Help me decide on a .257wby

If money is no object ? Why not buy a 100% custom rifle ? Hey I have a Rem 700 with a 30" Brux bbl in standard palma (Measures a few inches from chamber out to muzzle.820) Its light and mine is chambered in 6x284. Point is you could buy a custom rifle with a long bbl like mine and still be light and take advantage of all the powder in a 257 Weatherby.

I have a 300RUM custom but I like the factory look of the rifles. Having a huge barrel that does not match the receiver is not what I want. Does Hart barrels guarantee an MOA?
 
Does Hart barrels guarantee an MOA?

Not per their website.

Doing a Google search of "rifle barrel guarantee" it appears that most of the top barrel makers don't list a specific accuracy guarantee. It'd be hard to do as who knows what happens to a barrel when it leaves their facility.
 
I have a 300RUM custom but I like the factory look of the rifles. Having a huge barrel that does not match the receiver is not what I want. Does Hart barrels guarantee an MOA?

First off you can order any contour you want on a custom barrel including a factory contour. Do they guarantee MOA ? Oh man your talking ultra match bbls , hand lapped ,machined to ultra precise tolerances .( Our armed forces sniper rifles all have custom bbls) However if the gunsmith does a bad job in chambering your rifle,or poor bedding job,bad trigger it doesn't matter the quality of the bbl. There are numerous factors involved in the creation of a accurate firearm . 99% of your factory bbls are hammer forged.Run a bore scope down the bbl and compare it to a match grade and you'll see. BUT many factory rifles shoot very well because they do a great job on the other factors needed for accuracy.
 
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My Weatherby Deluxe shoots fairly well even without an accuracy guarantee.
 
I have a .257 Wby Vangaurd Deluxe. It shoots .5 groups consistently, never over .75. I load 100gr TSXs in front of 72gr RL22 for 3725fps. The only problem I have with my Vanguard Deluxe is the crappy trigger. It took me alot of work to get it to where I liked it. I think Howa has changed the triggers since I bought my Vanguard. I just bought a Howa .308 barreled action two days ago for a project gun and the two-stage trigger is sweet! I hope Weatherby has started using the new trigger design because they needed it bad.
 
100 gr bullet at 3700+ FPS is cooking ! Awesome how you get that great accuracy. But we can't have our cake and eat it too. Barrel life ?


Any gun pushing a bullet at 3700 fps will burn barrels out — eventually. For hunters that's not relevant. Unless you are using the gun for varmints or target shooting the barrel will last several lifetimes, as no hunter I've ever met shoots enough big-game to burn out a barrel in his lifetime. Stainless barrels are more resistant to throat erosion than carbon steel, so stainless is the only way to go with a .257 Weatherby.
 
get the vanguard, and then get a nice aftermarket stock. I want a thumbhole for mine
 
100 gr bullet at 3700+ FPS is cooking ! Awesome how you get that great accuracy. But we can't have our cake and eat it too. Barrel life ?
I'll admit it's a hot load and RL22 is a heat sensitive powder so if I don't shoot it in hot weather I don't get any high pressure signs. As far as accuracy goes I guess I got lucky. I seat the 100 TSX shorter than the manuals suggest at 3.180. If I remember right LongTime LongRanger gets a little more speed than me with 100 grainers out of his .257 Wby.
Barrel life? I don't know yet. I haven't kept track on this gun but I'm guessing around 500 so far.
 
I have a 257 Accumark. Shoots .5 no problem if i do my part. I shoot 110 AB reloads. Shot a few deer with this rifle most times they fall right on the spot.
 
I have both the vanguard and mk 5 in 257 wby. The vanguard is about 80 fps slower with the 24" barrel. Both are extremely accurate. The 26" mk 5 shoots the barnes ttsx at around 3800 fps with incredible accuracy. It will average around 1"-1 1/4" groups at 400 yards. My son shot a 2 1/2" three shot group at 620 yards. I got the mk 5 used at cabelas for $500 with brake and monarch scope. I got the vanguard moa for $300 used at cabelas. Both make 600 yard shots on deer and antelope trivial with their accuracy and flat shooting. Both are hunting rifles so barrel wear is not worth mentioning. They will both outlast the hunter.
 
I think the best deal I have ever got. The rest of the story. In the same purchase for $1125 I got the 257 wby mk5 with 2-10 Nikon Monarch scope and brake and a Browning A-bolt gold medallion series in 300 RUM with a Cabelas 3-12x56 scope. Both were as new and included the original box they came in. I could not tell they had been fired. I saw them on the used rack and found a young late teens looking girl who worked there and she rang them up without question. I know somebody messed up on the price. I then traded the Browning for a mk5 deluxe 378 wby mag like new with beautiful wood that came with loading dies, five boxes of new ammo and four boxes of once fired brass. I kept both scopes and put them on other rifles. So for the original $1125 I ended up with two mk 5 wby's, two scopes, loading dies and about $900 worth of ammo.

Both the MK 5's are incredibly accurate with the 257 wby now our go to rifle for deer and antelope because of the amazing accuracy. It has always shot 1"-1 1/2" groups at 400 yards making easy kills to 700 or so yards because of the super flat trajectory. The 378 wby has turned out to be a super 1000 yard rifle with the 350 SMK. I have shot some really nice groups to 1200 yards with it. For long range elk the 378 wby with high bc bullets is about as good as it gets.
 
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