Guys, what do you think are the most "practical" of the big bores? Here are my votes:

1. The .500 A-Square. Readily available premium bullets and cases, fits nicely into a .70 bolt face with no problem, only requires some simple modifications to a .416 Rigby action and can be loaded down to make it much more shootable.

2. The .450 Rigby or Dakota. Readily available cases and both premium and cheap bullets for practice, fits nicely into a .70 bolt face and only requires some simple modifications to a .416 Rigby action.

3. 9.3X62 Mauser. I know this is not really a "big" bore but it shoots like one is is so practical it's funny. Cheap cases, premium and cheap bullets for practice. Light and and easy to carry. Excellent cartridge.

Dave

I've not owned a 9.3 and in spite of it's fine performance I do not consider any cartridge under 40cal to be a real big bore. That said, I've owned both the 500 A/S and a 450 Dakota. I prefer the 45cal, all things considered. The bullets are cheaper and more available, penetration is likely better and recoil is more easily dealt with in a rifle light enough for an average guy to carry all day.

I think the most practical big-bore is the .458 Lott. It will do everything asked of it.......

If you like the 500 A-Square why not replace the the 450 Rigby or Dakota with the 460 Wby...

IMHO:

.500 A-Square is the most practical of the .500 and up class for the reasons cited. And 570-600 grains at 2,500 fps is truly awesome firepower.

.458 Lott is the most practical of the .458s - it has all the power that's needed - and if more is wanted - IMHO it's better to go up in bullet diameter than powder capacity.

.375 H&H Mag. is the most practical otherwise for obvious reasons.

Of course, since I own, shoot and hunt with rifles in these calibers, I may be biased.

quote:

Originally posted by mrlexma:
IMHO:

.458 Lott is the most practical of the .458s - it has all the power that's needed - and if more is wanted - IMHO it's better to go up in bullet diameter than powder capacity.

.375 H&H Mag. is the most practical otherwise for obvious reasons.

mrlexma:

The Lott is indeed very practical. However, I guess the reason that I prefer the .450 Rigby/Dakota over the Lott is that you can get more velocity with the bigger cartridges at considerably lower pressures and, in the hot African sun, pressure is the name of the game. I think that AHR is pretty busy right now re-chambering Lotts to .450 Rigbys since Jamison began turning our .450 Rigby brass. I predict that in the end, the .450 Rigby will eclipse the Lott now that good brass is readily available.

The .375's, like the 9.3's, are not really bigs but they are excellent as well. I have both but have come to prefer the old Mauser cartridge.

Dave

quote:

Originally posted by Whitworth:
I think the most practical big-bore is the .458 Lott. It will do everything asked of it.......

+1

Keith

I thought the Lott was a medium bore

I would love to have a nice lott like yours Hog Killer

I guess you need to define "practical" for the folks.

The 500 A2 is the lott of the 1/2" class.

I say there needs to be some more 550 Magnums out there.

.404 Jeffery. The Gentleman's Round.

well, hit my signature...

of the commerical rounds, the 458 lott is the most practical. the 458 AR does all teh same things in a short action.

all of the various .510 shooters... well, only the 500 AR fits in a standard length action, fullstop. Not even the 500 jeffe actualy FITS in a 3.4" mag.

But, if you want THE most practical, it is the 458 Lott.

IMNSHO, the 470 Mbogo is the BEST all around big bore cart.

I'm having a 450 Rigby built right now on a Satterlee mauser action.

Doesn't practical also mean that ammo is readily available for it?

quote:

Originally posted by Whitworth:
Doesn't practical also mean that ammo is readily available for it?

Quite good point.
Maybe a .458 Winchester Magnum is more readily available. A .416 Remington or .375HH is maybe also a little easier to get ammo to if by any reason you have either lost or used all your ammo in the bush.

GO TEAM 500 AR! (That bannana just cracks me up)

quote:

Originally posted by Dave Bush:
Guys, what do you think are the most "practical" of the big bores? Here are my votes:

1. The .500 A-Square. Readily available premium bullets and cases, fits nicely into a .70 bolt face with no problem, only requires some simple modifications to a .416 Rigby action and can be loaded down to make it much more shootable.

2. The .450 Rigby or Dakota. Readily available cases and both premium and cheap bullets for practice, fits nicely into a .70 bolt face and only requires some simple modifications to a .416 Rigby action.

3. 9.3X62 Mauser. I know this is not really a "big" bore but it shoots like one is is so practical it's funny. Cheap cases, premium and cheap bullets for practice. Light and and easy to carry. Excellent cartridge.

