Especially at my age of 88 years and counting! And as much as I like my Mediums, the .458 will be the last to go if I have my say about it!
Well, it not only does what it has always been doing, but it’s better than ever with age, experience, better bullets and powders – just like most other honorable cartridges that have earned their keep – and then some! One of its early offsprings – as an example – the .338 Win Mag is better than ever also! If by “better than ever” is meant new rifles from several sources chambered in that cartridge, as well as new and better projectiles from 160grs to 300, including some more consistent rifle powders.
With all matters considered for a typical world-wide, all-purpose rifle and cartridge, it would be a real challenge to find one that truly improves on the extraordinary .458 Winchester Magnum in a decent rifle. As said: I like my Mediums as all-rounders, but I’ve a respect for the .458 that’s unmatched by any other rifle cartridge. In a suitable rifle, being held in high esteem is a normal response by aficionados !
I’ve owned three rifles so chambered, in this order: a Ruger M77 bolt-action with a 22″ barrel and tang safety. I loved the rifle and it went to the range and hunting with modest handloads. The 500gr RN Hornady was the first tested for accuracy and hunting. Using a modest dose of H4895 – 68 grs, Fed 215 primers in Win brass, it came close enough to 2000 fps – and one-hole accuracy when I was careful about matters. That load went moose hunting as a back-up to my Sako FS in .338 Win Mag. My first, a Ruger M77 with tang safety, was like this one except for the scope, and it had a 22″ barrel.
I’ve told this before, but we were (4 of us) hunting on the back end of a hurricane that was passing through, so I used that Ruger M77 in .458 rather than the “more delicate” FS Sako. Trees were blocking trails and roads so none of us, or anyone else, saw a moose (the moose had more sense than the hunters – and that’s not an uncommon feature in chasing moose in their typical habitats!).
Still, I continued working with that rifle, developing new handloads. Later, I settled on a more sensible load for bear, and killed one (on video) at 70 yds using a reduced load for the 350gr Speer at ~ 2345 fps (Not the most accurate load, but accurate enough.). It was a young bear walking away from the bait and heading back into the trees. I hesitated, but decided to shoot it anyway. That 350gr Speer impacted the left flank, just ahead of the hip, destroyed the liver, came out the back taking out several inches of backbone and the back of the bear’s head, then went off somewhere into the timber beyond.
Sometime later that rifle was sold/traded and that investment ended up in what I’d wanted all along – my first Ruger No.1 in .45-70. If I had the experience that I now have, I would have kept that first .458. But money was tight, and I figured the Ruger No.1 in .45-70 would do what the Ruger M77 could have done, with less fuss and bother. Rightly or wrongly, that vision turned out to be much more than just a mistaken theory – it actually worked out that way. And after a couple of decades of working with an “improved” version of a Ruger No.1 in .45-70 (given a bit longer throat), indeed, it was “equal to” a 22″ .458 Win Mag in ballistics as they were recognized at that time. But, of course, the .458 Win, as already mentioned, has also moved on with “improved ballistics”! More on that later.
Years passed, and I had a growing appetite for another .458 Win Mag – but few seemed available in “used” format. “Everyone” was holding onto theirs, although few would admit they owned one lest they get verbally scalded by “the Lottites”! And I knew nothing of that attitude out there until I purchased a new CZ 550 in .458 Win Mag. From its beginning, I did handloads for it and shared results on the Net! Then the flame throwers scorched the earth with their vulgarities, claims, boasts, put downs, and everything they could come up with to drive me into hibernation! If I’d claimed 1900 to ~2050 fps from the Hornady 500gr RN, they’d simply have patted me on the head like a “nice” puppy dog, or ignored me completely. . . . BUT! When I presented the facts of +2200 fps from those 500gr Hornadys. . . . , well it was like I was red all over with a pitchfork in my hand and doomed to hell!
But I certainly don’t want to give a false impression that I was alone in that struggle in giving a righteous view of the .458 Win Mag’s true capabilities. I’d had previous correspondence with Phil Shoemaker on the .45-70 when I was stoking its fire in a Marlin and Ruger No.1. He handled that exchange with grace and wisdom. Also, his magazine articles were full of sagacity and experience. And when he defended the .458 it was, again, with solid facts, mentioning, with numbers, the experiences of Richard Harland and others of the African scene. Stiill, there were those hard cores that refused to bow in the face of truth!
