257 Roberts or 275 Rigby?

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d4dave1

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So like most folks I have some limits to my firearms budget. The good part is I have unlimited storage available and a wife that likes spending money on her toys (woodworking tools) as well so we can be dysfunctional together....lol

I have been eyeing up a 275 Rigby (7x57) in a Ruger RSI and a 257 Roberts in 1RSI. Buying both would push the limits of both my budget and my survivability but I wouldn't mind owning both. Xmas and my birthday are a ways off but I plan to ask for cash donations to help me feed my addiction.

So any words to help me make a choice?
Regards,
Dave​
 
What is the intended use? For stuff like deer it doesn't matter, for larger game the 7x57 gets the nod. You should hand load to get the best out of both. I like them both, but am partial to the 7x57 for the history and proven effectiveness on large game (including by me :) ). In all fairness either one will be nice.
 
Hmmm...major use? That would probably be taking it out of the safe and admiring it carefully while parading it in front of my drooling son and sons in law and coercing promises from each of them so they might be considered favourably in my will....lol

After that... punching holes in paper, carrying for security on our nature walks, shooting coyotes, throwing behind the seat of my tractor for the summer, slight possibility of shooting deer, moose, elk or bear.

Sorry about the "tractor seat" crack...I couldn't resist. That ain't gonna happen.

One thing I have found lately is I am enjoying low recoil rifles more and more.
Regards,
Dave.​
 
For your stated purposes, get the Bob. I have a No.1-A and No.1-RSI in 7X57... I want mine for medium game, so the X57 is a little more versatile... one of my two is going down the road soon... just not sure which, I keep waffling.
 
IMO the 7x57 is better if moose or elk are on the menu. Don't worry about recoil - it is mild. For mainly deer and coyote just load up some 120gr Nosler Ballistic Tips. They are good bullets and hold together well. In fact, some guys over at 24hr Campfire even use them on elk with good success. They use the same jacket as the 150gr BT so in that makes for quite a thick jacket in the shorter 120gr version. Loaded to ~2900fps will give you the same recoil as a .257 Roberts with a 120gr bullet. You can of course load it faster and the difference in recoil will be negligible. You can also load the heavier bullets and I used a 162gr KS (from RWS) in a 7x57 to shoot my biggest moose ever.
 
1899 said:
IMO the 7x57 is better if moose or elk are on the menu. Don't worry about recoil - it is mild. For mainly deer and coyote just load up some 120gr Nosler Ballistic Tips. They are good bullets and hold together well. In fact, some guys over at 24hr Campfire even use them on elk with good success. They use the same jacket as the 150gr BT so in that makes for quite a thick jacket in the shorter 120gr version. Loaded to ~2900fps will give you the same recoil as a .257 Roberts with a 120gr bullet. You can of course load it faster and the difference in recoil will be negligible. You can also load the heavier bullets and I used a 162gr KS (from RWS) in a 7x57 to shoot my biggest moose ever.
Click to expand...

My moose set is the No.1-RSI 7X57 (VX-2 3-9X40mm) with 154 IB's & No.1-S 9.3X74R (VX-2 2-7X33mm) with 286 SP-RP's... either would do, but I like a back-up and pull the X57 when shots will be a little longer...
 
I like both calibers which makes the choice difficult. I currently hunt and shoot 300 yard targets with my old M77 270 and it performs flawlessly. Everything I have ever shot with it has died quickly. I have other rifles both larger and smaller calibers so it is not so much the caliber as it is the unique style of rifle that the Ruger RSI's are and the simplicity.

We are blessed with an abundance of prey animals but of course where you find prey you will also find predators. Coyotes have taken pets from both our neighbours in broad daylight in their own yards and this past winter we were finding a dead deer in our hay yards about once a week that I am fairly certain were killed by a cougar(s). Both of these predators are opportunists so we carry when we hike or travel on foot around our farm.

We have always had black bears around but to this point they have not caused us any problems at all however this spring we were visited for a little over a month by a boar Grizzly. It was cool getting pictures and seeing him but I do not think he really represents a significant threat as they travel a great deal.

So my thinking in the Ruger RSI (beyond the unique and new factor) was something relatively light and small(ish) and simple to throw over a shoulder when we are out and about the farm on foot.

