Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Express Rifles and Big Bores Only The great 458 Winchester. Everyone should own one at least once

I would like to thank Riflecrankcrank, Gunner 500 and others for this fine thread. Nice break after the political rancor of late.

I would like to contribute, full disclosure I am not a big bore guy and don't pretend to be.

About ten years ago I had a pretty steady supply of very clean BrnoVZ24 actions available. Local gun show guy would bring one to his table twice a year and I would buy them.

Anyhow in my gun building frenzy I got a smokin deal on close-out barrels from Montana Rifle Co. $75 a blank and he would contour them! Well he had a 1/12 .458 blank available so I had him contour it to a #5 profile.
At the time a had a clean 1917 Enfield action, so the wheels started turning and out came the brilliant idea I needed a 460 Wby. so I box it up send it to I.T.& D. with instructions to chamber for 460 bee,

Well Dave called me and informed me the shank was too small for the Enfield action! darn..... so I sent him one of my VZ24 with instructions to chamber to .458 Win.

As luck would have it I found a heavy dense blank of Bastogne walnut on Ebay of all places, it was already profiled in a classic pattern for 98 Mauser... another bargain.. $85.00!

So I was off to the races. so a couple months later this emerged from my shop.....






This is my first and only true big bore... well besides a Marlin 45-70.

I didn't drill and tap the receiver for a scope as I decided express sights or nothing.

So I loaded some Remington 405 sp in front of 70 gr IMR4895 & WFFN 440 gr gc in front of 71 gr IMR 4895, and off to file in the sights well it was accurate for sure! despite my limited tolerance for 458 bench work!
Then I orderes a Lee 500 mold cast a few up , powder coated them and stuffed them in with 71 gr IMR 4895, a new level of recoil...

So now I have 3 levels of power and as luck would have it the 500 gr is dead on at 50 yds and the 440 is a couple of inches higher and the 405 just a little higher than the 440. perfect, as the sights are not adjustable for elevation, only windage, I do have two more leaves but haven't filed them yet.

So far this has been a fun and satisfying project. Up until now it has been a range toy, but I have been binging on Cape Buffalo hunting videos..... so maybe?
Everybody loves to shoot the .458.