Prewar Model 70.257 Roberts

A Favorite Cartridge for Western Hunting

- John Barsness

When Winchester officially announced its new Model 70 bolt action to the public on January 1, 1937, it also printed a big color brochure explaining the rifle’s improvements, along with a list of Winchester ammunition in the nine initial chamberings. Three cartridges – the .22 Hornet, .220 Swift, and .257 Roberts – were designated Super Speed, though only the Swift was really swift. The .22 Hornet’s 46-grain bullet was listed at 2,625 fps, and the fastest .257 Roberts load was an 87-grain bullet at 3,200 fps.

Remington had introduced the commercial version of Major Ned Roberts’ .25-caliber wildcat in 1934, calling it the .257 Remington Roberts, apparently, because it changed the sloping shoulder angle of the wildcat to 20 degrees – the same as the 7x57 Mauser, the case Roberts modified in the first place. When Winchester started chambering the same round, the company called it the .257 Winchester Roberts, even though Remington ammunition worked in Winchester rifles, and vice versa.

My copy of the brochure came from an ad on an internet site, purchased because of also recently purchased a very early Model 70 in .257 Roberts. The rifle’s serial number indicated it was made in 1936 – to build up inventory before the public announcement.

I am not as big a fan of the pre-’64 Model 70 as some friends, one of whom (to paraphrase noted philosopher and football coach Vince Lombardi) firmly believes the pre-’64 is not just the best bolt-action rifle, but the only bolt-action rifle. That said, I have owned several over the decades, including a .264 Winchester Magnum “Westerner” and a .300 Holland & Holland.