What to build, any ideas?

[Colorado Cowboy]

It's kind of in between....a little longer than the 250-3000 and a little shorter than the 25-06.

[ChadH]

I like the Roberts but not a great fit in a short action. I have a long throated Ruger #1 with a 26 barrel and I get 3,200fps with a 100gr. Barnes TS I been shooting a 7x57 since 1976 and it has taken caribou, antelope, a bear, mt goat, lots of deer and a few african antelope. Would not hesitate to shoot an elk with it with the right bullets, again maybe not the best fit in a short action.

It actually chambers GREAT in a short action, and even with heavier bullets it has no problem feeding in a Savage Short action. The question I need to research is the terminal ballistics of available bullets. No doubt you can shoot them, but can you achieve optimal intended velocity for the different bullet design options. A great website for this (I have found anyway) is: http://www.ballisticstudies.com/Knowledgebase.html

Lots of good information to consider there.

With respect to a .257 chambering in a short action Savage... here is a short video of the exact same model Savage Weather Warrior, in .243, rebarreled to .257 Roberts, chambering factory Fed premium 120 gr partitions:
http://s490.beta.photobucket.com/use...romLegacy=true

I am confident it will work beautifully if that is what I end up choosing. I am kind of leaning towards .257, .250 Sav, or .260... reading up on load/bullet combos right now to see if that leads in any particular direction. .250 is slower than the .257, but really terminal ballistics of the bullets concern me more (and what it would mean for barrel length, I don't want to go to long trying to achieve a certain velocity, as per XYZ bullet design requirements, and create an overly heavy rifle that my wife wouldn't enjoy carrying). If I still lived in Missouri and hunted Whitetails in a bean field at 200 yards and under, in my back yard, like the old days, I wouldn't even worry about it. Here in the west, the possibility of a little longer shot is a higher.

Great ideas guys. I really appreciate the input.

[ChadH]

I been shooting a 7x57 since 1976 and it has taken caribou, antelope, a bear, mt goat, lots of deer and a few african antelope. Would not hesitate to shoot an elk with it with the right bullets

I am sure Jack O'Connor's wife would agree with you completely, if she was alive to bear witness. A 7X57 is a very neat round. Unlike the .257 Roberts, it does have the potential to have feeding problems in a Short Action due to the heavier bullets optimal for the caliber, I haven't tried it personally, nor seen one chambered in short action, though I have heard it can be done, but is considered a "medium action".... I may buy a 7X57 modified case and put a bullet in it and see how it fits the chamber and ejection port. It would be interesting to know for sure.

[Colorado Cowboy]

As a wildcat (before it was loaded by any factory) the .257 Roberts was made from 7x57 cases.

[ChadH]

As a wildcat (before it was loaded by any factory) the .257 Roberts was made from 7x57 cases.

Correct. And I am sure that with a light bullet it would be fine... the question would be with a heavier bullet (the weights that are optimal for 7X57 140, 162 168 grain), would it be seated to long to feed in a short action, without becoming a compressed load? I'd have to see that for myself I guess.

[canvsbk]

I always enjoy threads like this and look forward to whatever decision you might make. Of course we'll also need to see pictures of the finished project along with some targets. I think we all say "I'ld like to build this or that someday" so it's kinda fun sorta being involved at some level. My current build in progress is a 7 RM...which started as a .280 AI but the donor action I found was a mag bolt face. Brux fluted 26" mag contour, Medalsist stock, fluted bolt, action/barrel K&G coated in satin stainless, bolt and bottom metal in matte black. Dan Glover is building it and I CAN'T WAIT!!
Good luck on your build.

[Drhorsepower]

Are you planning on changing the bolt face?

[ChadH]

Are you planning on changing the bolt face?

Maybe, though in the spirit of "keeping it mild enough recoil (and I suppose this implies light weight as well) for my wife to shoot" I would probably rather stay away from a Magnum caliber. The Calibers suggested so far (.250 Sav, .257 Roberts, .260 rem, 7-08) shouldn't require alteration to the Savage bolt face. If I was to go with something like 7mm wsm or even .243 wssm, then I would have to add a Magnum bolt face for sure.

[Colorado Cowboy]

Recoil can be controlled a little is with a muzzle brake, but it is really noisy. I have one on my .300Wby that is a screw on. I use it when I shooting on the bench at paper and screw it off when I'm hunting.

[BobT]

The cartridge you seek is the .270/08 improved. It gives .270 ballistics in a short action case with 10 grains less powder. It also works splendidly in a short action Savage.



Just an all around great short action cartridge!

Bob