Hello big bore people. I have a question that you are all probably tired of..but at the risk of being tiresome, I will ask. How is the Ruger #1 in 458 Lott as a first big bore rifle? I am new to African calibers, but a very experienced shooter. Currently my largest caliber is a 9x57 mauser sporting rifle by C.G.Haenel, and I want to buy a big bore just for the fun of it. I have shot a .577 nitro express double rifle and while the recoil was stout, did not find it unmanageable...except for one hangfire that went off when the gun was about 6" off my shoulder. That rattled my fillings a bit. The Ruger #1 in .458 Lott strikes me as affordable, attractive, accurate, and versatile in terms of load possibilities. I am not hunting Elephant or Water Buffalo....I just want to round out my collection with one big boomer. I figure if I'm going that direction, might as well get the biggest thing I can find, and see how it feels! Any Ruger #1 .458 Lott owners out there care to comment or make suggetions? I would welcome the input. Have a great Thanksgiving...
Elee

Sounds like something I would like to own. My only big bore, other than some 458s in the past, is a 58 black powder rolling block. In the mid seventies I had an inline made out of it. I shoot 85 gr FF out of it but have used as much as 120 gr FF with my 705 grain HB Minie bullet. It is a real kick at 120 gr. Try the Lott. I'm sure it will be fun. You may get hooked though. It may lead to evils like a 470 Nitro Exress double! Packy

A little light for me but they are OK as long as you change out the hard rubber butt pad that comes from the factory for something more in line with a big bire rifle.

I agree w Tiger Tate. Light for a Lott. Light I think even for a .458 WM.

I used a .375 Ruger #1 for several years as a saddle gun since it is so short, thin and handy, but it tended to break scopes and the extractor was not reliable, making it necessary for me to carry a cleaning rod to knock a ctg out of the chamber!

I could probably have fixed it just by replacing the extractor or using harder Remington brass but I got a pre-64 instead and have used that for last 25 years instead!

To be fair to the Ruger, I am not sure there is a factory .458 Lott that is heavy enough for a first (or plinking) big bore?

They all tend to be "trekking across miles and miles of bloody Africa," weight.

Try the 400 grain North Fork in the Lott and I think you will use it for hunting even here in North America.

Andy

See my post about re-chambering a Ruger #1 to 450 NE, and Degoins answer. He has a sweet deal on a #1 Lott, if you are interested. Would be worth talking to him about it.

https://forums.accuratereloading.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/4711043/m/135109957

Only input I have is a bit redundant, but the number 1's are fairly notorious for having rough recoil. I assume it has to do with the stock design and the weight of the rifle. If I were you and wanted a factory Lott, I'd look into converting a used m70 458win or one of the Ruger or CZ bolt actions.

That said, the #1 is a very attractive single shot and really does allow for diverse handloading options as you've said. You can load it to reproduce the ballistics of a 416 or a 458 win mag with lower pressures, so it is the best and most versatile option of big bores in my mind. I certainly enjoy shooting my M70 Lott.

I would definitely look into some sort of recoil reduction method with the Lott. At the very least, a new pad as mentioned earlier. My #1 in a 45/70 has significantly more felt recoil than my Marlin 45/70.

Edw,

On the chance that you would ever hunt dangerous game with your Ruger #1, I'd argue for chambering it in 450/400 Nitroexpress. Ammo is now available, and it's a rimmed cartridge, so no need to risk extractor failure and having to fumble with a rod while a grizzly is bearing down on you.

Regards, Tim

Since my first, and only, big bore is my beloved No. 1 in the Lott, I would tend to say it's a great choice for one's entry into the category. Although, I could be accused of being biased.

I got mine for some of the same reasons you are considering one. For the price, the No. 1 is hard to beat, and I happen to find them easy on the eye...very classic, especially with that fat .458 barrel.

As far as recoil is concerned, you can find many opinions that it's a bit light and that the recoil pad is too thin. I wouldn't want it much lighter, but I don't find recoil to be an issue. Nor do I think the recoil pad is too thin. Of course, stock fit is a personal issue, but I find my No. 1 fits me very well. I'm sure this is part of the reason why I'm not bothered by the 9 lb. weight and relatively thin pad.

It's worth noting that the stock fits me very well for shooting with iron sights, but a mounted scope would sit a bit high for my taste. I like my face good and tight on the stock for heavy hitters. Unexpected facial decorations courtesy of seemingly harmless aluminum tubes...yikes.

My advice: go handle one and see if you fall in love. With your reasons in mind, I think it would be hard to go wrong with a No. 1.

I have a Ruger #1 Lott and a Brno/CZ Lott as well as other big bore bolt guns. I like the #1 as much as the rest. Since you aren't hunting dangerous game and would have a back up shooter if you were, a single shot is not a disadvantage. I would change the factory pad for a Decelerator or Limbsaver and might add a little weight to the buttstock.

