.257 wby mag suitable for moose/elk?

hunter-4-life

hunter-4-life

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What do you guys figure? Is the 257 Roy suitable for moose/elk? I've always had a thing for the 257 and am thinking it's time to scratch the itch again! I would use it for coyotes to mulies, and the odd moose or elk in there (every 4-5 years). I know it's flatter, faster and hits harder then a 270 but I'm just concerned that the light weight bullets of the 257 will be a little too light. What's your guys opinions?

I will start handloading in the next year or so probably
 
So like a 120 gr Barnes ttsx or a Nosler (sorry autocorrect on my phone kicked in) partition comin out at 3300 fps will do the trick? Is the price of ammo/reloading components worth it?
 
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hunter-4-life said:
So like a 120 gr Barnes ttsx or a Moslem partition comin out at 3300 fps will do the trick? Is the price of ammo/reloading components worth it?
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When you think about it a .270 Win has a 130 grain going 3050 on a good day. Compared to that a 120 going 250 fps faster with a measly little 10 grains less bullet is looking pretty good. There isn't much that I wouldn't shoot with a .270. If you go the TSX route, 100 grains is lots. Field results are starting to trickle in on the 80 grain TTSX, nobody ever seems to find a bullet that stayed In their very dead critters.

Handloading premium bullets for hunting ammo is one of the cases where there is considerable cost savings to be had.
 
Dogleg - full power loads with the .270 and 130gr bullet do a bit better than 3050fps. But I was going to say that you can just consider the .257 Wby as a much less efficient and very slightly less effective .270 Win. :)
 
Like basically what im looking for is something that wil level coyotes and deer from about 0-300 yards and be able to efficiently take a moose at 200 all while having next to 0 drop. I know the 270 is flat dont get me wrong but the 257 wby is just that much more
 
hunter-4-life said:
Like basically what im looking for is something that wil level coyotes and deer from about 0-300 yards and be able to efficiently take a moose at 200 all while having next to 0 drop. I know the 270 is flat dont get me wrong but the 257 wby is just that much more
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I've owned and hunted with both and was pleased with both. There isn't really much between the two between 0-300 yards. If I were to give either a go again I would give the nod to the .270 Win, and if I wanted super flat shooting I'd try the 110gr TTSX at +3400fps, the 85gr TSX at 3900fps or the 95gr TTSX at 3700fps. But that wasn't your question, was it? ;)
 
1899 said:
Dogleg - full power loads with the .270 and 130gr bullet do a bit better than 3050fps. But I was going to say that you can just consider the .257 Wby as a much less efficient and very slightly less effective .270 Win. :)
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Some are going faster, and some are only going 2900.(Boomer's primer test had them going 2820-2850 fps with 60 grains of H4831) I wouldn't say the .257 is less effective, everything I've seen would indicate the opposite at least on deer sized game. As far as less being less efficient my .257 loads cost me a nickel more for powder per shot than my .270 and I make that back on the bullets.
 
Dogleg said:
Some are going faster, and some are only going 2900.(Boomer's primer test had them going 2820-2850 fps with 60 grains of H4831) I wouldn't say the .257 is less effective, everything I've seen would indicate the opposite at least on deer sized game. As far as less being less efficient my .257 loads cost me a nickel more for powder per shot than my .270 and I make that back on the bullets.
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The smiley face means I am just messing around. :)

I honestly haven't been able to tell the difference between the two on deer sized game. Sometimes deer just drop right there, sometimes they run a short distance, who knows?
 
My wife uses a 25-06 and its deadly on elk or anything out past 200 yards. Just make sure you have a clean shot. The 25 cals kill way better than most people are willing to think. I have not had a chance to knock down a moose or elk with my 257 wby yet, but would not feel undergunned with a good quality bullet like a nosler partition.
 
I dropped a 300 lb bear with a 25/06 at 80 yards. No exit. Shot behind the shoulder slightly high to avoid a twig. Aimed for the off shoulder. 120gr Winchester cxp2 bullet ripped a massive hole smashing 5 ribs going in. Broke the spine and liquefied the lungs and took a 1/3 of the heart with it. I've never seen so much blood shot jelloed meat. The 257 wby is faster. It will work if the bullet makes it to the vitals
 
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