Why the .458 Winchester Magnum is Enough — Part 2

When I framed the title for this brief series of articles on the .458 Winchester Magnum, I was tempted to present it as a question: “Why is the .458 Winchester Magnum Enough?” The answers would turn out to be the same anyway.

Let’s take a ride back on Memory Lane for about 1/4 century. Sometime in 1988 I purchased my first ever lever-action rifle. Not only was it my first lever gun, but it was also my first rifle in .45-70. In addition, it was my first Marlin. Of course, by then the model 1895 Marlin was hot! That is, writers like Layne Simpson and John Wootters were writing articles in the gun media which revealed “astounding” results from a rifle designed in the late 19th century. In fact, results were more in keeping with what Alaskans were experiencing on big bears and moose from their relatively new .338 Winchester Magnums… but, in shorter, lighter and faster handling rifles that were AT LEAST as effective on big brownies and heavy moose in brush country as magnums producing 33% more kinetic energy at the muzzle! And another “Of course”, Elmer Keith had known all that from decades beforehand, but few seemed to be listening as they had just recently returned from The War where they had been trained on bolt-actions. Returning to a lever-gun seemed like going backwards in history that many Americans wanted to forget.

Then, of course, Marlin was the catalyst for keeping woods and brush hunters happy with their “new” shiny lever rifles. The re-introduction in 1972 of the 1895 in .45-70 was a dream come true for followers of Keith and Wootters.

And I became an avid fan of both the 1895 Marlin and the Ruger No.1 in .45-70 before I ever purchased my first Marlin. Why?

When I purchased my first Marlin (Since then, I’ve owned 3 other improved models of the 1895) I was well into fast and powerful magnums, like 7mm, .300’s and at least one .338 magnum. Also, a .375 H&H in a Winchester M70 and a .458 Win Mag in an M77 Ruger with a standard length (.30-06 length) action and 22″ barrel (which I should have kept) were occupying space in my gun cabinet, and should have met any thirst for mega-power!

But the Marlin saw the most “action” over the next several years. I shot my first bear with my first 1895. And results were spectacular to say the very least about that experience. Though I kept a few hard-hitting magnums around, they rarely got used and I was a convinced “Keithite”!

That was the trip down Memory Lane. But, I’m still a fan of two magnums: The .300 Winchester and the .458 Winchester. With those 2, I could hunt anything, anywhere and anyhow. With the proliferation of .30-cal and .458-cal bullets of excellent quality, I’d never look back. I’m not a nostalgic person… I’m more of a futurist. Having said that, I’m much more of a pragmatist than an idealist. It seems logical to me, after trying just about all sizes, and based on considerable experience, that the two most practical calibers are in these: the .30-cal and in .458.

I don’t have an 1895 Marlin anymore. Why? Because I like to try new things and I’ve never been able to see the value of guns (handguns, rifles or shotguns) sitting in my gun cabinet with nothing to do except to be looked at every once in a while! They must be used! And useful! So today, I have two big-game rifles, and both get used. One is in a favorite mid-bore — which makes more sense to me as a one-rifle-do-it-all kind of thing IF most hunts are for big game including, in my case, bear and moose in close quarter woods or brush hunting up to far, as in Northern Ontario. In other words, I’m satisfied that the two I have for big game are perfect for my needs, with the mid-bore 9.3 X 62 being the most adaptable in my light-weight, relatively handy Tikka package. The other, I could never part with — well, I’ll have to one day — it’s my most favorite of all time…. a Ruger No.1 in .45-70 with a long throat that thinks it’s a .458 Winchester Magnum. It’s only 8.4 lbs with scope and sling, and 8.6 lbs with 5 cartridges on the stock. Overall length is 38.25″ It is VERY handy and as powerful as you need/want it to be!

If I didn’t have it, I’d have another .458 Winchester, but this time in a 22 – 23-inch barrel with a standard-length action.

All of that brings me back to the title of these articles: Why the .458 Winchester Magnum is enough. So far, I’ve merely hinted at the answer, now it’s time to fully expose its attributes.

