Hi,I'm considering shortening the barrel on a CZ550.458 Lott down to 18"or 20"(from the standard 25")to handle better when hunting.
While hunting from the truck in thick bush (as the driver)I'm in and out of the truck a lot so a shorter barrel would be much easier to handle. We are mostly hunting Buffalo and Pigs using 450gn TSX's at around 2250fps at shorter ranges in the Northern Territory of Australia.
I'm wondering how much velocity would be lost at 20"and 18"and also how much of a problem the muzzel blast might be?
Has anyone else shortened their barrel this much and what has been the pro's and con's?
Thanks Bob

You need to check out Michael458's threads. Sounds like the B&M rifles are just what you are looking for.

Hi, Todd
Thats exactly what I,ve been looking at, a.50B&M with 18" barrel,Winchester laminated stock,(you can hardly tell the stock is laminated)and matt blued.
The exersise with the Lott at the moment is to weigh the pro's and con's.
The cookie jar is looking very empty at the moment so I may have to sell some old .303 Military rifles and possibly even the Lott to finance the .50B&M. You know what us guys are like,if there's a flashy new rifle on the seen especially one starting with .50 we will usually find a way to get our hands on it.
I mostly tell the wife that this will be a much safer rifle to have in my hands should something nasty happen.

Ps, I wanted to put some of those "little yellow smiley faces" at the end but I'm just an Old Fart learning to use the computer.... Slowly.
Regards , Bob

Hi Mack......

Welcome to AR, first thing! Glad to have you........

I have cut a few of my 458 Lotts to 22 inches. Having tested those against the same barrel in 24 inches and of course depending on the load, powder, bullet and what have you, I lost between 35-50 fps per inch of barrel.

While I of course CONCUR, a 50 or 458 B&M is just the ticket for you, and what you are looking for, there is also another angle that can be looked at as well.. At least in the short term....

Cut that barrel down to 18 inches on your Lott... Just change BULLETS...... Some time back I did a tiny little bit of research with the 420 BBW#13 NonCon in 458 Lott. I never went to max, just picked out some top end loads with a few powders, and tested. With 3 powders, TAC, IMR 8209 and RL 15 I got from 2425 fps to 2463 fps without even trying. Lets take the top load, 2463, lets say you loose an average of 40 fps per inch (which I doubt with this bullet) this still puts you at 2200+ fps with the 420, and that is a serious buffalo bullet. And 2200 + is more than enough to accomplish your mission! And, it would not surprise me at all if you could not get a bit more out of it without much issue.....

Not sure if you know, or are aware of Daryl Lenkic. Daryl is a friend of mine and he is a B&M enthusiast, and a CEB BBW#13 Fan as well... He has become a dealer there in Australia for both the B&Ms and Cutting Edge. He can take care of either for you and is a world of help as well.

He will or should have these bullets in stock..... Here is his website......

http://www.meplat.com.au/


Michael

Sounds very loud to me. How the muzzle blast I know my 18 inch 06 is loud.

quote:

Originally posted by p dog shooter:
Sounds very loud to me. How the muzzle blast I know my 18 inch 06 is loud.

Yep, might be true with some powders, but in .458 caliber bore there are a LOT more inside cubic inches to burn powder than a .308 caliber bore size. Choose the right powder and might not be any
muzzle blast at all...... B&Ms come standard anything from 16 to 20 inches, and in most powders used, there is no muzzle blast at all...... None of the tested approved B&M loads have muzzle blast.
So I think you could do very well with faster powders, lighter bullets, with 18 inch 458 Lott, and use new bullet tech to that advantage......

Another bullet to take a look at that I have no doubt turn buffalo inside out, 350 gr North Fork expanding CPS..... Would be another excellent choice.

Michael

quote:

None of the tested approved B&M loads have muzzle blast.

Must be some type of Miracle powder

Sounds like a blast
My vote is 20" with a hacksaw to see how you like it then shorter after that before recrowning.
What sight? Red dot?
Could be good for long heavy bullets.

Hard to imagine -- to me at least -- how 6" shorter could offset the difference in performance. A 24" barrel is still pretty short and manageable.

Just my two cents.

Wow, you've basically successfully turned a .458 win mag into a 45-70. Way to go!-Rob

quote:

Originally posted by lavaca:
Hard to imagine -- to me at least -- how 6" shorter could offset the difference in performance. A 24" barrel is still pretty short and manageable.

Just my two cents.

6 inches is alot of length in the cab of those little foreign trucks--

just sayin

I went through a short barreled phase. But I found out soon it was not worth the noise and blast.

But each to their own. I still have those short barreled rifles but do not use them much.

quote:

Wow, you've basically successfully turned a .458 win mag into a 45-70. Way to go!-Rob

HEH.... Thanks Rob! LOL.....

Well, not quite, maybe in conventional terms. But I think that if this chap cuts the barrel down, and uses bullet tech to this advantage, he will be more than able to accomplish the mission. But, bullet tech is the key to being able to do this.

You are correct, he will not be able to take those same 500 gr conventional bullets and accomplish much at all. But he don't need to... Higher velocity 350 North Fork expanding CPS... Cup Point Solid, or various similar BBW#13s will do this for him....

quote:

Hard to imagine -- to me at least -- how 6" shorter could offset the difference in performance. A 24" barrel is still pretty short and manageable.

Might be hard for you to imagine, but it is the difference between Black and White..... One needs to handle two side by side to understand it....

Michael

I personally LIKE short barrels and have both a 375H&H and a 416Rigby with 21" barrels and have used both quite successfully in Africa. I also have an unsual 458Min Mag. It is on a Springfield 03A3 ,has a Birch stock with a steel buttplate (loooks like the old Mdl70 plates with a widows peak)Lowered bolthandle (appears to have been forged by Les Womack as it has his representative stamp on the root)H&H side mount,Williams rear,Lyman banded ramp front with a sourdough blade,timney trigger and a barrel band front swivel. So far nothing unusual except being a 458 on an 03. The barrel is marked A&M Rifle Co and appears to be original. The surprising thing is the barrel length is 16 1/2" long. It is the absolute best pointing big game rifle I have ever handled. With factory 500gr rounds it is not particularly bad from either muzzle blast or recoil as long as I use a slip on pad and a Past shoulder device. Would have loved to have used it in Africa. I find absolutely no downside to short barrels. I even have one of the very short barrel Remington 20 gauges built some years ago for upland game and it's a pleasure to carry and use.

I have a 26" barreled Remington Model 798 Mauser in 458 Win Mag. No one locally can shorten the barrel for me and resolder the front sight.

Any recommendations who to send it to for quality work at a fair price with a decent turn-around time?

My CZ Lott is cut to 21"

500grn. Woodleigh or any other RN vel.2210fps across the chrono. w/Accurate 2520 & Fed 215

Factory Hornady 500grn RN vel 2220fps.

quote:

Originally posted by p dog shooter:
Sounds very loud to me. How the muzzle blast I know my 18 inch 06 is loud.

quote:

I went through a short barreled phase. But I found out soon it was not worth the noise and blast.

I don't understand this line of thinking. Proper powder selection will allow one to match the burn rate to the barrel length so as to eliminate waste. But I've yet to fire a big bore rifle that wasn't LOUD!! Simple solution ... ear plugs!

I would split the difference and go for 22" which will reduce muzzle blast and keep it balanced well.