I have been lucky enough to have gone to the Mecca of fine Firearms. So I can tell you that first they were friendly as hell to me and my friend Jim Raford. That & Youtube was not lying about the quality of their guns. So if you get a chance to see it by all means do so! Grumpy
The 1920s were a fascinating time in American history. Full of pride and bravado after saving the world from the Kaiser, Americans led the way in the industrial revolution, as well as a cultural upheaval. Shooters were caught up in the mix, too, with gunnies everywhere experimenting with new cartridge designs.
One popular experimenter and writer of the day was Ned H. Roberts. He, as well as some other experimenters, was consumed with the idea of what were called “quarter-bore cartridges,” cartridges of .25 caliber. The idea was to have one rifle capable of being shot all day at varmints, yet have enough power and range to take deer-sized game. Roberts-after much experimentation-settled on the 7×57 Mauser as a parent case for his quarter-bore brainchild.
Custom rifles from Niedner and Griffin & Howe became available for Roberts’ wildcat in 1928 and were quite popular among hunters. In 1934, Remington brought the cartridge into its factory fold changing Roberts original 15-degree shoulder angle back to the parent’s 20-degree angle, naming the former wildcat the .257 Remington Roberts and chambering the company’s Model 30 bolt-action rifle for it.
Winchester immediately chambered its Model 54 for the cartridge, and when it came out with the Model 70 in 1936, the .257 Roberts-as it became known-was one of the original chamberings. With the exception of World War II when all armories were supporting the war effort, the .257 Bob-a common nickname it received-was somewhat popular.
However, by the mid-’50s the 6 mm cartridges began to show up, casting a bit of a shadow over Ned Roberts’ cartridge. A big part of this was due to the fact that Remington kept the factory loads pretty mild in deference to some older receivers that weren’t up to modern pressures. Factory loads replicated the ballistics of the .250 Savage. Handloaders were able to get all the capabilities of the .257 Bob, provided the rifles they shot were strong like the Remington and Winchester.
Too, part of riding the wave of a fad is the inevitable slide off the crest due to boredom. Fad shooters are just like fad anything; they are in a perpetual search for something new to stimulate their minds. Eventually the gun manufacturers quietly dropped the .257 Roberts from their chambering menu, replacing it with the 6 mm Remington and .243 Winchester. Because so many rifles were out there chambered for the Roberts’ cartridge, ammo makers continue to make occasional runs.
Winchester discontinued chambering the Model 70 in .257 Roberts in 1959. In the mid-1980s Winchester Ammunition began offering +P loads in the .257 Roberts at 5 percent to 7 percent above the Remington factory load and featured a 117-grain Power-Point at 2,780 fps from a 24-inch test barrel. Browning/USRAC also did a limited run of the Model 70 XTR in .257 Roberts. This Model 70, along with most rifles chambered for the .257 Bob, are made with 22-inch barrels.
Recently, the renewed Winchester Repeating Arms Company made a special run of 500 Model 70s in .257 Bob for Cabela’s. I saw it at this year’s Media Day at the SHOT Show, but the frigid gale blowing that day made shooting this new chambering futile. I’ve always had a bit of a soft spot for the .257 Bob, believing the heavier 117- and 120-grain bullets to be a good performer on lighter game like deer and antelope. Cabela’s Joe Arterburn knows I am a sucker for Model 70s, so he sent me one to evaluate.
The Cabela’s rendition of this chambering is thoughtfully done in the Featherweight platform-it features a 22-inch barrel tapered to a Featherweight profile to reduce weight. The stock is A-grade fancy walnut, checkered to 20 lpi. Because this is a premium rifle, the bolt is jeweled, and the entire rifle is polished to a deep luster-both wood and metal. It is equipped with Winchester’s MOA trigger that some like and others disdain for its departure from the original design. At a bare weight of 7 pounds, it qualifies as a Featherweight in terms of Winchester Featherweight nomenclature, though lighter rifles are made today. My test sample came with a Cabela’s 3×9 scope already on it, swelling the rifle’s weight to 8 pounds, 9 ounces.
The wet, cold and downright nasty spring weather we have been enjoying postponed my range time with the new Model 70 a couple of weeks. Once there though, the rifle didn’t disappoint. My first shots using Remington Express with a 117-grain Core-Lokt bullet loaded to the same mildness Remington has always loaded this cartridge fell into a 1 3/8-inch group. Ten rounds later, my chronograph confirmed the mildness of this load showing an average velocity of 2,565 fps. Completing the test with the Remington load yielded an average group size of 1 1/8 inches.
I then switched to some semi-custom ammo from The Hunting Shack, out of Stevensville, Mont. Under the trade name of HSM, this ammunition is loaded with premium bullets and often powders that are not available to most handloaders. In this case, the .257 Roberts cartridges were loaded with Berger 115-grain HPBT Hunting VLD bullets. Though this was my first experience with .25-caliber Bergers, I have loaded and now regularly use the 130-grain HPBT Hubting VLD bullet in my .270 Winchesters, and they are superb in terms of accuracy and terminal performance on game. Loaded to a much zippier 2,973 fps average, this ammo was clearly the front runner with groups averaging 7/8 inch.
