Has any one here used or owned a DGR chambered for the .450 Rigby. My brother from Alaska and I where contemplating rechambering a RSM .458 Lott for the caliber.

I am a little new to the web forum thing. I remembered to search past threads on this subject after I asked the question. Any recent experiances are still welcome.

Thanks

Will

oldsarge has one...

i think he just got back from africa...not sure if he used it.

the 450 dakota are twins...just do a search on it. there is more info on it. good luck.

The 450 Dakota and the 450 Rigby are identical twins as Boomstick says. Loading data is the same. Case capacity etc. ... all the same.

I have shot 4 Buffalo with a 450 Dakota. It works ... well. Old Sarge does have a 450 Rigby, I think he will report similar results.

I shot my first buff back in 2000 with a .450 Rigby. It sat down and fell over. I shot my second one in 2004 with a .404 Jeffrey and it almost got me. Should I decide I need a third, it will be the Rigby in my sweaty paws, you can believe! 'Nuff said.

Come onSarge, DETAILS on the one that almost got you! don't leave us hanging jorge

Is it fesable to rechamber a Ruger Safari Magnum .458 Lott for this cartridge? Or should I look at a diffrent action? I to would like to hear more about the .404 incident!!

"Tuesday was the hardest day’s hunt in 45 years of chasing things over the planet. We rose at 3:00 a.m. to get to the edge of the swamp by dawn, transferred from the Diesel Elephant to an amphibious Argo and set out. I had taken an anti-malarial Larium the night we arrived, hoping to get over the stomach upset it causes within 24 hours but such was not to be. As the smell of the exhaust combined with the increasing heat and the reek of rotting papyrus, I got sicker and sicker. When we finally came into sight of the buffalo, I was white as a sheet, retching and so shaky that the head tracker had to help me through the mud and the marsh.

Jim’s buffalo went down easily but when Marius, the Professional Hunter, tried to get me onto another, I couldn’t see it over the grass and couldn’t stand steadily enough to shoot. The herd finally wandered off and the trackers, both named Domingo, butchered the carcass.

Finally, a breeze came up, the temperature dropped and I started to feel better. Spotting what had to be the oldest buffalo in the country we started to stalk again, crouched over and finally crawling on our hands and knees to within about 110 yards. However, Jim’s shot had alarmed the herd and their adrenaline levels were now dangerously high, as I was about to find out! My shot with the .404 was perfect, spitting the old bull right down the center and doing fatal damage. Unfortunately, he didn’t believe it and, with blood pouring from his mouth and nose, came after me. I shot him again, to no effect. At this point Marius decided to sort things out, as they say, and fired one shot, breaking the animal’s back and anchoring to the ground. He was 25 yards away . . . about 2 seconds! Stimulatin’, it was, stimulatin’! When we got to camp at about 9:00 p.m. all I did was shower and got to sleep . . . for 10 hours! Felt much better in the morning."

From my journal of the events of a safari to Mozambique and RSA in 2004.

I wondered is a 450 rigby have more energy then 458 Lott??

Aren't ballisticly just about the same???
In a snap a Lott will shoot a 458 win mag..

Mike

458,

I started out 458 caliber with a 458 x 404 improved (a 460 GA with 25 degree shoulder) as I was concerned about too much powder capacity equaling too much recoil.

I later rechambered to 450 Dakota.

It has a thicker rim which I like, and I could not tell any diffeence in recoil despite shooting a few grains more powder.

The Rigby may not have quite as much surface area on shoulder as the Dakota but I would not hesitate to hunt with one.

It is alot more gun than the Lott. 2450 fps with a 500 grain easy. 2600 fps with 450 grain. 2750 fps with 400 grain. And you can load it down to a comfortable 2350 fps with a 500 grain. Low pressure.

If you search my posts you will see many discussions on this cartridge. It absolutely rocks a cow elephant and is fast enough for PG. Dumps kudu like a .300 Weatherby.



Not bad for an elephant gun!

PS Sarge, great post. Thanks for sharing. My wife started to halucinate on larium. Pretty good shooting!!!!! I think it is usful for all of us to hear about hunts that went a little bit wrong when we were sick, tired, worn out, heat stressed.



