, but it's going to wreak havoc on the surrounding tissue.
I'd look into Barnes bullets.
Captcurt
Member
You might check your case lengths if you load your own. A combination of carbon buildup and cases that are over max length could cause it.
rabid wombat
Member
From Chuck Hawks: https://www.chuckhawks.com/25caliber_cartridges.htm
“257 Weatherby Magnum
The .257 Weatherby Magnum is the Queen of the .25 caliber cartridges. If you are considering the purchase of an ultra-long range rifle, take a very close look at the .257 Weatherby Magnum. This is one of Roy Weatherby's most useful creations, and arguably the best of all the ultra-long range cartridges. It will take medium size game such as deer, sheep, goats, and antelope essentially as far as they can be hit. It has adequate killing power for use on big 400 pound animals to about 280 yards, and heavy 600 pound beasts to beyond 100 yards, making it suitable for mixed bag hunts. It has also been used extensively on African plains game, where it has a good record.
The .257 Weatherby is a standard length magnum based on a shortened and blown out .300 H&H case, as are the .264 Winchester Magnum and .270 Weatherby Magnum. Like other standard length magnum cartridges, it is designed to work in .30-06 length actions.
Weatherby, Norma, and Federal factory loads offer 87, 100, 115, 117, and 120 grain bullets at velocities ranging from 3825 fps to 3150 fps. The Weatherby factory load for the excellent 120 grain Nosler Partition spitzer bullet leaves the barrel at a MV of 3305 fps with ME of 2910 ft. lbs. The "Rifle Trajectory Table" shows that this load has a MPBR of 317 yards. The Weatherby factory load for the Hornady 100 grain spire point bullet has a MV of 3602 fps and ME of 2881 ft. lbs. The MPBR is 337 yards. These are extremely high numbers.
Using bullets of equal sectional density the .257 Weatherby Magnum can more than hold its own as an ultra-long range cartridge when compared to the .270 Weatherby Magnum, and it beats the .270 WSM. Ditto the .264 Winchester Magnum and 6.5x68.
Measured in typical rifles for which each are normally chambered, the .257 Weatherby also kicks noticeably less than all of the other ultra-long range cartridges except the .240 Weatherby Magnum (which cannot compare in killing power). The bottom line is that the .257 Weatherby Magnum is perhaps the ultimate ultra-long range medium game cartridge.”
“257 Weatherby Magnum
The .257 Weatherby Magnum is the Queen of the .25 caliber cartridges. If you are considering the purchase of an ultra-long range rifle, take a very close look at the .257 Weatherby Magnum. This is one of Roy Weatherby's most useful creations, and arguably the best of all the ultra-long range cartridges. It will take medium size game such as deer, sheep, goats, and antelope essentially as far as they can be hit. It has adequate killing power for use on big 400 pound animals to about 280 yards, and heavy 600 pound beasts to beyond 100 yards, making it suitable for mixed bag hunts. It has also been used extensively on African plains game, where it has a good record.
The .257 Weatherby is a standard length magnum based on a shortened and blown out .300 H&H case, as are the .264 Winchester Magnum and .270 Weatherby Magnum. Like other standard length magnum cartridges, it is designed to work in .30-06 length actions.
Weatherby, Norma, and Federal factory loads offer 87, 100, 115, 117, and 120 grain bullets at velocities ranging from 3825 fps to 3150 fps. The Weatherby factory load for the excellent 120 grain Nosler Partition spitzer bullet leaves the barrel at a MV of 3305 fps with ME of 2910 ft. lbs. The "Rifle Trajectory Table" shows that this load has a MPBR of 317 yards. The Weatherby factory load for the Hornady 100 grain spire point bullet has a MV of 3602 fps and ME of 2881 ft. lbs. The MPBR is 337 yards. These are extremely high numbers.
Using bullets of equal sectional density the .257 Weatherby Magnum can more than hold its own as an ultra-long range cartridge when compared to the .270 Weatherby Magnum, and it beats the .270 WSM. Ditto the .264 Winchester Magnum and 6.5x68.
Measured in typical rifles for which each are normally chambered, the .257 Weatherby also kicks noticeably less than all of the other ultra-long range cartridges except the .240 Weatherby Magnum (which cannot compare in killing power). The bottom line is that the .257 Weatherby Magnum is perhaps the ultimate ultra-long range medium game cartridge.”
marksman13
Member
I’ve got a 257 Weatherby Magnum in a Ruger No. 1 and it is an absolute medium game slayer. That said, my 270 Win is a deer killing machine too and those two cartridges wound in a similar manner, light bullets at high speeds. The 6.5 CM is generally throwing a heavier pill at much slower speeds than the 257 WM and is pretty similar to the 270 Win in terms of external ballistics. If you aren’t happy with a 270 Win (which is pretty similar to your 7mm Rem Mag unless you are shooting heavy for caliber bullets), I doubt you will be happy with the 6.5 CM or 257 WM. I’d tell you that having to shoot that deer three times with your 270 Win was likely a fluke. Hard to make real decisions with a sample size of one.
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KsSkaEnthusiast
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If you have plans to hunt then the .257 diameter bullets in a monolithic configuration cooking at about 3500 fps absolutely tear deer up it is a death beam.
High Plains
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I have a Weatherby S2 257 Wby Mag with a 24” barrel. I reload and every bullet weight I tried with it (100, 110, 115, 117, 120) has been a lights-out accurate load. Finally, after missing big deer that haunted me for several years, I took my biggest bodied White tail buck with a100 grain Swift Scirocco II on a 380 yard shot in a snow storm.
The 257 Roy is screaming fast——3,600 ft/sec muzzle velocity, yet with a Bell & Carlson Medalist stock the recoil is nothing more on the shoulder than what you’ll feel from a 270 Win of the same overall weight. That general lack of recoil means you’re not as likely to flinch, plus the muzzle jump is minimal so watching the bullet plow into the target is relatively easy too.
The 257 Roy is screaming fast——3,600 ft/sec muzzle velocity, yet with a Bell & Carlson Medalist stock the recoil is nothing more on the shoulder than what you’ll feel from a 270 Win of the same overall weight. That general lack of recoil means you’re not as likely to flinch, plus the muzzle jump is minimal so watching the bullet plow into the target is relatively easy too.
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