Encore28

I have heard Weatherby is going to chamber the .257 WBY Mag in the $450 Vanguard. Anyone hear this??? If true I may have to get one.
Anyone own a .257 WBY Mag?? How is it???
Thanks in advance
Encore28

Vapodog

Encore28, I owned two weatherby .257s at one time. One a MarkV that I just didn't like, and a custom mauser that was truly accurate and fun to shoot.

Both was too heavy however and a lot of powder and a lot of muzzle blast.....

Today both are gone...in their place is a sweet Winchester M-70 featherweight in .257 Roberts that I prefer over either of the weatherbys.

In my opinion, if you want something in the category of the .257 Weatherby, look to the .264 Magnums. They afford you greater flexibility with the 140 grain bullets. The bullets are only .007 different in diameter and with the 100 grain bullets there's no difference in performance.

RedAllison

Enc I'll check tomorrow for sure, havent heard anything in concrete tho. I will assume as is typical of the Vanguard Wby Mags that they will only come with a 24" barrel. The extra 26" helps max out the Wby cartridges. I LOVE the .257 Wby as a result of using friends own guns and the favorable press and downright AWESOME ballistics the lil high flyer turns in. I once had a 25/06 Vanguard that shot like a dream until some gorilla in Membabwe (aka Memphis, TN) decided they wanted it (along with the 4x12x40 Monarch Nikon on it and a sweet lil 22 Marlin I had) worse than I. For the handloader a 24" barreled 25/06 comes close to being a 24" barreled 257 Wby. But if you get a 257 Wby with the proper 26"er and arent afraid to "push the brass" then you can get some dynomite results (pun intended! )

Lovem or leavem,
RA

Drilling-Man

It's true you can get some very good velocities out of Wby cals., useing Wby brass. The reason is, Wby brass is thinner and has more volume. (it's also softer) I've made many Wby cases out of other brands of brass, and never could get that same volume.

Here's the problem. Wby brass when pushed to the limit won't last too long. The first thing that happens is the primer pockets start to loosen up untill they will no longer even hold a primer in. For me, this makes Wby cals very expensive to shoot, unless you are happy with "less" than MAX loads in them. In that case they are no better than non Wby cals..

I've owned several Wby cals and guns over the years. I've also taken a fair amount of game with them, and to me the little extra velocity they give isn't worth the price you have to pay to get it.

I still have a 240 WBY magnum that P.O.Ackley built for me on a Remington action. I don't use it much today, but it does shoot very well, and i have taken Sitka Black Tail deer with it.

BTW, i spent quite a bit of time in Ackleys shop with him long before he passed away. He was a great guy with many interesting stories to tell!!

Wolf killer

I have only owned one Weatherby it was chambered in 257-Weatherby mag. I bought it in the Accumark model. I never could get that rifle to shoot very good. My groups were never consistant, I would always have a flyer. I tried to handload for that rifle with just about every powder & bullet on the market. I tried Weatherby factory ammo. No matter what I shot the rifle never stayed consistant. I checked my rings & bases, I switch scopes & I kept the barrel cool & free of copper fouling. I had other people shoot the rifle, everyone had the same results.
I just finally gave up on the rifle and traded it in on a Remington Chambered in 7mm-08.

Clint.

Wolf killer,
I had exactly the same experience with a Weatherby Mark V in 7mm Weatherby Magnum. It was the poorest shooting rifle I ever owned. A good friend had the same experience with his 270 Weatherby Magnum (Mark V).
I tried all kinds of different combinations of bullets/powders/primers/ cases....to no avail. I finally got rid of it in frustration. For sheer accuracy, I'd rather have a Savage!

Clint

Drilling-Man

The biggest problem with Wby's and accuracy is the bedding. I bedded a lot of them to correct the very problems you are speaking of.
Robert

handloader1

Encore28:

I loged on to the Weatherby site last night, and I could not find any information on Weatherby Vanguard .257 Wby. Mag. if you get a chance call them at 1 (800)227-2023.

I own a Weatherby Mark V Sporter .340 Wby. Mag., and if I do my part, it will shoot .408" groups all day. Good luck.

Encore28

Handloader
It probally will not be on the web page yet-It is supposed to come out in 2004.
I may call them anyway to see if the hype is true.
Thanks
Encore28

elkaddict

I've owned serveral weatherby rifles. Most shot great, one, a 340, shoots fantastic (<1/2")as long as I use weatherby factory ammo. The one rifle I had that did not shoot well was sent back to weatherby for warranty work. They changed the way it was bedded (most rifles come with intentional contact at the end of the stock), and it regularly shot MOA groups. I've had mixed luck with handloading for several weatherbys. Most of the guns I could handload and at least match the factory ammo accuracy and velocity (not so with my 340wby). I've always been able to get them to shoot well if I back the velocity off a bit but what's the point? I am a weatherby fan although I a forced to reluctantly buy factory ammo for 1 of the guns. A 257 has been on my wish list for some time. I just haven't found the right deal. Unless you never intend to shoot anything bigger than deer, I think the 7mm or 300 is a better overall caliber.