Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Express Rifles and Big Bores Only 458 Win Mag

If you set a velocity standard of 2050fps as stated, then cropping the barrel to 18 inches will defeat your goal. That does not mean the cartridge will not perform on the gane you hunt.

.458 Win (Phil Shoemaker) has quoted a 20 inch barrel on his .458 and it suits his needs for brown bear, but you really havn't stated yours, apart from the velocity request.

JW

I'm sure you could get a bit over 2000fps with an 18 inch barrel using 2230 powder but - as much as I like shortbarreled rifles- an 18" tube on a 458 seems like too much of a "good" thing.

Just talking about it might develope a flinch! I cringe at the idea, but then I do have a recoil tolarence lower than some of these bad boys on the internet.:) IMO, if I ever own another .458 Win. It will have a 26 inch barrel, weigh at least 9.5 lbs. iron sighted..That would get me the velocity I want and it sure would kill anything I shot with it and it would be within my recoil torlerance. My friends on this forum have bent my mind, destroyed my curmudgeon attitude, and have me thinking maybe I would like to own a .458 win. once again, dammit Phil, your a desease!

Ray, I heartily recommend one and once you give it a try you will learn what African and Alaskan PH's learned years ago - that 500gr 45's hit harder than 400gr 40's

The .458 Winchester is a great cartridge. With the same pressures, you'll only get about 50 to 70 fps more with the Lott. My Model 70 has a 22" barrel and goes 10.2 pounds with scope and sling. I would not want a shorter barrel because it would be a detriment to stable offhand shooting. It is easy to get 2200 fps with 500 grain bullets, 2250 with 450 grain bullets, and 2700 with 350 grain TSXs. The only problem is the 350s don't shoot anywhere near the same POI as the heavier ones.

It would be for fishing and such in Alaska and as a spare for my trip to Africa in 2011. I would aim for 10-11 pounds iron sighted as I am not bothered by heavy weapons like I am long ones. I would just get a Lott but the spare action I have is a .300WM.

I really like my 458 win. mag. I have been using AA2230 with the new Hornady 500 grain DGX/DGS and easily attain 2150-2175 fps.

Recoil is not my primary concern, having a lighter weight, quick handling, and accurate rifle is at the top of the list. I have been using an older (1965 vintage) FN Browning Safari, it tips the scales at about 8 lbs (unscoped and empty) and it is just about perfect for my needs. I liked it so much I recently purchased one in 375 H&H, also a 1965 vintage....these rifles are really nice!

This is a very true statement in my experience, and the reason I let all 4 of my .416 rifles go. I believe there is a bigger hit with the .45's and believe it can be seen in the field when you shoot both .416 and the .45's enough.

JW

I think the setup of the rifle is more of a deciding factor than the caliber. There are plenty of big rifles that are more pleasant to shoot than some of the smallers. Due to setup

heck i learnd something here never tryed 2230 in my 458 have alway relied on 4895 so now i cant wait to try 2230 if i can find some on the shelf

Phil and Aussie,
Well I may in fact get me a .458 Win. I have used it a bit but its been a long time and I have used the 458 Lott more than the 458 Win. but find it abusive in recoil..

BTW, be that as it may I have never found the 40 calibers lacking on buffalo or elephant, thus my choice of them..but I like to play so maybe I will pick me up another .458 Win.

For that matter I would hunt buffalo or elephant with 220 gr. Nosler partitions and solids respectively without fear of my life or reprisal from anywhere but on the internet.

I have 2 of those Winchester model 70 .458's, one has 22 inch barrel and the other has a 24 inch barrel. I like shooting the 24 inch barrel better, just feels more balanced to me. I like shooting those 450 grain Barnes bullets in it and at 75 yards from the bench, it prints a 1.25 inch group.

However, I like shooting my .416 Rem. mag in a model 70 much better and it is more accurate and does not push me around as much. I really like this rifle and it has killed several animals like the hammer of Thor! The .416 is more of a pleasure to shoot, especially from the bench verses either of the .458's when using 500 grain bullets. I guess that extra 100 grains of lead unlocks the beast in the .458 big bores.

Phil, Aussie and all,
I have stayed away from 2230 as it was always said to be a dirty burning powder, is that true? Also, are there any temperature sensitivity problems with 2230?
Thanks in advance.

While I'm definitely no expert I have reloaded quite a bit for the 458 WM and the best powder i have used in it yet has been Varget. Clean burning mild pressures and excellent accuracy.

I have tried Varget but found H4895 is a little denser, so that has been my go to powder. Have begun to investigate RL17 and haven't blown anything up yet, but many seem to be getting good results with 2230.

I like AA2230 the best for 450 or 500 grain bullets. H335 proved almost as good, or maybe just as good, but I stopped using it because there was no advantage. AA2230 lets me get slightly greater velocities than H4895 or Varget, at least for 450s. Temperature is not an issue with me as it gets just as hot in the northern US as it does in Africa during the months I hunt. As far as being dirty, this is not an issue when I'm hunting.

For lighter (350 grain) bullets, I prefer H4198 and can get 2700 fps in a 22" barrel. I ran out of case capacity before I encountered pressure problems. I also tried AA1680 with these lighter bullets but there was no advantage.