Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Africa 458 Winchester Magnum for plains game?

saw one of the Cabela's exclusive winchester 70's in this caliber and fell in love. I know it's better suited to the big 5 but short of having to rob a bank to get proficent with it, will it work?

Sure but you will get some strange looks from your PH..And you had better be able to shoot it well or there will be some serious rolling of eyes and shaking of heads at your choice..

I hunted plains game in Namibia and my PH carried a 500 A Square. He had just bought it and wanted to get used to carrying it around.

A hunter brought a 300 Win Mag and a 458 Win on a hunt when the firing pin on the 300 broke. He got a black springbok and a common reedbuck with the 458 using solids.

Both shots were within 200 yards.

And you CAN load the 458 down to say, 45/70 velocities or slightly warm 45/70 velocities, and target practice with those. Can get good quality hard case lead bullets for it too. Some years ago, the man who held the top place for a deer killed in PA, shot it with a 458. As Pieter notes, it's good to 200 yds. Go search the round, and see what the trajectory is to 200 yds. and then memorize those trajectories, sight it in at some closer range, and know your hold over.

You can use 300 or 350gr heads (like I did)this makes an excellant heavy plains game rifle in bushveld for Kudu and Eland. Its not really going to be a long range rifle.But think of it as a 100yds gun. I used my Win70 ,458Lott last year on plains game and it worked well. Also had it in Croatia last year on driven Boar, this bowled grunters over. It would be good on Warthog sat over a waterhole. I suppose neck shooting Impala would be fine as well. Done this using my .375Wby, using 300gr heads, so I carn't see 50gr would make much differance.
Cheers,
Paul.

After I bought my 458 win mag is when I started reloading.
I am sure you can load 300gr and 325gr bullets in that and if you can keep the shots within 125 yards..it will be fine on plains game...just my opinion...but like Pete E. said,, be ready for some eye rolling and some jokes aimed your way.

It wouldn't be my first choice, but a .458 loaded with 300 grain TSXs @ 2700 fps or so wouldn't be giveing up a whole lot on plains game.

It would be a way of getting some valuable field trigger time with the big rifle before takeing on something big, bad and epensive. No amount of range time can completely replace time in the field.

Used two differnt PH's in Namibia last year, both liked it and thought it was great for heavy plains game. No rolling eyeballs or comments. I think a PH would rather you bowl somthing of its feet and its dead rather than looking for somthing in the fading light.
Infact there was an article in Magnum Magazine a few years back about using a .458Lott on plains game, and how well it worked.
By Gregor Woods. He discribed it as a general purpose hunting calibre. He used 450gr Barns X at 2241fps on Kudu, Impala, Wilderbeest and Warthog.

It's only just on the wrong side of acceptable for plains game. I mean the 416Rigby is okay, but the 458WM draws frowns.

I would't use one in open country, but in bushveld it works well on heavy plains game. But, the best way is to ask your PH if he has a problem with you using a .458 on plains game. If he has a problem ,and you want to use it, then use some who hasn't got a problem. There are enough outfitters/agents out there looking for your business.
But just thinking about it!
If its ok to use a .375wby using a 300gr2600fps.
and its ok to use a .416wby using a 400gr2600fps.
but not OK to use a .458wm using a 300gr1950fps.
If your PH doesn't think its powerful enough for shooting plains game then you could always up the bullet weight and the load a bit!
I can get a 450gr TSX shifting out of my .458Lott2372fps, so that should take down a Duiker without too much trouble!!!!!

Sure it will work. But, I would let expected terrain (and my PH's advice) be my guide. There are parts of Namibia and South Africa where 200+ yard shots are the norm rather than the exception. A trajectory which resembles a howitzer will not necessarily breed confidence unless you become super familiar with that rifle. Most down-loaded examples will only accentuate that trajectory challenge.

If you have been over there before and won't mind passing on some shots, and if you don't mind a raised eyebrow or two, then use it. However, if this is your first trip, and you don't have a lot of "off the sticks" time in front of an audience, then I think I would suggest something which would assure the greatest likelihood that you will handle your part of the deal efficiently and confidently.

