A lot of people think .257 Roberts is a total Fudd cartridge—an anachronism, destined for the brass pile of history. It’s a shame, too, because it has nearly all the virtues modern rifle shooters look for in any cartridge bigger than .223 Rem. and lighter than .308 Win.
Unfortunately, the .257 Roberts has long suffered from a botched release (more on that soon) and never got quite the same development as other more popular cartridges.
HISTORY OF .257 ROBERTS
The .257 Roberts started life as a wildcat, devised by gunwriter and tinkerer Ned Roberts in the 1920s who tried his hand at necking down a case to shoot a smaller bullet. The idea, as always, was to decrease recoil and gain ballistic advantage through sheer velocity.
The parent case is 7x57mm Mauser. Roberts necked it down
