Ruger 77 .257 Roberts

[ggibson511960]

M-77

My first real rifle purchase was a M-77 in .25-06, red butt pad, 24 in. bbl. with the tang safety. Decent rifle but never grouped like I thought it could, but it accounted for its share of white-tails, all DRT. My gripe with the M-77 was the spring-loaded plunger ejector. Mine filled with rusty, oily crud after a few years and quit working, a bad thing for a controlled round feed bolt gun if the owner values that feature. Easy enough to remedy, but I always thought that plunger pushing on the case head was not helping accuracy. Remington 700 actions have the same feature and are the basis extreme accuracy platforms, so it's a minor nit. M-77's are great, but I like my Win. M-70's better, even at greater $$. Gave my M-77 to a family member who continues to whack white-tails with it. Don't know how you could do better than .257 R or .25-06 for white-tails unless you hunt in deep bushes.

 

[Cocked & Locked]

Unless it's changed, you could only buy RN ammo for .257, so if you want full potential, you need to handload with spitzer bullets of good construction, like the Nosler Partition. I think a .257 so loaded will kill elk in a suitable situation. For smaller game, it's excellent.

What killed off the .257 was low powered RN factory ammo and the appearance of the 6 mms, hyped a lot by Warren Page at, Field & Stream.

Jack O'Connor liked the .257, but he handloaded for the caliber.

I wouldn't buy a .257 as my primary hunting rifle, but as a luxury item for the right circumstances, it's fine.

Midway Shooters Supply carries several factory loads for .257 Roberts. All not available at all times of course.

Hornady (1):
117 grn SST

Double Tap (3):
120 grn partition, 110 grn Nosler, 110 grn Barnes TTSX

Nosler (3):
115 grn Balistic Tip, 100 grain Partition, 110 grain Accubond

Norma (1):
100 grn soft point

HSM (1):
115 grn Berger BTHP

Winchester (1):
117 grn Power Point

 

[Cocked & Locked]

I'll probably hunt with the Ruger a few times this year just for the fun of it but not because it is my primary bolt action hunting rifle.

.30-06

.30-06

.243

.30-06

.308

.30-06

.30-40 Krag

.35 Whelen

.300 Win Mag

.270

 

[sgt.207]

In 1990, while on my honeymoon and driving through the Adirondacks, Town of Speculator, I saw a house with a big sign in the front that said guns for sale. I stopped and picked up a 99% Model 77 in 257 Roberts for $295. Shoots great and still have it, and the wife too.

 

[Gaffer]

I have two .257 Roberts. One is a Rem. Mod 722 that was customized into a Mannlicher stock with a Leupold 1.75-6X scope. The other is a Kimber M84 Classic in the same caliber with a Leupold 2-7X . Both are great guns and a super caliber. I have been told the Ruger made a Mod. 77 in .267 Roberts in the International stock but I have never found one that was for sale. Still looking!

 

[mrchuck]

I have the Ruger Model 77 Mark 2 in 300 Winchester Magnum, with a 3/9 scope on it. Like new condition.
It is for sale if anyone is interested.
Just too old now to use it.

 

[450/400NE]

Ruger 257

Hey Cocked & Locked and others,

Now there's a rifle I can relate to !!
I've had my M77 in .257 Roberts for nearly 40 years. Mine is the so called "round top" receiver version that uses regular commercial scope mounts / rings instead of the proprietary Ruger rings. I have a Weaver K6 on it - same vintage as the rifle. I like the old Weaver blued steel scopes. Also has factory iron sights.

Just a good old rifle /cartridge combination. Would be one of the last I would ever sell. I shoot factory and hand loads in it. Not a tack driver - typical 5 shot groups are 1.5" - 1.75 " at 100 yds.

Best Regards

 

[woodsltc]

C&L, I really like your collection of hunting rifles.....especially the Remington 700 Classic in .35 Whelen. That's another great cartridge that doesn't get enough credit.

Thanks for sharing the pics of some great hunting rifles.

Don

 

[LJBrennan007]

Ouch-you sold THREE guns in .257 Roberts?

Model 77 in 257 Roberts is a great combo. I have had 3 different Roberts and have regrets for selling each one.

I'm sure you had some sort of justification, I just can't imagine what it could be! I have three-Ruger M77 LIberty Model, Remington 722, and a pre-64 Winchester M70. Each one is special in it's own way, and I could not bear to part with any of them and will buy more when I can.

