.257 Roberts vs .243

[Sabertooth]

My personel is .257 Roberts. The wife has had it for 50 years and got it from her father. Lots of deer have gone in the freezer because of it.
My two daughter in laws carry .243's. All three rifles are good shooter's
Good shooting at 100, 200 and 300 yd targets.
What is your choice and why???
Kinda like a good debate.

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[Greenbug]

They are about the same in power and range, but I'd have to give the nod to the 243 because it's easier to find ammo for, and its a little cheaper too. If you reload, you also have a better selection of 6mm bullets than you do in 257 caliber.

 

[hermannr]

.257 Roberts no question. Better bullet selection, IMHO, less recoil.

 

[Mark W.]

well if you want to go to the wall

.243 will throw a 55gr Nosler Ballistic tip at 4000fps with Varget with a ballistic co. of .276 if zeroed at 100 yards will drop approx 5.9" at 500 yards

.243 will throw a 85 gr Nosler ballistic tip at 3308 fps with AA3100 with a ballistic co. of .315 if zeroed at 100 yards will drop approx 8.8" at 500 yrds

.257 Roberts will throw a 85 gr Nosler Ballistic tip at 3380 fps with RL-15 with a ballistic co. of .329 if zeroed at 100 yards will drop approx 13.9" at 500 yrds



so bullet weight being equal the longer skinnier .243 diameter bullet flys better then the slightly fatter .257" diameter bullet.

At ranges of 50-20 yards they are so close as to not worry about. IMHO

Brass using Midway and Remington as an example is

.257 Roberts 45.99 with only 3 choices of brands of brass

.243 Win $43.75 per 100 with 7 choices of brass including some very high end competition level brass.

 

[Bigfoot]

.243 will throw a 85 gr Nosler ballistic tip at 3308 fps with AA3100 with a ballistic co. of .315 if zeroed at 100 yards will drop approx 8.8" at 500 yrds

Or Partition.

 

[sheepdip]

my old .257 roberts loves hornady +p 117gr btsp ammo. shoots great groups, good deer medicine

 

[Spitpatch]

Since the conversation was begun speaking of killing deer, and the best bullet weight for that purpose (in both calibers) would be in the 100 grain range, and since most of us of moderate to very good marksmanship skills would NEVER take a poke at a deer at 500 yards using these calibers, and with deserved respect to Mark W's method of selection, here we go:

.243 Win, 95grain Ballistic Tip. (BC .379) Highest velocity in the Nosler book is 3123fps. 200 yard zero shows a drop of 6.5" at 300 yards, and (if you are a gambler) 19.3" at 400 yards.

.257 Bob, 100 grain Ballistic Tip (BC .393) Highest velocity in the Nosler book is 3120fps. 200 yard zero shows a drop of 6.4" at 300 yards, and (for Brett Maverick) 19.0" at 400 yards.

And, again for Brett Maverick (and Mark W, if he is of that inclination), at 500 yards the Bob arrives 38.8" low. The .243 arrives 40.1" under the deer's heart.

This is the closest comparison (apples to apples) that can be made between the two calibers, with deer hunting (and appropriate bullets) as the paramount application. Literally tenths of an inch difference between the two, with the Bob winning by less than a nose.

Now: If I was choosing between the two, and wanted a good varminter (prairie dogs, coyotes, etc.,), with the occasional deer trip in the planning, I'd not hesitate to go with the .243. Lighter bullets of greater selection available.

With deer hunting as the primary intent (as per the OP's stipulation), I'd grab the Bob hands down. 117 or 120 grain bullets launched from Senor' Roberto will thump the biggest muley in Montana no sweat. Should my quarry be more delicate Whitetails or Blacktails, a 100 grain bullet will do quite nicely, and should I ever venture an ill-advised roll of the dice at 500 yards, I'd still be (minutely) ahead of the Winnie Six.

 

[sheepdip]

8.8 inch drop zeroed at 100 yds:bsflag:

 

[joken]

Buy the pretty one because the details probably really won't make any difference, no really.

 

[Spitpatch]

sheepdip, your raising of the B.S. banner did not take into account Mark W's being on the cutting edge of bullet offerings. The new Ballistic Tips (as Mark W determined didn't need to be said: ANYBODY knows this) have micro-engineered rocket engines in them. He rightly used a comparable bullet when he shot his .257 Roberts as well, achieving just under 14" of drop with that cartridge at 500 yards, and correctly zeroed that gun at 100 yards too.

Sadly, I am still using up my supply of the obsolete old style Ballistic Tips, and so arrived at different (and horribly handicapped) trajectories, even despite my stacking of the deck with a nearly unheard-of 200 yard zero for such cartridges. I have ordered two "upgrade kits" of the micro rocket engines, and am sending one to you so that we may realize modern-day results as Mark W does. Installation is a snap, requiring only a common household electron microscope.

Get with the program, dude.

 

[erslll]

well if you want to go to the wall

.243 will throw a 55gr Nosler Ballistic tip at 4000fps with Varget with a ballistic co. of .276 if zeroed at 100 yards will drop approx 5.9" at 500 yards

.243 will throw a 85 gr Nosler ballistic tip at 3308 fps with AA3100 with a ballistic co. of .315 if zeroed at 100 yards will drop approx 8.8" at 500 yrds

.257 Roberts will throw a 85 gr Nosler Ballistic tip at 3380 fps with RL-15 with a ballistic co. of .329 if zeroed at 100 yards will drop approx 13.9" at 500 yrds



so bullet weight being equal the longer skinnier .243 diameter bullet flys better then the slightly fatter .257" diameter bullet.

At ranges of 50-20 yards they are so close as to not worry about. IMHO

Brass using Midway and Remington as an example is

.257 Roberts 45.99 with only 3 choices of brands of brass

.243 Win $43.75 per 100 with 7 choices of brass including some very high end competition level brass.

