Ed Weatherby on .257 Weatherby® Magnum
January 3, 2012 at 4:24pm
I well remember my first African safari. Tramping around the bush at the base of Mt. Kilimanjaro was quite an experience for an 18-year-old fresh out of high school. What fascinated me most was the abundance of game unlike anything I had experienced in the United States. Our battery of firearms consisted of three rifles – Weatherby Magnums, of course – a .257, .300 and .378. My favorite was then, and still is, the .257 Weatherby Magnum. With the bullet screaming out of the muzzle at 3,300 fps and contacting with an animal 200 yards away, still maintaining a speed of over 2,700 fps, the animal just doesn’t stand a chance.
One of my favorite bullets for the .257 is the 120-grain Nosler Partition®. In my opinion, it’s the perfect bullet and cartridge combination for plains game, or anywhere one is looking for maximum accuracy, penetration and killing power.
I used the .257 Weatherby Magnum almost exclusively on my later safari to Mozambique, and found the light recoil of the .257 combined with the super high velocity and good penetration of the Nosler bullet really got the job done.
As I turned to domestic hunting, primarily mule deer and elk, I felt more comfortable moving up to the .270 Weatherby Magnum and using a little heavier bullet when hunting elk. In fact, I seldom go to anything smaller or larger than the .270 for hunting North American game. The recoil is very pleasant, which is nice when practicing on the range.