257 Weatherby Mag Ammo Question

[Xtremetj]

I've been invited on a last minute hunt that I can't pass up. My personal rifles are new and have not been sighted in yet and don't have time to do so before the trip so I'll be using my son's 257 Weatherby.

The only ammo he has for it is Hornady's 90 grain GMX... I personally think it's a little light but he shot his south Texas Axis with it a couple years ago and says I'm over thinking it, it worked just fine. Personally I think 90 grain is too light and would really like 120 partition or 110 grain minimum. Problem is you can't find ammo for this rifle in the middle of west Texas.

Will the 90 grain GMX work for Texas hill country whitetail, axis and black buck or should I ordered some? I would arrive on time if I order soon.

Thoughts?

 

[bodean87]

Its more than enough. I prefer a softer bullet but the gmx will work fine. 257wby is my go to deer rifle.

 

[Xtremetj]

Oops... let me retry.

 

[Xtremetj]

Thank you!

Any advice with this ammo? I'm not familiar with it at all. Should I avoid shoulder shots, etc.?

 

[Xtremetj]

I found some HSM 115 Berger that I can get in time. Anyone tried this amor or had any luck with it?

 

[bodean87]

The gmx is a solid bullet. The shoulder would be my choice with that bullet. I haven't tried the 115 berger but every other berger I have used worked well. The gmx and berger are opposite ends of the spectrum bullet wise. The berger will expand and fragment while the gmx will hold together for deep penetration.

 

[Dosh]

X, those 115 Bergers is what I've shot in both .257Wby. They are one shot dead if you hit the heart-lung behind the elbow. Very accurate in the .257 and a good choice for deer size animals. As a famous shooter said about Bergers, "hit em in the slats"!

 

[AZShooter]

Those 115 Bergers are absolutely awesome on deer sized animals. There are five of us that shoot them from our 257 Weatherbys and same bullet from a 257 Roberts. 20 Az coues wt have been killed with the 115 Berger bullet. Some dropped and didn't even twitch.

In addition to the deer 2 antelope, 6 elk and 4 mule deer were also taken using the 115 VLD from the 257 Weatherbys.

 

[snox801]

Yep hem 115 Berger would be my choice. With the 90 gr as backup.

 

[Xtremetj]

Thanks for the input guys.

I just ordered some HSM ammo with the 115 grain Berger.

We'll see how they work!

 

[Xtremetj]

First of all I want to say thanks for all the advice guys! I appreciate your patience as I figure this out again. Love archery hunting but it's been way to long since I played with the rifles...

I spend a couple hours at the range.

The gun definitely likes the HSM 115 gr. Berger. It was shooting the Hornady 90 gr. GMX pretty good, nothing special but I was happy. They weren't touching but the group was golf ball size.

I decided to see what the HSM did and wow... first 3 shots all touching!

I'll definitely have the HSM Berger's in the gun when I head to the stand.

 

[Frank in the Laurels]

It'll zip through any axis deer ..

 

[cacsrx1]

They work fantastic in my .257 wby also....

 

[MudRunner2005]

First of all I want to say thanks for all the advice guys! I appreciate your patience as I figure this out again. Love archery hunting but it's been way to long since I played with the rifles...

I spend a couple hours at the range.

The gun definitely likes the HSM 115 gr. Berger. It was shooting the Hornady 90 gr. GMX pretty good, nothing special but I was happy. They weren't touching but the group was golf ball size.

I decided to see what the HSM did and wow... first 3 shots all touching!

I'll definitely have the HSM Berger's in the gun when I head to the stand.

One bit of advice I can give about the .257 Wby and 115 Bergers (or any super fast cartridge with lighter weight bullets), is to place your shot exactly like if you were bow hunting...Right in the dimple behind the shoulder. I hunted with the .257 Wby from 2008 to 2014, and shot 110 Accubonds up till around 2012 when I swapped to Bergers. I immediately started shooting Bergers in all my other rifles as well, and haven't looked back.

Good luck on your hunt, and be sure to post up some pics of the kill.