.458 Lott
- Thread starter .264 Win Mag
- Start date
Anything Weatherby is no good IMO as far as cartridges. The list of inherent problems is pretty significant.
I think that both the Lott and the .460 Wea. can take their rightful place among the top cals. for Africa. The Wea. round is a step up in power and is very effective with properly constructed bullets and of course the newer flat pointed "solids" which most prefer on the real big stuff. I'm of two minds when it comes to real dangerous game and a single shot rifle, I would prefer a good side by side, or failing that, a good boltgun in either of these cals. The side by side would have to be in a rimmed cal. of course.
I've had Lotts and 460s. You can get more rounds into a Lott chambered gun, the 460 is KING in that dia. I find the Lott just below where my head dictates how many rounds can be fired. 460 its about 6-10 off the bench and 10-15 off hand. Just plain silly to badmouth the 460, it's an awsome round.
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I would pass on the Lott and the .458 as I believe a straight wall cartridge to be a mistake in a bolt gun, and while the Lott had admirable ballistics, the .458 is wimpy. I would consider either the .460 Weatherby or the .460 G&A (sort of a .458 Ultramag) if I was looking for a .45, and since I could achieve the ballistics I need with the G&A I would probably pass on the Weatherby.
At this stage though, If I wanted a heavy I would be more inclines to choose a .50, in the .500 Jeffery class than I would anything smaller or larger. I disagree with the premise that a high velocity .458 (500 @ 2700) is better on very heavy game than is a heavy big bore bullet fired at moderate velocity. High impact velocities from close range shots are prone to exhibit erratic penetration, particularly when long, heavy for caliber, solids are chosen. Unless a very fast twist barrel is chosen, the long bullet exhibits significant yaw on impact and this precession limits penetration and the ability of the bullet to penetrate in a straight line due to its leading surface now being on its side rather than its nose. I'll concede though that modern bullet design employing flat sides and flat or hemispherical noses has improved the situation over common failures of the old Kynoch solids with sloped sides and small round noses. But a .510" 580 gr with a hemispherical nose starting at 2300 fps from the muzzle has a reputation for straight line penetration on the largest game, and hunting elephants isn't a long range gig.
At this stage though, If I wanted a heavy I would be more inclines to choose a .50, in the .500 Jeffery class than I would anything smaller or larger. I disagree with the premise that a high velocity .458 (500 @ 2700) is better on very heavy game than is a heavy big bore bullet fired at moderate velocity. High impact velocities from close range shots are prone to exhibit erratic penetration, particularly when long, heavy for caliber, solids are chosen. Unless a very fast twist barrel is chosen, the long bullet exhibits significant yaw on impact and this precession limits penetration and the ability of the bullet to penetrate in a straight line due to its leading surface now being on its side rather than its nose. I'll concede though that modern bullet design employing flat sides and flat or hemispherical noses has improved the situation over common failures of the old Kynoch solids with sloped sides and small round noses. But a .510" 580 gr with a hemispherical nose starting at 2300 fps from the muzzle has a reputation for straight line penetration on the largest game, and hunting elephants isn't a long range gig.
I prefer the 450 Ackley to the Lott. Slight shoulder for headspace, a little more case capacity, pushes 500 gr bullets a little quicker. And you can always use 458 Lott ammo in it if you need to. - dan
Since alot of you are suggesting alternate cartridge choices, I cannot believe that the .416 rigby was not mentioned. IMHO the Rigby is THE choice for a heavy rifle. A CZ or an old Brno in the Rigby is a pretty nice and powerfull combo. I would not shy away from the meanest and nastiest game on the planet with my rigby..... and one day I hope to take it to the dark continent prove that!
I like the 416 Rigby, but eventually you decide with big bores that the whole point is "bigger holes through critters". Which then leads you to the 45's, 475's, and 500's. If a 416 Rigby is good, the 450 Rigby is better, see what I mean?
- danGotta be honest, I'll never go to Africa (unless I will the lottery) so I have no use for the proper 500 bullets for these rounds. I load them with lighter Barnes bullets at stupid speeds, sort of a bigger hammer for Moose, Elk and Bears. Not needed but really fun to use. I also find the 416s to be great for that purpose. Back to the original post, the Lott in a CZ is really cool. Depending on the individual gun you can load 5 or 6 down.
Ardent
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Africa's entirely doable, you just need to be willing to get off the beaten track to do it on a budget. Zimbabwe, Zaire, etc. And it's a hell of an adventure. Doesn't take as long as many think to save for it, if it's a dream.
