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However, the only cartridge manufacturer that seem to have picked up the Lott is Hornady. Ruger is leaning hard in that direction

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Originally posted by Paolo9,5x73:
You got me that "cigar" has been around since 1971. Consider the saga of 1905 vintage 9,3x62 which after 100 years (happy birthday) is just now becoming American pet medium bore cartridge.
Is 8x68S next? I give up.
PS.One guy was asking for 30R Blaser ammo source in US. He found brass for 4 or 5 USD per pop, thats nuts!

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You may well be wondering what became of the control test, the old solid at 1950 fps. Well, this was even more interesting, and I reckon went a considerable way towards validating the relevance of the “elephant sandwich†test medium. At a genuine chronographed 1950 fps, this bullet gave absolutely typical performance of the sort that was commented upon at length by National Parks and Tsetse control officers of years ago. The bullet penetrated the bone, but then blew to bits for a total penetration of precisely half that of the others - 41 cm in all. True “sick leave†material. This bullet would penetrate the leg bone, but wouldn’t have a snowball’s chance in hell of finding its way into the vital organs thereafter. If the animal in question wasn’t irate before, it will certainly be seeking you out for a VERY meaningful round of discussions after being swatted with such a dud. This, I might add, is not a condemnation of old Winchester ammo alone - ALL were noted for such overly emotional reaction to striking something solid.

These tests thus further indicate that it is unwise in the extreme to rely on old .458 ammo of indeterminate origin for front-line work on dangerous game. Not only is the velocity level questionable (if it goes off at all - I had to dig the extruded powder from the old round of ammo with a screwdriver), but the bullets themselves are not up to snuff. Yes, I know .458 ammo is expensive in this part of the world. Yes, I know that even premium quality bullets are expensive. Engrave this little message in your little Pro Hunter/Guides heart:- GOOD QUALITY AMMO AND ESPECIALLY BULLETS, ARE WORTH EVERY CENT WHEN DEALING WITH DANGEROUS GAME, AND FAR MORE THAN THEIR WEIGHT IN GOLD!!! I’m not kidding. My personal favourite, the tungsten cored Speer African Grand Slam must be over $200 EACH by now. Just for the bullet. Woodleighs are over $100. Have you checked out the cost of coffins recently?

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Not much, states the author, who contends that this calibre is mainly a victim of bad press. It seemed a simple enough job. An injured elephant had to be humanely killed, and the game warden decided to give the job to his new game ranger who was in need of dangerous game experience. The warden went along to see how he performed, which was just as well, as things turned out. Both men carried .458 Magnum rifles, confident that this calibre would be perfect for the job at hand.

They approached the injured animal, which was not difficult, as he was on his feet but unable to move very much at all. The calm and tranquil atmosphere now became charged, and a feeling of foreboding lay upon them with the awareness that this mighty animal was about to die. None of this could be allowed to intrude, though, as the job had to be done. With a final whispered word as to where to shoot, the warden stood back to witness his ranger's performance.

The sudden crashing report shattered the silence. The elephant reared back, shook its head, and remained on its feet. The warden noted with satisfaction that his pupil scarcely hesitated before reloading and fired again, but was displeased with the apparent lack of marksmanship. His displeasure deepened dramatically when the elephant failed to react to the second shot, and now turned to run. The poor, pain-racked beast broke into a shambling walk at the third shot, and the warden had now had enough. Thoroughly disgusted, he ran alongside the animal, and drew a bead with the foresight on a spot on the elephant's head that he knew concealed the brain. He hardly noticed the recoil and the noise when he pressed the trigger, and withdrew in anticipation of the elephant crashing to the ground. Nothing happened.

He immediately slammed another shot into the heart/lung area, then another. The ranger by this time had reloaded, and once more joined in the fray.

After eleven shots had been fired, the unfortunate animal finally lay still. The silence now lay thick and heavy, clamouring more stridently than the previous noise and confusion had done. Both men stood still for some time, considerably alarmed by their failure and sickened by the unnecessary suffering that the once great animal had endured.

Subsequent investigation showed that their bullets had only penetrated about six inches into the thick honey-combed bone of the elephant's skull, failing entirely to reach the brain. While relieved that their bullets had indeed been placed square and true, they now regarded their rifles with considerable distrust. Were they supposed to stake their lives against the largest, most dangerous animals on earth with these inadequate, poorly performing rifles? It seemed a bit much. Both devoted considerable effort in obtaining other issue rifles. They specified that any heavy calibre would do, as long as it was not .458.

