The .257 Roberts neither gone nor forgotten

With newer propellants and better bullets, something old is becoming new again. Ned Roberts probably had no idea that his wildcat could end up with such a long shelf life. Most people consider the .243 Win to be the main reason for the decline in support for the .257 Roberts, but I have a sneaking suspicion that the .25-06 was the real culprit. At the very least it may have delivered the final blow.

But was there really a ‘final blow’? Reaching back into the 1920s the Roberts was a pretty handy cartridge. Up to that point the .250-3000 was the best you could obtain in a 25-calibre. Being the first ‘quarter bore’ to reach 3000fps, it was a great cartridge. But the Roberts, with its bigger case, courtesy of an even older cartridge for the parenting job,