Several things come to mind as I ponder this rifle. First, I wish it was available 35 or 40 years ago when I did a lot of backpack hunting. Its light weight and mild recoil make it an excellent choice for the mountain hunter. Secondly, in its modern loadings or handloads, the .257 Roberts has a better downrange trajectory and hits harder than the .243 Win. or 6 mm Rem. And finally, you younger hunters take some advice from an old man that knows better now: By the time you reach my age this rifle will probably have acquired another generation of dedicated aficionados and be worth more than you paid for it.
Manufacturer: Winchester Model 70 Limited Edition: www.cabelas.com
Type: Bolt action
Caliber: .257 Roberts
Barrel Length: 22”
Magazine/Capacity: Integral box/five-round capacity
Trigger: 4 lbs., 1 oz.
Rifling: 1:10” RH
Sights: None; drilled and tapped for scope base
Safety: Three-position crossbolt
Stock: A-grade walnut
Drop at comb/heel: 1/2 inch; 5/8 inch
Overall Length: 43 3/4 inches
Weight: 7 lbs.
Metal Finish: Blue
Suggested Retail Price: $1,700 (SURE!!!!!!! Grumpy)
Dave found a decades-old magazine article by the late Skeeter Skelton extolling the virtues of the Colt Diamondback. He said the sixgun made a good trail companion,
and Workman concurs.
Discovering old writings by top handgunners in their day is always educational for many reasons. When I recently ran across some very old magazines from nearly 50 years ago in a corner office, the honest-to-goodness first story to grab my attention was by the late Skeeter Skelton extolling the virtues of — wait for it — the Colt Diamondback.
Here’s a dandy — in my humble opinion — little sixgun which some folks have wrongly disdained as being a little on the delicate side for reasons I cannot fathom. Reading his decades-old article, it appears Skelton didn’t share that opinion either, as he described this particular Colt as having “performed beautifully.”
“Properly loaded,” Skelton observed at the time, “the .38 Diamondback is good medicine for medium animals such as coyotes, porcupines, and javelina out to 75 yards or so.”
On a recent woodcutting trek, Dave was packing his little Colt
stoked with handloads. Ample horsepower for predators.
He said the Diamondback “is the epitome of light trail guns.” I’ve written essentially the same thing, and have come to really enjoy packing my 4-inch specimen along in the woods when a .38 Special might come in handy for potting a rabbit or putting the hurt on a coyote. I also knocked together an IWB holster for concealed carry.
More than a year ago, I shared the story of my Diamondback acquisition with readers. It happened the same week my mother passed more than ten years ago, and I recalled the transaction gave me something else to think about during a difficult time. Things like that get some people through.
As noted by the late Mr. Skelton, who I met briefly at the National Rifle Association convention in Seattle in 1985 — a pleasant fellow capable of carrying on a quick conversation in a noisy exhibit hall — the Diamondback was a “modernized, deluxe version of the Police Positive Special.” That gun “evolved” into the Detective Special, he wrote, and I’ve always considered the “D-frame” Diamondback to be a beefed-up Dick Special with adjustable sights and an eye-catching full underlug barrel topped by the vent rib to capitalize on the eye candy appeal of the legendary Colt Python.
Enhancing the visual appeal of the Diamondback was the full
underlug barrel with its Python-esque vent rib on top.
Empty, this sixgun weights only 28.5 ounces, and I’ll say with no misgivings it’s the lightest 28 ½-ounce wheelgun I’ve ever carried. Maybe it’s because the Diamondback (when is Colt going to reintroduce this gem?) is very well balanced.
Diamondback owners know this revolver has a shortened butt frame, around which the factory and aftermarket grip makers have wrapped some remarkably functional grips.
Many years ago, I worked up a .38 Special load using 4.7 grains of HP-38 pushing a 125-grain JHP at about 900 fps, initially to use in my 6-inch Model 19 Smith & Wesson, but it turns out this round works rather well in my little snake gun as well. Recoil is manageable, and with an ample sight radius, it is satisfactorily accurate for small game.
Maybe the bad rap about the Diamondback is that it won’t take a pounding with hot loads, and let’s be honest: some guys just can’t resist pushing the envelope to see how much of a “boom!” they can get out of a revolver.
I’ve known such people and they make me nervous because one never knows when one of their hot loads is going to disintegrate a handgun while I’m standing close enough to get hurt. I’m quite content with my mid-range .38 Special loads, which — based on my reading of Hodgdon’s Annual Manual — can also be produced with such propellants as AutoComp, Titegroup and CFE Pistol. I’ll be a happy camper if I can conk a cottontail for the winter pot.
Colt’s 4-inch Diamondback in .38 Special is a good shooter. Workman
ran three loads, including factory Hornady 158-grainers, and handloads
topped with either 125-grain JHPs or 110-grain JHPs all at 10 yards.
