257 Roberts

.257 Roberts 80 Grain Barnes TTSX (Lead Free)- Firearms experimenter Ned H. Roberts created what was to become the .257 Roberts commercial cartridge during the mid-1920s. Basically, he necked down the 7x57mm Mauser case to take .257 inch diameter (standard .25 caliber) bullets. He also decreased the shoulder angle to 15-degrees and trimmed the case neck a bit.

The Roberts .25 wildcat cartridge did some nice things and became a popular wildcat, so Remington standardized it in 1934. The commercial Remington version of the .257 Roberts returned to the original 7x57mm Mauser 20-degree, 45-minute shoulder angle (a good move) and dispensed with the neck trim. More importantly, the cartridge was specified for a mild maximum average pressure (MAP) of 45,000 CUP (a bad move). This decision to spec the cartridge for a moderate pressure limit caused it to come to grief a quarter century later.

The .257 Roberts was the premier combination varmint/deer cartridge until the .243 Winchester and .244 Remington were introduced in 1955. These cartridges were highly touted by Warren Page, the Shooting Editor at Field & Stream magazine, and appeared to be ballistically superior to the .257 Roberts. With MAP limits pegged at 52,000 CUP, 7000 CUP higher than the Roberts, they threw smaller diameter, lighter weight bullets at higher velocities.

Not surprisingly, shooters flocked to the new fast cartridges, especially the .243 Winchester. (The .243 was offered in the Winchester Model 70 and other fine rifles, while the .244 was offered in the clunky Remington Model 722.) The .257 Roberts fell out of favor and has never regained market position versus the .243 Winchester.

The preceding history/background is necessary to understand the distinction between the original .257 Roberts cartridge and its later variant called the “.257 Roberts +P.” Simply put, the .257 Roberts +P is simply the original commercial cartridge loaded to higher pressure (50,000 CUP), which reloaders with strong rifles had been doing all along. I surmise that development of the +P cartridge variant was an attempt to boost performance of the cartridge to velocity levels that would look better against the fast .243s. By Gary Zinn

Choice Ammunition, and our 100% Hand-Loading techniques- produce a round of ammunition for the .257 Roberts that is demanded for predator and deer hunting. Accuracy, consistency and dependability are crucial at that final moments of your hunt. Choice Ammunition takes this responsibility seriously by meticulously weighing each powder charge with our proprietary formulas and temperature insensitive powders, seating the bullet at the exact length for optimal performance and test firing each and every lot of ammunition at an average of 500% over industry average. We have no high speed production machines- only passionate and dedicated load technicians pulling each and every handle, producing one round of ammunition at a time. 

The Bullet-

100-PERCENT COPPER BODY

• Velocity 3,115 fps
• 100% Hand Loaded