......I have experienced the same problems with IMR 3031 in the 458 ....I have had much better success with AAC 2230 ,,,,IMR and H 4198 ...H4895 ....and 2015 br......The 4198 is for 300 gr bullets only......By useing a long drop tube and some vibration the powder settles down well and velocities tend to even out ............I seem to be on a one man crusade to teach every one how well the lighter weight bullets work in the 458..........They may not regulate in a double but in s bolt rifle they are sure tops ......I think the no light bullet myth will be factually demolished with in a couple years.....For myself it already has been....I can,t think of a better load for lion than a 300 gr X bullet in .458 @ 2700 fps plus.....You get the velocity of a 375 whby and the cross section area of the 458 and the mono metal penetration and expansion.....It sure works on bears is all I can say ...

Gumboot,

You make a good arguement for the lighter bullets for lions, all the better arguement since your experience with bears supports your theory.

Still, when it comes to buff, I would stick to 500gr steel jacketed solids or 450gr mono solids, and softs in the same weight.

All the more so for elephants, and of course, solids only!

On IMR 3031, I found this powder to be inconsistent and extremely temperature sensative. All while producing very mediocre velocity on average, with great variability between rounds. Is this what you experienced too?

JPK

I used the .458 some early on and its not my choice for a DG rifle, but I would not hesitate to shoot anything with it as long as I was shooting 500 gr. bullets of a good make.

I prefer the 40 calibers like a .404 or 416 Rem. In doubles I have gone back to the 450-400. I traded my great shooting .470 back to Butch.

quote:

Originally posted by Atkinson:
I used the .458 some early on and its not my choice for a DG rifle, but I would not hesitate to shoot anything with it as long as I was shooting 500 gr. bullets of a good make.

I prefer the 40 calibers like a .404 or 416 Rem. In doubles I have gone back to the 450-400. I traded my great shooting .470 back to Butch.

See what all that swappin' and tradin' brings ya Ray? "Sweet-Thang" is gone forever and I'll bet that fancy horse you bought is too. Good to see you posting again.

It's all that "buy high, sell low" technique.

I still use mine once in a while. I use the 416 Rem Mag more though. Little flatter shooting. The 458 sure has its place for DG.

I guess I am buying another 416 rem mag.If I find anotrher 458 win mag in a Ruger 77 in good shape I will get it also.I just hope the 458 win mag brass supply improves.Its a shame that its gotten so hard to find.Its not fun shooting alot when the factory stuff is $100 a box vs $25 for same thing reloaded with new brass.

I do. Love it.

dgr416 458WM brass is easily had. I recently bought 100 for $60 and one can buy 458 Lott brass any day and trim it to 458WM cheaper yet).

I have 8,000 pcs of 416 rem mag brass and 5000 416 bullets so its hard for me to convert to 458.I thought about trimming 416 brass but it sure is thin.I think the 458 win mag brass is thicker.I just got the other 416 rem mag and that makes 7 of them.It makes me think every time I pass by a cheap 416 rem mag or cheap 458 win mag.They are getting harder to find under $1000

your shoulder must get sore

I usually use reduced loads for about 75-85% of my 416 remn mag practice shooting but I can shoot 100 of them a day.Its the 350 gr speer bullets at 2400 fps.I think the woodleigh 410 gr bullets kicked harder than any other bullets I tried.The Barnes 400 monolithic bullets kicked way less than the woodlieghs.I shoot from a standing bench off of a milk crate with a 60 pound bull bag.I use two past pads also.I love shooting my 416s.I crank up my dillion 550 and load at least 300-500 at a time .It has saved me a bundle reloading.With my cheap brass and bullets .I loaded 416 rem mags for $20 a box with new brass.Its now about $25 a box.I can really shoot my 416s good .I warm up with my 338s first before the 416s .I shoot groups then see how fast I can shoot off 4 shots at 100 yards and at 50 yards.I want to get a Ruger 458 to match my 338s .I narrowed my calibers down to mostly 338 and 416s that cut down the cost alot.

With my 458WM I buy 500 or 1000 bullets from Midway when they have .458 Rem JSP on sale dirt cheap. I load them with 69.5 grs H4895 just to shoot the rifle for the fun of it. I also load that same bullet with 50.0 gr IMR3031 in my 45-70 and hunt deer, black bear with it. I've yet to see any deer or bear walk away from one of them an it is comfortable enough to shoot all afternoon.
If you like Hornady brass ( I don't) they have belted mag cases pretty cheap at Midway. I've used them in my 338WM but I find the brass thin and it stretches pretty much and the primer pockets don't last more than 2-3 reloads.