Rifle Cartridge Review: 257 Weatherby Magnum 

Hammer makes a 67 gr bullet in 25 caliber. 257 Weatherby owners have gotten 4250 FPS with that bullet.

Take the 257 wby and rebarrel to a faster twist. Hornady 25 cal eld m 134 gr has a big bc. Berger offers a 133 and a 135 gr bullet.

Good stuff

I've always wanted a 257 I've got a 25-06 i get 3400 FPS with i100 GR bullet.

I’m getting 3900fps with a 80gr Barnes ttsx, 3800fps with a speer 100gr spritzer with reloader 22 and 3500fps with a 110 eldx with reloader 25. All sub moa and a 24” barrel

Great review. There’s no doubt the 257 Weatherby is a great deer and pronghorn cartridge. My concern is the effect the wind has on 25 caliber bullets at longer distances. If you’re interested, compare the wind drift at 300 yards for a 120 grain 257 bullet vs a 7MM 140 grain bullets in 15 and 20 mph winds. Believe me, it’s work a look.

Compare it with the 6.5-300 Weatherby

257 Weatherby is your hot, neurotic girlfriend. 300 Win Mag is the wife.

Straight game killers

I'm very convinced a 270 couldn't shoot any bullet in the same grain weight. Pretty spt on otherwise.

257 with 100 grain TTSX Barnes. ❤

I’ve used a 25-06 for years and it’s a nice whitetail deer cartridge. My uncle has a 257 weatherby and it’s definitely a step up. The only thing that would hold me back from the weatherby cartridge is the cost of ammo. From what I’ve seen him shooting at distance out to 600 yards it is definitely fast compared to other cartridges. Happy hunting 👍👍

Nothing really slaps like the 257 Roy. Whitetails crumple up like they were hit by lightning. Love that cartridge!

If people think 257WBY is awesome, I beg those same folks to investigate 30-378WBY which has a maximum point-blank range of OVER 400yds, has enough energy to take elk and moose at over 700yds and deer-sized game at over 1000yds...all with bullet weights of 180grn to 225grn.

I shot a whitetail on my farm in Virginia at maybe 80 yards with a 110 grain bullet and was surprised how the bullet fragmented or exploded throughout the shoulder. The buck traveled maybe 50 yards and the blood trail was unlike any blood trail I have ever seen. I have many rifles and haven’t hunted with it in over a dozen years. Your review has inspired me to get it out of the safe and maybe try 120 grain.

For me , the 257 Weatherby is too much powder for 25 caliber. I've owned a 25-06 . Considered it too much powder for 25 caliber. 257 Roberts would seem about the right balance of powder to bore size. I learned from spending $$ on a custom 40x 6mm Remington Ackley improved. Barrel life does make a difference if you like to shoot a lot. I have a custom 220 Swift that drives tacks . Only did load development with 55gr. Nosler BT. Saving it for hunting only. I get my trigger time fix with 223s and 30-06. I can see for Hunters only for 257 Weatherby Magnum use. Way to expensive for plinking.

You left out the lever gun 25’s that were also popular 25’s. However, the 257 is the king. Some how Speer got their 120 grain SPBT to have a .480 BC vs the .465 BC of the Hornady 110 grain ELD-X that is a little longer.

I had a mk 5 weathermark. Shot a big whitetail buck thru lungs around 75 yds with a 100 gr Hornady interlock. Went maybe 30 yds. I wIsh i still had it. Impressed with the high perfomance with light recoil.

Good stuff. My one and only Weatherby I own. Great white tail and prong horn round. Good video,

257 Wby..what's not to like? 🫤

What is a Working Man’s Ultimate Deer & Antelope Caribou Cartridge is the .264 Win Mag Winchester answer to the .257 Weatherby Mag. And the .264 has a great selection of Bullets. For years in my .264 Win Mag I used a 120gr Nosler BT but a couple years ago I went to a Nosler 130gr AB at 3208FPS. Magnum velocities are hard on bullets.

