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

Can’t wait!
F01

Stormy weather.
Us "farm boys" get to play when its storming.
Ordered that Accurate Molds mould and dithered this up:

















I pulled one of those three shots, blame me, not the PH.

My new mould is going to be a brass 2-cavity with the two designs in one mould,
"Lyman inspired" AM 46-467L and "whacky" AM 46-502D.
That whacky AM 46-502D might qualify for Nitro Express Modus Operandi if cast in lighter BHN25 instead of WW.

457121 Lyman Ph bullet; have you tried two coats of powder coat to size it up? Not that the paper patched is not just fine as you loaded it.
Thanks for the work and write up Sir!
F01

Good stuff Men, im studying a 1956 Model 70 Super Grade in the mighty 458 Winchester Magnum, the rifle is a Doc Quincy's, hope it passes the autopsy! ; ]

Sir Dennis,
Yep tried two coats, not enough diameter even with the harder/lighter/bigger-diameter alloy.
So, I am saving the Lyman PH for 50:50 Pb/WW or 20:1 Pb/Sn and the smack of duplexed BP on its hind end.

However, a double coat of PC paint might replace the paper patch,
then I don't have to size them way down to .452" before patching them up to .459".
Sizing down more than 0.003" is supposed to be a no-no, but I got by, with the paper patch smoothing things out.

Might be able to get by with the soft lead alloys PC-paint-patched, greased in the grooves and smacked with duplexed BP and a grease cookie ?
Even if the soft alloy was painted up to only a .458" sizing, that might obturate in a .458 WinMag with .459" grooves.
But won't work with smokeless ...

6-week lead time on the Accurate Molds order, according to their web site. Will see.

If need be, a custom mould for a Lyman-PH-inspired bullet that has the base band lengthened enough
to cast in BHN25 at 480 grains weight sure would be nice.
Should be no more than 0.1" longer bullet overall.
Will see how the AM 46-467L casts in BHN25 for diameter and weight, and go from there.
Will commence to calculating.
Yahoo.

Sir Jerry,
The first-year "African" is the Holy Cow !
Trivia I don't know: How many did they make that first year ?
1226 made from 1956 through 1963.
Please send photos !
Could be a pretty penny for that one.

From the Hammer Bullets web site, this youtube video.
Mr. OutdoorEdventure has a great method of trapping a 203-gr/.358 Shock Hammer from a .358 WCF AR-10, at +2400 fps MV.
Modeling clay in a plastic jar with a piece of leather glove at entry and a box of sand behind the clay:

SLO MO of bullet impact,
bullet base and most of shrapnel retrieved



https://hammerbullets.com/hammertime/threads/shock-hammer-slowmo-damage.1950/

Would same setup stop a 404-gr/.458 ShockHammer at +2500 fps from the mighty .458 WinMag ?

https://pre64win.com/products/458-w...956?_pos=12&_sid=d310f6308&_ss=r

That was a daisy from 1956 (SN: 380868), priced at $9,999.00 and now item is out of stock.
How many were "in stock" to start with ?
Heh-heh-heh.

Highly collectible since it did not undergo the factory recall to replace the fancy walnut
with a straighter grained (stronger) walnut and have a secondary recoil lug added to barrel.
Lots of split stocks in the first run.
Learning curve for WRAC.



The single-steel-crossbolted, early 1956, stock got replaced with a stock having two Bakelite plugs ! Plastic !
I believe the learning curve eventually took WRAC to two steel crossbolts ...

Some small images in natural sunlight showing the delicate beauty a little better, of 380868, Miss 1956:









Description copied and pasted from pre64win.com:

This is a Winchester model 70 African rifle chambered in the powerful .458 Winchester magnum cartridge. It was produced in 1956, the first year for the cartridge, the African style rifle, and the short magnum receiver.