Let’s talk a moment about handloading for the .38 Special. Way too many people want that +P power in their sidearm when it’s a bad idea. A lot of older handguns don’t handle +P pressures, but one can load up completely adequate standard pressure loads that work just fine, thanks to modern bullet design and composition.
There are some sizzling loads, which push 110-grain bullets above 1,110 fps, and that kind of punch is going to immediately get so — or someone’s — undivided attention. One caveat here is that such loads, even within acceptable pressures, are going to have very snappy recoil, and I’m being polite. In a lightweight such as the Diamondback, recoil is no small concern.
My recommendation for anyone loading the .38 Special for older medium or light-framed revolvers is to consult more than one reloading manual. You will find several load suggestions and DO NOT EXCEED them.
Soon after acquiring his Diamondback, Dave replaced the factory
grips with a set of Herrett “Detective” grips that fit his hand perfectly.
Not long after obtaining my Diamondback, I pulled the factory grips and installed a set of Detective grips crafted by my friend Rod Herrett. These are superb grips for concealed carry and they fit my hand very well, and also help tame recoil.
Every ammunition company offers standard pressure loads in .38 Special, which will work just fine in the Diamondback or similar revolvers.
Charles Allan “Skeeter” Skelton was one of the premier gunwriters of his era. During his life, he served in the Marine Corps, worked as a lawman at various levels including a term as sheriff of Deaf Smith County, Texas. He was a masterful storyteller and having grown into early adulthood reading his articles, it was a treat to meet him back in ’85. Sadly, he passed on less than three years later, far too early for someone with his wit and wisdom. I would have dearly enjoyed spending more time chatting with him.
Stumbling across his Diamondback essay was a delight. He covered all the bases, including felt recoil, powder selection for handloads, his recommendation that the action be smoothed a bit, his dislike of the hammer size because it pinched his hand, and other points. He didn’t care for the factory grips, considering them too large for the size of the gun.
Raw data from the FBI/NICS system shows continued healthy traffic.
(Source: FBI-NICS)
It’s always informative to see the monthly FBI/NICS check data, particularly because the numbers repeatedly demonstrate America hasn’t given up on the right to keep and bear arms.
According to data for April, the National Instant Check System (NICS) ran a total of 2,607,477 checks, though readers are reminded the statistic does not represent the number of firearms sold.
For that information, we always turn to the National Shooting Sports Foundation, which invariably produces an “NSSF-adjusted” figure more closely reflecting the number of actual gun transactions that did occur. In this case, the NSSF-adjusted figure for April, according to Mark Oliva, public affairs director for the organization, was 1,359,908.
Any way one looks at that number, it is significant. Over the past two years, U.S. citizens have purchased a lot of guns. There is no small irony this surge in gun buying began as the 2020 election loomed and the Democrat in that race was very public about his plan to ratchet down on Second Amendment rights. Gun sales were fueled by the “defund police” movement, the summer of rioting in 2020 and an uncertain future. They stay healthy because Joe Biden has not abandoned his plan to curtail gun rights, and this summer may be his last opportunity to advance that agenda.
Fatal Error
When a man identified as Roman Rodriguez allegedly broke into the San Antonio, Texas home of a mom with three children inside, the last thing he probably expected was that this was the last thing he would ever do.
According to Fox News, the mom heard someone breaking in, and instead of panic, she became her own first responder. She reportedly grabbed a gun and shot the intruder twice in the chest. Police found him sitting in a chair in the backyard, and he subsequently died at a local hospital.
While other news agencies treated the shooting with some objectivity, the New York Post headlined its report thusly: “Texas mom guns down home intruder as kids sleep: cops.”
The final paragraph in the Post’s story: “The probe continues, but the unidentified homeowner is not facing charges because of the so-called Castle Doctrine, which allows a person to use force against an intruder who breaks into their home, News 4 San Antonio reported.”
John Ross authored what has become an “underground” classic novel, “Unintended Consequences,” more than two decades ago, weaving together a fantasy plot with actual historical facts relating to the gun control crusade in the U.S.
The 860-plus page novel grabbed the gun rights movement with a tale of resistance to government overreach. I finished the final ten chapters while stuck at an airport overnight in Michigan, grounded by a storm enroute to that year’s National Rifle Association convention in Charlotte, N.C.
I spoke only once with Ross, via telephone, at the time tracking down a rumor he was working on a sequel. As I recall, it was a pleasant, albeit brief, chat.
Ross passed away suddenly on April 29. He was 64.
Born June 17, 1957, he was a graduate of John Burroughs High School in Ladue in 1974 and attended Amherst College in Massachusetts, graduating in 1979 with a B.A. in English. He worked for the E.F. Hutton company as a broker for about ten years, and then took up full-time writing. According to a short obituary, he was a private pilot, firearms expert, instructor and activist.
He is survived by his daughter, Lucy Margaret Ross of Boulder, Colo., and two sisters, Helen Ross and Lucy Natkiel.