What powders do best with 350 grain bullets in the lott ?

I have never shot 350 gr. bullets in the 458 Lott but I have always gotten the highest velocity with IMR-4320 with 450 and 500 gr. bullets so you might check your reloading book as see if it works with those light bullets.

I know that the Hornady 350 gr. bullet would come apart like a bomb at full velocity in a 458 Lott, as it is a tad soft at 45-70 max loads on Bushbuck, and very destructive on the two I shot with the 45-70 some years back.

I would think .458 Swift A-Frame 350 Grain Bonded Flat Nose and .458 Woodleigh 350 Grain Bonded Weldcore Round Nose bullets would hold together at max velocity from the LOTT.

Load data I've seen for the LOTT using 350 Grain bullets achieve 2700+ fps using H-4198, RL-7 and RL-10X.

VVN-530 is the best there is according to my experience, dont know whether you can get it?

6493,
I don't believe that Swift or Woodleigh makes a 350 gr. bullet for the 458 Win or 458 Lott..

Swift makes a 400 gr. for the 45-70.

Correct me if I'm wrong as my reloading books may be outdated.

Ray, you are correct. Both bullets were designed for the 45-70 but they will work in the 458 Win and 458 Lott. I would not use them for Cape Buffalo or Elephant but they should be good for thin skinned game. I think the Lott loaded with the Swift bullet would make a fine big Bear round.

I haven't found specific loading data for the 458 Lott using the Swift or Woodleigh 350 gr. bullets but there is enough loading data for other 350 gr. bullets to help you determine a starting load.

Launchin the CEB Non-cons in 295 grain, I achieved about 2806 fps using RL 10x. I have a bunch of different powders loaded behind the light-for-caliber bullets CEB offers, namely the 250 and 295 grainers and I'll have to get back to you on which powder seems to do best. I'm out of town right now but can check for you tomorrow what I'm using. Also check out Michael458's website for a really good list of his experience with light-for-caliber loads in .458.

-John

From the horse's (Woodleigh's) mouth.

"As a general rule Woodleigh RN and PP bullets generate similar pressures to conventionally constructed soft nose bullets. You can use published data from other bullet and powder manufacturers. For safety, reduce by 5% and work up. Ensure that the case neck has a good grip on the bullet."