SmallCaliberCentral

Looking at buying a rifle in one of theses calibers for deer shooting and some long range varmint .Either .257 weatherby or a .270 WSM . Any comment would be great,thanks.

Varminting - as in prairie dogs?

First - price what a box of new ammo will cost you. If you reload, price what a 200 rounds of brass will cost.

Personally, I would never take either on a varmint (prairie dogs) trip. Way too much noise, muzzle blast, recoil, and cost of ammo.

acloco wrote:Varminting - as in prairie dogs?

First - price what a box of new ammo will cost you. If you reload, price what a 200 rounds of brass will cost.

Personally, I would never take either on a varmint (prairie dogs) trip. Way too much noise, muzzle blast, recoil, and cost of ammo.

I dont reload and no prairie dogs where i live. Mainly for deer and an odd fox .

Ah....not the small varmints, but of the larger variety.

Price the ammo and make your decision from there.

May I recommend a 243, 308, or 270 for your quarry?

257 weatherby is an impressive cartridge, but factory loaded ammo is very pricey. 270wsm ammo is cheaper, but still expensive at most places. the 270wsm has some higher bc bullets factory loaded for it than does the 257 weatherby. more new rifles are also currently chambered for 270wsm than the 257 so this round should stick around for a while.

Was looking at a Weatherby mark V accumark rifle in.257 cal.How good are they for their high price ?

Paddy - my Grandpa had a .257 Wby mag built when that cartridge was still brand new in the late 1940's or early 1950's. Roy Weatherby's old shop worked over an old Mauser for him, and Grandpa used that thing on deer, coyotes and ground squirrels for many years. It's a zinger, no doubt. High velocity. Modest recoil. Capable of good accuracy. Deadly as sin. It's a lot like my .25-06, but more so...

Dad is passing that rifle on to my youngest son now. It's a great old rifle.

For your choice - hmmm. I don't know. They're both good cartridges. If deer are the biggest thing being hunted, I'd go with the .257 Wby. I just don't think there's all that much difference in killing power on deer with cartridges from .243 - .35 Whelen. I've seen shot placement make the huge difference, not cartridge selection.

Regards, Guy

paddy 09 wrote:Was looking at a Weatherby mark V accumark rifle in.257 cal.How good are they for their high price ?

Very,very good.

If Your not going to keep the pelts/fur on the Varmints the .270 WSM will reach out flatter and further for that,I would use a .243 or even a .223 for that matter?



The .270 WSM shells cost about $35.00-$40.00 a box of 20 shells.

never shot a 270 wsm but I will say there is not much I can't do with my .257

You would be way ahead of the cost factor if you went with a 25-06 for deer season and then varmint/predators you simply drop down to 75 or 87 grain bullets that fly out the barrel at 3400fps easy. Brass is always easy to come by as the 30-06 is no problem to down size for your 1/4 bore caliber. I used one for 15 years and it did a great job around the property we own. The cost of a box of shells are less than half what Weatherby ammo cost. Recoil is also lighter on the torso too!

Now if your really excited about the .270 dia bullet, then the older .270 Winchester is less than half the cost of the .270 WSM caliber for a box of shells. They are always on sale, along with the 30-06 come deer season. Yes, it is a wee bit slower by 140 fps but no deer will ever notice the difference and that is only with 130 grain bullets mind you. If you shoot the 150 grainers things are much closer in feet per second.

Well, either one is a fine long range shooter-the 257 Weath may have a little longer reach and less recoil. If mostly deer though and possibly elk or black bear I'd go with the .270 WSM-and you can still shoot coyotes or fox with it.

Paddy09...what State are You located in....You may want to see what calibers Your allowed to Deer Hunt with?


I have Deer Hunted with my Browning .243 and also used it for Predator/Varmint Hunting....a little hard on the fur/pelts if they are hit in a bad area.I ended up getting a CZ-USA in the "Varmint" heavy barrel .204...much easier on the Coyote,Fox and Bobcat hides and it really reaches out far!...Next best thing is to check into different calibers and see whats best to use for Deer Hunting and Predators.....You can go with most calibers...just get a lighter grain bullet!

paddy 09 wrote:

acloco wrote:Varminting - as in prairie dogs?

First - price what a box of new ammo will cost you. If you reload, price what a 200 rounds of brass will cost.

Personally, I would never take either on a varmint (prairie dogs) trip. Way too much noise, muzzle blast, recoil, and cost of ammo.

I dont reload and no prairie dogs where i live. Mainly for deer and an odd fox .

The Fox will look very odd if you use the 257Wea & 75V-Max at about 3900 on him!

Nomosendero wrote:The Fox will look very odd if you use the 257Wea & 75V-Max at about 3900 on him!

If either discussed caliber were to be used on an unlucky fox, the after shot comment will more than likely be "what fox?"

When I think of suitable fox calibers, cartridges such as the .17 Ackley Hornet or the .17 Mach IV/.17 Fireball come to mind. I suppose in the end, you have to ask yourself if magnum performance is truly needed for shooting deer....let alone a fox......

JMO...I'm sure yours will vary.