< The CZ550 in .458 Win Mag. The scope was a Burris fixed 4x by 21mm, and had a long eye relief of 5.5″
But that didn’t work because I’m a TRUTH lover and seeker! I produced my own handloading journal on the wonderful .458 Winchester Magnum that sold like hotcakes! In which I proved it’s equality with the then .458 LOTT! And I never got a a single word of complaint or negativity from anyone who purchased one of those journals/manuals. And at least one who purchased a manual had considerable African experience and promoted my manual in an article he’d written for a significant shooting journal.
With time and more experiences with that CZ 550, I produced a Second Edition that also sold out in a hurry. Then some, who had been hiding out over their ownership of a .458 Win Mag, started coming out of their closets and declaring their favor of the “Great” .458 Winchester Magnum. Recently, I’ve been having more requests for that manual. Unfortunately, or otherwise, the text is stuck in a format that suited my computer back then, and though it was brought “in” to my last computer, and now into my 2-yr-old computer, I’d have to download a program to get it up and running again. Then, I’d need to add what I’ve learned and experienced since with my Ruger No.1H Tropical in .458 Winchester Magnum. So, at this stage of life, I don’t want that degree of pressure.
Instead, I recommend the 24 hr campfire thread (now about 200 pages) on “The Great .458 Winchester Magnum . . . “. That is encyclopedic in its contents and value! Nothing before like it has ever been produced on the .458 Winchester Magnum.
And major credit should go to “Riflecrank” or “Sir Ron” or Doc Ron Berry, for not only keeping it alive, but also making major contributions that reveal his experiences and knowledge from several .458 Win Mags that he personally owns and has used in the field. Go there for a thorough education. After reading that, if you don’t agree that the .458 Lott is redundant, then I can’t help you, nor can anyone else!
From my CZ 550 and it’s 25″ barrel, I got a high average of 2283 fps (corrected to MV) from the 500gr Hornady RN at 15 feet from the muzzle = 5786 ft-lbs. (5800 ft-lbs is claimed for the .458 Lott). That was from 81 grs of H4895 in winter weather and temps. COL was 3.44″.
On Jan 7/2010/ Temp at -7F, @ SAAMI COL/79 grs of H4895/ 500gr Hor = 2266 fps corrected to MV.
On June 30/2008/ Temp at +20C, @ 3.44″ COL/80 grs of H4895/500gr Hor = 2286 fps corrected to MV, etc.
From my current Ruger No.1H Tropical (24″)
In late May/2019/ Temp 54F @ 3.56″ COL/ 81 grs H4895/ 500gr Hor. = 2317 fps corrected to MV.
On June 11/2019/ Temp 21C @ 3.617″ COL/82 grs H4895/ 500gr Speer AGS = 2312 fps corrected to MV.
On June 11/2019/ Temp 21C @ 3.53 COL/84 grs H335/ 450gr A-Frame = 2403 fps corrected to MV.
On July 23/2019/ Temp 20C @ 3.325″ COL/82.5 grs H4198/ 300gr TSX = 2958, 2961 and 2959 fps (instrumental) -v. accurate! Corrected average (Chrony 15′ from muzzle) to MV = 2980 fps/5915 ft-lbs.
The last fired in that series of three 300gr TSXs.
AND SO ON!!
This Ruger No.1 is my favorite of the three .458s I’ve owned and worked with (Pic on the header above).
And if God is willing – and that’s not a frivolous question – I’m serious about that as I know very well that He controls my destiny and every aspect of it – that rifle will be featured in this spring’s bear hunt. Any load will work, but I’ve chosen a factory product that will be “a first” in any of the three .458s. As described in previous blogs, it’s a Federal Premium Trophy Bonded Bear Claw (TBBC) 400gr at an advertised 2250 fps/4496 ft-lbs. In shooting five at the range, the average result corrected to MV = 2282 fps/4625 ft-lbs.
So energy will never be a problem, but placing the bullet correctly to get some expansion will be the biggest challenge since it’s designed for creatures like Cape Buffalo.
