Great for you...that should save you considerable scratch..enough to buy a pretty upscale barrel I'd imagine, let alone some of the other components...trigger, safety..etc
Let us know how the project comes out...I've always wanted a .257 Roberts since my love affair with the 7 X 57 ..... Almost converted an old Japanese 6.5 carbine to 6.5 X 257 but the barrel wasn't worth it.