I make rifle, pressure, velocity barrels and universal receivers. I have experience with almost every cartridge and wildcats. This is one of my favorite. I have 3. Just finished testing 115 Nosler Ballastic Tip, Hodgdon Grand, CCI 250, and Norma Brass. No problem hitting 3,505 fps from 24” barrel. Makes an excellent mountain and plains rifle. I personally favor the 115 combination because I can go from a Ballastic Tip to a Partition with little to no adjustment. I also like the 100 grain Swift Scirocco II at 3,600 fps. I shot a Russian Boar grinning across a field at 437 yards and hit him in the hind quarters with a 115 Ballistic Tip. It took a baseball sized chuck out of him. Stuck the 2nd round thru his heart. I have killed many deer, sheep, and antelope with it. All went down with I shot. My readings indicate that Roy’s favorite combination in Africa was 257, 300, & 378. I agree as long as you can handle the 378. I have the following: 240 Wby Mag. 257 Wby Mag (3 of them) 6.5X300 Wby Mag (2 of them). Phenomenally accurate with a 130 Swift Scirocco II. 5 shot groups in the 1/10 MOA 270 Wby Mag - Wonderful Cartridge. Can push a 130 over 3,500 and a 150 at 3,200. 7mm Wby Mag - one of the most under developed in the market. It really favors Grand and RL 26 with a 155 Federal Terminal Ascent. 24 inch barrel will produce velocities in the 3,265 to 3,315 fps. B.C. Is .586. New Data needs to be provided using modern propellants loaded to 65,000. It will may change performance of a 7mm RUM and will shoot a 175 over 3,000 FPS. 300 Wby Mag (have 2) and 2 300Win Mags. The 300 Wby Mag is my favorite big game cartridge. I like it paired with a 175 Federal Terminal Ascent at 3,285 (24”) or 3,300 + from a 26”. I also like the 180 Partition Spitzer. I never recovered a bullet from either an elk or Oryx because they exit and never had an animal run over 40 yards. 340 Wby Mag (own 2). Similar to the 7mm Wby data need to be developed with new bullets and new propellants pushed to 65,000. I have pushed 225 Partitions to 3,125 with no issue. 210 Swift Scirocco II over 3,200. 378 Wby Mag. Amazing!!! Will shoot a 270 Barnes 270 at 3,140 & 300 grain partition at 3,000 fps. Zero the gun can be a challenge. I have sun 1/4 MOA groups at 200 yards with factory 270 TSX. Definitely, recommend shooting it standing up off stick. 78 to 80 lbs of recoil takes some getting use to.

Called headspace pal a weatherby trademark extra headspace

The 257 Wby is a Great Hunting Cartridge that is accurate enough to surprise but Leave the match shooting up to others. There's not much a 257wby will let walk away...

Ive never seen a deer move again after being shot with the 257 weatherby.

Nice tone, timbre, heritage. Good work! Thanks!

Never loaded for a weatherby cartridge, owned a 300 wby and fixed it up and sold it before i shot it, but you've answered a lot of the free bore questions i had about loading for one. Thinking about buying the 6.5-300 for a flat shooter on deer and antelope here in montana

Awesome round! I heartshot an 8pt whietail at 400+yds (bullseye, 4” holdover). Loaded up the Sierra GameKing 100 (.75moa) the bullet hit a rib, drilled the heart and stopped under the skin of the opposite side. Excellent hunting accuracy, at 100m would shoot .50”.

Should have made a 6.5 and there is no need for the 257wby or 270wby.

You recommend the 257 in a 26” barrel, so if performance may be lacking in a 22” barrel, what do you recommend?