Another hunter, also armed with a .458, was after buffalo. He suddenly came across his quarry facing him at short range, and whipped up his rifle. The muzzle blast seemed strangely muted, and the recoil was extremely mild. The buffalo merely blinked. After the ensuing fracas, which could charitably be described as 'confused', the buffalo was eventually dispatched. Again a disappointing lack of penetration was noted, particularly with regard to the first bullet. It was still visible on the forehead, having barely managed to penetrate the skin!
...
It was the late Jack Lott, more than anyone else, who uncovered the underlying cause of the .458's erratic performance. He discovered that the manufacturers, in order to try and up the velocities a bit, were putting in a larger amount of powder by compressing the powder charge. Not just compressing either, but placing the powder under hyper-compression and actually 'gluing' the bullet in place to prevent it from being pushed back out again. If such ammunition were to be used while reasonably fresh, all was well. However, after a time the powder began to clump together into a solid mass. When fired, the bullets would exit at greatly reduced velocities along with substantial chunks of unburnt powder, and sometimes the bullet would only be given sufficient impetus to exit the muzzle and not much else.

The reputation of the .458 was also not helped by occasional batches of factory ammunition loaded with fragile bullets. Even when velocities were not sadly reduced, these bullets were busily fish-tailing, riveting, splitting and generally behaving in an unseemly fashion which was liable to earn the firer a fairly extended stay in hospital - if he was lucky. Bullet failure is not peculiar to the .458 though, as the .375 magnum is particularly prone to bullet failure, and Kynoch itself came out with a batch of dreadful, thinly jacketed heavy rifle bullets immediately after World War II.

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So, if you are the proud owner of a.458, do not despair when someone buttonholes you and regales you with war stories as to its inadequacy and general unworthiness. Modern factory ammunition is better than it used to be, and American ammunition companies are paying far more attention to bullet design and performance than was once the case. Factory ammunition is now above all consistent, without those alarming peaks and troughs of years gone by.

There is yet another avenue open to the .458 owner, and that is reloading. The large calibre, straight case design of the .458 Magnum reacts well to reasonably fast burning rifle powders, and by picking and choosing the right ones it is not actually difficult to achieve a full 2150 feet per second with the 500 grain bullet without over-straining anything. The .458 also begs to be reloaded with cast bullets, and moulds can be had for 300 grain up to 550 grain bullets. Gas checks allow full .458 velocities, or moderate loads can be used for practice and small game hunting.

Rest assured that if you own a .458 rifle, it is not a worthless and underpowered pipsqueak, but a fine heavy game calibre which is better in many ways than the much vaunted .375 Magnum. Choose your loads wisely, avoid old ammunition like the plague for any purpose other than practice and you will be adequately armed for any game animal that walks the face of this planet. If some vile and hideous legislation were to restrict me to only one single rifle for all hunting applications, my choice would be without a doubt - you've guessed it - the .458!

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The .458 first saw the light of day in 1956, when Winchester unveiled this new chambering in its justly famous model 70 bolt action rifle. It turned out to be a very good move, as America was enjoying a period of prosperity and many hunters now wanted to travel to Africa on safari. At the same time Britain was in the doldrums, and her once great sporting arms industry was a shadow of its former self. Heavy calibre British rifles were now hard to get and very expensive, and ammunition was problematical as well. Kynoch was discontinuing the old proprietary British sporting calibres one by one.

Into the breech stepped Winchester, with a modern round suitable for inexpensive bolt- action rifles which would duplicate the performance of the old British heavies. Most of the old nitro-expresses from .450 to .475 used 480 to 500-grain bullets at around 2100 feet per second, and the new.458 advertised a 500 grain solid bullet at 2l50 feet per second. This bullet weight and velocity level was shown from past experience to be absolutely ideal for heavy, dangerous game, and what's more this power package came in a short cartridge suitable for standard length actions. This was done firstly to avoid the necessity of using the more expensive magnum length action, and secondly as a perceived benefit to the shooter. It is actually a very good idea, as most riflemen are used to standard length bolt actions. Give them a longer magnum action with increased bolt throw and 'short stroking' the action becomes a problem, particularly in an emergency. Short stroking is pulling the bolt insufficiently far rearwards to eject the spent cartridge case and chamber a new round, and a horrendous jam can result. This is not theoretical moonshine either, as I have seen it happen a number of times, particularly when the shooter is under stress.

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Anything larger than the 375 H&H cannot be expected to be supported by the major rifle and ammunitions manufacturers in the US, as the market for those rounds is limited and their popularity fleeting. The large number of baby boomer hunters that could afford to go Africa due to a good economy in the states, and cheap hunting in Africa will drop off in the future. The novelty of the bigger and bigger rounds will be faced with the reality that a select few are willing to deal with the recoil.

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Originally posted by invader66:
I read on the African forum that Federal is testing 458 Lott right now. Sent some off to Arrica with a writer and custom gun maker. Ray will remember who. I think.
Gene