Those Ruger 77's are very classic rifles, and the .257 Roberts is a great caliber. I had to wait 31 years to get mine. Right after I got out of the Army, my Dad and I visited his hometown in Frankfort, Ky, and I got to see where he grew up, went to school, his father's Dentist office, etc. We also visited his closest friend, who was a shooter par excellance. I asked if there was a chance we might go groundhog hunting, as I'd read all about it but never gotten to go.

He took us to a couple of farms where he knew the owners and had permission to hunt, and the rifle he brought with us was a then-new Winchester XTR Model 70 FWT in .257 Roberts. We saw a few g-hogs, but they were too close to the tops of hills to shoot safely. Still, it was a great time, and that rifle/caliber earned a place on my "someday" list.

My first bolt-action deer rifle (except the Arisaka my Dad brought back from Japan) was a 7x57 Model 70 XTR FWT, and it was a match made in heaven! I had the trigger tuned to a smooth 1.5 lbs, and I hunted deer quite a bit with excellent results, and also shot it extensively in Highpower Rifle silhouette.

Time passed, and eventually, I encountered a fellow who'd found a handsome 70 XTR FWT in .257 Roberts -- still unfired, with the hand tags on it! It cost quite a bit more than the one I'd bought in the 80's, but I was delighted -- finally, my grail gun had come home!

This was during the O'ba ma -induced component shortage, and the only brass I could find was PRVI Partizan 7x57, which I weight-sorted and necked down to .257. Works like a champ!! I've used a 100 gr. Nosler Ballistic Tip at 3000 fps to take several deer, and it works beautifully, without excessive meat damage.

I also worked up a varmint load with the Sierra 70 gr. Blitzking at 3400 fps. Believe it or not, in initial testing at 300 yards, it fired these 3-shot groups consecutively: 1.0", 1.1", and 1.3"!! It thinks it's a benchrest rifle!! I got to hunt Prairie Dogs out west with it, and at 250 yards, I was lining up on a plump dawg when another one stepped immediately behind him. The trigger broke, and I clearly saw in the scope that one exploded to the left, and the other exploded to the right!! A 2-fer!! This is not the first .257 Roberts M70 XTR FWT that I've encountered that was far more accurate than one would think they had a right to be!!

It's a great caliber, fun to shoot, versatile and very effective. I highly recommend it for a "someday" project when a nice one pops up on your radar!!

John