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

Ron,

It's a shame that bloke wit the Shiloh Sharps rifles is not here, was it SharpsGuy or similar. He could certainly illustrate long range hits in the field with only 1300 f/s.

As I posted before I did as well on roos, pigs, goats and emus with the 400 grain Speer at 2000 -2100 as I did with the 270.You can certainly get a feel for very long range with big bullets going slow. Many years ago I was away shooting with a mate and we stopped on the property where you could see part of a small river and its bank. He had a 7mm Remington with him and I had 375 H&H with 300 grain round nose Hornady and 68 grain of 4064 for 2400 f/s plus. I said to him to see if he could land a bullet at the edge of the river/bank. It was a real long way off. He fired and nothing. So I let go with the 375 and hit right at the edge of the bank.

I’ve got a Ruger Number 1 SS/Laminate that was a 45-70 and was rechambered to 45-90 I haven’t gotten a chance to give fresh air yet, but man, I’ve got a pile of Starline brass for it and it may give the 458 Win a run for its money in that #1!

Likin this thread! I’m ready for Gunner to put some 450’s on steel at 1100+! I know the old boy has it in him!

Sir Mike, Crusader Knight of Truth,
Good dig at Squire Karl for not owning a .458 WM, thank you.
I telephoned sharpsguy about a month ago. His devoted understudy, gunner500 is in closer contact with him, geographically as well.
We are hoping he will join in here.
I have his images that were wiped off ardotcom, thank God ! Such poetry should not be wasted on reciting to a cess pool.
Using .458 cast bullets at 1300 fps with a BPCR to shoot tiny groups and knock over game at 500-yards is high art,
worth repeating here, very applicable to the .458 WM and ,458 WM+ with either smokeless or BP.
I will call sharpsguy again and see how things are shaking.

If you have enough throat you will have no problem equaling the SAAMI .458 WM with your 2.4" cased 45-90.
Your shoulder will let you know when you get there with a 7.25-pound pounder.
I did the same with the Starline brass .45-2.6" for .45-100.
My 7.25# Ruger No. 1 was re-chambered from .45-70 Govt. factory rifle to .45-70 Elko Magnum aka .45-100 Sharps Winchester Throated.
Yes, I re-invented the wheel, exactly.

Whilst waiting for a reply from Sir Spruce/CTF about his Spruce King .458 WM,
here is 20"-barreled Ruger M77 .458 WM belonging to Gustavo from ardotcom (someone tell him to flee there and relocate here):









The 400-grain Woodleigh PPSN and HYDRO might be knocking onthe door of 2500 fps MV even in a 20"-barreled .458 WM+.
3.395" COL works in those Ruger M77 magazine rifles:



400-gr Woodleigh PPSN results above are from my 25" Shilen barrel.

Dang! That’s a beautiful looking hammer!

Dang, now I am looking forward to messing with it.

I have a couple boxes of the Hornady 250 copper Flex Tips. Wanted to see how fast I could make them scoot!

No Buffalo here in Va, but the bucks get a little rowdy!

Too sleepy to post pics tonight. Try again in the morning.
I always gap my sheathing. Cut down on nail pops.

You mean some people don’t have a 458?!
Ruger No.1 and a 77 here!.. and yes I’ve taken small deer with them.
Don’t plan to go to Africa, just a fun gun to shoot, handload for, and occasionally hunt deer with.

Sorry to hear that John. If anyone does have a copy still living I'd be interested to obtain one

Sorry to hear that John. If anyone does have a copy still living I'd be interested to obtain one
Haha thanks Mike the funny thing too is I ordered the 460 right after reading the Petersen's annual and then asked for ammo, dies and '.460 calibre projectiles." That's how green I was, an 18 year old with an skk and spas-12 to the world's most powerful factory elephant gun in 1 day.

Squire Karl,

That is indeed a bit humorous, you being a precocious 18 y.o. ordering his first bolt action and it was a 460 Weatherby Magnum and don't forget the .460-caliber projectiles !


Sir Spruce,

I forget, is that a 19" Shilen No.5 Sporter on Spruce King ?
You need to spruce up that butt pad when you get settled from sprucing up your Homestead.
Then you will be back in the saddle of a grand horse for the Crusade.

