Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters 257 Roberts for Dall Sheep

My .257 Ackley shooting 117 gr Sierra GameKing handloads has been my favorite deer, antelope, and sheep rifle for the past 40 years. It started as a Mauser Mark X .25-05 barreled action that I had re-chambered to .257 AI in the late '70s. It's topped with a compact 6x Leupold scope.

With it's leather sling and Fajen fancy walnut stock it weighs a little more than 9 1/2 lbs. I fitted it with a synthetic stock for my MacKenzie Mountains Dall sheep hunt, but that's the only time I've had that stock on it.

I've used this rifle on quite a few DIY Montana Unlimited permit area bighorn sheep hunts and it made one shot kills on 4 rams. It also made a lasered 206 yd one shot kill on this 39 3/4" MacKenzie Mountains Dall ram.


After I shot that Dall ram, I used my .257 AI to make a 250 yd one shot kill on a Mountain caribou bull. And on one Unlimited bighorn hunt, I didn't see any rams, but when a 330" 6 pt bull elk walked into view, a 117 gr GameKing bullet from my .257 AI dropped him in his tracks.

My experience has only been with the .257 Ackley Improved, and reloading manuals give a 200 fps advantage to the .257 AI over the standard .257 Roberts. But I have been in several discussions with very knowledgeable shooters that claim in modern rifles, the .257 Roberts or P+ loads are not that far behind the Ackley version.

In any case, if I ever draw another North American sheep tag, I will be carrying my .257 Ackley hunting them.

That weighs more than my 338 Win mag...

I'll bet thats fun to shoot.....

Buff, I've never hunted sheep but your Dall looks like a nice one!

FWIW, the 117SGK's shoot really well in my 257 Roberts, 44 grains of H4350 makes about 2900fps through the 22" barrel.

Antelope buck this Fall was laying down at the shot and didn't get up, feet straight out. Indian buddy shot the head off a pheasant at 50 yards, the Sierra worked good on that shot too....(grin)

Sovereign Nation........you forgot to mention.....grin!

The Rez does have it's perks.....(laughin'!)

Stop by sometime....I always have a pot on..

10-4 Pat, sounds good!

And that, right there, is the magic of the 257 Robers. Great killing machine, light recoil, shoots flat enough to hit out beyond 300 yd, and does it with a measly 44 gr of powder.

Ted

If I were seriously conteplating a NULA, a M20 in 284 Win or 6.5X284 would be VERY high on the list of candidates...

I bought and read Vol I & II of "Handbook For Reloaders and Shooters" by PO Ackley.

I also thought it was a cool looking case.

OK, thanks...

i recently had a 25-06 done up and am having a blast with it...

i always wanted a .257, but had that standard action and couldn't resist...

i may have a .257 before it's over, too...

I had a Ruger 7ts 257 Roberts, rechambered to AI a bunch of years ago, and have shot quite a few deer and some other varmits with it, using the 100 gr Hornady at 3130 mv. This combination really works for me, but if I were going on a Sheep hunt I would use the 115 gr Nosler PT, and never have a second thought. The standard 257 is no handicap.