I agree with what you are saying. I said in my posts that it works well in or thick cover on heavy plains game. For long range stuff he should take somthing along the lines of a 30-06.
I always take two rifles either my .280Rem and .375wby or my .375 and 458Lott. I'm going back to Namibia next year and just built a 9.3x62 for driven boar in Europe,with ghost ring sight but fancy a crack at Warties over a waterhole in the late afternoon with it, but I just don't think I can go to Africa without my .375wby....just don't seem right.May have to put the 9.3 on my wifes ticket!

The 9.3x62 is a special thing. For plains game, I also love another great European caliber - the 8x68. Like the .338 Win Mag, it almost always delivers an exit wound. Have fun with that 9.3!

Yes, 9.3x62 is a very nice round. Below is the rifle I have just built. Its not a long range gun with a 21" barrel and a ghost ring sight. I just wanted to build a fast handling rife for driven boar.
I think an interesting comapare would be 9.3x62 Vs 35 Whelen . I picked up a load of Mausers and Parkerhale rifles from auction and just got a .35 Whelen barrel 1-14 twist from Midway. I'm going to build a copy of the rifle below in .35 Whelan (with a brown stock). I think the .35 Whelan is a very over looked calibre in Europe.
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An old friend of mine took only his .458 WM to Africa in the early 1980s. His PH was pretty skeptical until Jim shot the head off a francolin at over 100 yards, after which there was no objection whatever.

Actually a .375 H&H or a 9.3x62 can be used at longer range with the right set up. The 9.3 with a 250 gr. NAB and a Leupold CDS could be effective out to 500 yds. on plains type game, saving the 286's for bigger, closer stuff.

I have a VX-3 1.75-6x32 that I may send for a CDS to use on my .375 H&H M-70 SS Express or one of my 9.3x62's. With a good, accurate load, these guns would have plenty of K.E. at 4-500 yds. for most non dangerous game. From what I've read, long range isn't a big issue with PG in Africa, but why not be prepared for any possibility. And that could be a nice option in North America.

DF

I haven't been to Africa yet, but there isn't a thing there I wouldn't hunt with my old tang safety Ruger in 458 WM with the 400 gr TSX's at 2400 fps.

Dangerous game up close, or plains game to 300 yards, with the bullet testing I've done on cattle, I have little doubt about it's effectiveness.

Gunner

A .375 H&H would be a far better choice and would not handicap you for DG very much, if at all.

I agree, I also have a beautiful 500 gr TSX I recovered from a bull I shot at 300 yards with my 458, it expanded plenty even at that extended range. LOL

Anyone wanna see it PM me your cell and I'll shoot ya a pic.

Gunner

There are some longe range shots in areas like Damaraland and Koakoland. Me and my Kids were taking Springboks 250-300yds with a 243.
But also in pars of Etosha and Bushmanland it can get a bit thick. The Lott worked well with a Leupy1.5-5x20 and quick release mounts in thick cover.
The 9.3x62, that I built is for driven boar ,its 50yd gun , but scoped would be a good plains game rifle, but then thats what the .375wby is for. Just car't get out of my head, sitting over a water hole with the 9.3 waiting for Wartie to show....or Kudu in thick cover...or Eland....think the Visa card might be coming out soon....

Just thought I'd add a little info and decided to look at one possible ballistic combination for the 458 Win Mag.

Pulled out my Lee Second Edition and the data on the 458 Win Mag. It has a table for the 300 gr Barnes X bullet. It gives a max load of 77 grains of H4198 running at 2784 fps. Barnes makes a Tipped TSX with a boat tail with a BC of .236.

