Just wondering if anyone of the African Hunters here have used there .458 Lott for plains game. I know it's not needed but I thought with woodleigh's 400 gr protected point bullet and Barnes X bullets etc. It would make a great combo for heavy plains game.

I think Loud-n-boomer has used his 458 Lott on plainsgame while on a buffalo & plainsgame hunt in Tanzania. Hopefully he will see this post and respond.

I did personally witness Dave "lound-n-boomer" shoot a ground squirrel at just over 200 yards (as well as another one at 20 yards) with his 458 Lott loaded with some 350 grain bullets. This was with a fixed power 2.5x scope. Very impressive shooting. In his hands, the 458 Lott is an excellent round for large plainsgame.

Tim

I shot baboons with mine. 500gr at 2300fps.
Dean

I have shot many Impala, Kongoni, a couple of Eland and a couple of Wildebeest, mostly with Woodleigh solids, but a few with Woodligh softs and it worked very well.....you could eat up to the hole...

Honest, I didn't bribe Shumba or N'gagi to brag on me! Besides, we all have lucky shots once in a while, . . . and occasionally someone else is watching.

To the topic at hand. I shot 8 of my 9 African animals with my .458 Lott, using my standard hunting load of 500-grain Speer AGS at 2,200 fps, and a Leopold 2-1/2X compact scope. Critters ranged from Bushbuck and Impala to Gemsbuck, Kudu, and Buffalo. Ranges were from about 12 yards on Bushbuck to 240 yards (measured with a rangefinder after the shot) on Red Hartebeast, average range was around 100 yards. The drop on my hunting load with a 100-yard zero is about 6 inches at 200 yards and about 18 inches at 300 yards (keeps it easy to remember).

I have not hunted with the 400-grain bullets, but I load the 350-grain Speers to a measured 2,630 fps, and they are death on ground squirrels out as far as I can see them with the scope on my rifle. I have not yet used them on larger game, but I suspect that there is a pig or a bear in their future.

Based on my limited experience, when hunting in Africa, load and shoot only one load, tailered for the biggest/toughest game you intend to hunt, and get to know that load. Then go out and have fun shooting everything else too.

Have fun, as the Lott is a great round.

Dave

Thanks everyone,

Last two shooting sessions I have taken my .458 Lott out and have shot a couple of hoppers with it using 400 gr speer flat points, firstly this is definitely not the bullet I would be choosing for any African game should I make it, could not even get an exit on one of the vermin I shot at 180 or so yards, he died like he was struck by chain lightening....but I like a good exit wound.

When the cash flow resumes I will be loaidng 500 gr woodleigh's, I felt as though the 400 gr bullets zipping out quickly kicked quite harder than the couple of 510 gr loads I tested.

I just thought if I made it to Africa the .458 Lott could be a versatile rifle. My Lott weighs in at 9.9 pounds scoped (an mine also wears a 2.5x compact leupold) enough magnification for most of my shooting.

Sounds like I should work one load up with the 500 gr woodleigh's and just stick with that.

If you have vermin to destroy try the 400 gr speer in your lotts it kills emphatically to say the least despite no exit.

Ray did you get expansion at all from the 500 gr woodleigh on the plains game ??

As my working rifle, my 458 Lott gets used a heck of a "lot" - other than for use on bigger game, I have shot bushpig, warthog, reedbuck, bushbuck, sable, etc ... even a spurwing goose!

All of these taken with my reloads alternatively loaded with Speer AGS solids, Hornaday solids and softs, all 500grs and whatever was in the rifle at the time.

Meat damage was not a factor and all of the animals taken to date fell down dead pretty much on the spot.

I plan to use it a lot more given the hassles of carting a whole battery from camp to camp.

Regards

PC,
Yes you will get a bit of expansion especially if you bust a bone...actually I liked the solids...

Woodleigh also make a 550 grainer but I feel that that bullet is best left to say the .450 Rigby or .460 Weathearby as the case capacity is there to have low pressures and 2400 fps I reckon.

Thanks for your thoughts folks.

PC,
You might want to measure the length of that bullet, Geoff does some neat things. In the 416 the 450 Woodligh PP is the same length as the 450 RN and there is such a little difference in the 400 gr. length and the 450 that I could hardly measure it. Same applied to the 375 if my memory is correct..the 350 were the same as the 300s or so close as to make little difference...so I would check that out...worth a try at any rate.

I too have used my 458 Lott on quite a few animals. I have not yet recovered a bullet from any plains game. As Peter V stated they all pretty much fall on the spot. I have a lot of confidence in the 450 grain Barnes X bullet at 2300fps. It shoots great, is readily available and penetrates almost like a solid. Exit holes are massive and penetration is simply put, unmatched for an expanding bullet(slightly expanding)!

I did have a hunter shoot a blue wildebeast too far back this last season and we had a long follow up. I was on tracks with minimal blood from the hole his 338 made. When all of a sudden I saw movement and realized it was his wounded bull or another one moving in the thick bush. My hunter who was about 40 yards to my right walking in the road yelled to me "I found him"

This road had a big turn not visible while in the bush so I would have walked into the road in just about 50 yards had I kept going straight. Well when he says he found the bull and I see another one staggering about I then assume (with the instant that I had available for assumptions) that he had actually shot through the first and hit another( it happens). I decide to Cut the bull off and start heading to the road to get a shot as he crosses it.

When I get close to the road this Bull is at full stride or as full as could be with a bad front leg. The hunter is standing in the road when the bull lowers his head and is going right for him. The hunter has his gun at his side and is frozen in place.

I was about 25 yards to the left of the hunter and still in the bush. I yelled to him "SHOOT" while I raised the Lott and drilled the bull through the shoulders. That bull collapsed 15 feet in front of the hunter. I can only imagine what whould have happened had he remained standing there with that Stupid Wildebeast bearing down on him.

When all was calm again I asked why he did not shoot and this fellow had no recall of any part of the event. All he could say was he knew the bull was shot and he thought it was going down so he did not need to shoot again. I said to him that bull was headed for you and he was on a mission. Your lucky to be standing here now! As it turned out he began to recall the details as the day went on. It seeems to me some people just mentally lock up or freeze when something bad is about to happen? I can't explain it but I have seen this a couple times now and heard similiar stories from others.

In some cases the 458Lott is nice even when hunting simple plains game!

JJhack,

thanks for that story' killed by a charging wildebeest, poor fellow...if it had of killed him you would have to have done the right thing by his mates and family and said that he was charged by a cape buff and that he did manage to get a couple of shots off...I know thats what I would have wanted

Ray when the job situation picks up I will start to muck around with the woodleigh's.

Although as JJhack said the Barnes X 450 gr might be the best bullet for the .458's based on the .375 case. hing is in Australia you can near buy two packs of woodleigh's per 1 pack of Barnes X bullets.

Anyone have some good loads for the 350s & 400s? Still haven't gotten mine from my gunsmith but I plan to mostly use lighter bullets on non-dangerous targets.