Does anyone here know of 600 grain soft and solid bullets suitable for dangerous game in .45 caliber? Thinking of building a .460 G&A. Thanks.

Whitworth

The Barnes "Original" is a 600gr SN in .458 but it does not come as a solid to my knowledge.

Woodleigh makes some of the finest bullets available but they're 550gr. They have very heavy bonded jackets in both SN and FMJ. I'd go with the Woodleigh solid if DG was on my list.

The 460 G&A would just have enough case capacity to launch the 600 grainer at decent velocities. On the other hand, the 450 Rigby will definitely have the case capacity to do the same. Depending on how long your magazine box is and how much clearance your action has for the loaded round would determine how much horsepower you can harness in the rifle. To me, the 600 gr. bullet just encroaches too much on most cases and limits the powder capacity as they sit in there way too deep. Anyways, good luck on your project.

Agree about the amount of powder space the 600 grain bullet uses; with my 450 ackley and a max load of WW748, I was able to achieve 2150 fps out of a 23" barrel - kinda peppy and very good groups at 50 yards using the Barnes original - lots of .458" bullets exist, have fun and experiment until you find the combination you like best. KMule

IMHO,

the lott and the like is for 50 ggr woodleigh's and if you want the bigger .458's like the weatherby & Rigby then that case capacity is best served by launching a heavier bullet at the lott velocity, the 550 woodleigh's are suited to that purpose I reckon.

Thanks for the advice, guys, much appreciated. I have a .375 that I would like to turn into a stopper and my first choice was the Lott, but I want something that is significantly stronger than my .416 Rem and IMHO, the Lott hits with more authority than the .416 definitely, but not greatly. So I figured a 600 grain .45 cal bullet at around 2300 fps would do the trick, hence the .460 G&A. I only have a .375-length action to work with. The Lott would definitely be more economical. What kind of velocity in your opinions could one achieve using 550 grain bullets in the Lott? Would 2300 fps be possible. Just trying to explore all of my options. Thanks again.

Whitworth

Well, I think that with a 550 gr bullet, you'll probably just get 2200 f/s if you're lucky. Most guys are barely getting 2300 f/s with their Lott's and using 500 grainers. When I reload and try to match factory velocities, I always seem to run into pressures and have compressed loads. I guess I just don't have the knack after 30-some-odd years of playing around with reloading. Maybe you'll luck out and find the right combination.

I really don't think you are going to get more killing power out of a 45 caliber by going up in bullet weight. 500 gr @ 2300 fps is about as good as it gets. If you really want more gun, than build a 50, but, then you'll need a bigger action.

I haven't loaded 550 gr in a lott, but from my previous experience with 500 gr bullets, I found 2300 fps was a prudent max, and would expect roughly a 10% loss in velocity for the 10% heavier bullet, and hence 2100 fps for 550 gr bullets, maybe a tad more, maybe a tad less.

I'd also agree that if you want to launch a 600 gr bullet at say 2200 fps from a 45, then you really should consider a 450 Rigby, 450 Dakota or 460 Weahterby. The 460 G&A has been discussed several times before, and it does have the shortcoming of a marginally sufficient shoulder, not to mention the hassles of a wildcat.

If you really want something much more powerful than a 416, then go for it. Don't constrain yourself with the action you have at hand, and action is a relatively small price compared to the whole cost of the project. You can pick up a CZ-550 magnum action for $500-600, and then be set for a 450 Rigby, or 500 A-sq.