North Texan

Quote:

.257 Weathebry mag with 110 accubonds or 100 grain partitions

handloader1

.257 Wby. Mag. with a 100 gr. Barnes XLC BT,TSX BT, or 115 gr. Barnes TSX FB. With a bullet traveling that fast it has tobe built with great integrity. Good luck.

Duckbutter48

Im trying to ask this without being a smart-A but why when someone posts a question saying which one do you guys like better A or B. Alot of people cant wait to jump in with answers C-J.

He only asked about 2 dif calibers and a couple of bullets. A 30-06 or 270 isnt one of the answers.

I dont mean this like Im talking down or being mean, Pleasedont get upset about this.Im just wondering why alot of questions that are asked hereare completely changed around from what someone wanted to know. If its just that people want to give the most amounts of opinions thats great but I dont think telling him about a 30-06 is what he needs to help him decide between the 2 guns.

bigiron

[quote]ORIGINAL: Duckbutter48

Im trying to ask this without being a smart-A but why when someone posts a question saying which one do you guys like better A or B. Alot of people cant wait to jump in with answers C-J. [quote]

Yeah I was thinking the same thing people always got to throw in the

30-06, 270, 280, 25-06 which not one of these come close to the ballistics of the 257 weatherby zeroed at 300 (2.7" high at 100) it only drops 21.5 inches at 500 yards and still retains 1419 ft-lbs of energy with the 115 grain ballistic tip so far better then any caliber mentioned.jmo

TomFromTheShade

I would go with the 7mm rifle. The 7mm is much more versatile and could be used for all deer sized game including pronghorn, whitetails, mulies etc, and it still has enough balls for elk, moose, and bears. It is a very good round.

Duckbutter48

Tom thats what I mean. Its not a question of what rifle is better for everything. Its for long shots on mule deer thats all he wants to know which is best between the 2 guns. Obviously youare knowledgableon guns but I think he'd ratherhave your knowledge to answer his question.

Im not trying to be smart just seems like people dont just answer the question someone is asking.

skeeter 7MM

DB, I agree. However my thoughts are if a poster is looking for to the point info he or she should at least qualify their post or intentions with some facts/information. We are all assuming wide open means 400 plus yards, which in this case the 257 wby. is the clear choice for this application. HoweverI live in an area where 500 yard shots could be regular in most regions, yet very few consider this when picking their poison. A shot of this nature for the vast majority would be nothing more than a hope n' prayer in the saskatchewan prairie's. So to suggest the flattest really would be a bit premature to a hunter that really doesn't need or will harness that requirement.

To the question though. 300ish range or in the 7mm rem mag would work just fine. I also would look to a BT bullet if range shooting is in the equation on deer sized game. If the hunter is buying a new rifle this choice would give some future options for bigger game. But only assuming they never already owned a capable firearm such as 308 caliber, for example.

As mentioned for the 300 plus range the 257 wby. is a great choice for deer sized game. As far as bullets either will work just fine for any mule deer you encounter. So being accuracy is of prime concern when considering which load to use for distance shooting, go with accuracy! If the poster already owns a capable multi species rifle like 3006, etc then buying a 257 wby would add some choice to the cabinet for the likes of deer sized animals.So going this route (if they reload), makes complete sense to me.

Now if the poster is looking for a new rifle that would serve the purpose of flat shooting for longer range 300 plusbut also lend itself to future large game hunts ie: elk or moose then I would suggest considering the 7mm STW. Again assuming they don't already own a capable large game rifle.

Of course it is possible the poster actually owns or has access to either one of these rifles which again changes the response IMO. If this is the case then I would suggest picking the one that is best suited for you personally. Factor in which rifle gives you the most confidence (ie: fits best, shoots best, etc) and which set up meets the expected requirement of the hunt. Then go hunting, cuz either one will get the job done on a Mulie!

So my advice is fill in some of the blanks andthen I know you'll get more to the point responses.

Best of Luck!!!!

James B

I have hunted the prairies for 49 years for mule deer. Only once in all of those years did I find myself taking a shot over 300 yards. I one time finished a wounded mulie at about 425 yards. I never would have tried that shot under any other circumstances. Most rifles do not have much left at 500 plus yards let alone the hunter ability to get any kind of shot placement. If you have any hunting ability you should seldom need to try shots past 400 yards which is also to far. To many things come into play at that range, most of which you can't practice for like swirleling winds, elevetion, up or downhill angles. There are a few hunters who can pull this off but its darn few.

Many rifles will do the job you require including the ones you mentioned but there is no substitution for getting close enough not to need to push the ability of the hunter or the weapon.

TerryM

Kinda hard to argue with that. The reality is under 300 yds most rounds are so close its hair splitten really. The 7mm mag is a more versatile round in that its also suited to elk and moose but likely won't do anything to a deer sized animal that a .257 WBY couldn't.

Zeak

I would choose the 7mm Rem over the 257 Weatherby. My brother has a 7mm STW and shot a big whitetail a few years back with a 120gr. bullet at 350 yds. He gave it to me because I didn't get one that year. It did so much damage to the deer, and I wish I hadn't taken it. My cal of choice is the 270 win. Zeak