257 Roberts on Elk
- Thread starter OldSavage
- Start date
Seriously guys, I agree that in the hands of a sniper, the .257 would do the job no doubt. But read OldSavage's post. The lady is a newbie. A bull elk gets my heart pumping still after years of hunting. Imagine what that will do to a new shooter. She truly needs a bit more oommfta, just in the event that she isn't able to keep a good aim on it. I imagine it's her first hunt, so buddy (her husband) has plenty of time to get her to the range in preparation, get her shooting some rifles and determine her recoil tolerance. A few more bucks spent on a good recoil pad such as a Limsaver, and maybe a removeable muzzle brake. It depends on what he wants in the end, does he want his future wife to be hooked on hunting or let a bad experience ruin it and never come back again. Could I take an elk with a .257? - yes. Do I choose to do so - no. Should a new shooter even attempt it - no way. That's my two bits.
Well Tod, I tend to go with the objective of the initial post. OldSavage wasnt' looking for a suggestion, but merely asking whether Bob was a good choice. But in light of your suggestion...sure, I'll stick my neck out. Being that I have no experience with the .260rem myself it's out. I do have plenty of experience with the 7-08 as Gatehouse suggested ( at least I think he did, and I do respect his opinion). But, back to me...I do think that elk need to be hit hard and well. They live in country in which they can travel for a long ways. For people like myself, having a saddled up horse doesn't make it too much of a chore to chase them. But for a lady on her first elk hunt, I'd suggest that she should hit them with a bit more, knock it down and get it over with quick. My minimu choice in the case would have to be the venerable 30-06, with a Limbsaver recoil pad and some time at the range. If her to be husband is not willing to spend the time with her at the range, then I suggest that he should take her fishing instead. 
I said 30-06 and I'll stick with that.
I said 30-06 and I'll stick with that.Yes , so is .308 I agree. Let's keep on persepctive here, she doesn't want heavy recoil and most importantly, she is a newbie. She is bound to get "buck fever". So I suggest that a not so good hit with a premium bullet in a not so well placed shot might get the job done. Still though, buddy is concerned about the nice wood that he saw on the . 257. WTF, nice wood ain't going to do the job? I think that time at the range with his lady friend will give him a idea on her tolerance leve and shooting ability.
Personally I have no idea what a sniper has to do with this, but shot placement has as much to do with this as a 180gr TSX does compared to a 115gr TSX. They both have to hit the lungs/heart, or the elk is going to make trail, sniper or no sniper. If the lady is keeping her shots under 200yds, and she practices lots before they go, she'll eat steak with that cartridge just as quickly as she would with a 7mm-08. Muzzle breaks have caused as many flinches as recoil with any new shooter I have seen, also. The whole point is she needs a light recoiling rifle she can practice with and the Bob fits the bill. (And this will cost a dime more than two bits, inflationary Alberta, don'tcha know
)And just to pop the question, how many people here would hunt an elk with a .257 Weatherby? I know a small group of fellas that hunt elk and sheep like it was the antidote with only that cartridge and their dwindling supply of 117gr Nolser Partitons. These guys shoot well out to were the bullet is doing Bob velocities and they eat elk steak often enough to make me a believer.
Personally I would prefer to see the lady shooting a 6.5 with 130gr TSX or 140 Partition, but the Bob will make a deadly hole through lungs out to reasonable ranges. Give'r Hell ma'am, and load a good bullet.
The other thing I am trying to figure out is what people who have seen maybe one elk die, and live in a province with no huntable elk population think they are commenting on? I don't toss opinions out about the best wood chuck or ground hog loads and bullets, cause I can't hunt them. I'd suggest some other people take that advise about animals they have no experience with either.
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X2 for the 7-08 in a model 7 or a hawkeye. My wife is recoil sensitive and can handle it no problem. The other plus with the 7-08 is they shoot pretty flat which will help her out if she has to make a longer shot. As to knock down power the 7-08 knocks a moose down with ease so an elk should fair the same. Just my 2 cents but I would not even consider a roberts for a beginer. Regards.
Personally I have no idea what a sniper has to do with this, but shot placement has as much to do with this as a 180gr TSX does compared to a 115gr TSX. They both have to hit the lungs/heart, or the elk is going to make trail, sniper or no sniper. If the lady is keeping her shots under 200yds, and she practices lots before they go, she'll eat steak with that cartridge just as quickly as she would with a 7mm-08. Muzzle breaks have caused as many flinches as recoil with any new shooter I have seen, also. The whole point is she needs a light recoiling rifle she can practice with and the Bob fits the bill. (And this will cost a dime more than two bits, inflationary Alberta, don'tcha know
And just to pop the question, how many people here would hunt an elk with a .257 Weatherby? I know a small group of fellas that hunt elk and sheep like it was the antidote with only that cartridge and their dwindling supply of 117gr Nolser Partitons. These guys shoot well out to were the bullet is doing Bob velocities and they eat elk steak often enough to make me a believer.