I live just a few miles from where Roy Weatherby grew up here in central Kansas. I’ve known several people who grew up with him. One gentleman from our church used to tell me about their youthful adventures together. Sadly those folks have all passed on. Roy’s theory that hydrostatic shock would kill anything instantly regardless of where you hit it have been proven to be pure BS. I still would like to have a Weatherby rifle just to be able to say with pride that I have one. They are wonderful actions even though they’re a push feed design and I’m mostly a Mauser/Winchester controlled round feed guy. The only two of his creations that really interest me are the 270, which was his first, and the 257. I saw a friend take a fair sized deer with one shot at 400 yards with an 87 grain bullet. It was bang flop DRT. I don’t know what particular bullet it was or if it was a hand load or factory ammo. It’s the only 257 Weatherby I’ve ever seen and my friend is the only person I know who hunts with one.

Have used a .257 for years, all one shot kills.....pretty spiffy

That was one great porfessional,honest review, Well done! My goal with any given cartridge is what weight bullet do I want use out of this rifle. I really never care how many different weight bullets the caliber can shoot. So if I want to shoot a 100 grain bullet I have some 243's and 240 WBY Mags to handle that bullet. The 257 I want a 115 gr to 120 gr moving slower to hunt whitetail. I also struggle trying to group High bc boattail bullets out of these slower twist rifles, that was all a waste of time and money and a whole lot of frustration. I did shoot a buck last year with a 117 sst loaded with IMR 4350, I had the bullet going around 3100 fps. The result was less then impressive, I did sight the gun in during a hot summer day and I shot the buck at about 10 degrees. The shot felt very weak, the bullet did pass through and the bullet did nick the heart, in the end it was a clean ethical kill, however I truly believe the powder was cold sensitive it just felt very weak. I recently loaded some 115 BT's with reloader 22 and had some decent groups with that combo, lets see what happens. Again great informative review, thanks for your efforts.

I have a friend.rhat hastaken .oose many times. With a 257. That said he always hunt in the 200 yards range

The Cape buffalo was shot by Roy because it charged the hunters and it’s what Roy was carrying at the time.

I like mine so far but it’s very picky about bullet length. I tend to have to go .01 shorter than the length listed in the reloading book.

I just went to Weatherby’s website to look for ammo and realized they do not sell 120 grain, however they do offer 115 grain. BUT, I had to add my name to the notify me list when stock is available. I do enjoy your thoughts on all things on guns and ammo. Today I’m hunting with a new 7mm-08 rifle. Anxious to see how it performs on Virginia whitetail deer.

I grew up with this cartridge as it was one of my father's favorites. I own one in the .257 Mark V Accumark. For practical hunting distances out to 500 yards, the balance between light recoil and ultralight velocity is hard to beat. With the new heavy bullets coming out and a new barrel it can bring this cartridge renewed life. The 100 grain Barnes TTSX is a great combo in factory settings. I use it for medium game but have seen several elk drop from this cartridge.

I've taken 4 elk and 5 deer using the .257 Wby with no issues. All shots at 400 yds or under using handloaded Barnes 100 gr TTSX. Simply devastating for deer and marginal for elk, relying on common sense to make an ethical shot. With this kind of speed it is Barnes TTSX for me especially for elk, they just plain and simple hold together. I'm running a max load of 75.5 gr of H1000 with a Federal 215 lrm match primer.,( started 2 grs under max) and worked up. I'm getting 1/2 moa in 3 shots, the fourth being another 1/2 in flyer!

I like the 257 wby. Also, like the 25 06 and 25 06AI. I'm just a big fan of 25 caliber. I am a big 300 wby fan. I am running imr 4350 behind a Nosler 125gr bt bullet.

Absolutely an unbelievable rifle round ! Electrocutes anything it hits ! ! Ammo pricey, still cheaper than arrow, lighted nock & broadhead 😂.

Weatherby should re- think their twist rates on the .257, .300, .270, .240, for some of the new bullet offerings. I would like to see a 130gr offering in a monolithic bullet in 25 cal.

Good info on the load. Just picked up the 257 Weatherby Vanguard. Haven't worked loads yet but looking forward.

I have a 6.5-300 weatherby and I love it!

To me, the 257 WBY MAG is the flattest caliber in the market and the reason I started reloading :)

I don’t think they even come in 22 inch….

Great video as always

257 and 270wby. Are bad news