If you are going to be a Ph I would go with a 500jeffery it will knock down what you hitand stop it...

Mike

.450 Rigby is probably one of the finest .458 ronds available.

Lower pressure than the Lott a little better performance.

The only down side is brass is a bit pricey.

Overall I'd say a fine choice.

Get a .458 Lott. Clients will leave ammo behind for you. You'll be luck if 1 client in 10 years shows up with a 450 Rigby.

heres another vote for the 458 lott..... if you want a rigby get a 416 there are far more of them floating around.

I've decided you really need to do more research.

Ackley=pressure problems?

The cartridge is one thing: cartridge capacity is another. I REALLY like the idea of the 450 Rigby,
but, it's very difficult to find a press that works for it, and, magazine capacity is usually 2 rounds short of the H&H or Lott.

Again: Get a 375 H&H, and a 458 Lott, both CZ.
You can use the same press, and the brass is much cheaper. You can also not load max loads, and stay around 2250 FPS, with a 500 grain bullet.

GS

quote:

Originally posted by 500grains:
Get a .458 Lott. Clients will leave ammo behind for you. You'll be luck if 1 client in 10 years shows up with a 450 Rigby.

Ammo supply is a big issue.

Another vote for the plain vanila choice... Get a 458 win mag and a 375 H&H. Get them in winchester model 70, a Remmington 700 or a CZ and put a leupold 1.5x5 on the 458 and a 1.75x6 on the 375 with quick detach leupold mounts.

MOST IMPORTANT use Barnes X bullets and Barnes solids. They are the best and have never failed me on everything from Buff, Sable,hippo,crock,kudu, almost all the plains game and moose, deer, and black bear here in the states.

LOTT!

Lott.

young ph,

Continue to monitor your poll results.....folks are giving you some great advice.

I'm with GS everystep of the way.

Get the .375 H&H first, then the .458 Lott. Both in good solid working guns and let your clients leave brass and ammo.

The .416's and .500's of the world, while great cartidges are not the stuff a young and upcoming ph needs to concern himeself with. Too much logistics, resources and $$$ involved.

I would say that the Ackley or the Lott are excellent choices as either will take the commonly available .458 WIN if ammo is in short supply. Either can be handloaded up or down as needed. I am a sucker for the classic older British cartridges (I am seriously considering a double gun in .475 No2 for crying out loud!) but for your purposes the Ackley and the Lott make the most sense, IMHO. Add a Rigby or something else 'romantic' at a later date. Heck, in a few years I will probably have a really nice SxS .475 No.2 for sale

Good luck,

MARK

Your poll is showing exactly what I suspected it would given the choices you listed!

Add my vote for the Lott! If you are only going to use one rifle, then it should be a bolt rifle, and it should be one easily fed. The left over ammo from clients is a real consideration, worth courting. If you handload, then the Lott can be loaded to the exact ballistics of the old 450NE 3 1/4", or loated up to its max depending on what you want to use it for. Mine is even loaded with 480 gr softs, and solids, and loaded up to 2150 fps, makeing it pleasent to shoot, and will do anything the higher velocity, and slightly heavier bullet will do. With a drop box magazine it holds 4 in the mag, and one in the spout, and works fine in a 9 lb rifle! as you know, in a pinch you can use 458 Win Mag ammo, as well! The 458 Lott is what the 458WM should have been in the first place. Pair this rifle with a 375 H&H and you have an African battery for a PH that is hard to beat!

Though I like my heavy to be a double rifle, the pair I mentioned is more practical for a starting PH, IMO!

Keep ciphering until X=458 Lott.

The 450 Rigby is probably the best 458 ever made. If great design for Africa and the very highest performance are important to you, get one. If you can handle it.

quote:

Originally posted by ForrestB:
Keep ciphering until X=458 Lott.

I think ForrestB's probably considered a genius in Texas, so I'll agree with him!

Dave

Find a good second hand .458 win mag in a ZKK 602. They are avalible in Magnum on a regular basis. I would contact Stewart's for your bullets. I would go see what the Powder Keg has too. If that fails I would get a CZ550 in .458 Win or a Win Model 70 Pre 64 in .458 Win Mag. See If Truvelo will build you one on a Mauser action with good sights with one of their barrels too.

Aleko