Personally I would prefer to see the lady shooting a 6.5 with 130gr TSX or 140 Partition, but the Bob will make a deadly hole through lungs out to reasonable ranges. Give'r Hell ma'am, and load a good bullet.
The other thing I am trying to figure out is what people who have seen maybe one elk die, and live in a province with no huntable elk population think they are commenting on? I don't toss opinions out about the best wood chuck or ground hog loads and bullets, cause I can't hunt them. I'd suggest some other people take that advise about animals they have no experience with either.
Ok here comes the can of worms.
I'm sure tens of thousands were shot with a 30-30WCF. But why would you use it if there are far better rounds out there, that are a little more forgiving when it comes to bullet placement?
The other thing is that many people READ and get educated by people who hunt for a living. Professionals you might say. I think their opinion is valid and it is a nice gesture for "non-elk hunting territory" people to pass on this knowledge.
How many times have you been published? What is your staus in life that makes your opinion more valid than anyone elses. So far your the only one sayng everyone else doesn't now what they are talking about, but you do. I bow before yeh, oh God of the smiting of Elks.
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- Location
- Saskatchewan
I've killed a bunch of deer, say about 20, with the .257 and 120 nosler partitions. I've killed a dozen elk or so, but all with bigger calibers. Given that the noslers nearly always exited a deer even if shoulder bones were hit, I would use a Bob on elk with good 120 gr. bullets and can in good concience reccommend anyone do so, as long as they have the self dicipline not to take poor shots - rear angling, running, or over 200 yards or so. I had a guy sho up at our elk camp with a .257 and 100 gr. nosler ballistic tips. I refused to let him hunt with that combination, and lent him my .35 whelen. The next most important thing to proper bullet placement is a proper bullet for the job at hand.
HOWEVER if buying a new rifle there is just no reason not to go to a 6.5 or 7mm for a lady beginner. Both my sons use 7mm08's for elk and both made one shot kills.
HOWEVER if buying a new rifle there is just no reason not to go to a 6.5 or 7mm for a lady beginner. Both my sons use 7mm08's for elk and both made one shot kills.
I have swung him back towards the 260 Rem with a back up of 7mm-08. My experience with the 6.5 swede has showed good stopping power with very little felt recoil, this making the 260 Rem a good choice just hard to find.
This specific person is big on the quality of wood and I guess he feels his wife to be would look better with a nice piece of furniture on her new rifle. This is how the whole 257 thing got started.
I have suggested a Model 7 CDL, Tikka, Sako, and Kimber but he seems to be stuck on the old Ruger 77. This rifle will be hers for a weekend and then most likely become his main deer rifle so he is trying to find something they both will like but most likely him. I did find a Ruger 77 in 260 at wholesale sports and am trying to convince him to pick it up.
I guess the next question is how much more recoil would you expect from a 7mm-08 over the 260 Rem?
Thanks for your input guys,
This specific person is big on the quality of wood and I guess he feels his wife to be would look better with a nice piece of furniture on her new rifle. This is how the whole 257 thing got started.
I have suggested a Model 7 CDL, Tikka, Sako, and Kimber but he seems to be stuck on the old Ruger 77. This rifle will be hers for a weekend and then most likely become his main deer rifle so he is trying to find something they both will like but most likely him
. I did find a Ruger 77 in 260 at wholesale sports and am trying to convince him to pick it up. I guess the next question is how much more recoil would you expect from a 7mm-08 over the 260 Rem?
Thanks for your input guys,
I think the 260 would kick more
Cartridge...... (Wb@MV) ......Rifle Weight...... Recoil energy...... Recoil velocity
.260 Rem. .....(120 at 2860)......... 7.5 ..................13.0.................... 10.6
7mm-08 Rem. (140 at 2860)......... 8.0 ...................12.6 ...................10.1
CALIBER......RIFLE WEIGHT.....BULLET WEIGHT......RECOIL VEL....RECOIL ENERGY......RECOIL FACTOR
260.................8..........................140...................10............12.5................125
7-08................8..........................120...................9.9...........12.2..................120.8
260 REM
8
140
10.0
12.5
125
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beretta boy
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Orillia, Ontario
Gee, with all those choices and indecision is he REALLY SURE
he wants to get married ... or even go elk hunting in the first place ???
he wants to get married ... or even go elk hunting in the first place ???
