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"5-shot groups with these loads were 2.25" at 100 yards"
You could have gotten those groups a couple of times but to say what you said above and imply that this is what the rifle would shoot many or most of the time is misleading to say the least.What about the times when those groups were 6,7 or 8 inches large? Those don't count eh?
Swiftshot:
Perhaps I should explain something to you.
In my sessions with the .458 I was mostly concerned with working up loads to give the best velocity. Accordingly I did not fire five shots of ANYTHING until I had reasonably decided on a range of powder weight. Only then did I fire five shot groups. The two I mentioned are the only two I fired.
I should also explain that I earned the Lifetime Master rating in NRA Highpower when I was 16 years old. I was Ohio State junior champion twice and runner-up national champion. You may not know what that means. One thing it means is that even when I'm only chronographing I use a 1" black paster on a white background, and I KNOW if I'm getting a 6, 7, or 8 inch flyer. I wasn't getting any of those.
I did fire a couple of 3-shot groups of 450 and 500 grain bullets, however, to check if anything might be better than North Forks or TSXs. The size of these groups was not much different than my five-shot groups. While I did not record the results, there were no 6, 7, or 8 inch groups.
As for firing more groups, it is a waste of time and money and firing a heavy-recoiling rifle off the bench is not fun. I don't understand why you think a .458 would not be capable of good accuracy. If you have any reasons, or facts beyond prejudice, we might like to hear them.
As for results, I killed elephant, buffalo, and hippo with my 450 grain bullets. None of the animals voiced any complaint.
