I lack inspiration today… That shouldn’t be so as last evening I visited two of my bear bait sites and they’ve been plenty busy with lots of good sign that a big bear is visiting each. And, oh yes… “Big” Ben was with me. Did I not mention “Big Ben”? Sorry about that… Well, you see Ben is a 20-year old and he’s plenty big alright. Let me put it in perspective: I’m 5′-9″ right out of the shower, without socks (or anything else), and 180 lbs right on the nose! Add one inch for boots/shoes, whatever. Normally dressed for this time of year I’m 5″-10″ and 185 – 186 lbs. Oh yes, Ben… well, he’s 6′-3″ and 295 lbs (out of the shower… I hope!). I figure he’s good to have around in big bad bear country as he’s bigger than most bears I’ve shot. We put bait in one spot where it was supposed to go, and then…
We went shooting… A cardboard box… the one in the pic was placed on a backwoods trail, on a downhill slope, and we backed off 20 yds for some shooting. Not much… just a couple to make a comparison between a 180 Nosler Partition from my .300 Win Mag at 3010 fps and my Ruger No.1 .45-70 Imp shooting a 350gr TSX at an MV of 2470 fps… wanting to evaluate penetration, expansion, weight retention and general destructiveness to both bullets and hard, dry glossy magazines wedged tightly in a box.
Results? Penetration was identical, as was expected. Destructive cavity was immense by the .458″ bullet, though the 180 NP had nothing to be ashamed of either. The TSX retained 81% of it’s mass (lost two petals) and the NP lost 51.5% and was a shapeless, tangled mass of lead, alloy and paper. If I were hunting DG, I KNOW which one I’d choose, both in bullet and caliber! Yes, the 180gr Nosler Partition from a 300 magnum is a union made in heaven for MOST big game… The 350gr TSX at a MV between 2400 and 2700 fps would simply be devastation on ANY soft-skinned game in the world!
Oh yeah… this is about the .458 Win Mag, ain’t it… Yes, I do recall that fact. However, at that speed (from the .45-70 Imp) the 350 TSX represents what it would do from a .458 Winchester. Now, in MY .458 it can be speeded up to 2750 fps if need demands it, like for long range. But for most ranges 2470 fps will do the job very nicely. And, I’m planning to try the same test from my CZ550 at 2700 to 2750 fps. Will let you know results… hopefully next time.
LOTS OF BULLETS available for the handloader of a .458 Win Mag… from Hornady, Barnes, Woodleigh, Nosler, Speer, North Fork, Swift, etc. Anything from 250gr (Barnes) to 600gr (Barnes – but they no longer offer them. But I have some). Woodleigh makes a 550gr. There’s an excellent 300gr TSX from Barnes if you want to use yours for soft-skinned lighter big game. I prefer the 350 TSX. It’s VERY accurate from both my Ruger No.1 and the CZ. Then, there are cast bullets aplenty, or the tools to make your own. I don’t have time for that so I order them from a friend.
Lots of people make custom rifles in .458 WM and a number of big rifle makers chamber for that “great” cartridge. You can google or check with the traditional rifle makers, or purchase one of the annuals that “everyone” seems to produce these days.
My CZ .458 WM will sit with me over a bear bait this year and hopefully it will get bloody (NOT with mine – at least that’s my prayer!).
So, next time I plan to have some results for you from the 350 TSX fired into hard, dry magazines at about 2750 fps from my CZ 550.
Take care…
Bob Mitchell