I have a custom .458Lott built on a stainless M-70 action. Recoil is brisk yet not unmanagable in a well fit rifle. Mine weighs in at about 9lbs.

I like the .458Lott because it's so darn easy (and cheap)to reload for and if in a pinch it'll feed and fire .458win. It's just real versitile.

Loaded at the velocities I shoot 500gr at around 2300fps it'll go end for end on a buff length wise after breaking some major bone.As I had happen on two occasions on fleeing buff one at over 150 yards. So at those levels it penetrates just great.

As far as the .416's go If I were to have one it'd be the Rigby just so as to keep the presures down. I'm not to impressed with the wounderbys but that's just a personal thing. No matter which way you go your in the money.

Just a personal note the M-77 has some feeding problems. When worked really hard it will miss feed. I'm told that a knowledgable gun smith can fix the problem fairly easily.

Over the last couple of days i have been asking questions about the .416 bullets in rem ,rigby and weatherby with there 400 grain bullets . I was looking at ballistics with the .458 Lott , not only does this .458 diameter 400 grain bullet move around 2550 fps it also moves a 500 grain bullet to over 2300fps. The Hornady manual shoes it with a 350 grain bullet to 2700 fps . what do you guys think of this caliber . It looks to me like a great caliber for the big bears and anything in africa, and it comes in one of my favorite rifles the ruger 77 bolt.

I had a M70 in .458 Lott for awhile. Easy to load for, hard hitting, unfortunately on both ends. I think the Big Ruger is the way to go, more weight plus some nice extras for a good price. For me though, I'ld go w/ the .416.

Tanoose,
I don't own either a 416 or .458 (not counting the 45/70).

My opine is that the .458 requires so much velocity to overcome it's poor design for penetration. The .416 is a nice long bullet and like my .408 bullets they penetrate well without having to load up the rifle to brutal recoil levels for me.

Really driving a .458 will deliver a punch, but a .416 will give you great penetration and take it a bit easier on your shoulder!

Tanoose, I have noticed that you have been asking all kinds of questions. If you don't own any of these beasts yet, find a way to try one out on the range. If you are very serious about getting into this, you have to figure what your recoil tolerance is. That being said, the 416 is just as good as the Lott for anything you can think. For any range to 300 and better, the 416 is flatter. When reloading for both rounds, the Lott is cheaper to reload. The Lott brass is about 1/4th the cost of the Rigby brass. You also have a whole bunch of cheaper 458 bullets than the 416. I own both in the Ruger and this is what I'm coming up against. I'll probably shoot the Lott more often since I can load more rounds for it than the Rigby. The choice is definitely yours, if you can afford both, then go for it.

For a persons first big bore bolt rifle I tend to recommend the 458. As 475 Guy stated there are many more affordable bullets, thus you will shoot it more, which is very important. In the 458 Lott if the recoil of "full" power loads is too much, just load 500gr bullets at 2150 fps.
You could feel perfectly save even in Jurrasic Park with such loads.

I would prefer them in a double rifle however.

Listen to 475Guy. If you are the least bit concerned--try before you buy.

I have used the 458 Lott, the 416 Rem, 404 and 505 plus a number of lesser calibers..

I would not own a 458, its poorly designed and has always been a pain IMO, but to those who like then use it with my blessing...

I love the 416 and 404..The 458 Lott is a fine round but it kicks a bit too hard for me, I can shoot it standing and I don't flinch, but I have to make myself think about not flinching sometimes and since the 416 has served me so well, and I can shoot it like a 22 LR then why bother with anything else...

It always amazes me how many folks show up in Africa expounding on the virtures of their Lott or 505 and they near jump out of their pants every time they pull the trigger...that is a poor thing to do to a proud animal...

If you can shoot it in any position without concern then use whatever with my blessing, if not go to a smaller caliber until you can.

Why are you always bragging about your doubles?? Trying to give us bolt-gun trash a complex?? HUH,HUH?

I have cz's in both a lott & Rigby and I would tend towards the lott for a first big bore for ease of bullets and loading. I love the Rigby round but I have become attached to the .458 lott and I just do not know why ??

I'd rather go with the .416 Remington. I've hunted with the .458 Win. Mag. before, and it worked very well, but I like the .416 Rem. a whole lot better, and I'll likely stick with that cartridge for DG purposes from here on out.

At some point along the way, shootability means more than raw power. I suspect that most hunters would shoot some flavor of .416 better than something like the .458 Lott.

AD

475 Guy,
I just like a double, the caliber is unimportant to me, mostly I have shot the 450-400...Its nostalgia and has nothing to do with anything else...

I have done more hunting with a bolt gun than anything else..I like all guns and my African guns are 9.3x62, 375, 416, 404,470 N.E., anyone of them will do for me, I ain't that picky....I'd as soon hunt elephant with a 7x57 as a 458 Lott. At my age one can be risky, beats haveing baby food poked in your mouth by some cranky old nurse in an old folks home, so there!

Is this gun more of just a fun thing to shoot, or a serious hunting tool? My perspective is those that suggest the 416 are those looking strictly for a serious hunting tool. And there is good reason for this, because most anyone can handle a 400 gr @ 2400 fps without the recoil being an issue when taking a shot.

