Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters .458 Win Problems

Mr. Howell,

I read someplace recently that there have been serious problems with th Winchester .458. If I recall correctly, and there can be no guarantee of this, the writer said that in high temperatures the round underperformed.

Have you heard of such a problem? If so do you know the root cause?

I am looking at a rifle in .458 Lott and wonder if the same problem would exist for that round?

Thanks,

Norm - This is old news. During the 70's and 80's several tests conducted in Africa which showed that excessive heat and the .458 were not good combinations. Pressures increased to a point where some stuck bolts were found. Many argued the results because many of the test rifles were in poor condition to begin with. Today, powders like Hodgdon H-4831 are more heat tolerant, so this is not as big of a deal as it was 20 years ago.

The biggest problem with the .458WinMag in the eyes of some, is poor case capacity. You really must lean on the loads to achieve 2150fps with a 500gr pill. I would strongly suggest a larger case like the Lott or better yet the .450 Dakota in a 24 inch tube. Short barreled .458s are largely a thing of the past. The larger case gives you more options and velocity at lower chamber pressures - a very good thing.

ZD,

Thanks. Now that I saw it in print I remembered the problem. Do you think modern factory ammo from the major makers is OK then?

Thanks for the reply.

Norm - Yes, recent ammo from Federal is considerably more heat stable than even a few years ago. Their 500gr Woodleigh and TBBC ammo is as good as factory can get. It performs very well in the field and offers sufficient terminal performance for a DG rifle.

Personally, I have had my .458WinMag in the Omay (Zambezi River Valley) in Zim during the months of September and October. Temperatures routinely reach 118 to 120 during the day. You can quite literally burn your hands on a barrel that has been left in the sun at these ambient temperatures. However, I found no problems with sticky bolts or pressure considerations.

I still have my .458 WinMag but have switched to a .450 Dakota for DG hunting. The Dakota does not suffer from limited case capacity. I can load up to a whopping 2450 fps with a 500gr Woodleigh or a more tame (and easier on the shoulder) 2250fps.

If you are considering factory ammo, the Lott is the way to go for a DG rifle. It resolves the energy consideration of the WinMag.

ZD,

Thanks for the info. I am looking at the Ruger/.458 Lott combo. The only shooting I've done in Africa was with a camera but some day I might just be able to pull off a shooting trip to Africa.

Thanks,