Next, bounced over to an on-line ballistic calculator and came up with this data:
Range Velocity Impact Energy
0 2784 -1.5 5163
25 2677 -0.41 4774
50 2582 0.38 4441
75 2488 0.84 4124
100 2397 0.95 3828
125 2308 0.68 3549
150 2222 0 3289
175 2136 -1.12 3039
200 2053 -2.72 2808
225 1971 -4.84 2588
250 1891 -7.51 2382
275 1814 -10.8 2192
300 1739 -14.74 2015

I load that same bullet in my wife's custom Siamese Mauser in 45-70 at 2200 fps and she is sighted in with a 150yd zero which also makes for a 150yd point blank out to 175yds. Works like a champ. She got a Kudu this year that received the Namibia Gold Fields Medal. 125yds - one shot, one kill and the bullet was not recovered.

I'm not really an iron sight guy, but found this. With my 450 grain A-Frame load sighted to put the POI at the top of the bead (covers 8" at 100 yards) at 100 yards it drops to the center of the bead at 250.

That means that if I can fit the bead onto something the size of a big northern whitetail or mulie buck I can pull the trigger and hit, simply by aiming with the center of the bead all the time.

There's a lot of game that size, and a lot of shots under 250-275 yards. Even comes with a built in rangefinder, or is it a no shot gauge?

One of the reasons the .375 was so recognized for its competence is that most shot were made on plains game. Big bullet for the game size and weight at moderate velocity in a recoil manageable package.

So what is the surprice.......now,

A .458 is the same if you handload. My first experiences with the .458 were with test rifles I was reviewing until I bought a pair of Super Grades and got really serious with them.

I killed an aweful lot of feral game with 300gn Barnes X's and 400gn Woodleigh's at the same velocities or a little more than the .375 generates. Recoil is about the same.

It would not be very intelligent to suggest that a .458 handloaded with a 300gn or 350gn X (TSX)bullet at anything in the 2400-2750fps range would not be a manageable conbination for plains game, or, anywhere else you would or could use a .375.

For me, I moved away from both .375 and .416 calibers because the .458 is both good and versatile. Sure, you can load .45/70 loads and hunt deer with it locally and learn to really enjoy a .458 but is really open a huge door when you go to modern bullets and powders and put a scope on top.

All this and you still have the 450gn TSX and 550gn Woodleigh to step up to when the need arises.

Enjoy.

A few years ago I worked up an H4198 load with 350 grain TSX bullets in a .458 Model 70 with a 22" barrel. Velocity was 2700 fps with no signs of pressure. I was hoping to use this for PG on safari while using 450 grain softs and solids on DG. Unfortunately, I could not get the same POI unless I lowered the 350 grain velocity to 2400 or less.

While a 350 grain bullet at 2700 fps from a .458 would be good for plains game at reasonable ranges, I could see no advantage over a .375 with lighter bullets and a lot less kick.

Incidentally, that .458 load got over 5600 foot pounds of energy.

I believe it is wrong to assume POI sameness or variences in chamberings.

Once upon a time, in a land far away, some ammo manufacturers claimed this for regulatef loads in a .375. A handloader can change powders, primers and bullets to learn about a particular rifle.

They are all different.

The problem is that, with full-power loads, my .458 printed 350 and 450 grain loads 7" different in elevation at 100 yards. I didn't want to be changing the elevation knobs in the field. I ended up using .375 solids and softs, 300 grains, that had the same poi.

I understand your point. My way of thinking is not to mix loads unless the occasion can accomodate it.

If using the .458 in the US or Alaska, the 350gn TSX would be the single load for everything.

If hunting in Africa, I would load the 450gner and prepare solid loads for same/similar impact at 50 yards for dangerous game in brush if they are on a mixed bag menu. If not, load one or the other for the specialty area.

Craig Boddington has a survey published of numerous PH's and what they were currently using. I believe this was early to mid 1990's. I seem to recall at least one running a bolt action in 460 WBY, one a bolt action in a 416, and possibly a couple of others running double rifles that shot everything from the smallest antelope to dangerous game with the only rifle they carry around. It was far simpler for those men to keep track of a single rifle.

