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

Yes indeed Sir Ron, good stuff, i bet if you checked the delivered time stamp from FedX until i fired you off the first round of pics was less than an hour, i dropped everything i was doing and went straight to the load shop! it all came together very easy, didn't bother with wasting bullets checking e.s. numbers, looks like it would have been a waste, didnt measure the group either, but, if we take .458" off center to center it's mighty small, and those bullets landing where the 450 TSX's land surprised me, who was it that said the 375 H&H was the only round that fired differing bullet weights in the same spot at 100 yards? LOL. This is going to be a really fun hunt/project, FOR SCIENCE!.

44MC, you got it Sir, no charges at all.

LOL Big B, yes, that's why that chrono is so dirty, bet it's still coughing black powder dust and grease cookie smoke from the big Sharps rifles ; ]

BTW, Sir Ron, i bet i'll have the 2500 fps vel in 95 degree Africa, 83gr 2460 is about all i could get into the nickel RP hulls, AA 2230 will give 2500 here right now and more over there, but dang i'm enjoying the lower pressures of 2460, just look how round those primers are, cases literally fell from the chamber, i also loaded the fired hulls right back into the chamber, no resistance, 55 degrees at shooting and 555' elevation here at the farm, 2500' elevation at the little bush camp up on The Limpopo for even a little flatter shooting than here.

That’s good stuff Gunner. I got a bunch of 2230 or 2460 awhile back since you all said it was the good stuff. Looking forward to trying it out some.

Looking forward to your trip and hearing about the hunt.

That’s a snazzy 458 Gunner, it’ll look good propped up on whatever happens to tickle your fancy that day.

I've got some 450 TSX to load up with 2230

God dang hard rock grinding bush hog blades to sharpen anyway, i'll put those back on this evening, now to more important things LOL, hell yeah Big B, both great powders, glad you grabbed some up, the trip is going to be a blast and thanks for the compliments on ole rube goldberg the mighty 458 WM+, that dang JES cut a hell of a rebore job, that thing shoots like it has a pac-nor super match barrel, threading the needle in the thick mopani thorn thickets will be cake if needed, i think the 404 Hammer will handle the rest.

JWP, perfect compact powder that builds a lot of power in the 458 case, particularly shooting the long 450 TSX with a COL of 3.310"

Heck, I just hope my rifles live up to the accuracy potential of the Hammer 404.
Personal for my use, I could live comfortably with 2300 fps for my distances. But, like most; I will certainly take more velocity if it is to be had.

Shoot yeah LD, you'll be there, one thing about these big bores and shooting big animals this side of 300 yards, a two inch group at 100 will easily cover what needs done, one other thing i'll bet, even if you hit a moose or big brown bear at 2300 with a 400gr Hammer both will hit the ground, fast!

Boy would that be cool. Might have to find a McMillan for my 458

Thanks Sir Ron for pointing out that the .35 Whelen is equivalent to the .35 Brown Whelen when bullets are seated long in the standard Whelen, I'd wondered about that. I've a friend at www.35cal.com with a .35 BW, along with a cabinet full of .35s. I introduced him to the idea of a .35 Whelen many, many years ago when he wanted to build his first rifle.

Anyway, the Traditions is 39" OL with the brake and 37" without it. Also, the brake is the same outside diameter as the muzzle, not as shown in the pic. Likely, in its original form, the muzzle brake was as in the pic. With a 2-8 x 32mm scope mounted with base and rings it weighs 7.25 lbs. I'll soon be posting a photo in an upcoming blog. It's been to the range this past Monday for getting on paper at 50 yards. Eight rounds, total, were loaded. It took four to get a 200gr Hornady on paper, and somewhere near center. It was no fun trying to bore sight a break-action. The four 200gr Hornady SPs were loaded over 60 grains of H4895 - not over the Chrony as I just wanted to get the scope setup somewhere near center of target at 50 yards. Estimated MV was 2850 fps. The next four, without any adjustments to the scope, hit a bit lower and left of center. They were the 225gr X-Bullet over 67 grains of RL-17. Estimated MV at 2700 fps. WLRM primers used throughout.

