Hey All,

Looking through the recent posts in this thread, it appears that several members who responded to my query about their favorite .4** calibers are providing input here as well. This doesn't surprise since it was many of your comments that convinced me to give the .458 Win Mag a try. I enjoy new projects and stepping off of this particular cliff seemed really interesting. As the new kid on the block, I feel like a bit of an interloper in this thread full of gurus but since you prevailed in converting me to your way of thinking, I thought you might be as curious as me to see how this all pans out.

Anyway, as the first step in this journey, I thought I would introduce you to the new love in my life that I picked up earlier this afternoon:

[Linked Image from i.postimg.cc]
1999 Ruger M77 MkII LH

She's been suffering from a chronic case of anemia for 25 years but I'm hoping that pulling the 7mm RM barrel off of her & replacing it with a McGowen 1:14 twist No. 5 in .458 WM will cure that. Barrel length hasn't been decided yet so feel free to throw suggestions my way if you like. I know I'll want to reinforce the stock but my intention is not to be shooting any of the primer-blowing loads that are flirting with a threshold that have been tested elsewhere in this thread. PG not DG is currently the intended goal.

Having said that, I will be moving this rifle up in power so any practical advice, caveats or suggested upgrades is always welcome. I didn't know if for example RH vs LH twist on the rifling is a consideration since I'm shooting off of my left shoulder. Research on the question of measurable torque for large powerful bullets wasn't definitive. Initially I'm going to try to keep the original laminate stock & see how it works before considering a replacement with something else like synthetic. I'm assuming I might make some rookie mistakes but, like most things, I'm hoping they'll be fixable with time, effort & money.

Hopefully at some point in the future I'll have an improved rifle that's fun to shoot. If I can hit that mark, then I'm going to name her Ophelia & find her a spot in my safe.

~Darryl