Ok, I'm inclined to go along with rem338 here. The 257 with good bullets, placed in the lungs will kill elk just fine. I have lived in elk country all my life and have shot about 3 dozen of them. The 257 and 6mm Remington accounted for a couple, the rest were shot with 6.5's, 7mm's and 30 cals. If there was any difference in the way the ones shot with the lesser chamberings died, it was not evident to me. Mind you, I have not shot elk with the 6mm and 257 out beyond 160 yards, whereas my 308 Norma mag has tagged a couple at 450+. Sure, there are probably better "Elk" chamberings, but with practice and the ability to hold off until the presentation is right, the 257 Roberts will get the job done. Regards, Eagleye.
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Homesteader
CGN Regular
- Location
- In a Wallow West of Edmonton.
http://wholesalesports.com/onlinest...egory_id=10110001040027/~pcategory=1011000104
There's a nice mountain rifle in 7-08.
There's a nice mountain rifle in 7-08.
you obviously have never fired both cartridges in similar weight rifles. From my experiences shooting both, you'd be hard pressed to notice a difference between a 260 Rem & 7-08, firing 130-140 grain bullets
In the hands of an experienced hunter and shooter? A 257 Roberts will kill an elk, sure.
So will a 22lr.
Neither would be my first choice though. Neither would a 260 or a 7-08.
These are all fine cartridges, no question, and I would feel comfortable shooting an elk with any of the three centerfires, under the correct conditions. But they are not ideal, particularly for a first time hunter.
What I would suggest to your buddy is:
If he wants a 257 Roberts as a deer rifle, that's great, buy it and use it as such.
If he wants an elk rifle for his "small-framed" wife, get her a 308. A Browning micro-hunter or a Remington model seven would be perfect. They are compact, short action rifles that handle well. Otherwise a Tikka hunter wouldn't be a bad choice. Get the wood stocked version of any of them. Put a Limbsaver pad on it, and a scope with good eye relief, like a Leupold VX2. Cheap these days, not much more than Bushnell. Load it with premium bullets like Barnes 168gr TSX. Use good powders at below maximum loads.
BAM!
She's got a rifle that - with care - can take any game in Canada, and do so with user comfort.
So will a 22lr.
Neither would be my first choice though. Neither would a 260 or a 7-08.
These are all fine cartridges, no question, and I would feel comfortable shooting an elk with any of the three centerfires, under the correct conditions. But they are not ideal, particularly for a first time hunter.
What I would suggest to your buddy is:
If he wants a 257 Roberts as a deer rifle, that's great, buy it and use it as such.
If he wants an elk rifle for his "small-framed" wife, get her a 308. A Browning micro-hunter or a Remington model seven would be perfect. They are compact, short action rifles that handle well. Otherwise a Tikka hunter wouldn't be a bad choice. Get the wood stocked version of any of them. Put a Limbsaver pad on it, and a scope with good eye relief, like a Leupold VX2. Cheap these days, not much more than Bushnell. Load it with premium bullets like Barnes 168gr TSX. Use good powders at below maximum loads.
BAM!
She's got a rifle that - with care - can take any game in Canada, and do so with user comfort.
Ok wise guy, read my post again. How many elk have you seen die, cut up or shot, huh? Between mylesf and a few friends I bet we can close into over 100, so go hunt your Niagra elk herd and gain that experience. Oh wait, they don't frickin' exist. And since when do I have to get published to have an educated opinion, guy
? You want published, fine. Jack O'Connor's wife shot a few elk with the Bob and some plain old Speer bullets. Oh and if I remeber correctly Wayne Van Zwoll has a couple articles about shooting cow elk (while guiding) with a 6mm Remington ( a .257 necked down to .243 firing 100gr Partitions), and maybe you might want to look up some old John Haviland articles about using a .243, and a 25-06 to shoot bull elk (all 257 Roberts class cartridges). You want to talk about a reading education. I have over 140kgs of shooting a hunting magazines in my basement that have all been read at least twice. I have nearly every book written by O'Connor, Gates, Keith and Barness, and mixed in I have a few others as well. I can quote ballistics charts for nearly every standardized cartridge used since Custer killed his first indian. And on top of it all, I hunt elk every fall in my back freakin' yard, so ask everyone else what FACTS they are basing their opinion on. About the only person that might be disagreeing with my opinion with the experince required would be Gitrdun, and me and him would likely sit down at a good fir and birch fire and BS eachother about why the other is better over a couple cold Big Rocks. So give your arm chair "book" knowledge a rest Gandalf, and keep your accounts of wisdom applicable to things and places you have been.
Oh and for the record with elk: there is no such thing as a calibre that is forgiving with bullet placement. Either you hit them well or you didn't, an if you didn't they are going to drag your sorry ass through some hard country trying to find them. I have a friend that found that out with a liver shot and a 7mm Remington Magnum.
Nice flare though, glad you could correct me.
I agree, and would never use a soft bullet in any calibre for elk. Maybe Todd would part with his new .338 Fed. for the lady?.......
X2
Anyways, it sounds like you are leading your friend in the right direction fella, and I really hope that their honeymoon is a success on both parts
.
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