You can see by the number of my post that I am a new member to the forum. I hope I'm not being redundant with these two questons.
I just picked up my new Lott and would appreciate your advice and opinions.The gun will be used for Elephant and buff only. I want to load either Woodleigh or Barnes bullets. I was considering 450 grain bullets at about 2300 fps and 500 grain bullets at 2200 fps. I know the gun can produce faster ballistics, but think these should penetrate okay. The gun has three mercury tubes so the recoil should be reduced somewhat.
The gun has Talley bases and the Tally peep sight. I got used to peep sights in the miltary and really like them. However, I can mount a low power scope if I choose. I have a 1.75-6 Leupold with heavy duplex and was considering a low power fixed.You recommendations and opinions.
Thanks in advance!!

peashooter
Welcome to AR. Most people say the 2.5 Leupold is the only scope that will hold up to the 458 Lotts recoil. I like the Heavy Duplex reticule.
I hunted Zim in June with my 450 No2 shooting 2 buff, one with a 480 Woodleigh Soft, and 480 Woodleigh Solids, the other with 500gr Swift A Frames, and 480 Woodleigh Solids.
I shot 3 elephants all with 480 Woodleigh solids. My velocities are around 2100 to 2150 fps. All bullets performed excellent. The softs mushroomed perfectly and the solids had plenty of penetration.
In your Lott I would use the 500grain Swift A Frame as your Soft, for a Solid I would also use a 500 gr. either a Woodleigh or a Barnes. Work up loads where they shoot the same place at 100 yards.
For deer, wild pigs and other small game [like leopard or black bears over bait] you might try the 350 grain Hornady [do not load this one over 2350 fps, in fact in my 45/70 they kill real well at 1900fps.] or maybe a North Fork Bullet.
The more you shoot your Lott the better you will be with it.
I have killed many a deer and pig with my 450 No2,[and a couple of coyotes too ].

shooter,

There is two of us who just used the Lott for ele and buf and lion..and a few other animals...The Lott is a crusher and will work well with what ever you decide to use...I shot Bridger solids and had great pentration and Barnes X in 450 and used 82 and 83 grains of 4320 and got great performance...But hold it tight...You can email me if you have some questions...

Mike

The Lott has basically indentical ballistics to my .450 Rigby. I can't afford elephant, yet, but a 500 gr. Hornady at 2280 knocks buffalo down! As Boddington remarked, "These things numb buffalo." At the modest speeds involved here, I see no functional need for premium bullets with their superior performance at high velocities (2400 fps+). However, if it makes you more confident, by all means go that route.

You already have as close to an ideal set of sights as one could want, IMO. As one soldier to another, we know how well one can shoot with a good peep. Leave the glass to civilians . . . or those who hunt in the dark, at long range, etc.

Good hunting, brother,

For lighter stuff woodleigh also make a 400 gr protected point bullet which would be a pretty good bullet for some larger plains game in the .458 lott I would think.

Peashooter:

I'm one of the few on this board with anything negative to say about Woodleigh Softs, but here goes. They are a good bullet with a solid and long standing reputation that will perform quite adequately AS LONG AS THEIR VELOCITY ENVELOPE ISN'T EXCEEDED. I shot two buffalo with them this summer, and had very upsetting results from both. (Fired from a custom M-70 Win in .458 Lott, 23" bbl, 500gr Woodleigh Soft Point, 79gr. of IMR 4320).

On the first buffalo we found a 115 grain piece sheared off from the main bullet at the point of entry, where the bullet had hit a rib from behind. This sheared off side of the bullet traveled a foot or so under the skin and was easily plucked out at skinning. We also recovered numerous bullet shards, weighing up to 10 grains or so, all through the back of the thoracic cavity. 3 quick follow-up shots with Barnes mono-metal solids made identifying the wound track from the Woodleigh difficult. The remainder of the bullet was not recovered, but we believe probably lodged somewhere in the heart-lung area.

The second buffalo I shot collapsed at the shot, but started to get up about 15 seconds later. Again, the Barnes solids in the magazine corrected this behavior very quickly. The recovered bullet mushroomed unevenly to 1.104", retained 401 gr. and mushroomed back all the way to the canelure. The problem was that the bullet had penetrated to the spine, glanced off of the spine, but then TURNED from it's trajectory which would have broken the spine. Instead it was recovered after turning and paralleling the spine for about 8 inches. Total penetration about 24-26 inches.

The lead is bonded very solidly to the jacket (even on the sheared off piece), and the mushrooming is impressive. I believe these would be a phenomenal choice for cartridges that keep their velocity down. Woodleigh shows a recommended velocity envelope of 1800-2200 fps, but the Lott can easily (and accidentally) exceed that envelope. Why, then, am I working up loads for the replacement 500 gr. Barnes TSX, instead of just loading the Woodleigh down a bit more? Well, I've already loaded it down quite a bit (my load above is about 6 gr. down from max and is a whole lot quieter and softer shooting than the factory or max handloads), and if I wanted to shoot a .458 Winchester then that's what I'd have bought. I know that I won't have this problem with the TSX.

On the positive side, though, it absolutely HAMMERS impala, and I think it would be a stunning choice for cats as well. As fast as that bullet opened up, I suspect it will knock the piss out of about any of the lighter skinned game. Just my two cents worth.

P.s., I too use an aperture, and had no problem with small game out past 100 yards. I think a good ghost ring with a proper front sight will allow all the shot placement you will need on DG, and they are surprisingly accurate besides. I shot one of the best groups of my life with this rifle, 3 shots into .84 inches at 100, with those sights using the Barnes Solid. What a tack-driver!

Another vote for the Barnes 500 grain TSX.

Peashooter,

I have only been to Africa once and have only taken two Cape Buffalo and plains game. I believe I already gave you the results from my experience using the 458 Lott and Barnes 500 grain TSX, loaded to 2250 fps. Of the two Buffs shot both dropped to the first shot..one never got up, the other did regain its footing taking another shot on the front shoulder penetrating through the length of Buff and breaking the back leg. That bullet was found in the ankle and weighted 499 grains, a perfectly mushroomed "X".

I think Barnes is discontinued the 450 grain "X" and may not have every been offered in the TSX...not sure if they are continuing the 450 grain Solid in .458 cal.

I have not tried Woodlieghs or the Swift from what I have read here they are very good bullets. However, I will stick with the 500 grain TSX as they performed very well. I may try the Northforks...

Good luck,

I just raided the Cabela's in Kansas City while passing through town. They had two boxes each of the .458 TSX 450 grainers and 500 grainers. The 450 grain TSX has 4 cannelures, and the 500 grain TSX has 5 cannelures. Quadruple and Quintuple, QSX's? The big square hollowpoint ought to open up well on big game at Lott velocities, and your experiences seem to indicate the bullets are smashing bloody good.



Thread Highjack: Warning! The following is just internet gossip and rumor mongering.



The MS tapes and DVD's are still selling at Cabela's. I felt nauseated just looking at the display.



A hunter I met, from Arizona (who mans one of the SCI show booths annually and has been to Africa more than a half dozen times) says that MS has been sued successfully by some of his clients. For his shenannigans, making them unwitting participants in his dramas and shooting up their animals in unseemly ways, he has had to pay damages.



Just gossip over the internet backyard fence from us little old ladies.