For North American hunters, the .458 Winchester could serve as a turbo charged .45-70… sort of.

I visit a few rifle/hunting forums on the Internet from time to time. A lot of controversy exists there, based mostly on biases and opinions. Not a lot of objective stuff. I like objective.

What sort of opinions? Well, like, “The .45-70 would be a nice gun to have if you’re the nostalgic type, or into cowboy-shooting games or, maybe, BP stuff. But otherwise there are much better rifles and cartridges for moose and elk”.

That sort of thing.

Or, “Yeah, I have one in a SS GG. It’s cute… it looks nice and I like it!”

That sort of thing.

In other words, don’t take it seriously. It’s just a nice toy!

That sort of thing.

But my favorite local gun emporium can’t keep enough on hand to supply demand! And they are located in “the boonies” of Ontario! Almost. Yeah, they sell guns across the country via the Internet, but someone out there wants a Marlin in .45-70 but they are bought out by the scores before that “someone” gets one! Why?

I was recently talking with the “smith” of that gun shop about the Marlins disappearing from their website almost within a day of their listing 40 or 50 of them! He said: “We order 200 and get 50… they are gone in less than a week.”

So, it seems that hundreds of hunters in Ontario, and the rest of Canada, are into Big Bores that shoot .458-inch bullets! Yeah, they sell a few .444 Marlins, but I’d guess that the ratio of .45-70s to .444s is at least 10 to 1. No kidding! That’s where and how I got started.

Another observation worth mentioning, I believe, is that practically NO .458 Win Mags are on their used gun racks or website!! What does that mean? Well, several years ago it was common to see at least a .458 WM on some used gun racks, but not today! Someone might conclude “It’s because few have been owned”. WRONG! It’s because hunters are holding onto them, AND using them in Canadian woods and brush hunting for things like bear and moose!

Why? Because they WORK like a turbo-charged .45-70!

Which brings up the topic of the excellent bullets available today in .458-inch that are suited to big game in Canada (and anywhere else!).

That’s for next time! Gotta go clean the snow off the roof of our trailer (hunt camp) up north! More snow on the way!
Is it ever going to end!!??

Shalom

BOB MITCHELL

Why the .458 Winchester Magnum is Enough — Part 1

As written in my journal on the .458 Winchester Magnum, I don’t need to defend a rifle cartridge that has proven itself a million times (or some such number) on the African Continent against the most dangerous game it has to offer. But I will do it anyway.

Still, the main reason for bringing up this topic once again is because more shooters and hunters are turning to it in numbers that could not have been thought possible back in the year of its origin, 1956. And the vast majority of these will never set foot on African soil! Why? Because big-bore rifles are “in” and the .458 Winchester Magnum is the most practical of the lot.

During the month of February, I’ll attempt to provide some real answers to what appears to be, at first sight, an anomaly.

I’ll give the unvarnished rationale of “the multitudes” who shake their heads in unbelief that the .458 Win Mag is as popular as it really is… And then we’ll examine why the .458-caliber in a standard-length action deserves the moniker, “Classic Big Bore Magnum”.

But before we do any of that, I need to address an issue that bugs me! I’ll call it “The Scientist versus The Pragmatist”. And it is related to our past theme as well as the current one.

First off, I need to give an explanation of where I’m coming from. I make no pretense at being a scientist, nor the son of one. I took 5 math related courses in high school because I liked math and did quite well at it with averages of A+, but none was more advanced than basic trig. I did high school physics, trigonometry, chemistry, algebra and shop math. And I’ve added some on my own as needed. But of the various colleges, institutions and training centers I’ve attended — and completed courses in all, I’ve never taken another math course! It was all biblical and theological studies, languages, pastoral, Christian Ed., missions, music and psychological studies. But just before sitting down again to write on “ballistics” from your .458 Win Mag, I re-read, or tried to wade through a download on “Penetration” of bullets from someone who apparently has an advanced degree in physics or math, or both! It was an ordeal, but I managed to get the gist of it.