The .458 Winchester Magnum cartridge was introduced in 1956 and was the first of a series of proprietary Winchester magnum cartridges Winchester introduced for the model 70. The .458 was followed by the .338 Win Mag, .264 Win Mag and .300 Win Mag. These cartridges were based on the H&H magnum cartridge, but were shortened to the same overall length as the .30-06 class of cartridges so they would work in the standard length model 70 action, with minimal modifications. Each of these rifles was given a new and name. The .300 WM and .338 WM were called "Alaskan". The .254 WM was called "Westerner". And the .458 WM was placed in a class of its own. Only produced in the Super Grade style, and embellished with several unique high-end features, the .458 WM was designated as the "African". In addition to the unique new magnum chambering, the African also had a 25" #2 barrel with a front sling swivel base attached directly to the barrel, and special sights, and was stocked in superior grade walnut with more figure than any other model 70 rifle. Only 1,226 African rifles were produced, making this the third rarest chambering for the model 70, with only the .300 Savage and .35 Remington being produced in fewer numbers.

This particular rifle possesses certain features which are present on only a few of the earliest African rifles. Specifically:

This rifle lacks the secondary barrel-mounted recoil block which was added in late 1956.
This rifle has the extra fancy walnut stock and a single steel cross-bolt. Both of these features only appeared on the earliest African rifles, and most of these were later re-stocked into the later style stocks as a result of a recall* by Winchester.

*The recall of early African rifles: In mid 1956, with some African rifle owners complaining of cracks appearing in some stocks, Winchester issued a recall of all .458 African rifles. In the recall, Winchester replaced the fancy walnut stock with a single steel crossbolt with a more traditional straight grain American walnut stock, fitted with 2 Bakelite dowels for cross-bolts.

As a result of Winchester's recall of the earl African rifles, very few retain the early, highly figured stocks with the single steel cross-bolt.

The metal on this rifle grades in NRA very good to excellent condition with no noted wear or defects. The bluing grades at 95% with a few light scratches on the bolt handle but no other notable defects. There is almost no edge wear, and the bluing is dark and even. The bolt body, extractor, and magazine follower are all correctly jeweled.

The bore of the 25" barrel is in excellent condition with no visible wear and only very minor evidence of use. We rate this bore a 9 out of 10 under borescope examination.

The Monte Carlo stock is beautifully figured and is in near perfect condition following restoration in our shop. There was a small split in the inletting bridge between the trigger and the magazine box, which has been repaired. The original recoil pad is in very good condition. The original checkering is clean and crisp.

Except as noted above, there are no modifications or defects noted for this rifle. All parts and finishes appear to be correct for the .458 Win and original to the rifle. The bolt is correct and serial number matched to the receiver.

I’ve gotten by with .459 ok but as you know .460+ is better!
Thank you sir!
F01

Yes Sir, hope it pans out to be a true, good and unaltered specimen with no stock splits/cracks, many thanks for the history lesson Sir Ron.

A very fitting pair, The Mighty 458 Winchester Magnum in the very rifle it was designed for, i can't think of a better setup for Lion and Ele, 404 Hammers at 2500 for the cat and all manner of other plains game, 450gr CEB BBW#13 or 500gr Trophy Bonded solids for Ele, it would be a dream pairing ; ]

And No Sir, if my PH sent the flat nosed expanded solid remains from a 404 Hammer after shedding petals and found against the hide of a 3300LB bull giraffe after double shoulder punch, that bullet at 2500 fps would blow that guys clay bucket and sand box to hell and back.

Double the bullet weight, 100 fps faster, 0.100" larger diameter, it would junk it all.

Boy that’d be a damn cool rifle.

According to Louis Luttrell over on the WACA site, when he spoke with Roger Rule years ago, Roger sent those records back to a Winchester employee at the time, without making copies and there's no record at the Winchester McCracken Library of the total number of how many, 458 Win. Mag in the model 70 Super Grade, were mfg. in 1936. Not that their not there, they haven't surfaced is all. All of Roger Rule's information was based on these records. The number of 1226 being shipped is correct but as far as the total number that were mfg., well this number could be different.

Sir Jerry, Good Luck in your Quest!