This thread is pretty outdated as far as the .458 Win is concerned. Go to the 200 + pages on Big Bores and Express rifles for the "Great .458 Winchester Magnum" at the top of the page of this forum (24 hr Campfire).

I easily get 2750fps from the 350gr TSX and about 3000 fps from the 300gr TSX. As well, the 404 Hammer will make at least 2550 fps from a 24", .458 Winchester Magnum.

Bob
www.bigbores.ca

I know a PH that uses a 450 Rigby for everything. He carries solids and soft and uses the solids for the really big or really little stuff and the softs for everything else and he always has a solid in the chamber in case things go bad real quick. Since that is the only rifle he carries he knows how to use it well and he knows he can handle anything he runs into in the bush.

Sure if you want to and if you can shoot it well. The trajectory is curved and not a lot different then a 30-30. But some hunters do just fine using only revolvers in 454 and 44 mag, so if you can hunt, and if you shoot the big gun well there is no problem.

As a side note however, I have owned several 458s in the past and killed several game animals with them in the USA, deer elk and bear. The typical "African" bullets don't kill deer or elk as fast as a good 30-06 or 270 because even the soft points will not open at all on something as "small" as an elk and you are effective using solids on them. They make a 45 cal hole clear through. All died and were easy to follow up, but none were bang-flops. When I used some 350 grain Hornady bullets the effect on deer and elk were much better.
The 270 makes holes clear through too, but the hole is larger then 45 cal because the bullets I've used worked perfectly on deer and elk. Bang-flops with a 270 are quite common.

If you want to use a 458 on plains game I'd suggest not using any 500 grain bullets but drop back to something lighter and softer.

The evolution of monolithic bullets gives us lots of options. I suggest that you look at Cutting Edge Bullets for a great PG bullet the 458. ( There are probably other options but I am familiar with CEB.)

It's a new world of hunting options with these bullets. Check out the Cutting Edge Bullets Raptor line of 458 bullets in the 265 grain to 350 range. That 265 grain would be a terror on PG and give you a real workable trajectory. Reportedly they are very accurate too.

( I am often preaching the merits of Cutting Edge Bullets so I must mention that I have nothing to do with the company. I always buy my CEB bullets from a Canadian supplier. I praise the bullets because I have gotten outstanding performance out of them. Also I know of the people who did the original R&D on them, They are American hunters who just saw the possibilities and had the resource to go ahead with the development. It took them several years but they sure got it right.)

It's worth taking a look at. 😄 Brian

THIS! Exactly this.

One year hunting in Namibia, we changed camps to a place north of Bloemfontein. I took only my 458 Lott to the new camp. Kudu were scarce near Windhoek due to rabies. My PH thought nothing of me having only a 458 ( a proper rifle he called it) I killed a nice eland and passed several kudu. I never felt over or under gunned. I had a 1-4× scope on it. Open sights would not be my preference.
I once killed a 7x7 bull elk with that rifle when it only had factory open sights. The bull was 200 yards and I had to shoot off-hand. Sticks would have been nice.

A .375 HH works on cape buffalo until it doesn't. Brian

MAC, That 450 Rigby is an awesome cartridge. With the big range of modern mono bullets, 300gr. to 500gr., the 450 Rigby is excellent for everything from baboons to buff and elephant , !0 yds, to 300 yds. Yes, 300 yds. If you miss your spotter can see where the bullet hit. Brian

PS.
450 Rigby water capacity is 124 gr.
460 Weatherby water capacity is 128gr.

The 450 Rigby with the 404 grain Shock Hammer bullet would check a lot of boxes.

jwp475, Yes it would!

The way around having two loads that have different points of impact is to fit two scopes in QD mounts and have them sighted in properly. That way there’s no need to compromise.

If you can shoot it, one rifle for it all. As Gunner noted it’s just fine as a 300 yard rifle when properly loaded and it’s easy to properly load it.
Pop over to the sticky 458wm thread in the Express rifle section. Lots of data there.
F01

What are these "heads" you speak of?

In Brit speak, heads = projectiles.