.458 Beater Build....

dak47

dak47

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Summerwood/Bridge City TX & Okanagan BC
Tripped the "I need to have" sensory part of my brain with the recent .458 posts.... Recently aquired a CZ .375 H&H and it is a fine, accurate rig that looks the part BUT a big part of me once a ugly, 21" barrel .458 with the best iron sights of all time topped with an old school 1.5 or 2.5 scope in some fine QD rings.

Packing moose is where I can justify it and I know I should just get a Remlin 45/70 but I handload so I could get some versatility out of a .458 and want to be different. Will email Clay in the morning on 'smith recommendations and would like any feed back from any of the esteemed lot here at CGN!

The stubbier without being a firebelcher :rockOn: stupid simple with some proper engineering is what I'm after. CZ / M70 / Montana kinda come up as donors for me but I'd love to hear some alternatives!!

Thanks,
Dirk
 
I've had 4 rifles in .458 Winchester that shot well & put meat in the freezer. A Mauser M98 with 22" barrel, a P14 Enfield actioned unit, a Remington Safari and a Herters BSA.The last 3 had 24" tubes. Of all of them, that Mauser got the most use as I used it primarily for 50 & 100 yd. Running Deer target shooting back in the day. Embarrassed a lot of fellow competitors with that rifle & took home a pile of meat at the turkey shoots.

The Mauser had a 1.5-4.5x Bushnell Scope Chief mounted on 'er with Weaver rings & bases and the weight of the outfit was 8 1/4 lbs. My competition load consisted of 30 gr. IMR4198 under a column of GOEX 3F black powder that came to within 1/4" of the case rim. I seated Sierra 300 gr. flat point bullets on top of these duplex loads, which gave decent enough compression to keep the charge stable enough to bounce around in the truck or pocket whilst hunting and consistently shot 1/2" center to center at 50 yds. The velocity of this load averaged 1835 fps. at the time and was the ultimate psychological warfare tool for use on the firing line at the meat shoots.

Folks would first see me load the big cartridges into the rifle, then hear the boom as I shot, then crap when the score caller would announce "The guy with the cannon scored 15." That being 3 heart shots on the running deer target. The big pile of smoke factored into the equation as well. Clean burning load though and the bore tidied up just fine with Hoppes No.9.

Folks wanting a .458 will best be served going with the M98 Mauser action if they want to keep the weight down for long stalks on critters and especially if the budget is "beater based". No end of options out there for those willing to buck up for more.:)
 
How about a Zastava M70 in .458WM? Tough strong modern Mauser 98 action. Tradex has 2 listed but both say sold for $795. I think they are available in short barrelled full stock version and Stainless Synthetic but you would have to add open sights.

May be the cheapest option to get what you are after? WK
 
Dogleg said:
Duplex loads were quite popular with the BPCR guys for awhile; might still be but I haven't been paying attention. They burn cleaner than straight black.
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Thanks ........ A cheapo 458 on a M98 with cast bullets and black powder would be a cool project.
 
For your design criteria - 21", etc., look up "Ole Ugly" which was put together by Phil Shoemaker. Article is called "Beauty and the Beast" from July 2003 Rifle magazine. Go back to 1990's to read his original article about how he built up that rifle.
 
I saw a picture of a military M98 Mauser with full wood - including metal butt plate - with a .458 WM barrel screwed on....
 
SuperCub said:
^^ Why the duplex load? ^^ Not familiar with that technique.

That M98 sounds like a cool rifle.
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The duplex load was firstly intended to get the big cloud of smoke out there to disorientate the other shooters, as we shot with 2 shooters side by side on the 50 yd. running deer targets back then. One guy would take 3 shots at the deer going from left to right, and the other guy would take his three the opposite way.

On the 100 yd. ranges, the shooter shot alone on a running deer target that made 5 passes in one direction (Usually from left to right) and only took 3 shots as well. As it was, I just stuck to my duplex load because it performed beautifully at both distances.

Made for a great deer & black bear dumper as well at those ranges.:)
 
Here's my Beater in 458 Win Mag:

458x2_1_Gun_zpscbbzfwmi.jpg


Turkish Mauser action, sporterized K98 stock, with all the Bubba goodness of a Truck Bedliner finish and a shotgun buttpad.

I like how the cheap Bushnell fixed 4X matches the unfinished stepped barrel.
 
Potashminer said:
For your design criteria - 21", etc., look up "Ole Ugly" which was put together by Phil Shoemaker. Article is called "Beauty and the Beast" from July 2003 Rifle magazine. Go back to 1990's to read his original article about how he built up that rifle.
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You beat me to it , I have that issue and it's always been at the back of my mind , one day .
 
Andy said:
Here's my Beater in 458 Win Mag:

458x2_1_Gun_zpscbbzfwmi.jpg


Turkish Mauser action, sporterized K98 stock, with all the Bubba goodness of a Truck Bedliner finish and a shotgun buttpad.

I like how the cheap Bushnell fixed 4X matches the unfinished stepped barrel.
Click to expand...

Looks like a fun one to play with. I'd have to blend the barrel tapers on the lathe & play with the stock a tad, but she be a fun, budget thumper for sure.
 
My current...and probably last....458 is an old Interarms MkX that I got on the EE quite inexpensively. A nice old classic-style bolt gun, but not too fancy to use and mark up. I'll never sell it, so I can put as many hunting scars and handling marks on it as I want without guilt. I won't live long enough to beat it up like Shoemaker's, but I'll do my best to give it some character.:)

You might also keep your eyes open for an old tang-safety Ruger 77...don't see them often in .458, but there's some out there.
 
"Build" suggests custom, and "beater" suggests inexpensive. If you have to buy an action, barrel, and stock individually, it will not be inexpensive, but if not assembled by a talented individual, it will certainly be a beater, and talented people seldom work for free. A previously owned factory rifle provides a much better value for your dollar, and can be acquired quite affordably when they were purchased by folks who were enamored with the idea of a big bore rifle right up until they fired one, so you get the rifle and 19 rounds, and one piece of empty brass.:cool:
 
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Boomer said:
"Build" suggests custom, and "beater" suggests inexpensive. If you have to buy an action, barrel, and stock individually, it will not be inexpensive, but if not assembled by a talented individual, it will certainly be a beater, and talented people seldom work for free. A previously owned factory rifle provides a much better value for your dollar, and can be acquired quite affordably when they were purchased by folks who were enamored with the idea of a big bore rifle right up until they fired one, so you get the rifle and 19 rounds, and one piece of empty brass.:cool:
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Thanks to all for the valuable insights... I have a couple mismatched K98's I thought of as donors? The beater term is a little misleading, I'm meaning a go anywhere, can take abuse without stressing about the finish, mean looking alder thickets rifle. I don't mind spending some coin on it but starting with a factory rifle is looking like the place to start!

Flying out in a few days and will follow up with some leads, along with chasing some deer around the hills.... ;)

Dirk
 
I just took a black bear with mine at 160 yards and running away. Smashed the spine and almost every rib on her right side and stopped under the front shoulder. Tough bear made 40 yards in the thick stuff. I finished her with a broadside shot at 10 yards. Remington 405 gr at 2400 fps make a big hole. 9"x5" entry hole thru the back with a expanded bullet almost 1.5" across. The second shot was basically 6" thru the ribs with u let fragments and none shards hitting some of the off side leg.
I love the caliber. You will to
 
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