My .22 analogy might not have been the most representative of all aspects of the relationship it's true. While I've not had a 458 Win, CARTRIDGES OF THE WORLD claims a Lott can get 2300 fps in a 22 inch barrel with a 500-gr bullet as mine does fairly easy. I shoot mine standing with good eye and ear protection and a shoulder pad all of which makes recoil tolerable with full loads out of my 9.5 lb rifle. Not having shot the Win, I'd like to get some full house loads for comparison, both for recoil and feeding issues if there are any.
Any appraisal of two cartridges like this in the same class both of which are effective on the intended game becomes much tinted by windows of experience the shooter/hunter has had, and the successes or failures too whether the cartridges/bullets fault or not.
IIRC, the Hornaday manual shows 2250fps with the 458wm, their steel jacketed solid, AA2230 and a 24" barrel. I load mine to 2145fps with 500 grainers because it is a double rifle and that is as fast as I can get it to shoot to regulation. Hornaday doesn't show much improvement with the Lott. No matter how you slice it, there ain't that much improvement, at least while staying within "book", ie pressure tested, loads. Hats off to powder munufacturers for making the 458wm what it was always suposed to be - but wasn't in the early years.
I would like a 9 1/2lb 458wm but I had my Lott built to 10lbs. 10lbs because that was what I'm willing to carry and you carry alot more than shoot. And I don't need to shoot 500 grainers at 2300fps to practice with. (But do need to shoot full house loads out of the double to practice with since they are needed to make the rifle shoot well. I have a 350 grain load that shoots to regulation but there is no percievable recoil reduction.)
And you right it is like arguing whether blonds or brunettes are more fun.
Rather than take the added recoil of shooting 500 grains at 2300fps I would choose 570 grains at 2150fps, aka the 500NE. More stopping power, better for elephants, plenty and some for buff. Alternatively, if I were going to go hunting with the Lott, I would really consider the 550gr Woodleighs, which have an excellent reputation for use on elephants when shot out of the Lott at 2150fps. They are a no go in the WM, simply not enough case capacity to make them perform. A 458wm with 500's loaded to an anemic 2050fps is more than sufficient for buff, and I killed three with that load before finding the right load with AA2230 to shoot well at 2145fps. 2050fps with the 500's is enough for elephants too, but barely imo.
FWIW, I find no dicernable recoil difference between the 450's at 2200fps and the 500's at 2145fps. Perhaps because I use different powders for the different weights. Also FWIW, the North Forks are much more accurate than the Woodleighs, but the Woodleighs are plenty accurate enough. I'm sure that GS Custom copper 450gr flat nose solids would perform similarly, though I haven't yet tried them.
JPK
