Sir Ron, this thread continues to provide useful insights into so many issues about the 458 Win Mag. Thanks for your continued efforts.
I had read about isolated ignition problems in the early years but I did not realise that this was a persistent, widespread problem (in Africa) over many years. Shelf life of 458 Win Mag ammo was a huge concern as savvy users insisted on freshly produced ammo. This raises a few questions:
1. Did other cartridges suffer the same problem or was it isolated to the 458 Win Mag. You only ever hear of 458 Win Mag ammo problems.
2. I suspect it had to do with powder compression and perhaps the primers used that might have lead to ignition problems. In those days magnum rifle primers probably weren’t widely available and more to the point, did Winchester even make a magnum rifle primer back in the day?
These days there are hotter primers for improved ignition and more suitable powders that can be loaded without compression, with some also being temperature stable. Add to this a wide range of better bullets and the 458 Win Mag is a better choice today than at any time in the past.
