.257 Weatherby Magnum - Sporting Usage

Sporting Usage

The .257 Weatherby is a hunting cartridge and has not been for a large part adopted into any other shooting discipline. A reason for this has been the poorer selection of bullets and the lower sectional density and ballistic coefficients of those bullets. Due to the cartridge’s use of lighter bullets of a quarter bore diameter the use of the cartridge should be restricted to medium game species. The cartridge comes into its own when and where shooting over long distances is required or anticipated. This is especially true in habitats major grasslands of Prairies, Steppes, Pampas, or Savannah or in mountainous terrains such as the Rockies, Alps or the Himalayas.

The .257 Weatherby makes an ideal pronghorn cartridge. Due to the habitat of the species and its wariness, shooting distances are generally longer than other species in North America. The typical pronghorn weighs less than 175 lb (79 kg) and a small bodied ungulate which does not require bullets with a great penetrative ability. Bullets which open quickly and have a weight ranging between 95–110 gr (6.2–7.1 g) such as the Nosler Ballistic Tip bullet are excellent choices for this game species.

The cartridge is an excellent choice for smaller deer species such as whitetail and mule deer. These deer species a typically larger and tougher than the pronghorn antelope and require may require a slightly heavier bullet. Bullets ranging in weight from 100 gr (6.5 g) to 115 gr (7.5 g) should be chosen for these deer species. Although the .257 Weatherby is used as an elk and moose cartridge with success in North America, the cartridge is thought of as being ill suited for these heavier deer which can range in the case of elk which weighing on average 700 lb (320 kg) and moose which can weigh on average between 1,000–1,400 lb (450–640 kg) depending on subspecies.

The cartridge has had success against mountain sheep and goat whether it be in the Alps, Rockies, Caucasus, Pamir or the Himalayas. Shooting distances a typically long and the .257 Weatherby is able to reach out to the long ranges required to take the game.

Should the cartridge be employed for plains game in Africa use should be restricted to game species under 440 lb (200 kg). The cartridge is effective against smaller plains game species such as gemsbok, waterbuck, nyala and impala.

The .257 Weatherby is used as an ideal small predator cartridge for animals such as lynx, cougar, bobcat, fox, coyote, and wolverine, all of which are taken yearly with the cartridge. While the .257 Weatherby can be employed as an effective varmint round, the cost per cartridge and the muzzle blast precludes its use as a varmint cartridge in large numbers. Furthermore, barrel heating and wear are a consideration when employing the .257 Weatherby for such duties where one would shoot long strings of shots in a short period of time. Due to the cartridge's high velocity and use of lightly constricted bullets, the use of the cartridge as a small game cartridge is not recommended as there are far better choices available which do not destroy the meat as the .257 Weatherby does. If solids or FMJ bullets are used this should not be an issue with regard to small game intended for the table.

Roy Weatherby took the .257 Weatherby Magnum to Africa and took an African Cape buffalo with a single shot to prove to himself that it could be done. Although the cartridge has been used against lion and bears the cartridge is ill suited for dangerous game species as it lacks bullets with good weights and sectional densities to be considered an even a moderately effective cartridge against such game.