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

Sir Spruce,
Just joking.
Those 16" barrels versus 24" do have their charm.
Subsonic suppressed with heaviest of bullets being one good reason.
I will be comparing a 16.9" .458 B&M+ to a 24" .458 WM+,
same net case capacity, same powder charge and bullet,
both with 1:10" twist Pac-Nor barrels.
Finally getting around to it, a potential Creedmost Match bullet:



Another Lehigh, not to mention offerings from CEB and Hammer Bullets for Creedmost:



Constructing a bill board target at 1000 yards is in the works.

That should be a very interesting experiment. I've never taken the time to zero in on accuracy with Spruce King. I had an Interarms , Whitworth Express that a shot a 5 shot , 1 5/8" group at a measured 100 yards . Using iirc, 510 gr Winchester soft nose. And this is the kicker. Factory Express sights.
Shot from a bench , using a milk crate and a boat cushion for a rest.

I'm certain that with a scope I could have taken at least 1" off that group size.

This was in 1990. No, I don't have pics.

A friend of the Family was over the other day and we got talking Hunting as we usually do and he asked "me what Rifle in the great .458 Win. Mag would be the preferred choice to buy as the most comfortable to shoot"?
Naturally as the discussion furthered we also determined that he would want great accuracy and a very nice looking Rifle. Cost really isn't an issue as he's willing to step up.
I have a few thoughts in mind but I told him I would ask here and really get some valuable opinions from experienced Shooters.
I explained to him my opinion on beauty being in the eye of the holder/owner as we all have our own opinion's on that.
I would appreciate any and all comments.
Thanks,
HS 58

There was a guy who posted on AccurateReloading as Ozhunter who posted a few pics of what I thought was the most proper 458WM I had ever seen. Perhaps a search would reveal the pic. It was on a 98.

I am not anywhere as experienced with the 458 WM as a lot here, but "comfortable to shoot" to me means a well fitting rifle, with some weight to absorb recoil. I went with a CRF Winchester model 70. As for a "nice looking rifle", the Ruger number 1 is hard to beat. That is next on my wish list. The traditional Mauser style bolt guns, are what I think of in a 458 WM. In my opinion the Safari Express model 70 in Super Grade, is about as beautiful and functional as it gets. My dream 458 WM would be a Mannlicher/Stutzen stocked Model 70 with a 20" barrel, in French Walnut.

I just looked, and Winchester doesn't show the Super Grade chambered in 458 WinMag now. I guess that might be a limited production gun.

Since Winchester started it all, I'd suggest an M70 from their custom shop.

Bob
www.bigbores.ca

I tried a new Winchester Safari in 375 a client hunter had left my PH.The thing was super accurate and without the recoil of a 458.The trigger was nice too.

Bob that's my First choice to tell him.


Great comments keep em coming.
Thanks

HS 58

Beauty is more than just form in a firearm, same as with many things.
Function is beauty too.
Any .458 Winchester Magnum that is a proper shooter is a thing of beauty.
Some even look good.
Good to add some images here, any of these would do:

Mauser M98s have a special beauty with CRF&E, especially this one by Joe Smithson:









It is set up for a red dot sight on the barrel too, on the rear barrel sight base.

If this rifle weighs 9 pounds as shown, unloaded, with barrel sights only,
you would have to add a strap-on comb to use a scope in the Creedmost Match,
might be tough to make weight with a scope and Smithson scope mounts.
Might have to use some Soule sights and back position with that one.

Wouldn't it be nice if Lipsey's asked for a run of .458 WM Hawkeye Africans ?





While I am fantasizing about a new "offering":



That would be ideal when loaded for bear.
The .458 Winchester Magnum is first choice for Alaskan Research Biologists.
A favorite illustration from a serious publication, not a Far Side cartoon:

Sir Ron,

I think you should buy a Mauser 98 Diplomat in 450 Rigby (500g solid 2500 ft/s 6941 ft/lbs).

-Joe

Feasibility is already proven




For the Alaskan bears, however, I would favor the SS synthetic stock version configured as the one below, with 20” heavier contour barrel to weigh 9 lbs loaded

I am a fan of that rifle combination.
I often ponder upon a re-barrel of a Mark II or Hawkeye. I think the 416 Ruger barrel contour might work with a 20 or 21" barrel.

That seems like a great weather resistant and handy rifle.

Bolts look svelte up to 375.After that they heavy and bulky.That's the truth like it or not.

Used that Ruger Hawkeye Alaskan on a brown bear in Alaska. Very good rifle in that weather. Back then it was a 375 Ruger but now it’s a 404-375 Ruger. At 20” it’s very handy and now even more decisive.

I’m considering installing the 23” Hawkeye African barrel which came off the now 458 WM Hawkeye African, on the stainless Alaskan action. About 75 fps more MV with any of the 400 grain bullets used on brown bears. The expanded bullet in the photo is a Barnes 300 gain TSX extracted from the offside hide of an 8’ 8” square brown. Not huge but respectable.

Rebarreling that action to 458 WM would work quite well.

Joe,
If you want want a seat at the Square Table (Maybe Sir Spook ?),
you are going to have to make better suggestions than that !
What could a .450 Rigby do that a .458 WM+ cannot ?
Besides, I am heavily biased towards the .450 Dakota that came before the me-too .450 Rigby upstart.
She is a safe queen:









If only it would appreciate like one of these did ...



From 310 bucks to 8000 bucks over a mere 60 years:

Sir Khulu and Sir Larry,
The
M77 Mark II and Hawkeye seem to be faultless for conversion to .458 WinMag.
B&C recently started offering a Medalist to fit the Hawkeye.
My .400 Whelen is shown here in one of those, a work in progress.
It has a Shilen No. 5 sporter contour barrel of 23.6" length.
It weighs 7#14 oz.
The stock weighs only 1#14 ounces, amazingly.
Bored to .458, the rifle would be about 7.75 lbs.
Easy to make Creedmost Match weight even with ammo, iron sights, and scope onboard:











Here is that Mark II .458 WM with Shilen 5-1/2 Sporter Contour at full 25" barrel length:

Mark II and Hawkeye seem to have the same magazine dimensions, perfect for feeding .458 WM.
They will even eject single-loaded rounds up to 3.54" COL if not fired,
topping off a mag box full of solids with a 404-gr Shock Hammer at 3.480" COL is cool.

Sir Ron,

Mauser doesn't currently offer a Diplomat in 458 Win Mag, but they do offer it in 450 Rigby. I just figured the biggest and baddest they had...

Your 450 Dakota is beautiful!

-Joe