My understanding of rifle calibers leads me to think that either the 257 or the 7x57 will make a large enough leak in a coyote or cougar as well as upset the appetite of a black bear. Neither caliber is at all suited for grizzly but as I mentioned I do not see that being a significant threat, although either caliber would be a heck of a lot better than throwing stones........

Anyone familiar with the availability of either caliber? If I were to buy one now would there be little chance of getting the opportunity to buy the other caliber in the future? The 7x57 is available locally but the 257 would be a mail order bride.

For some odd reason I like the "sound" of 275 Rigby better than the 7x57?? I understand the reason for the name difference. I remember as a young man reading the stories of Col. Jim Corbett and his maneating tiger/lion/leopard hunting and he referred to carrying a 275 Rigby although not intentionally for the big cats.
Regards,
Dave.​
 
You ask in a gun shop for any Rigby cartridge and you'll get The Look. Mind you, chances are you'd get it asking for .257 Roberts and 7 x 57 too. Anyway, I you're right that neither is suitable for Big Yogi, but I'd lean towards the Mauser with heavy bullets.
 
sunray said:
You ask in a gun shop for any Rigby cartridge and you'll get The Look. Mind you, chances are you'd get it asking for .257 Roberts and 7 x 57 too. Anyway, I you're right that neither is suitable for Big Yogi, but I'd lean towards the Mauser with heavy bullets.
Click to expand...

hornady now lists 275 rigby brass and ammo.... :)
 
Prophet River has the 7X57 RSI in stock and is taking orders for the RSI Bob... so if you want both, no reason you can't have them both... Clay and the crew are excellent to deal with, but be prepared for the ridiculous price increase for 2014 Ruger's... $1449 + tax and shipping... as compared to the same gun in 2013 at $1149... the Canadian dollar and high demand have inflated prices beyond where they should be IMO... thus far I have picked up all of my No.1's on the used market... I am teetering on the edge of buying one new... or not... ;)

P.S - just clarification... I was not pointing the inflated pricing at Prophet River... the prices are inflated at all retail outlets that I have checked...
 
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For me, no contest... .275 Rigby. So much history; one of the oldest smokeless powder cartridges, used by some of the most famous big game hunters. It's hard to pick up an old book on Africa or India without the name being mentioned. Well over a century later, it still compares quite favourably with more "modern" offerings, .270, ..280 Rem, 7-08 etc.
 
Having used both, I now carry a Ruger 77 in 257 Roberts.
Nothing against the 7X57 as its a fine cartridge, I just like the feel of my Ruger and the way the Roberts works for me...
 
d4dave1 said:
I like both calibers which makes the choice difficult. I currently hunt and shoot 300 yard targets with my old M77 270 and it performs flawlessly. Everything I have ever shot with it has died quickly. I have other rifles both larger and smaller calibers so it is not so much the caliber as it is the unique style of rifle that the Ruger RSI's are and the simplicity.

We are blessed with an abundance of prey animals but of course where you find prey you will also find predators. Coyotes have taken pets from both our neighbours in broad daylight in their own yards and this past winter we were finding a dead deer in our hay yards about once a week that I am fairly certain were killed by a cougar(s). Both of these predators are opportunists so we carry when we hike or travel on foot around our farm.

We have always had black bears around but to this point they have not caused us any problems at all however this spring we were visited for a little over a month by a boar Grizzly. It was cool getting pictures and seeing him but I do not think he really represents a significant threat as they travel a great deal.

So my thinking in the Ruger RSI (beyond the unique and new factor) was something relatively light and small(ish) and simple to throw over a shoulder when we are out and about the farm on foot.

My understanding of rifle calibers leads me to think that either the 257 or the 7x57 will make a large enough leak in a coyote or cougar as well as upset the appetite of a black bear. Neither caliber is at all suited for grizzly but as I mentioned I do not see that being a significant threat, although either caliber would be a heck of a lot better than throwing stones........

Anyone familiar with the availability of either caliber? If I were to buy one now would there be little chance of getting the opportunity to buy the other caliber in the future? The 7x57 is available locally but the 257 would be a mail order bride.

For some odd reason I like the "sound" of 275 Rigby better than the 7x57?? I understand the reason for the name difference. I remember as a young man reading the stories of Col. Jim Corbett and his maneating tiger/lion/leopard hunting and he referred to carrying a 275 Rigby although not intentionally for the big cats.
Regards,
Dave.​
Click to expand...
Jim Corbett hunted and shot the Man Eating Leopard of Rudarpyang with his 275 Rigby.
 
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