257 Weatherby vs 25-06

[shootbrownelk]

A friend of mine had a .257 Weatherby and used to shoot it a lot, targets, varmints and hunting big game. He got rid of it due to barrel and throat erosion. He reloaded for it, and always pushed the envelope with near max loads. His fault on that, I guess.
I had a 25.06 for years, used Nosler Partitions and Barnes X bullets with great success on Deer, Antelope and a couple of Cow Elk.
If I had to choose between those 2, it's be the 25.06. The expense of the Weatherby ammo, and all the extra powder for a couple hundred FPS wouldn't be worth it to me.

 

[RUGER M77]

I would buy a 25-06 my dad has one and loves it you're gonna burn a lot more powder in the weatherby

 

[FlyingMuleRider]

I have shot many antelope and deer w/ great success using my .25-06 and 117 grn BTSP.

 

[badgerbob]

MM... used to think that too, but with the huge selection of new powders, I think the old way to describe some calibers as "overbore" is pretty passé. The .220 Swift used to get a lot of bad press about this and also reputed short barrel life. I have a .220 AI Swift that is an absolute tack driver. I have shot around 3m rounds thru it and the barrel still looks like new. My loads chrono right at 4000 fpm. Lots of the new powders are so much better than what we had to choose from 20 years ago. 30 or 40 years ago we had very limited powder choices for these calibers.

Most definitions of "overbore" cartridges simply use a math formula to determine overbore. They do not take into consideration the powders used. I remember reloading my first .25-06 (called a .25 Neider when it was a wildcat) before it was a factory offering. I used a slow burning powder (don't remember what it was as it was 50 years ago) and used to see lots of unburned powder granules left in the barrel when I cleaned it. When I stepped up to a faster burning powder, pressure went up and barrel life went to hell. Today we have a huge choice of new powders. It is just up to the reloader to find the right combination.

Well said. I have a 264 win mag which got a bad reputation as a barrel burner. I've put lots of rounds through it and barrel looks new. I also have a 25-06. It's a good round, the 257 wby will just do the same at a longer range. Just depends on what you are trying to do.

 

[Sawfish]

I have shot many antelope and deer w/ great success using my .25-06 and 117 grn BTSP.

Same here, and my 25/06 has a 15" barrel (Encore Pro-Hunter pistol) LOL

 

[Joseph]

The deciding factor for me would be the price of ammunition. Wetherby ammo is unreal expensive(I don't reload) while for the 25-06 rem it's within reason. Deer, antelope, bear, wolves aren't going to know the difference. My 25-06 did a great job on my first spring bear this year.

 

[Gr8bawana]

Another vote for the 25-06 here. I just can't see paying so much for Weatherby ammo. I am also not a reloader. And you can find the 25-06 ammo almost anywhere.

 

[Oregon oldguy]

I have shot both calibers- both extremely accurate. 25-06 ammo is cheaper and more readily available however when I went to purchase my antelope, desert mule deer rifle i chose the 257 Weatherby. Factory Weatherby premium ammo is extremely expensive but they also load non-premium bullets that are just a little more that standard 25-06 ammo in price. The reason I decided on the Weatherby is simply that a Weatherby Mark V has been on my bucket list for awhile, so it'll make a nice rifle to pass down to my son. It was expensive but wow what a beautiful shooting rifle.

 

[B&C Blacktails]

257 is my choice. Dropped every animal in its tracks. Deer elk bear, 110 gr accubond $60 a box. Not crazy expensive. My sub moa vanguard has been a tack driver since I bought in 09