The hope of getting a chance to test it in media before the hunt, to get an idea of what to expect in performance, is a window now closed. But I did get it sighted-in this past week at 50 yds – which will put it about dead on at a hundred. That only took three shots after I’d fired a total of seven from my .375 H&H. The .375 load was the 250gr TTSX at 2850 fps. A max load to serve as backup to the .458. Both are zeroed at 50 yds, and the .375 load at less than +1″ at100 also.
Recoil from the two rifles with their loads and ready for action should be similar based on calculations, if the Mag-na-ports on the .458 reduce felt recoil by 15%, as advertised – but I doubt it’s reduction by that amount. Without the ports, the .458 would produce about 45 ft-lbs recoil and the .375 about 39 ft-lbs with those respective loads. Muzzle energy is about 100 ft-lbs greater in the .458. In truth, the recoil of the .458 proved to be much more of a handful than the .375 load. Of course, what recoil calculations don’t take into account is the speed of recoil of the .458 Federal factory load based on momentum. When calculated based on the respective momentums of the two bullets at the muzzle, the 250gr TTSX from the .375 H&H would need be going 3651 fps to match the 400gr at 2282 at muzzle speeds! Impossible! That explains much of the differences in FELT recoil of the two rifles when fired back to back. The momentum factor of the .375 firing the 250gr at 2850 = 156.6 lbs-ft, and rifle speed in recoil is 16.1 fps. In the .458, the momentum factor is = 172.2 ibs-ft, and 16.8 fps recoil speed. Of course, the .458 outweighs the .375 (sans ammo) by 1/2 lb that makes a significant difference in actual recoil force (momentum).
I shot them with a single cartridge in each – none on the stock of the .458, and none in the .375’s magazine. They were “bare bones” with a single cartridge in each, plus scope. That way, the .458 is 1/2 lb heavier.
I’ve no doubt that the 400gr TBBC would have greater “smash” on an elephant (if it were a solid) or dugga boy than the 250gr TTSX within 200 yds or so.
On black bear? The reverse may be true if the 400gr fails to expand. That’s why I must be careful where I place that 400gr on a bear.
The bait site (center of pic) in early Sept, ’23, forty yds from my blind – from where this photo was taken. The bait was being “hit” regularly. This was early Oct/’23. Leaves were falling.<The last setup – late Oct/’23. That’s my .35 Whelen leaning against the tree. The load? 300gr Barnes O. at 2355 fps.
< And it was “hit” for the last time in late October/’23. The tote and cover are at home with me, and I didn’t forget the rifle!
Early May, 2024, the “bait barrel” (tote) will be there again with bear grub. Last year’s bear was a big one that I didn’t want to shoot – likely he’ll be back, and I just might shoot him with the big gun!
Why choose a factory load when there are literally hundreds of other options through handloading? I’m curious, and want to have knowledge outside my own ballistic results – especially on bullets – which I like to share and write about. I’m only going this way once!
Does it matter? I’m not smart enought to know about everything that matters in this life. . . I leave that with my Maker. And frankly, neither is any other human if we honestly take a look at the mess we’re in and how we got there! But, as The Good Book says: it’s mostly the results of pride, greed and self-serving!
Aside from that, healthy living along with healthy thoughts and motives have His approval!< An awe inspiring experience! This is God’s land, and He owns everything on it, in it and under it. “He owns the cattle on a thousands hills and the wealth in every mine” – (See: Psalm 50:10 – 12 and Haggai 2:8). Though He has charged sinful humanity with its government, it still belongs to HIM, and sinful humans WILL give a final accounting to the One who owns it!
Unless we live that way, with proper thoughts, motives and actions, we’ll not be pleasing to Him!
That was my CZ550 in .458 slung over my shoulder. The load was the 350gr TSX at 2750 fps.
Till the next: P2 – Throughout the summer months, I’ll be writing a couple of times per month rather than the past 4x each month. That’s because of more outside activity, especially related to preps for hunting, more range shooting and hunting itself. Then P2 will likely appear after a bear is shot or at the end of the spring season on June 15. In the interim I’ll do a one-off on something else.
Shalom
BOB MITCHELL