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

Sir Bob,

Your blog never disappoints, thanks.
Ruger4Life, though I applaud his handle and could use it for myself, was probably just yanking our chains, or he needs to read your blog.

You could have checked your throat length on the .45-70 LT by the slug and rod method.
From what you are saying, sounds like it was greater than 0.3" long X 0.459" diameter of parallel-sided free-bore.
Your gunsmith was as precise as Finn Aagaard's Kenyan gunsmith.

About Finn Aagaard saying the long throat of the .458 WM was a mistake, I remember that well and have the article where it happened.
IIRC, he said that one time in all his writings.
It is the only time I ever disagreed with Saint Finn, other than a few times wishing he would be more precise,
such as, for example, when he said most .458 WM rifles have 7/8" of free travel in the throat.
Minimum spec is for 0.6725" free travel if the bullet is 0.458" diameter at the case mouth of 2.500" brass, and if the bullet has an ogive of reducing diameters above that.
That free travel will be even less if the bullet is a full .458" diameter at any level beyond the case mouth, as most are.

When Finn Aagaard attributed over 100 fps of extra velocity to his custom barreled .458 WM of 23" barrel length and 1/8" free travel in throat,
he compared it to a 22"-barreled, pushfeed, factory M70,
and neglected to mention, immediately in that comparison, the longer-than-SAAMI-minimum throat of the 22-incher which he revealed elsewhere,
and neglected any differences in bore and groove and finish inside the barrels,
and neglected any pressure comparison except to say that he had never seen any indications of pressure problems in the field,
with any .458 WM he had owned.

It is well known that many times rifles thought to be identical in chamber and barrel specs may be 200 fps or more apart in MV with the same ammo.

I will dig up the articles that mention the .425 WR Mauser 98 that Finn Aagaard had custom barreled to .458 WM by a Kenyan gunsmith with a custom barrel and
unbeknowst to Finn Aagaard at the outset, a short throat, later discovered.
I am glad you agree that the SAAMI .458 WM throat was not a mistake.
The Lottite Cabal may have corrupted even Finn Aagaard, before the end of his earthly career.
That statement came late in his life.
However, I bet he recanted before his sainthood arrived.