I have a No. 1 Tropical Safari in Lott. I feel the weight just abuot right to carry around all day. Recoil isn't bad but I'm not recoil sensitive to amount to anything. I'd say I've run in to a fair number of smaller caliber "guide guns" the Alaskan contingent like that are much rougher on recoil.

If you load it to standardish or light .458WinMag levels recoil is a non-issue for plinking and deer/elk hunting purposes.

Friend of mine in Durban actually has a kudu/impala load worked up for his because he hunts by himself a lot and it's nice to have the option of a couple hot 500 grain Lott loads in case you run into something big and angry when you're looking for freezer meat.

Best 600 bucks I ever spent on a gun.

quote:

Originally posted by Edward Lee:
Hello big bore people. I have a question that you are all probably tired of..but at the risk of being tiresome, I will ask. How is the Ruger #1 in 458 Lott as a first big bore rifle? I am new to African calibers, but a very experienced shooter. Currently my largest caliber is a 9x57 mauser sporting rifle by C.G.Haenel, and I want to buy a big bore just for the fun of it. I have shot a .577 nitro express double rifle and while the recoil was stout, did not find it unmanageable...except for one hangfire that went off when the gun was about 6" off my shoulder. That rattled my fillings a bit. The Ruger #1 in .458 Lott strikes me as affordable, attractive, accurate, and versatile in terms of load possibilities. I am not hunting Elephant or Water Buffalo....I just want to round out my collection with one big boomer. I figure if I'm going that direction, might as well get the biggest thing I can find, and see how it feels! Any Ruger #1 .458 Lott owners out there care to comment or make suggetions? I would welcome the input. Have a great Thanksgiving...
Elee

First I want to say hi and welcome to the forum.
I think the Ruger #1 in .458 Lott is a good rifle the recoil can be quite bad. You can add some weight and a couple of recoil reducers to calm it down. My best suggestion is get a CZ in 458 Lott and you will have the benefit of having a repeater also I think it would be easier to sell if you want to upgrade.
Bill

DGRs are not BR rifles.
Some people confuse the two.
Light rifle with no muzzle brake that blows your ears out is much more pleasant for a day's hunting than a heavy or braked rifle.
If you want a hunting rifle, buy a hunting rifle. If you want something to spend 4 hours at the bench with, go ahead on that one.

They aren't the same animals and a light rifle is a treat on a long stalk.

Pick apples or oranges and then decide what to buy.

Edward, the #1 is also chambered for the .416 Rigby and the 450-400. Both are classic African calibers and perhaps even more suited to the game you might hunt with single shot. I realize that if you gotta have .458, then you gotta have a .458. I think I would choose a rimmed cartridge for the #1 just because I would stick a cartridge designed for a bolt action rifle in a bolt action rifle. So, if you don't have an obsession with .458 calibers take a look at the 450-400.

If you want a Ruger #1 then check out the single shot threads. I hunted for 6 years with a 416 Rigby #1 and shot everything with it. It had a muzzle break and that was the reason I sold it and bought an RSM with no break. I still like the #1's and would do another one in a heartbeat. Without the break I would put a better recoil pad on it for sure. Not once have I had an extraction issue with the Rigby, and a few people I know have #1's in calibers like 270 Win etc, and have never had extraction issues. I have loaded my Rigby way too hot and the cases always just slid out and sat nicely in the action. Good luck on your purchase. Welcome to AR.

Well....I plunked down my money and went for the Ruger #1 in .458 Lott. It will arrive in a few days. Also sent for a few different molds to experiment with. Thanks for all your input! As I said in my previous post...I am not hunting with this. I live in New Hampshire...the only thing we have big enough to justify a Lott are SUV's. This is purely a big toy for experimenting in the big bore game. I am not faced with charging Brownies (although I have faced that issue many years ago), nor do I have a problem with Rhinos in the petunia patch. I am not denegrating the sage advice of those of you fortunate enough to really have a need for such a rifle, but let's face it..alot of us buy such a rifle just for the pure fun of it. I would bet that the number of Lott owners that have really used this cartridge on BIG game is seriously outnumbered by we unfortunates who simply enjoy range experimentation with a very interesting round. I looked seriously at the #1 in both the 450/400 3", and the 9.3x74R. Both are very attractive..I was seriously tempted, but have you looked at the price of 450/400 dies? OUCH! The 9.3x74R may still be in my future! Thanks for all your straight up replies...I wish that more posters to forums such as this were completely honest about justifying such a purchase...a hunt in Africa would be wonderful...but I sure cant afford it, and I am not embarassed to admit that I bought this rifle because it is big, loud, and kicks hard! I bet alot of you have done the same!! Have fun at the range..I will post my .458 Lott experiences in a few weeks...
Elee