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The .257 Roberts
The .257 Roberts, also known as .257 Bob, is a medium-powered .25 caliber rifle cartridge. It has been described as the best compromise between the low recoil and flat trajectory of smaller calibers such as the 5 mm (.22") and 6 mm (.24"), and the higher energy but harder recoil of larger popular hunting calibers, such as the 7 mm (.28") family and the popular 7.62 mm (.30"). The bullet diameter of the .257 Roberts is .257 inches (6.5 mm, not to be confused with the more well known 6.5 mm caliber (like 6.5×55 mm, 6.5 Grendel or 6.5 Creedmoor) which uses 6.7 mm (.264") bullets, or the .25 ACP pistol caliber which is 6.35 mm (.251"). The .257 Roberts uses the same caliber bullets as .250 Savage or the more powerful .25-06 Remington.
Many cartridge designers in the 1920s were creating various 6.35 mm (.25) caliber cartridges. Due to the availability of inexpensive Mauser actions, the 7×57mm Mauser case was a common choice, having near ideal volume capacity for the "quarter-bore" (0.25 in; 6.35 mm) using powders available at that time. Ned Roberts is usually credited with being the designer for this cartridge idea. Eventually in 1934 Remington Arms chose to introduce their own commercial version of such a cartridge, and although it wasn't the exact dimensions of the wildcat made by Roberts, they called it the .257 Roberts. From its introduction until the appearance of 6 mm cartridges such as .243 Winchester and 6mm Remington, it was a very popular general purpose cartridge. Today, although surpassed in popularity by other cartridges, it lives on with bolt-action rifles being available from some major manufacturers.
Japanese Type 38 Arisaka rifles brought to the United States as wartime souvenirs were sometimes converted by rechambering to utilize more readily available .257 Roberts cartridge cases because commercially produced 6.5×50mm Arisaka cartridges were scarce prior to distribution by Norma Projektilfabrik A/S.
The neck of the Roberts case would be slightly enlarged to accept handloaded 6.5 mm bullets. The modified Roberts cases are sometimes known as 6.5×.257 Roberts, although the case headstamp may still indicate .257 Roberts. Neither unmodified .257 Roberts ammunition nor the original 6.5×50mm Arisaka ammunition are suitable for firing in rechambered Arisaka rifles.
The .257 Roberts, also known as .257 Bob, is a medium-powered .25 caliber rifle cartridge. It has been described as the best compromise between the low recoil and flat trajectory of smaller calibers such as the 5 mm (.22") and 6 mm (.24"), and the higher energy but harder recoil of larger popular hunting calibers, such as the 7 mm (.28") family and the popular 7.62 mm (.30"). The bullet diameter of the .257 Roberts is .257 inches (6.5 mm, not to be confused with the more well known 6.5 mm caliber (like 6.5×55 mm, 6.5 Grendel or 6.5 Creedmoor) which uses 6.7 mm (.264") bullets, or the .25 ACP pistol caliber which is 6.35 mm (.251"). The .257 Roberts uses the same caliber bullets as .250 Savage or the more powerful .25-06 Remington.
Many cartridge designers in the 1920s were creating various 6.35 mm (.25) caliber cartridges. Due to the availability of inexpensive Mauser actions, the 7×57mm Mauser case was a common choice, having near ideal volume capacity for the "quarter-bore" (0.25 in; 6.35 mm) using powders available at that time. Ned Roberts is usually credited with being the designer for this cartridge idea. Eventually in 1934 Remington Arms chose to introduce their own commercial version of such a cartridge, and although it wasn't the exact dimensions of the wildcat made by Roberts, they called it the .257 Roberts. From its introduction until the appearance of 6 mm cartridges such as .243 Winchester and 6mm Remington, it was a very popular general purpose cartridge. Today, although surpassed in popularity by other cartridges, it lives on with bolt-action rifles being available from some major manufacturers.
Japanese Type 38 Arisaka rifles brought to the United States as wartime souvenirs were sometimes converted by rechambering to utilize more readily available .257 Roberts cartridge cases because commercially produced 6.5×50mm Arisaka cartridges were scarce prior to distribution by Norma Projektilfabrik A/S.
The neck of the Roberts case would be slightly enlarged to accept handloaded 6.5 mm bullets. The modified Roberts cases are sometimes known as 6.5×.257 Roberts, although the case headstamp may still indicate .257 Roberts. Neither unmodified .257 Roberts ammunition nor the original 6.5×50mm Arisaka ammunition are suitable for firing in rechambered Arisaka rifles.
