The .257 Roberts Centerfire Rifle Cartridge: Still Here

In all things cartridges, one of the first references I grab is Cartridges of the World, originally written by Frank C. Barnes (now in its 18th edition). In the original 1965 version, Barnes wrote, “The .257 Roberts has often been referred to as ‘the most useful rifle cartridge ever developed.’” We who love our cartridges make no claim to being unbiased.

Barnes wasn’t alone. Best known for championing the .270, Jack O’Connor was also a lifelong fan of the .257 Roberts. As to “most useful,” I reserve judgment. It depends on what you do. For sure O’Connor used it right. He used the .257 Roberts for jackrabbits, coyotes, and Coues deer…and on some of his early desert sheep hunts in Sonora.

Named for Major Ned H. Roberts (1866-1948), gunwriter, hunter, competitive shooter, the .257 Roberts was introduced by Remington in 1934. Flat-shooting, mild-kicking, accurate, and versatile, it was the primary “crossover” cartridge for decades: With light bullets, a fine varmint cartridge; with heavier bullets, awesome for pronghorns and deer-sized game. The simultaneous introduction of the .243 Winchester and 6mm Remington in 1955 stole some of this thunder. The 6mms are probably better in the varmint role. With heavier bullets of larger diameter, the .25s are better for larger game. Rarely chambered today, there are still a lot of .257 Roberts rifles in use, adequate factory loads and 90 years of loading data. It’s still fast, flat-shooting, light-kicking, and versatile. Before we look at how Old Bob stacks up today, let’s go back to the beginning.

Bullet diameter .257, is essentially an American phenomenon. Our cult of the versatile quarter-bore started with Winchester’s .25-35 in 1895, companion introduction to the .30-30 in the 1894 Winchester. Although hampered by round-nosed bullets, the .25-35 shot flatter and kicked less than its big brother. Lever-actions from Winchester, Marlin, and Savage were the hot guns, and .25-35 was a popular chambering in all. Arthur Savage engaged attorney and gun guru Charles Newton to develop a new cartridge to take advantage of the strong Savage 1899 lever-action. Newton shortened the .30-06 case, necked it down to .25-caliber, and in 1915 the Savage 1899 was chambered to .250-3000 (aka .250 Savage). With a light 87-grain bullet, it was the first factory cartridge to break 3000 feet per second (fps).

Dynamic Range

For coyotes, like lightning striking. For larger game, 1915 bullet technology probably wasn’t up to that speed. Deer hunters discovered the .250 Savage was more consistent with 100-grain bullets a bit slower. Either way, the .250 Savage was extremely popular.

Well, if a little is good, then more must be better, right? The .25-06 was developed at Frankford Arsenal during WWI. It was able to propel a 100-grain bullet at the magic 3000 fps. However, overbore capacity was an issue, too big a case to efficiently burn the powders of the day. After the war, the .25-06 remained a common wildcat for 50 years.

Still, thanks largely to the .250 Savage, the quarter-bore was an American darling. How about just a little bit more? Instead of the .30-06 case, how about the 7x57 case? Ned Roberts was apparently a perfectionist as a tinkerer. Through the 1920s he worked on various versions, trying to get case capacity just right. His .25 Roberts used a shorter case, created by trimming 7x57 brass. The similar .25 Griffin & Howe used the full-length 2.235-inch 7x57 case. In 1934, Remington’s version also used (almost) the full-length 7x57 case and changed Roberts’ 15-degree shoulder to 20 degrees. Remington dubbed their version .257 Roberts.

Regardless of which version achieved the most perfect capacity and shoulder angle, the 7x57 case solved the .25-06’s over-bore-capacity issue. In 1934, most existing bolt-actions preceded WWI, so from the beginning .257 Roberts factory loads were mild, held to 54,000 psi. They exceeded .250 Savage velocities, but not by much. In those days, serious American rifleshooters handloaded. With handloads in strong actions—’98 Mauser, Springfield, US Enfield, Remington M30, Winchester M54 and later M70—Old Bob strutted his stuff: 90-grain bullet to 3200 fps; 100-grain bullet to 3100 fps; 120-grain bullet over 2800.

