Hi all, It's been a while (6 years in fact) but I really haven't had much to say, I still have my beloved .257 roberts, shot plenty of deer with it, but I recently made a new purchase: a 7 mm weatherby mag. kind of an odd purchase for me but I was kind of talked into it by a friend. I was worried about the amount of freebore but I bit the bullet (no pun intended) and I'm now the proud owner of a new Cooper Excalibur in 7mm wthby mag. Here are some of my first takes on it:

Pros:
1. Gun is ss, fluted 26" barrel (1:9" twist), synthetic green/blk web stock, 1.5lb trigger. Solid gun, well made. Nice looking gun (imo), beautiful guns have wood stocks (imo).

2. Shot factory 160 gr. Nobler Partition ~1" 3 shot group and factory 150 gr. Ballistic tip ~ 0.7" 3 shot group. Quite happy with that.

3. Recoil isn't as bad as I thought, it ain't no .257 roberts but the design and weight probably help a bit.

Cons:

1. Gun is pricey, $2400.

2. Ammo is limited and ridiculously expensive - $80 for the 160r and $78 for the 150 gr Time to reload.

3. Gun is a bit of a tank, 9.2 lbs with scope.

So all in all, I'm happy with my purchase and thought I would share, also would recommend a Cooper and the shop I bought it from (don't know the rules about that but if allowed I'll post them in a reply). Hope everyone has/had a good holiday season.