HS 58

Enaa baasee' Sir Tony,

What I got from Rule was that the "African" did not sell as well as expected for 1956-1957,
one key reason being the price tag.
It was $295.00 when a Super Grade of lesser caliber offerings was $184.65,
and a Standard Rifle sold for $124.45.
They made more receivers in 1956 than they needed for the .458 WinMag.
So, some 1956 serial numbers ended up in later years assemblies of .458 WinMag, .338 WinMag and .264 WinMag.
That surplus of the "short magnum" actions might have facilitated arrival of the Alaskans and Westerners, eh ?

He did tally up some shipping records for the .458 Win. Magnum African:



Domestic
1955-1957: 671
1958-1960: 210
1961-1963: 118

Canadian
1955-1963: 0

Other International
1955-1963: 227

Grand total world wide
1955-1963: 1226



Pretty dismal.



Then came the pushfeed Post-'63 and all the other makes of .458 WinMag,
when any gunsmith could do one on a Pre-'64 M70 .30-06 or standard M98 ... and all the big makers could too ... and they did,
starting about 1956 most likely !
Ammo sales were so brisk that, to keep up with demand,
they had to hire Democrat voters now and then at the ammo factory.
Big mistake.

A .30-06 and a .458 WM on matching M70 actions of whatever vintage does make a fine combo.







Serial numbers for M70 receiver year produced, above.

They made a few experimental rifles in 1955, had barrel-marking roll stamps for .458 Win. Magnum ordered by Nov. 2, 1955.

I sorted out the "One-Bolt African" story according to Rule:

"A few" of the "One-Bolt Africans" had a different rear sight than all the rest:

A bit of levity for anyone paying attention to the details above,
the whacko Lottites were out protesting for their rights to have abortions last week.
Was that about keeping the abortion pill OTC ?







Must be the type that wants tampon dispensers in all the men's public restrooms worldwide !
Men can menstruate too don'tcha know, NOT.

Thanks Big B, Sirs Tony and Ron, it'll be a fun rig if the purchase happens, couldn't help but hunt/shoot it, even if it doesn't have barrel lug, going to be a careful subject, if it has no splits or cracks, don't want to damage it, but, as I've told Sir Ron, there's only one "Safe" Queen here, and she wears lipstick and dresses ; ]


Studying and blade following that back black collar line of pink shirt in first pic, coming in hard with 11.25" bladed Bagwell Damascus Bowie from right and exiting left would relieve that idiot of all that ails it, but, someone would have to happen by with a good snow shovel and scoop up 12lbs of stupid rolling about in the street!

Good times.

Good show Sir Ron!

Well, you know whenever a Lottite hears that the .458 Lott is an abortion of the .450 Watts Magnum,
they get all huffy and go protest for abortion rights.

Earliest .458 Winchester Magnum rifle image that I know of was on a
presentation of the WRAC engineering department
no doubt to impress admin and bean counters
to keep the project alive:









The mention of ".458 Watts" reminds me of
Richard Harland, mainly because he is the only author that I have seen use the term ".458 Watts."
It is in his book NDLOVU, wherein he writes an honest account of the .458 Winchester Magnum,
backed by his immense experience with it in elephant hunting.
Gotta review that.




Just like a blind hog finding an acorn now and then, a RNFMJ solid kills an elephant or buffalo now and then.
Might not have recovered four out of four solids from four dead critters if they had been FN brass solids.

The One-Bolt African looks to have the barrel tie-down bolster integral to barrel
and the screw and escutcheon in the forearm to mate.

Seems a recoil "plate" like a reversed Ruger RSM contraption (but smaller and simpler) could be added to the African.
The bolster and plate that hooks over it is the only recoil lug on a Ruger RSM.

Then add the hidden allthread cross bolt between magazine and trigger wells
instead of the visible second cross bolt.
Pillar bed and full contact glass from tang to barrel bolster.

All work wood be to strengthen stock and invisible externally.
Sure wood be a lot classier than a Two-Bolt African with Bakelite plugs.