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

Certainly will be watching for that, Sir Bob.
I get email notice when you make a blog entry.
I print them out and put them in an Oxford file folder after I have read them.
Always interesting, and good competition for my half-ton of recently acquired pulp.

In the Fall 2000, Number 4, RIFLE Magazine's HUNTING ANNUAL,
Thomas McIntyre had a piece called "Borrowed Rifle Blues," pp 36-41, 105.
His last book in 2023 was
THUNDER WITHOUT RAIN A MEMOIR WITH DANGEROUS GAME--GOD'S CATTLE, THE AFRICAN BUFFALO.
RIP Thomas McIntyre.



A highlight of the article above was the author's description of Australian PH Bob Penfold's loaner armory of eight rifles in .458 WinMag.
These were used by Penfold and his guides, and any client pitching up in need of borrowing a buffalo rifle.
Henceforth, both Sir McIntyre and Sir Penfold join the Square Table as Honorary Knights and/or Saints.
Maybe Sir Woods has kept tabs on Bob Penfold's status.
He may also be declared a Saint if gone to the Happy Hunting Ground.

Circa 1987 to 1988, Sir McIntyre had just sold a "post-64" M70 .458 WinMag, but found himself headed for a buffalo hunt with Sir Penfold.
"No worries," he was assured of a proper loaner in the Northern Territory.
Sir Penfold had eight identical .458 WinMags to grab from for PH and client.
He designed both rifles and the handloaded ammo for all.
... "strong and reliable ... light to carry ... and fast handling."

Penfold's design:
Mauser 98 action with bolt face, rails, ramp, magazine and follower fitted for .458 WinMag.
Bolt knob enlarged and bolt handle lengthened by 3/4", swept down for scope clearance.
Slim barrel cut back to 20" and Mag-na-ported.
Chet Brown fiberglass stock painted flat black with "spray can" paint.
Timney trigger set at 4 pounds.
Side safety.
Front sling swivel was sweated onto barrel.
Scope mounts were Australian-made Lynx "bridge mounts."
Scope was Leupold 1.5-5x, with several spares on hand to change out.
Lynx mounts had not failed in 15 years, but "several" scopes had, on these eight rifles.
Ammo:
510-gr Woodleigh softpoints
and "just enough fast-burning powder"
to provide 2000 fps from the 20" barrel.
Penfold was "convinced that no buffalo or banteng was going to be able to tell the difference between a bullet
traveling at that speed and one traveling at 2150 fps."



It all worked well for Sir McIntyre, on pages 38-39:

"Needless to say, when I actually got to use one of these creme de la creme borrowed rifles, the results were anticlimactic.
After three or four days of hunting, looking over hundreds of buffalo a day, we finally spotted a very good bull slipping through
the cover of paperbark and tea trees along a dry watercourse. We managed to circle downwind of him, and to get within probably 75 yards,
where I then was able to get a rest on a tree trunk and hold the reticle of the Leupold scope on an opening in the cover.
As the bull's shoulder passed through the opening, I thumbed off the safety and squeezed that Timney trigger.
Just before the bullet hit the buffalo, it struck a twig I hadn't seen and started to upset.
Still it went in right behind the shoulder, and the bull just rocked forward and crashed to the ground.
I bolted a second round in an instant, but I never needed it."