Dave

Jap (Olin-Kodensha? or BC Miroku?) repro of Winchester Mod. 1895 in kal. .405.

.416 Remington. It shoots flat enough to make 200yd. shots on plains game, and hits hard enough to take down dangerous game quickly. It is also available in trimmer rifles than the .416 Rigby.

By the way, Dave, don't EVER drag one of those icky medium-bores in here again!

George

.500 Magnum is about like driving family to a supermarket in 18 wheeler!

quote:

Originally posted by Dave Bush:
mrlexma:

The Lott is indeed very practical. However, I guess the reason that I prefer the .450 Rigby/Dakota over the Lott is that you can get more velocity with the bigger cartridges at considerably lower pressures and, in the hot African sun, pressure is the name of the game. I think that AHR is pretty busy right now re-chambering Lotts to .450 Rigbys since Jamison began turning our .450 Rigby brass. I predict that in the end, the .450 Rigby will eclipse the Lott now that good brass is readily available.

Dave

Dave,

The Lott beats the Rigby in terms of .458" practicality, I think.

Neither the Lott nor any other high powered rifle round has any pressure problems whatsoever these days. The best and most suitable of today's powders do not show any significant pressure increases when the temperature goes up.

And 100-150 fps more velocity - which is what the Rigby gives you over the Lott using 500 grain bullets - does not, IMHO, represent any appreciable increase in killing or stopping power. I think that to get appreciably better performance in that regard you need a bigger diameter bullet, not just a little more velocity in the same caliber.

Plus the Lott does not burn as much powder or kick as much as the .450 Rigby.

And finally, the Lott can be had in a genuine six shooting bolt rifle (I have one), while the Rigby is generally a four banger. I love magazine capacity!

All that makes the Lott my choice.

When I wanted more power than my Lott offered, I went to a .500 A-Square rather than a .450 based on the Rigby or Weatherby case. If I am going to go with as big an action as that case requires, I want some BANG for my trouble.

And I stopped at the .500 A-Square, because beyond it the returns diminish very rapidly.

The most practicle Big Bore for Bolt rifles is the 458 Lott, IMHO.

Ammo is widely avialable and in an emergency you can shoot 458 Win Mag as well, a BIG plus.

Brass is easy to get, and is not too expensive.

It has enough power for the big stuff up close.
Loaded at 2150fps it has controlable recoil and low pressure as well.

All the best bullets come in .458 diameter, and cheaper .458 bullets are avialable for practice.

Also lighter bullets for lesser game, and even lighter bullets and lead bullets for smaller lesser game and practice [with less recoil] are found anywhere and are relatively inexpensive.

Also as these lighter bullets are designed to work at lower velocities even with your lighter, fun to shoot loads you still get great game performance.

Also if you want to drive lighter bullets at the max velocity possible, there are .458 bullets that are designed for that application also.

PS. I like the .458 bore for a double rifle as well, for the same reasons.

The .500a2 is IMHO the most practical and exciting of the big bores. Remember you can throttle it down to 50-70 ballistics or up to launching 647 gr Millitary .50BMG bullets at 2400fps or so. Cheap and lots of fun! Its really easy to get a .500a2 to work properly and the source brass is readily available. On game you'll see the difference in performance! Besides .458 Lotts are a dime a dozen and basically boring.-Rob

quote:

Originally posted by Robgunbuilder:
Besides .458 Lotts are a dime a dozen and basically boring.-Rob

OK Rob, if the Lott is boring you. Then ship me your O/U CZ, and I will pay the actual shipping.

Keith

Without a doubt, the .458 Lott - for the reasons stated above by Tony.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Robgunbuilder:

Besides .458 Lotts are a dime a dozen and basically boring.-Rob[

/QUOTE]

David, David, David, how many times do I have to tell ya, it's the 505 Gibbs, 416 Rigby and the 338 Win Mag.

quote:

Originally posted by Robgunbuilder:
Besides .458 Lotts are a dime a dozen and basically boring.-Rob

Practical - adjective
1) adapted or designed for actual use; useful:
2) engaged or experienced in actual practice or work:
3) capable of or suitable to being used or put into effect; useful:
4) Level-headed, efficient, and unspeculative.
5) Guided by practical experience and observation rather than theory;

Example: "Shit, the airlines lost my luggage. Where the hell am I going to find ammo for my 500a2 in Bwanaville, Africa? I wish I had brought something more practical.."


