by I came across an interesting rifle on an auction site. It was a custom Mauser in a most interesting caliber: .257 B.B. Magnum. I had been looking for a .257 Roberts which this obviously is not. That said, it has aroused my curiosity as I love oddball, wildcat calibers.
Here is the description from the auction site:
Custom Inter Arms Action 257 BB Magnum; custom stainless barrel with muzzle break; this custom cartridge is a 300 Win mag necked down to a 257 caliber; comes with reloading dies; has a custom stock; excellent overall condition;
As to what the B.B. stands for I’ve been given several suggestions. “Barrel Burner”, ” Big Bore”, and what is probably the correct answer, “Belted Bottleneck”.
You can see a picture of the rifle below. It has some rather nice wood plus some interesting inlays in the stock.
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Has anyone ever heard of this caliber?
Would I be stupid to even bid on a rifle where I can’t even find published load data?
Do you think this would be a screamer?
OK, I think I know the answer to that last question. I really am interested in what readers have to say about this.
UPDATE: The rifle sold onsite to someone for $250 plus the auction house premium of 18%. In the same auction, another custom Mauser in .338-06 sold for $200. Interestingly, that caliber is much more mainstream yet the rifle sold for less.