Now, if you are looking for a versatile big bore, and a fun to have thumper, the Lott is IMHO very, very hard to beat. You have the vast selection of 45 caliber bullets, and can load it up or down to whatever level you want.

What your ballistic tables don’t show you are recoil. I’ve shot 416 equivalent loads in my previous 458 lott, as well as full patch 500 gr @ 2300 fps loads, and then 600 gr @ 2200 fps out of the 500 Jeffrey. I haven’t had a chance to shoot my new heavier though un-ported Lott.

What I can attest to is that there is a recoil threshold right around the 400 gr @ 2400 fps level. Barring physical ailments, anyone can learn to shoot a properly fit rifle with this level of recoil, with total disregard to the rearward movement of the gun. From my experience, I seriously doubt a rifle weighing 10#’s or less without a muzzle brake can be shot from any position with total disregard to recoil when shooting full patch 458 Lott loads. I’ve never flinched shooting a heavy kicking rifle, but it takes noticeably more mental focus before squeezing off a round compared to lighter kicking guns.

So, figure out what the gun will be used for and make your decision. I’ve long and hard debated some sort of 416, but ended up getting another 458 Lott. I love the round, and it’s versatility. I like experimenting with various loads, from plinker level to full patch. I also like casting and shooting the bullets I cast. Finally, for anything I’ll hunt with the rifle, a 350 gr @ 2500 fps is more then sufficient, and it is also a recoil level I can shoot all day long. For the money, the Ruger M77 magnum is an outstanding gun.

If I were looking solely for a dangerous game hunting rifle I’d have D’Arcy Echols build me a faultless 416 Rem mag, I could think of no finer serious hunting rifle.

Thanks to everyone who answered my post, i think if i go with the 416 i'll always wonder about that 458 Lott, So i have decided to go with the .458 Lott. What the hell if i am not happy with it then i'll try the .416. I have read alot of good things about the Lott on African game, mostly elephant and buffalo and i am sure its lighter bullets will work great on the big Alkaskan bears. I dont have any experience with the big bores as far as recoil goes. I have no problems what so ever shooting my .338 win mags and i have a singel shot 10 ga. it weights 9 1/2 pounds and shoots a 766 grain slug at almost 1300 fps. I think recoil in foot pounds is around 40 , i think the Lott is around 72. So we shall see wish me luck and I'll let everyone know how i make out . I hope to have it this spring. Thanks again Tanoose

Tanoose you have made a great choice the .458 lott is such a versatile round for the bloke who wants a big bore for plinking and hunting. Really with the good Barnes X bullets avaible for a flatter shooting lighter load in 400 or 450 gr class it really probably is much more versatile than the .416 Rem.

Here is a fellow who picks the 458 Lott as his choice for one rifle for the whole world....Mike

http://www.rifleshootermag.com/ammunition/battery_1125/

You'll be happy with your choice. My first big bore was a 458 Lott, a bit of a step up from my 35 whelen. That was when the Lott was a wildcat, and my first handloads were w/ 500 gr bullets. I never flinched with that rifle, and always had a big grin on my face everytime I fired it. You simply can't beat the versatility of the Lott as a big hammer and fun gun.

I still agree with Allen though in terms of the 416 as a hunting gun.

Ray-- Grand Old Man On The Hill, I was really referring to 450NE No.2. But, if the shoe fits, wear it.

475Guy
Some of my best friends use bolt actions...
Still, I try to help them see the light as often as I can.

I have been known to shoot a bolt rifle or two.... I just don't let anybody see me do it.

I have 3 416 Rem mags love them all.I have shot them up to 150 times in one day from standing bench.My Winchester 416 Express rifle has had 1600 rounds through it never a feed problem.I also have two Remington Big Game Rifles that Remington made in 1998 I think.They are awesome with 22" barrels and HS stocks.They weigh 8and 3/4 pounds with 3x9 Nikon on them.I sold the only 458 I ever bought without shooting it.That was A Savage 458 Express Rifle .It was 7 pounds and stock looked so thin I knew it would break some day.I like 416 rem mags best because they are flat shooting and cheap to shoot.The brass when you can find 500 pcs is .38 each and the Speer Mag tip 350 gr is about .40.I can load this for $1.00 each pretty cheap for that big of a gun.I stocked up on brass ,Wonderful Remington makes it in spurts .I have 8,000 pcs and about 3,000 bullets.I keep a bunch of Barnes Solids ,Woodleigh 410 gr ,350 gr speer mag tips around.Barnes quit making the awesome 325 gr .416 x bullet.I shot some 1" groups with them at 2,800fps.I like the shorter 22' barrel 416s than the 24 " .The fiberglass stocked 416s kick alot less than the wooden stocked Winchester.I Wish I had a HS stock for it also.

Yep,
If you are going to stick with one rifle, the .416 "Whatever" makes a lot of sense.

Norbert Hansen and Terry Wieland (thank you Mike) both think the .458 Lott makes a Lott of sense as a "one-rifle-battery."

The "two-rifle-battery" champion of versatility and practicality combined would have to be a .375 Weatherby plus a .458 Lott.

With that, you can shoot farther, hit harder up close, and still use any old .375 H&H and .458 WinMag ammo you might find in a pinch.