260 Rem or 257 Roberts

[steve4102]

I am going to purchase my son his first deer rifle. I am thinking about the 257 Roberts or the 260 Remington. What do you guys think? I already have a 7MM-08, 30-06 and 300WSM that he can have when he is older if he wants something a bit larger. Or, he can go out and purchase his own cannon. For now, I would like to get him something that is not to small (243) and not a thumper. I thought one of these would be a good choice for MN whitetails, but, I can't decide, HELP. I am falling off the fence on the side of the 260 Rem. BTW, I handload so ammo selection is not an issue.
Thanks

 

[2ndtimer]

I think either one would be a good choice. I went a slightly different route with a Howa 1500 Lightning in 6.5x55 Swedish Mauser for my boys. Its' ballistics are quite similar to the .260 Remington and it is very mild recoiling. Yet if I wanted to, I would not hesitate to go after elk if I loaded up some 140 gr Nosler Partitions. Hopefully Nosler will eventually offer Accubonds in 6.5 so we can have it all with one bullet. Since you already have a 7mm-08, maybe the better option would be the .257 Roberts. Even milder recoil with still deer capable 100 gr bullets, and more of a difference from your 7mm-08 than you would notice with a .260 Rem or my 6.5x55. Let us know which way you go and how it works out.

 

[Taos]

I gave my son a .260. He has had it about 5 years now and his tally is 3 elk, 2 bucks, 3 hogs and one antelope. He shoots 125 Gr. partitions and has never asked for more gun.

 

[todbartell]

260 Remington, without a doubt. Ability to load bullets heavier than 120 gr. really makes it stand out from the 257 Bob. A 140 gr. bullet at moderate velocity (2700 fps) really will thump big bodied Whitetails. 8)

 

[Super Bon Bon]

Well, You don't state how old your son is, nor his physical size and temperment. That said, either gun is would be satisfactory. I do have both calibers, and find that the 257 is a much more "comfortable" gun to shoot- with factory ammo. And it was more than adequate for the 185 lbs field-dressed buck that I took this year. I'd start with the Bob.


SBB

 

[martinbns]

I vote for the 260. I have a mountain rifle lss, the most accurate gun I own. With 125 gr poartitions it's fantastic on der and if a moose came out it would go down too. Mild recoil, easy to load, the only downside is lasck of variety in factory loads( although the 257 roberts isn;t much better)

 

[Anonymous]

Great info guys. Here's some food for thought steve4102. You already narrowed it down to two great calibers so concentrate on the rifle. I say this because the shouldn't forget the fun factor here. Yeah terminal ballistics are important but I think Steve has picked out two great calibers for the type of hunting he plans for his son. So it comes down to how much fun will the rifle be for his son to shoot, this to me means how comfortable and the ease of use. This doesn't always have to do with caliber, sometimes stock design can be a factor in felt recoil. So pick a rifle that fits him well, is comfortable for him to shoot, and is easy for him to use safely. Either the 257 Roberts or the 260 Remington can fit the bill very well since you handload. So don't fret too much, you picked two great calibers and you can tailor them to your son's abilities.

 

[Luns4d]

Well I'm biased, I love the 260. I bought a Mdl 7 in 260 thinking it would be nice for my wife. She never got to touch it. I've taken lots of different game with it using 100g NP, 125g NP, 140g NPs and 130g from another manufacturer. Accurate with all.

If your really want to keep the recoil down that dang little 100g NP is easy to shoot and really does a job on WT’s.

I'll add one more thing to consider. I shoot Metallic Silhouette with this gun as well and the 140g slugs will reliably knock down the Rams at 550 yards. There isn’t a load for the 257 that will do that. It may not matter to you, it didn’t to me until I tried it, and now I love shooting the game.

 

[steve4102]

Thanks for all your help. I have decided on the 260.

 

[Racklover]

Which .260 did you get? I have a Mountain Rifle that handles very well

 

[Savage99]

If the 7mm-08 fits him then a 120 gr bullet out of a 7mm would work about the same as what a 260 or 257 would do.

If you just want to buy another rifle get him a varminter as the season is now and there is a lot more shooting and hunting that way. Let him use one of your rifles for deer. That's way more waiting than shooting anyway.

 

[yeayow]

257 is right for just about anything. Go down to 60 grain bullets up to 120's. Will you be doing any varmit shooting as the roberts will do quite nicely. It likes to be downloaded and in my opinion its quieter which i guess is all relative. If you're sure he's going to stay shooting why settle on a smaller caliber. Buy a light 30-06 and use reduced power ammo or reload your own with good bullets. He can have the one most versatile rounds ever made. But then that would take away the excuse of having to buy another gun.