How a man handles himself under adverse conditions tells alot about yourself. Congratulations.

Andy

According to the data I have found the Lott tops out at around 6050 ft/lbs of energy with a 500 grain bullet. the .450 Rigby or .450 Dakota
(take your pick) top out at around 6670 ft/lbs of energy with the same bullet. I know the .450 Rigby is a recent development but my brother is a die hare traditional caliber hunter. If it says Rigby ro Nitro Experss he is very happy.

I personaly have to kill some thing big with my Lott before I go looking for some thing bigger or new. I have only owned it for about 6 months. My first trip to Africa is set for Nov 2008, 10 day Buff and plains game in Tanzania. When I think about hunting it is all I think about.

Ballistically, the Rigby, the Dakota and the .460 Weatherby are all alike. The difference is in how silly you need to get when pouring powder down the hatch. Of course, Roy had to put a belt and his funny shoulder on his version, just so it could be a Weatherby but essentially they are all the same case, the .416 Rigby. You can, as I do, just use light Weatherby loads to stoke your Rigby or your Dakota. I like around 2300 fps. It seems ample. Yes, you can do more and yes, the Lott will come close to that. Obviously, no animal could tell the difference but there is something reassuring about slamming so impressive a cigar into the chamber.

I think it is a good idea to use as much gun as you can reasonably handle for dangerous game. For some that stops at 416, for some, it is higher, for some it is lower.

The 450 Dakota loaded "light" (2350 fps w 500 gr. bullet) is about my limit.

I am with Old Sarge. About 2350 (+/-) fps with a 500 grain bullet is plenty for this boy. Recoil did increase noticibly when you try to get to the upper limit (2500 fps or more). I went there once and backed off a couple grains so I could still think after I shot.

Dang hard hittiing round, whether it is called a Rigby or a Dakota, the Buff/Ele will not know the difference.

I can highly recommend it as potent DG medicine.

Thanks for the story Sarge. Was your 404 loaded to original specs (2150 fps) or to the newer loadings?
Mike: I've been looking into getting one of the "45s", well, just becasue. I've spoken to a few guys who own or have owned most of the calibers in question and on with the Lott, 2250 was about the upper limit he could get w/o pressure indications. Maybe he had a tight chamber. You make a very good point though, regarding the ability to use 458 Win Mag in a pinch. jorge

My .404 loads essentially duplicate the .416 Rigby/Remington. It is a hard-hitting round and if that old buff hadn't already been riled up, I'm sure that it would have dispatched him quite neatly. What it did later to a blesbok and a nyala would have to be seen to be appreciated. Gary swore that the blesbok was dead before it hit the ground. However, as Wendell so pithily said, ". . . use as much gun as you can reasonably handle for dangerous game." I have developed a great affection for the .45 caliber bore and have decided that a Class III DGR is my minimum on things that fight back. I definitely prefer both a belt and suspenders under the circumstances.

458,

The big diffeence (besides recoil and bolt length) between the Lott and Dakota/Rigby is that you can use a 500 or 450 grain bullet i the bigger case and still have a flat enough shooting ctg for PG, thereby taking one rifle on your hunt.

With a Lott, you can add alot of versatility by using a 400 grain NF bonded soft point for your PG and buffalo bullet and save the heavier solids for elephant.

Norbert has used the 400 grain Woodleigh for PG in his Lot for many years with satisfaction and heavier FMJ or super penetrators for elephant.

The NF is such a good bullet you actually can use the 400 grain for buffalo. (Similar penetration as a 416 Remington with a Swift since the solid base stops over expansion).

So, keep the Lott and take a 375 or 300 for PG, or load a 400/500 soft/solid combo, or just shoot the same bullet weight (450 or 500 your choice) with the Rigby.

thats the real difference.

Personally I had my hands full with one rifle, softs and solids, and would not really want to take two unless it was primarily a PG hunt.

Andy

458Lottfan

Here is an article I wrote on the .450 Rigby
If you want some more info on terminal effects, I can post it here, or send me an email request to karl@huntingsafaris.net

http://www.huntingsafaris.net/pdf/reloadingtherigby450rimless.pdf