Gents,

Had my .250/3000 Ackley Improved out and snapped a few pics. Built by Steve Nelson (Nelson's Custom, Corvallis, OR) it is a functional work of art. With 100 gr. Sierra Match Kings the accuracy is phenomenal AT 600 yards.

The rifle sports a fluted Pac-Nor Super Match barrel and uses a Montana 1999 action (sadly discontinued). If you like the quarter bores this may be the gun/cartridge for you. I highly recommend it...

Wes

Pretty happy with the .257 Wby. Deer appear to have been smitted by god himself. I’d be just as happy with a 257 Roberts to be honest.

Brought it home with every intention to take it out to WY for an Antelope hunt. Not able to get that project off the ground yet.

quote:

Originally posted by reflex/deflex 64:
Pretty happy with the .257 Wby. Deer appear to have been smitted by god himself.

Agreed. Elk don't care for it either. Mine's put a lot of meat in the freezer.

I've got a Ruger No. 1 in .25-06 and it is my favorite rifle. With Winchster 120gr. factory loads I can cover a 3 round group with a dime. Buddy of mine moved out of the country and gave me a case of Remington 90gr. factory ammunition. Living up to the finicky No. 1 reputation, it shoots a 9" pattern with those.

A few months ago I bought a Tikka T3x Roughtech Ember in 243 Win, my second T3x this year. I find as I get older I enjoy a rifle that doesn't hit quite so hard anymore, and which allows me to concentrate on accuracy to a larger degree. I really enjoyed shooting it for what little chance I have had. Unfortunately my local range has been shut down for maintenance for the past several months. On top of all that the Roughtech Ember is an awesome package, great looking, great features and easy on the eyes!

When I was heavily into milsurps I owned a couple of Swede Mausers in 6.5x55, and a 1908 Brazilian Mauser in 7mm Mauser that were great shooters as well, enjoyable and accurate. Intermediate bore rifles present a great shooting experience.

Yes, at one time I had a serious affinity for the quarter bores and at times wax nostalgic about them.

It started with a pre-64 Model 70 Winchester 257 Roberts in the mid-1970's.
I owned a Savage 99 EG in 250 Savage for about a dozen years that loved 87 gr. Speer bullets and killed deer like lighting.
I've had several 257 Ackley Improved (40 degree) rifles-built om a Mark X action, a Remington 700 action and even opened up my Remington 700 Classic to Ackley Improved.
There was a Sako in 25-06 that was a hammer with 115 gr. Partitions; the barrel finally succumbed to too many 85 grain Ballistic Tips driven way too hard.
Played around with a 25/7 Mag.(7mm Rem. Mag cases necked down to .257) back in the late 80's early 90's); it was considered a "poor-man's" 257 Weatherby.
My last quarter bore was a Ruger M77 MK II in 257 Roberts that I purchased new in 2001 and it was recently sold on consignment.

I cannot deny the quarter bore's effectiveness on game; I have taken everything from ground squirrels to a cow elk with one. It never let me down in the field or on the range.

I taught my sons how to shoot and hunt big game with a 257 Roberts and that will always be great memories for me.

As I looked to consolidate the different calibers I load for, the .257 didn't make the cut (neither did the .338, .348, .375 H&H, 405 WCF, 416 Rigby, 404 Jeffery, 45-70, 458 Win & 458 Lott).

Unfortunately, unless you handload, have brass and bullets the quarter-bores will be a challenge to support. There are some respectable factory loads out there for some of them; just not much, if you can even find them.

StarchedCover

This message has been edited. Last edited by: StarchedCover,

It's not technically a .25, but I have a SC-made Model 70 in .243 Win. since 2010 and I just don't see how there is a more perfect whitetail gun that that. I shoot 100gr Partitions through it and everything I shoot dies in short order. Now, would it be what I grab to go on an Alberta whitetail hunt? No. I'd want more beef for a bigger deer and one with greater trophy consequence. Just a bit more margin for error. But for deer under 200 lbs which is 99% of the deer I kill, I love the .243.

I also got my BIL a tang safety Ruger in .257 Roberts and kinda wish I'd just kept it for myself. Got it for a steal and figured I can probably find another since the cartridge is out of the mainstream. Plus, I already have too many deer rifles and my favorite "odd" caliber is 7x57. It's a nice rifle but needs more premium bullet selections and/or handloading. There have been a couple of instances of Core-Loks not punching two holes on a 100lb doe, and that is a non-starter for me.

I'm in the pro Weatherby 257 magnum crowd.
My Weatherby 257 magnum is clothed in a 5 panel lasarmark stock that's almost too gorgeous to take out of the safe, but I do and thoroughly enjoy shooting it.
The price of ammo and barrel erosion worries limits the rounds fired at a range session.
Did I mention how flat it shoots?

I inherited a Savage 99 Takedown in 250-3000, the same one I took my first few deer with when I was young. Even as a little kid I marveled at the rotating magazine and the round indicator hole. It is safely tucked away in the back of the safe as a family heirloom.

I also inherited a .257 Roberts whose chamber is unfortunately trapped in a Remington 760 pump. I've always heard that this cartridge is awesome, but not in this platform that shoots Minute Of Barn. Someday I'll spend the money on a rifle in this chambering just to see what I've been missing all these years.

quote:

Originally posted by YellowJacket:
my favorite "odd" caliber is 7x57.

The "odd" part is how things change, this was one of the most common, most popular cartridges in the world at one point.



I had a .256 Win Mag ever so briefly years ago. Honestly I don't recall ever shooting it, something else caught my eye and it moved on.

I had a .257 Roberts AI T/C Encore pistol come through my hands briefly, I kept it long enough to shoot up all the ammo that came with it. Nice round, not an Encore fan.

I have an old beat Savage 1899 in .250 Savage / .250-3000. Down side being the old slow twist, won't stabilize anything above 87 grains. It needs to see more use. Every hunting season I think it needs to go again, and every year it gets replaced.

I've long been interested in the .25-06 and .257 Weatherby Mag, at least in theory, having no real place to take advantage of it's legs. A couple years ago I did finally get a .25-06, but the rifle itself left me wanting more in the accuracy department. So it got "sold". (remembering now I took the scope off and stuck it away, but still haven't sold it)

Lately I find myself wanting a .25 Souper, for no reason what so ever. It wouldn't do anything for me a .250 Savage or a "Bob" wouldn't, but I've never owned one and generally that's reason enough.

Not a quarterbore but I just ordered a Bartelin 6MM ARC barrel for PRS gas gun.


I have always been enamored with the neat old moderate quarterbores. 250-3000 and 257 Roberts would make an awesome deer gun. I will obtain one someday.