You need to learn the difference between MOA and inches of drop.

 

[Bigfoot]

sheepdip, your raising of the B.S. banner did not take into account Mark W's being on the cutting edge of bullet offerings. The new Ballistic Tips (as Mark W determined didn't need to be said: ANYBODY knows this) have micro-engineered rocket engines in them. He rightly used a comparable bullet when he shot his .257 Roberts as well, achieving just under 14" of drop with that cartridge at 500 yards, and correctly zeroed that gun at 100 yards too.

Sadly, I am still using up my supply of the obsolete old style Ballistic Tips, and so arrived at different (and horribly handicapped) trajectories, even despite my stacking of the deck with a nearly unheard-of 200 yard zero for such cartridges. I have ordered two "upgrade kits" of the micro rocket engines, and am sending one to you so that we may realize modern-day results as Mark W does. Installation is a snap, requiring only a common household electron microscope.

Get with the program, dude.

Ah, special order bullets. I was wondering where he got those 6mm 85 grain BTs. According to his drop chart Nosler sure makes some good bullets these days. I gotta call Bend.

 

[EMP9596]

Youngest boy kills whitetail and feral hogs in Texas with a family handed down Bob. He and I discussed the rifle for use on hogs. So far it has worked on him.

Borrowed from Chuck Hawks when considering hogs: .257 Roberts and .257 Roberts +P

For many years the .257 Roberts was the cartridge on which .25 fans hung their hats. No less an authority than Jack O'Connor held that the .257 Roberts was a better, more versatile cartridge than the newer .243 Winchester and 6mm Remington. Actually, the 6mm Remington is based on a necked-down .257 case, and there is little to choose between the two if both are loaded to the same pressure with the same weight bullets. Then the 6mm has the advantage in sectional density, and the .257 has the advantage in cross sectional area.
Like the 6mm cartridges, the .257 Roberts is an excellent long range varmint cartridge using bullets in the 75-87 grain weight range. These allow the harvesting of rodents and small predators as far as they can be hit, with acceptable recoil and muzzle blast.

The .257's advantage over the similar .24 caliber cartridges is its ability to handle heavier bullets, and the .257 Roberts is factory loaded with 117-120 grain bullets. But the rub is that the .243 Winchester and 6mm Remington are loaded to substantially higher pressure than the .257 Roberts, which is held to a rather mild 45,000 cup or 54,000 piezo psi. This allows a 117 grain bullet to be driven at a MV of 2650 fps with ME of 1824 ft. lbs.

More recently, higher pressure +P factory loads have been introduced to partially rectify the problem, and these drive 117-120 grain spitzer bullets at a MV of 2780 fps. These loads have adequate killing power for 200 pound game out to 290 yards according to the "Optimal Ranges for Big Game" table. Another choice for long range shooting of deer and antelope available only to reloaders is a 100 grain spitzer bullet at a MV of about 3000 fps; the major ammo manufacturers no longer offer such loads.

I do not reload nor does he. The boy is just using the +P's.

 

[Dave Workman]

Oh, the .257 Roberts!

The .243 is so....what's that word?....commonplace

It takes a real aficionado to shoot the .257!

100-grain Nosler Ballistic Tip or Speer Boattail with H4895 pushing it down the tube.

 

[orygun]

My wife has a .243 that just sits in the safe since I bought a 7mm-08 for her. In fact I've been the only one to shoot it since then, and it was just for sighting in, in case the son wanted to use it for deer.

But, if it was me looking.. and I do respect the 243. It is a great cartridge...but...

I love to handload and I would take the 257 Roberts, or even the 257 Improved in a heartbeat!
I know the difference between it and the 243 are minimal. I really don't care! I think it would be a fun round to play with.

Besides, 257 Roberts just SOUNDS cool! Besides the fact that it was an American "messing up" a German cartridge!

 

[Spitpatch]

Oh, the .257 Roberts!

The .243 is so....what's that word?....commonplace

It takes a real aficionado to shoot the .257!

100-grain Nosler Ballistic Tip or Speer Boattail with H4895 pushing it down the tube.

Correct: Aficianados shoot the .257 Roberts. While they gaze skyward and can only dream of what it takes to be a Connoisseur: the lofty few who shoot the .250-3000 Savage.

 

[orygun]

Correct: Aficianados shoot the .257 Roberts. While they gaze skyward and can only dream of what it takes to be a Connoisseur: the lofty few who shoot the .250-3000 Savage.

Do I detect a little cartridge snobbery going on here?

 

[RVTECH]

I will not enter the affray here but the .243 has been a personal favorite of mine for many moons and I have owned a few, but down to only one now, my 2nd, a kit built with a Mauser action that has accounted for more jack rabbits, coyotes and sage rats that I could count. And loading it is simple - 40 grains of IMR 4350 ahead of a 100 grain ballistic tip Nosler. This load HAS produced one hole groups in the past and only recently have I brought the rifle out again for some coyotes this winter but I need some serious bench time with it first.

 

[unklekippy]

The .257 Roberts wins. But it is close enough that any reasonably trained marksman could put down a deer with either at 200 yards.

 

[Spitpatch]

Do I detect a little cartridge snobbery going on here?

Guilty as charged, Your Honor. Sentence has already been passed, and I am serving my time as a model prisoner, but deserving no time off for good behavior during 44 years chained to the cartridge that literally taught me how to shoot: that highpower rifles don't have to be uncomfortable, extreme accuracy is always facilitated by low recoil, game is killed by good bullets through lungs (nothing else matters), and everything I ever pointed the .250 at died very quickly as a result of these lessons learned with it.

Takin' da shirt off here, Boss! Shakin' da bush here, Boss!