Higher Pressure

In the 1980s Remington re-specified the .257 Roberts to higher pressure, a +P loading at 58,000 psi. Common with handgun cartridges, this is the only time this has been done with a centerfire rifle cartridge. Standard +P loadings are: 87-grain bullet at 3200 fps; 100-grain bullet at 3000; 117-grain bullet at 2800. Nothing new for handloaders. Even so, the +P loads generated some new interest in Old Bob. Except: The .25-06 cat was long out of the bag.

By the time the .25-06 Remington became a factory cartridge in 1969, propellants had advanced from the 1920s, better able to utilize the case capacity. The .25-06 runs about 100 fps faster than the Roberts with lighter bullets, and as much as 200 fps faster with 120-grain bullets.

This is significant, although I’m not certain anything from prairie dogs to pronghorns will know the difference…and no .25-caliber is suitable for pachyderms. The .257 Weatherby is faster yet, about the same margin over the .25-06. However, the .25-06 and .257 Wby burn a lot more powder to get there. More heat, friction, and shorter barrel life. Also, more blast and recoil.

Again, it depends on what you want to do. With today’s deep-penetrating bullet designs, the .25-caliber can be stretched to elk-sized game. Mind you, I wouldn’t go elk hunting with any .25, but folks do and can. The .257 was Roy Weatherby’s personal favorite, and I’m told the .25-06 is popular among South African hunters for game up to kudu. For game larger than deer, whether elk or larger African antelope, probably wise to combine bullet weight with as much velocity (and resultant energy) as you can get.

Happy Medium?

Also depends on how far you intend to shoot. For most of us, the .257 Roberts still hits a happy medium: Flat shooting enough for my purposes, with little fuss, accurate, and easy to reload. At one of the Safari Club conventions, I saw a gorgeous left-handed Dakota M76 in .257 Roberts at Duke McCaa’s Gulf Breeze Firearms booth. Must have been made for a shorter customer, slightly short length of pull, perfect for Donna, but not so short that I couldn’t shoot it. I couldn’t resist. It shot fine with factory loads, then really came to life with 117-grain SST bullets and a near-max charge of good old IMR 4350.

Seems to me that the quarter-bore club is kind of a close-knit group. I’ll be honest: I am not a staunch member. I have a good Savage 1899 .250-3000, have had .25-06, and .257 Weatherby rifles. I’ve hunted with all of them. No issues, but no great love affairs. I like the .257 Roberts best of all. Seems to be one of those cartridges that performs beyond its paper ballistics. Not that I couldn’t, I’m unlikely to hunt game larger than deer with it. However, the deer I’ve taken with it have gone down so fast they almost bounce, and it’s done a fine job on extra-large hogs.

From a technical standpoint, Old Bob has two problems. First: Like the 6mm Remington, it’s based on the 7x57 case. Convenient for me, because I always have plenty of brass. Usually I just full-length-resize 7x57 cases (trim as necessary). However, like the 6mm Remington and the 7x57 family, that makes it an in-between cartridge. Too long for a short action, but not so long that it requires a standard (.30-06-length) action. In other words, few modern actions are ideally sized. Not a train smash, but it’s usually housed in standard actions that have unnecessary weight and extra space.

Second: Most .25-caliber cartridges, including the .257 Roberts, have traditionally had 1:10 rifling twist. Able to stabilize the lightest varmint bullets, okay up to 120 grains. This has not been a problem until recently. However, the 1:10 twist will not stabilize the new longer and heavier “low drag” .25-caliber bullets, now up to 135 grains.

Fast Twist Barrel Could Be The Ticket

There have been .25-.308 wildcats for years, which, with faster-twist barrels, solve both problems. With growing numbers of long-range shooters going to these bullets (and in lighter calibers to get performance with minimal recoil). I’ve been surprised nobody took a chance on a factory .25-.308. Just now, Hornady has introduced the .25 Creedmoor, designed to solve both problems: It’s a short-action cartridge, and calls for fast-twist barrels.

As always, it depends on what you want to do. You could rebarrel any .257 Roberts with a 1:7.5 twist. Chances are you’d have plenty of action room, and the bigger Roberts case will outrun the Creedmoor. I’m not a long-range competitor, and I’m not an extreme-range shooter on game (certainly not with any .25!). I’ll probably leave my Old Bob alone. It is what it’s been for 90 years: Maybe not the “most useful,” but an accurate, effective, mild-mannered, and wonderfully versatile hunting cartridge.

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