.257 wby mag suitable for moose/elk?

Dogleg said:
In most ways if every caliber under .277 ceased to exist it wouldn't change my life much. My nature tends towards using a little extra and not having to wonder whether I have enough. I remember when I got my first .270 as a youngster and prying open that box of Imperials. I can still remember that sinking feeling when I thought those skinny bullets could never kill anything like a .30 cal. Those misgivings went away, just on observed field results.

The line between .257 and .264 bullets is only 7 thousandths of an inch. There's a considerable overlap in bullet weights that have BG applications. My own .25 and 6.5 examples of .257 Weatherby and .264 Win Mag are so similar that if it weren't for the Weatherby shoulder it would be hard to tell the cases apart. With the same case, similar velocities and potentially the same bullet weights there just isn't going to be huge difference in the field over 7 thousands of an inch. My own arbitrary line is drawn at 6mm, the point where my observations show a decided drop off in killing speed.

Observation tells me that there isn't a great deal of difference between a 25 caliber through .338 cal TSX when it comes time to kill things. Although I'm on record as being less than enthused with TSXs as a type they are remarkably similar to each other when they hit. It wouldn't surprise me much if your friend did all his hunting with that 100 grain without problem.
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My logic, or lack of it, for making the 6.5 my minimum isn't the additional .007" diameter overe the .257, its the additional 20-40 grs of bullet weight which to me is a critical factor. But as you pointed out, my pal has no trouble with those dinky lil 100 gr pills, never mind 117 or 120 gr bullets.
 
Sometimes the hurdles are mental, but it is a hurdle none the less. For instance, dropping down from 300 grain bullets to 270s for buffalo in the .375 took a leap of faith, and likewise with 450 over 500s in the .458.

Going in the opposite direction with the .375 I loaded exactly 3 380 grin Rhinos today with Davey's recipe. I took one shot with an 8 pound .375, glanced around to see what hit me and took two more. Think it's good for anything?

 
Dogleg said:
Sometimes the hurdles are mental, but it is a hurdle none the less. For instance, dropping down from 300 grain bullets to 270s for buffalo in the .375 took a leap of faith, and likewise with 450 over 500s in the .458.

Going in the opposite direction with the .375 I loaded exactly 3 380 grin Rhinos today with Davey's recipe. I took one shot with an 8 pound .375, glanced around to see what hit me and took two more. Think it's good for anything?

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From the looks of that, it should be a good prairie dog bullet.;)
 
probably not much pressure, just magic makes the bullets go that fast? Some of these loads are 100-200 fps faster than factory ammo
 
I load 25-06 ammo for a friend, 100gr TTSX @ 3275 fps, he's used it on a couple sheep, a big bull caribou, small bull moose with good results. I'm sure adding 200+ fps to that won't hurt it any

Wouldn;t be my first choice for a elk/moose rifle but it certainly is capable with a bullet that will hold together
 
todbartell said:
how do 257 Wby owners find brass life with their 75,000psi loads?
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Well it's like this. 1 case = 1 moose, 1 elk, 1 bear, 2 deer, switch to Tula LRM primers, rinse, repeat.
That makes case life at 75,000 psi 10 times greater than that of Joe sixpacks turddy06 bangin Walmart
Ammo that just might hit 55,000 psi on a hot day.
 
todbartell said:
how do 257 Wby owners find brass life with their 75,000psi loads?
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Considerably better than my 30-06 cases. I use that caliber for an example because in both instances we have some "house-loads" that get shot up in several rifles, FL sized everytime and loaded up to what is maximum in most books. The bodies of the 06s give out before the primer pockets, perhaps due to the case taper. The Weatherby brass seems to get lost before it fails.
 
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