 

[John F.]

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

 

[6518John]

I see a 257 Roberts rifle for sale occasionally but have always passed due to having nice .223's and .243's. I am going to have to pick up the next nice one I see!

 

[450/400NE]

Krag sporter

Hello again C&L

Really like the looks of that 30-40 Krag - classic. I once had my mitts on a really nice Sedgley '03 Springfield that looked like that. I let it slip away…..(moron ! )

Regards

 

[Orion62]

I have two of the Mk. 1 models as well as a Browning A Bolt, two Winchester Model 70's a Number and Montana Rifle Co. all in .257 Roberts. Very good cartridge.

 

[Mike53]

.257 Roberts

I own an RL model. So light and easy to carry. I shot a 400 lb black bear in 1987 with it. Fabulously accurate. I have done some reloads, but I used Remington 117 gr Core-Lokt for the bear. This is a great round for game up to and including bear. Larger game requires accurate placement

 

[model70hunter]

The .257 Bob was a fun round to shoot.
For some reason it dissapeared from the scene.
Great round with no recoil and legal fordeer everywhere.

That some reason was the 243 Winchester. Perhaps getting cheap military 308 brass to neck down was another reason for reloaders.

I've never owned a 257, never found many for sale, cheap.

 

[Frank237]

I found a 24" HART barrel , that was cut to fit the exact contour of a Pre 64 M-70 sporter , marked ".257 Roberts". We took off my old .30-06 barrel and lo and behold...headspace was fine and it matched my stock channel exactly.

First round downrange ,we found out it had been chambered in the .257 Roberts ACKLEY IMPROVED 40° at some point. I found some AI dies and loaded rds for it. It is way faster than a std Roberts, nearly .25-06 velocity. Very accurate with 100 to 120 gr Noslers.

Shot a cow elk a few years back and a few deer. Worked just fine.

Took a rifle I was not using and turned it into one I enjoy using. The standard Roberts or the AI are both pleasant to shoot, yet perform fine on appropriate game.

 

[weatherby]

Great cartridge and platform.....saw one in 280 last week .....very tempting.
Another rifle in 243 won out though.

 

[bummer]

I have a 1B in 257.nice shooting rifle

 

[keith44spl]

Unless it's changed, you could only buy RN ammo for .257, so if you want full potential, you need to handload with spitzer bullets of good construction, like the Nosler Partition. I think a .257 so loaded will kill elk in a suitable situation. For smaller game, it's excellent.

What killed off the .257 was low powered RN factory ammo and the appearance of the 6 mms, hyped a lot by Warren Page at, Field & Stream.

Jack O'Connor liked the .257, but he handloaded for the caliber.

I wouldn't buy a .257 as my primary hunting rifle, but as a luxury item for the right circumstances, it's fine.

TS,
Yes sir, it had changed, maybe a couple or three decades ago......

I've used the 257 Roberts for forty years.
First a pre-64 Model 70, a Remington 700, a Ruger ultra lite 77 and lastly a Kimber in 257..........
Great all round sm/mid range caliber/cartridge.

.

 

[model70hunter]

Personal opinion on why the 257 performs better the the 25 06 on deer. No I have not used premium bullets only factory 120 gr on the 4 25 06 rifles I've owned. I lost at least one deer with the 25 06. I saw the bullet strike just behind the shoulder and this id's dead deer for all other calibers I have used.

I feel the 257 at slightly less velocity pent rates before going to pieces where the 25 05 goes to pieces on ribs.

I've taken well over 100 deer. I've used many calibers, none failed like the 25 06, the fares went from 25 to 300 yards.

For v some I guess it works great, I won lime to try a 257 Roberts and a 257 Weatherby with rifling that will stabilize 120 gr premium bullets.

When I had a Wby collection one was a German MKV in 257. It had the old twist and would only shoot the 117 gr round nose. I did not know until I loaded 120 gr Spitzer that they would tumble at w5 and we're lucky to hit paper at q00 yards.

Needless to say I was heart broken and it was the 1st one I sold when I sold my collection.

Some day I'll find a cheap Rem, Win, fn chambered for a magnum round and will have it rebarreled.

Back to your 257, it is a beautiful gun.