As cool as the 500 a2 is (and I wish I had one), the 458 Lott fits the definition of 'practical'.

LOL!! Exactly, Akalinin!!

World wide.....?

That would be a SxS double rifle w/QD scope mounts in caliber 9.3x74R

quote:

Originally posted by AzGuy:
World wide.....?

That would be a SxS double rifle w/QD scope mounts in caliber 9.3x74R

Big-bore, AzGuy, not a pipsqueak!!

quote:

Originally posted by akalinin:

quote:

Originally posted by Robgunbuilder:
Besides .458 Lotts are a dime a dozen and basically boring.-Rob

Practical - adjective
1) adapted or designed for actual use; useful:
2) engaged or experienced in actual practice or work:
3) capable of or suitable to being used or put into effect; useful:
4) Level-headed, efficient, and unspeculative.
5) Guided by practical experience and observation rather than theory;

Example: "Shit, the airlines lost my luggage. Where the hell am I going to find ammo for my 500a2 in Bwanaville, Africa? I wish I had brought something more practical.."


As cool as the 500 a2 is (and I wish I had one), the 458 Lott fits the definition of 'practical'.

.....


.,So have both and bring both ...

Practical big bore = 416REM

In my opinion the 416 is the best all round - be it Rem, Rigby or Wby.
I have the 416 Wby and have used it for everything from duiker to rhino with 100% satisfaction.. It is the rifle I ALWAYS bring with me to Afrika no matter what I am hunting..

Not that it's my favorite, but to my mind the .416 Rem is the most practical and verstile big bore; the Remington provides the most bang for the buck (pun intended),and it's a factory round. The 458 Lott is practical but not as versatile.

The 416 Rem shoots flat enough for plains game and plenty big for anything else. Unless others have a different definition of practical, there is nothing practical about the 450 Rigby, 500 A Square, 404 Jeffery and their ilk. The guns and ammo they shoot are expensive, heavy and their use is limited outside of stopping the charge of a runaway cement truck.

Although most don't consider the 375s and 9.3s large bores, they have been successfully used in the at capacity for years and are very practical.

Lou

The .416 Remington is a fantastic cartridge. I had one and loved it but, like my beloved 8mm Remington Magnum, the .416 Remington is basically moribund. It is only available from the Remington custom shop and I an unaware of any factory CRF guns available in that caliber.

Gumboot and Mrxlema are right about the Lott. It is very practical. However, most guys get them in either a CZ or a Ruger Safari Magnum. Both of those actions will accommodate much larger cartridges. If you can easily accommodate a .450 Rigby which will give you more velocity at CONSIDERABLY LOWER PRESSURE, why not get the bigger cartridge? Putting a Lott in a CZ or a Ruger is a bit like putting a pinto motor in a Mustang GT!

Dave

My 2 cents-I agree with several of the above post,buttttt,Why be practical Its not my nature ...Go with the biggest you can handle Uncomfortably!

Isn't the 458 Lott and the 450? pretty much the same.

quote:

Originally posted by jro45:
Isn't the 458 Lott and the 450? pretty much the same.

Only in the sense that they both shoot .458 bullets!

Dave,

The model 70 is not a very good candidate for the .500 A-Square or any cartridge with a rim diameter larger than the standard belted magnum diameter of .532".

The maximun rim diameter of the .500 A-Square is .579", add to that about .010" clearence for feeding and you are at .589". With a bolt face of that diameter you loose most of the protrusion which is opposite the extractor. Without this protrusion you loose your control round capability. You also will have extraction problems because the cartridge can slide out from under the extractor and lay in the ejection port.

Headache

Practical?

Seems to me the biggest "practical caliber" is about .458" ... not much bullet selection in others.

The difference between the .416s and the .458s is pretty significant.

Ammo availability and the ability to use .458 WM surely drives the decision to the Lott.

All that being said ... I sure to like my .458 AR! We'll see how it works on game this year I hope.

The Lott is taking over.Always with enough gun whatever the situation.The Lott is like the 300WM of Africa.

Shootaway, I am not sure that I agree.

A couple of years ago the Lott was the "go to" of the .458's but that situation has changed dramatically since Jamison started making .450 Rigby brass. At one time, we had both the .416 Remington and the .416 Rigby. Now, the Rigby has clearly taken over. I think the same thing is going to happen with the .458 Lott and the .450 Rigby. I think the Lott is going to fade in favor of the bigger Rigby cartridge. I think the .450 Dakota will hang around but will not be as popular as the Rigby.