Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Express Rifles and Big Bores Only Any Reason for a 458 Lott ?

If you actually read what Jack Lott wrote he claims that all he ever wanted to accomplish with the longer Lott design was to duplicate the original ballistics of a 500 gr bullet at 2150fps as that had been proven to be perfectly adequate and controllable.

The original 458 accomplished that with a 25" barrel and now with newer powders like AA 2230 it is easy to push 500 gr bullets in a standard 458 Win well past 2200 fps.

But if you actually feel the need for more power then by all means get a Lott. Or better yet, why not a 460 Wby ?

The SAAMI throat in the 458 Win is longer than in the 458 Lott. The 458 Win can be loaded to a longer COAL than the Lott thus achieve higher velocity. The magazine would need to be lengthened for them to work as a repeater.

jwp475, Speaking “only” about the Win. model 70 (New Haven), it’s extremely easy and would cost nothing to modifythe .458 WM, to accept the longer Lott cartridge. Simply remove the magazine block and modify the bolt stop.....a magnum length action! memtb

The crimping groove doesn't work out so well if you do that. I find the Lott is about perfect.

I have a CZ 458 WM and must have gotten "lucky enough" for them to use a new max spec reamer on my chamber. If a 350 TSX is dropped into the chamber and a sized case is then chambered, the bullet can move back and forth. Shoots 350gn into a shotgun pattern but 450gn into an inch. Have only found one cast bullet it will shoot and that requires care and cornmeal. At some point, will get it opened up to Lott so it has a chance with lighter bullets.

Why not ream a WM to the Lott and have the best of both worlds if the mag is long enough? CZ550 Safari's definitely have the mag space.

How is that the best of both worlds? Where is the advantage of doing so?

My .460 with a 500 grain Hornady DGX at 2300 fps. Basically top end .458 Lott.


I used the same bullet at .458 Win mag velocities (2000 fps) on this jackrabbit.

most of the people that own a 458 win or 458 LOTT, or 460 wby, will never put the rifles sights on a rhino,
elephant , cape buffalo, or similar members of the African dangerous game.
yeah, we may dream about it, but financial reality keeps stomping on those dreams.
but what you can do is hand-load the rifles to a bit lower velocity and play with, and enjoy them.
Ive hunted with a guy who has used a 458 win with cast bullets for decades,
Ive also used a 458 win and 458 LOTT using more appropriate power levels
(450 marlin velocity levels) with 350-to-540 grain hard cast bullets.
used that way they are very effective deer, hog, and even elk hunting tools,
yes they may be limited to about a 250 yard practical range due to practical trajectory.
but news flash, in 50 years of hunting deer and elk , I could count the opportunities,
I or any of the members of my hunting club have had to shoot elk at over 250 yards on one hand,
with a couple fingers left over.
you certainly not going too need a 458 lott or 458 win to hunt elk, but both rifles hand-loaded
to hot 45/70 / 450 marlin, power levels make excellent thick timber elk rifles where range under 200 yards are the rule and a 400 grain bullet at perhaps 1800 fps-2200 fps make a very effective elk hunting rifle
I think there would be a great many more 458 win rifles sold if there were more people with experience hand loading the 458 win and 458 LOTT rifles with the lighter bullet weights and or at moderate velocities.
I purchased a remington custom shop 458 win mag rifle for about 2/3rds of what the original; owner paid and got a box of factory winchester ammo with 500 grain bullets and an empty 20 cases, which I was assured was the full extent of its previous use as the original owner decided its recoil was FAR higher than he could tolerate!




Ive been looking for, and really wanted, a stainless/laminated ruger #1 in 458 lott at a decent price for about 10 years, ever since one of my buddies bought one at a local gun show for $900, he loves his, I reload for him, and no he refuses to sell his.
every time I have the cash I either can't locate one, or theres a family crisis that used all the saved cash
given a choice that would be my next rifle
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theres a bit of extra satisfaction in dropping an elk with your cast hand loads

340mag, Winner -Winner! It certainly seems that many handloaders think that maximum loads are the only option. In the early ‘70’s, when I first got into shooting cast bullets.... I developed a load for my .308 Win. Those cast bullets, made shooting much more affordable, and made it an everyday shooter. Summer time, it was used for snakes, turtles, and armadillos. It the fall/winter, it was used for squirrels and rabbits! In my handguns 357 Mag,44 Mag, and 460 S&W......lightloads are used, easily 10 to one! Heck....I’ve even got a good cast bullet load for my .375 AI ! memtb

I love 2150 and 500 grain Partitions in a 458WM, cant imagine what it wouldn't work on, I just like that velocity neighborhood for iron sighted or lower power scoped rifles, works well in others too.

303 Brit double, 2158 fps, 215 grs.
400 Whelen bolt, 2255 fps, 400 grs.
458 WM bolt, 2150 fps, 500 grs.
505 Gibbs bolt, 2150 fps, 600 grs.
500 Nitro double, 2168 fps, 570 grs.
577 Nitro double, 2076 fps, 750 grs.

When my 400 H&H is finished i'll be looking for an accurate 2150 fps with 400 grs in it too, not going full bore/pressure after the available 2400 fps.

In a CZ550 with a 3.750" magazine, Lott cartridges fill the magazine more completely and so should feed more consistently.
Lighter, shorter bullets are closer to the rifling which should improve accuracy. My CZ is abysmal with shorter bullets, a 350 TSX and many cast are well clear of WM brass before they begin to contact rifling.
Cast bullets should also be more accurate without traversing a wide, long throat and less chance of bullet "stripping" rifling.
A little more powder room will lower peak pressure.
Can still fire WM ammo in a pinch.

Don't see any point in messing with a standard length action but makes good sense to me if the mag is already long.

I can tell you that my Lott feeds great with any bullet I have tried except the 430 grain flat point cast bullets. If feeds them decent, though. The 430 grain cast shoot about 1" 3 shot groups @ 100 yards out of my rifle. I killed a bull elk with this bullet. I did not load it down much either.

I also loaded my 450 grain bullets that I took to Africa to 2350 fps. My PH was dumbfounded when I wanted to check my zero at 100 yards and off the sandbag on the bench. I put a nice .45" diameter hole in the center of his target and he said we were good to go!
The largest animal I have killed with the Lott so far is an Eland. The 450 grain A-frame stood him on his nose. Recoil is substantial I will admit. I shot some factory 458 Win mag loads out of it and they were 250 fps slower than the typical Lott velocities. I believe you can improve with handloads. I don't see a downside to the Lott since it can shoot and feed 458 Win mags if needed (mine feed and shoots them just fine). You have more energy at longer ranges if you use them on plains game- which I did.

dennisinaz, what rifle make/model is your 458Lott? Have you tried feeding the Winchester factory 510gn RN 458WM loads through it - this one will trip up half of the CZ550s.

That same rifle with the long magazine chambered in 458 Win has a longer throat and allows for a longer over all cartridge length thus more powder and higher velocity than a Lott with its shorter throat.

I have only fed two boxes of factory 458 Win mag through it. One was 500 or 510 grain Winchester, the other was Federal but I don't recall the bullet. My rifle is a New Haven mod 70.

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What he said

I have a Ruger 458 Lott, love that rifle. It does wake you up when you pull the trigger.

Have you tested the pressure on that? Or just relying on your brass?

I only have one Lott left. If those bad assed squirrels come back I'll be ready.