A bit of business:
I am not really the Hand of the King. Cartridges do not have hands nor communicate other than by ballistics and functionality.
So I am just going to drop the charade and call myself a "Knight of the Crusade for Truth about the .458 Winchester Magnum."

Mission statement and pledge: "We crusade for truth about the king of cartridges, the .458 Winchester Magnum."

Founding Knights, by age before beauty:

Sir Bob (CZ550)
Sir Ron (Riflecrank)
Sir Jerry(gunner500)

Grandfathered Knight Musketeers, all for one and one for all:

Sir Mike (MikeMcGuire)
Sir Spruce (CTF)
Sir Dennis (Fury01)

Any current Knight above who considers his "sir" name to be spurious (assigned by me) may have it changed.
Speak soon or forever hold your title.

Other members here who wish to join this "Campfire Crusade" as Knights must have owned and used a .458 Winchester Magnum and make at least six posts/replies to this thread that are pertinent to the King of Cartridges.
On his seventh post he may state the Knighthood handle he prefers (the "sir" name) and be recognized as "Sir Whatever, Knight of the Crusade for Truth."

Real business:

MidwayUSA sent out a notification yesterday AM that the Norma .458 WM brass had arrived.
I went there later that morning and it was already all sold out !
They do not allow backorders on that stuff for some reason.
They only allow notifications of "in stock" status when it arrives,
and first come, first served.
This bird was not early enough to get the worm.
That brass sold out in a few minutes or hours, first morning it was back in stock !
The .458 WM has a faithful following, long and true and growing, more so than the upstart .458 Lott !

What is the M77 458?
Is it a factory or did you have it built ?

Mine started life as a 338 Win M77 Mk2 2 stainless. I had it revealed to 458 in 94. Got it back in 95.

Yup . Sir Spruce it is !

I think I'm gonna find a walnut board and form filler cheeks of some sort on the butt of the canoe paddle. Then attach a high powered Sorbathane recoil pad.

Sir Spruce, aka CTF,
If you are asking about my Ruger M77 .458 WM, (Alderella) it is an M77 Mk II from the later 1990's, that was originally a 7mm Rem, Mag., re-barreled to .458 WM, like the Spruce King.

If you are asking about Gustavo's Ruger M77 .458 WM, it is a re-barrel based on either the M77 Hawkeye or the M77 Mk II. I do not recall which, he will have to say.

About the only difference between a Hawkeye and Mk II is the factory trigger mechanism.

You do not need walnut cheeks on the Zytel stock.
Put a steel or aluminum plate on the butt end of the Zytel before you put the recoil pad on.
Grind it to match the recoil pad and it is like a silver or blued-line spacer between the pad and the stock.
Walnut butt cheeks nicely finished might be a hoot, however.
Then do grip panels to match.

That's what I was thinking . walnut butt cheeks 😜😀 .

I tapped the wrong thingy. I was asking Alaninga about his M77. I should have. [Quoted] him instead of reply.

19" plus the brake.
Since the last time I had the barrel off SK was the last time its ever coming off. Ill need to build a whole new rifle to get an 18" I'll go with the same Shilen contour. Stiff and stubby.

Sir Spruce,
Your 19" Shilen ought to be about 120 fps slower than my 25" Shilen, unless the shorter one is magical.
So the Spruce King ought to be able to do 2507 fps MV with a 400-grainer.
That is not too shabby when 2300 fps with a 400-grainer is the All Killer load.
The longer barrel just allows same effect at about 50 yards farther out.
That's for a 0.340 BC with Woodleigh 400-gr PPSN.
I have to stay 50 yards away from the critter to keep from exceeding the recommended impact velocity of the Woodleigh, 2500 fps.
You are going to need to stay only about 8 feet away from the bull to keep from exceeding 2500 fps.
Perfect for some brave hunting.
Why, I might even be brave enough for a 20" barrel.





The second time around, starting low and working up to the same maximum, this time with a homemade cannelure at same COL:



Better results second time, it shot into one hole at 50 yards with top load: