I am going to order some of the Hornady DG solids which come in 480 grain and 500 grain sizes, I am using the AA2230 powder and was wanting to acheive 2150 velocities. I know some of you are getting those velocities with this powder and 500 grain bullets but it would probably be a better bet that I would get 2150 with a 22 inch barrel w/ the 480's. Has anyone had experience with either bullet using this powder and a 22 inch barreled 458 wm? Thanks

Dirk, no experience with the 480 grain DGX or AA2230, but I have used 480 grain Woodleighs and RL-7 quite a bit. My recollection -- look back over prior threads to confirm -- is that I was using 66 grains of RL-7 and getting around 2170 to 2190 fps. That was out of a CZ550.

The Accurate Arms web site (loading data) shows a little higher velocity using 2460 in lieu of 2230 and a tad lower pressure as well at maximum charges albeit out of a 24" barrel.
You have to have a chronograph to verify in your specific gun. I have seen some rifles in the same caliber where a shorter barrel shoots faster than a longer unit.
All my custom barreled rifles shoot the same load faster than my original factory barrels.

Just bought a stack of 480grn Woodleigh 458win bullets the other day for my up coming 458win.

I say try as many as possible, and then go with the most accurate load you can find. A 300 grain in the vitals beats a 500 grain in the non-vitals.

I own the 458 Lott and I shoot the 500gr bullet
and I get 2280 FPS with the solid I get 2330 FPS
I have no complaints. I figure that the rifle is made to shoot the 500gr bullets so why not shoot them.

I would use the 480gr,to have more room in tjhe case for powder/ higher vel.

Keith

I bought a set of Corbin swaging dies for the Walnut Hill Press from Swageall last month. They are set up for a 470gr soft or solid. I am going to try them in my 450 Dakota. I can shoot the 500gr Barnes Solid and A-frame soft points over 2500; but recoil is something to behold!

Rich
Buff Killer

JPK and I have had excellent results with NorthFork 450gr FN Solids in our doubles.
His is a 458 Win. If you do a search you can find his load info.

The only think would be if the Flat Nosed bullet will feed in your rifle.

The 480 Woodleigh Solid had performed perfect for me as well on several elephant and cape buff.

Check the cannalure location on the different bullets, some are the correct length for the 458, some are not.

Or.... You can get what many consider the Best Solid ever made.. desinged with the 458 Win-Mag in mind

Speer 500grn African Grand Slam Tungston Solids.. Leave plenty of room for powder space because of being shorter..

Just happen to know of a guy selling a few..

450 North Fork flat nose solids work great if they will feed in your rifle.

There is NO advantage to using the 480gr Woodleighs over the 500gr Woodleighs unless you can get the special order 480's with the cannelure placed rearward for the 458wm. If you can't, the 500's provide more room for powder than the 480's do, because of cannelure placement.

I have been told recently that Midway had/has some of the 458wm 480's in stock.

You will need to crip in the canelure to prevent set back too. Also, you will want the COL to be near max spec for best feedeing.

Either way, 480's with the proper cannelure placement or 500's, it shouldn't be a problem getting 2150fps.

JPK

I would go with the 450 N.F. bullets but I don't trust any bolt action other than the Win. M70's with coned breech so that's why I am going to use the Hornady bullets from what I have personally seen, they work great on buff and elephant.

I would go with the new Hornady DGS @ 480 grains or the Barnes FN Banded Solid @ 450 grains in a .458 Win. Mag. bolt rifle.

The best solid bullet I've found is the Monolithic Solids by A-Square with A-Square Wthrby Cannelure Position in 458Dia 500gr.

I contacted Accurate Arms for information on AA2230 and AA2460 as I was using those powders to work up loads in my SMLE 458WM, 23.6" barrel and needing to stay within a lower pressure range of 45 KCUP.

I had already worked up some good loads with 400 gr jacketed and 525 gr cast lead bullets with the AA2230 and was satisfied it would work the best of all the different powders I tried within that burn range.

I then worked up a load with AA2460 that had a better volume/pressure/velocuty range, 100% capacity with the 525 gr seated to 3.00" COAL and had ran out of powder...I was getting about 50 fs more velo and 10 reloads per case(could have gone more) which is my limit for large case reloads...while all the other powders were dying from 4 to 8 reloads.

Accurate Arms came back with AA2460 being the better powder so I bought all the powder I could find in town at the time...3 lbs...and I ordered an additional 3 lbs for the next powder shipment.

Check out AA with any questions you might have and I recommend AA2460 as the best powder for this particular case with bullets from 400-600 gr...the highest velocity and lowest pressure at 90-100% capacity.

Bullets are a personal choice...I would pick one or two to fit the game you will shoot...AND the nose shape, weight, powder and COAL that feeds best in YOUR rifle...

Forget the cannelure...seat to fit the feed function FIRST, then the magazine length...just polish down the sizer button or use a bushing die with a smaller sizer button to get a tight grip and use a taper crimper...sometimes a roll crimp will actually loosen the case grip on the sides of the bullet.

I've never had a bullet move in any heavy caliber from recoil OR being in a tubular mag using the above recommendations...BUT try it first before loading up a few hundred then finding out something went Murphy on you.

Luck on your quest.

With full house loads and 450 or 500 grain bullets intended for DG, crimp in the cannelure, most expecially if your rifle is light. The last thing you need is the rounds at the bottom of the magazine to get shorter and shorter or for the case mouth to potentially become a catch or stop.

Roll crimps in cannelures can be lose enough to spin the bullet and still more than enough to resist set back.

Your not going whitetail hunting...

If the bullets don't feed when seated in the cannelure, try another option or get the rifle fixed.

JPK

Rich, Iwould be more than willing to buy a few of those bullets from you to try. Sounds like a good idea to me.

In Norma's reloading manual they load 480 Woodleigh's and 500 grain Hornady's in the .458 Winchester. They use slightly (1-1.5 grains) less powder with the 480 grain Woodleigh's, than the 500 grain Hornady's. Start with the minimum load for the 500's or go 2 grains less.

I use 75.5 grains of H-335 with 500 grain DGS, and DGX in my .458 Winchester magnum. I use separate seaters for the solids and softs. A Lee Factory Crimp die does the crimping. I do not flare the case mouth. I use a .50 Caliber VLD chamfer tool with nary a glitch.

Your best bet is the 480 grain.

You know, just a few years ago I posted a bunch of data about my experiences with the 480gr. Woodleigh soft and solids. The resident gurus at the time told me they would be pathetic on big game not enough sectional density for a .458 big bore. Things sure have changed. I had a lot of fun with my win mag in Africa. I can tell you the woodleigh 480grers worked well in the 450, 3 1/4 and they will do fine in the winmag.