Why do I mention that in a theme related to the .458 Winchester Magnum? Because rifle ballistics are involved. But is it really essential that I know, or can explain in scientific theory what happens physically TO a .458″ – 400gr BULLET when it impacts a large game animal at 2000 fps…. or is it of more value that I empirically “know” what will take place to the GAME ANIMAL in question when a known 400gr expanding .458″ bullet impacts at 2000 fps in direct line with vital organs? That’s only one example among many (empirical = relying on practical experience without reference to scientific principles).

I think you know, as well as I, what the answer should be. Then, there are too many variables to be pontifical about it! Nevertheless, as stated in my last blog on Terminal Ballistics, the average hunter, even with modest knowledge and experience, can judge within 90 to 95% accuracy what the results will be if he does his part. Yes, even if he never completed one course in high school math, let alone a master’s degree in math!

At one time I enjoyed being an amateur astronomer. That is until I started reading the speculations of some professional astronomers! I built my own Newtonian type telescopes, some compound ones, that proved to be “as good as” the best commercial ones, and better in some cases. I enjoyed viewing the heavens, much as some enjoy viewing beautiful vistas on earth, or birding (which I also enjoy). But when the “pros” dissected the universe to mere energy without meaning, purpose or design, I gave up on the “pros” and continued viewing a beautiful creation!

That’s a further example of where I’m coming from. Animal life, and all life forms, can’t be reduced to numbers, or math! While I’m somewhat authoritative in my stance on ballistics, and math may be used to inform myself, I’m well aware that it’s just NOT that simple! I shot a bull moose 3 times to finish the job, and it wasn’t finished! My son shot it 2 more times and all shots were well placed…. and we were not using .223 Remingtons! I was using a .340 Weatherby and my son a .338 Winchester, all with 250gr bullets. And 3 of those shots were inside 35 yards! Yeah, my first shot would have finished things had we given the moose time to reflect on it!

So, anything I relate on the .458 Win Mag, includes my experiences with a couple and the #1 Ruger in .45-70 (Improved) because it too has .458 Win Mag ballistic capabilities. Though there are many variables, yet we do learn “stuff”, even from those apparent contradictions to the general rule.

My aim is to present the .458 Winchester Magnum as a very versatile and capable rifle cartridge for any and all big game throughout the world, but especially in North America for anything from wolf to moose to bison to the “big bears”. Then, let’s not forget the Plains Game of Africa, the water buffalo of Australia (or anywhere else)or exotic game found anywhere that legally may be hunted.

I’ll start by stating that the .458 Winchester is a capable moose-size game rifle to 400 yards! And it doesn’t need to weigh 11 lbs or beat you up in the process. It’s probably not the best mountain rifle for the likes of sheep, or groundhogs in a pasture, but aside from that it could be comfortably adapted for most things from whitetail to elephant. There are a lot of popular rifle cartridges out there about which it would be stretching matters beyond credulity if such a statement were made of them!

The secret of that versatility is found in the incredible number and variety of projectiles available to the handloader. For example, ballistics could imitate BP loads from single-shot Shapes in .45-70 to trajectories that mimic 180gr loads from a .30-06 by employing the right powders for the likes of the 300 and 350gr TSX’s.

So, why do some rifle enthusiasts bad-mouth the .458 Winchester Magnum?

When I joined some shooting and hunting Internet forums about a half-dozen years ago, I was somewhat pleased to share my experiences with other enthusiasts. That included a new big-bore rifle in .458 Winchester Magnum. While a majority seemed to favor my choice of a CZ550, yet many were outright critical (and some were downright nasty) that I didn’t get it in a .458 Lott! When I proceeded to defend my choice with what appeared to be sound logic, including the ballistics, the axes came out! Evidently, I was too naive in thinking my “cutting-edge” views and experience would find a joyous response! Why didn’t that happen?

Well, if you return next week, I’ll share the “unvarnished” truth about some “experts” theories and prejudices! But the good news is… THERE HAS BEEN A DRAMATIC TURNABOUT IN THE PAST FEW YEARS!

And what has brought that about?

‘Till the next…

Shalom

BOB MITCHELL