Felt recoil wasn't bad at all, both loads calculated around 27 to 29 ft-lbs with the muzzle brake. My new Walkers worked great! The rifle has excellent balance. The break-action is still a bit stiff but is improving with working it at home. The only negative at the range is one that I also experience with the Ruger No.1H in .458 - the trigger guard whacks my middle finger of my shooting hand under recoil at the bench, which I've not noticed in offhand shooting in the bush. But for the Ruger, I put a guard on the finger, and will do the same for the Traditions. I have small hands and the reach from the pistol grip to the trigger is a bit of a stretch for my trigger finger which is second in shortness of the four - the shortest being the little finger. If I consciously grip the pistol grip with force, the middle finger doesn't get whacked. But I have arthritis in that hand. I'll just remember to wear some kind of protection. Other than that, I very much like the rifle.

Those were not max loads in new Remington brass, and all eight had the same case head measurements after firing, and primers all had the same appearance, indicating stable pressures that were not extreme. So I was satisfied with that initial outing of the Traditions OUTFITTER G3.

Thought some might like to know some details of the first trial at the range.

Bob
www.bigbores.ca

Mickey that mother, pillar and steel bed everything, action tang, full length barrel channel, bottom metal, she'll shoot Big B, i have a standard COL 458WM on a 98 mauser that way, 3X heavy #4 reticle leupold in leupold short lever qd bases and rings, 500gr partitions at only 2160, but damn, that should do.

That is pretty tempting Gunner. Your singing my song.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^BATTER UP!!!!^^^^^^^^^LOL

Sir Jerry,

Thanks for the moral support at the Hammer Bullets site.
Will see if anybody tries to bite YOUR ankle there.
Nah, we are past that point now, in large part thanks to your "participation."

Having specialized in the .458 WM,
I am now developing a subspecialty in 400-gr bullets for the .458 WM and .458 WM+ "wildcat."
I am getting nostalgic about it already, remembering all the 400-gr bullets I have known.
The quest for a proper 400-gr FN solid is ongoing.
Doing good ain't got no end.

Sir Bob,
After reading your blog on the .35 Whelen Traditions Outfitter,



I finally succumbed to a CVA Scout of same caliber.



It too seems to be a quality piece, great for the price.
I will follow your work on the .35 Whelen with great interest.

I pulled out a tote of .358 bullets from a shelf in the garage, about 50 pounds of these:
300-gr Barnes Original RNSP
275-gr Barnes Original SpSP
250-gr Nosler, Swift, Hornady, Speer
225-gr Nosler
200-gr Barnes X & Sierra "Pro-Hunter"

Some are near perfect BC match for the 404-gr/.458 Shock Hammer, about 0.420.
Good for training aiming memory.
All are good for just flat-out huntin' anything they are legal for.

The 220 grain Hammer Hunter is about .411 BC in the 35 Whelen and inflicks massive tissue damage

Those are a pile of great bullets

JWP is right about the 220 Hammer. Accurate as hell as well.

I’ve liked and used the Whelen since about 2003. To me, it’s been super easy to load for and while it’s not a sleep 338 it has been a workhorse on elk and even a few bucks.

That is good to hear ! Wow, for awhile there, Ron had the patience of Job.

You're most welcome Sir Ron, it's my pleasure, many Thanks to you again for the bullets, i'll put them to very good use, storms on the way, but when weather clears i'll make another homemade hartebeest and see where the 404gr Hammers land clear out to 400 yards, if the Hammer boys will turn you some 400gr flat nosed solids you'd be set for all game, including your return to Africa for Elephant.

Thinking about doing a long thought of 458 Winchester project.
Re-barrel a Mark II 300 Winchester to 458 Winchester. Use the 416 Ruger barrel contour at a 22" length. Prospect donor rifle seems to feed the 458's fine.

That'll work LDM, i was wondering what kind of a 500 yard all game killer we could come up with if i could talk JWP into letting JES 458 bore his CZ 416 Rigby, talk about an ass kicker 450 Rigby Magnum with 404gr Hammers at 2950 fps and COL of 3.650 inch LOL!

Jeeeeeeze..... I can't imagine that sorta thunder....