257 wby

[shooterpunk2]

what do you guys think about elk hunting with this caliber? on paper it should be good out to 300-400 yards on them.

 

[landcbeitner]

I like to go with 140gr and more for Elk (170gr really makes me feel good). You can definately take them down with less. It guess it gives me peace of mind to send a decent amount of lead. JMHO.

 

[RBrowning]

For a big, tough critter you would definately want a big, tough bullet. I would lean towards the Barnes TSX 115gr or the 120 gr Partition, whichever your rifle shoots best. I have no worries about the 257Wby with these loads being enough for an elk, within 2-300 yards, WITH VERY CAREFUL SHOT PLACEMENT! I wouldn't try for a quartering towards me shot through the shoulder, but broadside or quartering away, behind the shoulder, should give pass through with either bullet mentioned above. If a standing shot at the neck presents, at a range you feel comfortable with, I would definately be looking there.

I wouldn't try a moving shot because there is no margin for error with your set-up. There are four directions that you can go when you don't get it right with a rushed shot. If you screw-up and get too far back, into the stomach, you are going to have a big mess no matter your caliber of choice. If you screw it up by going low you will blow a leg off as well with a 257Wby as with a 300Win Mag, and you are in for a looong tracking job. If you screw-up and go high you should be OK if you hit the spine, but pray for a complete miss (the high velocity of a Weatherby MAY give you enough shock to the nervious system to drop the elk with a near miss to the spine but if the head dosen't drop hit him again befroe he gets up). If you screw-up and get into the shoulder you are probably going to have a wounded animal on your hands. The last option is the one where more gun would make up for an error on your part.

Best of luck with your hunt and make sure you do your part by practicing under various field conditions (awkward rest, gusting wind, out of breath etc,) beforehand. This will help you keep from blowing the one good chance you get.

Rick

 

[115vld]

I have been shooting 257 WBY for about 12 years now and is plenty for an elk out to 600 yards. Just make sure you have a good rest at that kind of distance. I have honestly shot mine out to 1600 on steel targets. I am running a 115 Berger VLD at 3455 fps using 70.5gr of H1000. Extremely low standard deviation of 8.6 on my low high temp test. Dont use a Barnes as they tend to just poke a hole through an animal and do not transfer all the energy from the bullet to the animal. Bergers rarely pass through the animal all the way and that means the bullet puts all of its energy into the game you are shooting!

Chase

 

[mtmuley]

I've killed a bunch of elk and have witnessed many more kills. A .257 is a bit on the light side in my opinion. Perfect shot placement is critical. Rarely are things perfect when elk hunting. Big bulls are notoriously tough, and can absorb a lot of lead. My advice would be to use a larger caliber. mtmuley

 

[Broz]

I love the .257 Wby, and I am sure with proper placement of a good bullet it would do the job. But I would use this as a great excuse to add a 300. 30-378, 338-378, or 340 to my line up.

 

[Lookinforlunkers]

I love the .257 Wby, and I am sure with proper placement of a good bullet it would do the job. But I would use this as a great excuse to add a 300. 30-378, 338-378, or 340 to my line up.

I like the way you think

 

[Long Time Long Ranger]

I agree with Broz.

 

[MontanaRifleman]

You can get the job done with a 257 wthby. A lot of elk have been taken with a 243. Having said that, the 257 has about the same ballistics as the 270 win and most folks I know don't recomend anything but a double lung shot on an elk with a 270...no shoulder shot... it's very risky. So I agree with the sentiment that shot placement is critical with that cartridge. As for berger vs tsx, it's true that a well placed berger will do massive damage, but once again you have less room for error than with a tsx and I personally would not use a berger for a close (less than 500-600 shot). And I wouldn't take 500 yd plus shot with a 270 or less on an elk.

My experience with elk was a big bull taken with a 7mmRM, 160 gr partition @ 15 yds, so no comparison.

I think a better cartridge would be any of the 7mm mags or 300 or 338. A lot more flexabillity with these.

 

[Long Time Long Ranger]

Anybody got any good loads for the 257 wby with a 100 grain bullet. My 15 year old son drew an awesome deer tag and he has a new 257 wby to try on the hunt. I have every kind of powder and bullet made so I can use any load. He was thinking a 100 grain TSX at 3700-3800 or so. Anybody using that bullet.

 

[shooterpunk2]

I dont have the .257 weatherby, I was just wondering what people thought about it for elk because ive had interest in getting one. thanks for the comments, i think ill go with something bigger

 

[Broz]

How about a very nice 300 Wby Mag in an oil 4 pnl Lazermark stock that shoots very well. Custom stainless brake, 26" barrel, matt blue, shipped to your ffl for $800.

Jeff