25-06 or 257 Wby?

Wyit76 said:

If I am not mistaken the 257wby will require a magnum bolt face unlike the 25-06. Not the biggest deal but it will add extra cost and work to your rebarrel, possibly a bolt swap. The alternative option is Weatherbys new 25 rpm. Should land firmly in the middle of 25-06 and 257 for velocity but will ultimately be a better long range solution with the faster twist and newer 25 cal bullets coming to market. Plus no goofy double radius shoulder and no useless belt to deal with!

If you are solidly stuck between the 25-06 and 257 I would lean towards the 25-06 because it is an easy button. Personally I don't think I would Ackley it either, most of the smaller bore cartridges are already knocking on over bore and didn't gain a ton from the steeper shoulder and reduced taper. I absolutely would look into a faster twist barrel regardless of the direction you choose. They don't hinder your normal projectiles while still making it possible to shoot newer bullet

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C.W. Richter said:

'Just lay the $ out for the Mark V (You will NOT be disappointed-I owned 2 and called the 1st one "the Cannon." Everything it lined up on at any practical range went straight down...except a huge pig in TX when a gen. 1 nos BT hit its shoulder at ~200 yds.) The below is just an Average, but you can pick up a used 257 (Roberts) AI that performs somewhere between the 25-06 and Wby. I had both and they were amazing, but unless you're going to get a faster twist and use 130ish gr slugs, there's just too much advantage to stepping up to a (big cased) 6.5 for longer range (hunting) shots. Higher SD, BC and larger bullets that deliver more terminal energy. I gave up all my 257s to create a one-of-a-kind 264 WSM which can effectively double the range. Do I miss my 257s? Yes. Especially when 2 hunting friends flash them in my face once annually. LOL Also, if using factory ammo, go with the Wby as it will far outperform the others! Most perform best w/ 100 gr bullets, but with the Wby it's even better performance using 115-120 gr (or better yet 130s w/ the correct bbl.) I'd have probably stuck with the Wby IF the heavier bullets had been available back then...'Love Wby and have owned a pile! You can find used ones at great deals that haven't been shot too much (as the factory ammo. price is way up!) The old SS/Synth black Mark 5 is an 8 lb cannon (great for long shots,) but so is the new Mark V carbon w/ brake! *Get the 6.5-300 if you really want performance on longer shots. Skip the $50 ammo and go for the $100 if not handloading (Wby designs it for 1 gun. It's READY to go.)

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jbirdwell said:

On the Savage if your going from a standard to magnum all you have to change is the bolt head. That's one of it's many advantages.

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C.W. Richter said:

**also shorter time of flight in the Wby makes for greater accuracy at range (less time for effects of wind, etc.) but using the 115 Berger Hunters you're at .490ish BC (.600-.650 in 133-135s but you need a faster twist.) That's why 264 (140-156 gr) makes better sense for long range. (I'd say 160 Woodleighs too-great numbers but they're no long range bullet.) High V, SD, BC. It's what the .338 is ballistically on larger stuff, for smaller stuff. You're done on deer at 500ish w/ a 257 Wby (and that weather better be stellar for that shot-no wind,) but w/ a hot 6.5 you've nearly doubled the effective range (even if you're just shooting targets at 1,000 yds, and they are shooting heavier, better ballistics at 3,300-3,400 fps!) *The large 156 gr Bergers in 6.5 will only shoot 3,050-3,150 fps, but because of their excellent BC/SD they shoot flat, retain V/E and are quite deadly (we've taken deer-antelope-sheep from 450-750 yds no problemo with the proper setup (none cheap factory rigs. Even a Wby Mark V is a factory semi-custom super accurate killer rig. I have no issue with semi-customs with proper mounts, optics, trigger, etc for longer range setups. GL Enjoy Tell us what you do! *I might have bullets (no more .257s) but I'll have to check...

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Axle2010 said:

I never heard of the 256 h&h. I like cartridges that but everybody and their brother has, but i did still manage to end up with 3 of them, so that may be an option.

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'68boy said:

.257 Wby. But why would an ethical hunter even attempt a 550 yd shot on a deer?? It’s not a paper target or a steel plate it’s a living animal. This is the kinda nonsense that fuels the libtard anti-hunters. And understandably so. Get real dude. Just because you CAN do it (sometimes) doesn’t mean you SHOULD do it.

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Mtn_Infantry said:

There are a lot of people out there with the skillset to do this. Many where that 550yd shot isn't unethical, and some where a 1000yd shot isn't.

Conversely I'd argue there are a lot of hunters that a 200yds shot is unethical. There are more people who take 200 and 300 yard shots every year without ever testing their zeros, going purely off the boxes published drop, their BDC reticle, or their CDS turrets. Working in gun stores, I've seen more people than I can count on both hands (each year), who walk in to purchase a gun and a scope, request it be mounted and bore sighted so they can go out and hunt, without ever intending to confirm the zero on paper. Some of them plan to hunt that day or the next day because they got an invite from a friend or a client.

Ethics are something personal to each of us, much like our shooting skills. What you might consider unethical or something you can't do 99.9% of the time, others can and can do it at double that distance or more.

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WAB said:

I’ve always been intrigued with the .257 Wby. Probably the only cartridge ol Roy developed that I would have any interest in.

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quandary said:

I have always felt the same. The only thing with the standard 257 Wby in today's world with modern bullets you are leaving a lot on the table with its short freebore and 1/10 twist barrel. Today if I were to go standard Weatherby in a 257 I'd go with the 257 RPM. But seeing as OP is talking rebarrel I would diffenetly not do a Weatherby cartridge. 25-06AI with a 1/7.5 and extended freebore is the way to go. Better performance than a 25 Creed or the Weatherby factory loads in the 25 RPM.

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Mtn_Infantry said:

There are a lot of people out there with the skillset to do this. Many where that 550yd shot isn't unethical, and some where a 1000yd shot isn't.

Conversely I'd argue there are a lot of hunters that a 200yds shot is unethical. There are more people who take 200 and 300 yard shots every year without ever testing their zeros, going purely off the boxes published drop, their BDC reticle, or their CDS turrets. Working in gun stores, I've seen more people than I can count on both hands (each year), who walk in to purchase a gun and a scope, request it be mounted and bore sighted so they can go out and hunt, without ever intending to confirm the zero on paper. Some of them plan to hunt that day or the next day because they got an invite from a friend or a client.

Ethics are something personal to each of us, much like our shooting skills. What you might consider unethical or something you can't do 99.9% of the time, others can and can do it at double that distance or more.

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Rifleman97 said:

There’s a handful of reamers out there with freebore for the 257 such that the 135 Berger has .020 jump while the boat tail junction lines up with the neck shoulder junction. Combine that with a 1:7 twist barrel and you’ll be off to the races with no fireforming required like with the AI, and still having a muzzle velocity of around 3200fps.

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