257 Weatherby Magnum

In 1944, Roy Weatherby developed this cartridge by shortening, necking down and reducing body taper of the 300 H&H case. Commercial ammunition was produced by hand from 1948 until 1951. Since then, Weatherby has offered components and factory ammunition for this cartridge made by Norma.

The 257 Weatherby was the first ultra-velocity cartridge that demonstrated any reasonable degree of commercial success. In the years following introduction of this number, various hunters used it successfully, on almost every species, worldwide. Such hunts included taking of brown bear and African Lion! However, this practice only proved that animals die if one manages to place a bullet into vital organs, which requires proper shot placement and a bullet that stays together. Using such a light bullet at such a high velocity on such heavy and dangerous game is simply asking for trouble; although it is entirely possible to succeed with such a combination, eventually one will pay a price – a wounded animal will escape or the hunter will become the hunted!

When used as Weatherby intended, for hunting medium-sized game species (especially at long range), this is a excellent choice. Factory ammunition constantly produce 5-shot groups under 1 MOA. As with all similar cartridges, this number is hard on the barrel, particularly if one is careless about cleaning or fires too many shots too rapidly. Otherwise, one barrel can provide a lifetime of big game hunting for all but the most active of shooters.