Just got my new Interarms Mark X in 458 Win Mag and it is fast and slick; with it's synthetic stock it weighs 8.5lbs. I'm wondering how I would go about putting some weight on this gun, the synthetic stock is nothing special so I don't mind grinding on it, and I intend to cut the barrel back to 20" so balance will be a consideration. Any ideas?

Thats what mine was and I liked it!

505ED

Brownells has a neat little 5oz recoil reducer that can be epoxied in the forearm. Breako I think. They also make a standard 13oz for the butt stock.
20", what an unforgettable combination; muzzle blast and recoil. Right up my alley!

Rich
DRSS
Knowledge not shared is knowledge lost...

Have you shot it yet? I'd go shoot it before I started adding weight.

I thought mine would be pretty bad at 8.5lb and it is manageable standing, I wouldnt want to do more then 2 shots off a bench without a pad...but I'd rather carry the 8.5lb gun hunting...

I've shot it and the recoil isn't too terrible, my concern is what will happen when I lop 4" off the barrel.

i like it...
when you lop 4" off? it will get lighter, but not by much.. that's end is mostly hole!

quote:

Originally posted by Oregon45:
I've shot it and the recoil isn't too terrible, my concern is what will happen when I lop 4" off the barrel.

It will be very nice to carry and handy in the bush, but you may need : (a) A burning permit from the jurisdiction in which you shoot, and (b) stainless steel eardrums.

quote:

I've shot it and the recoil isn't too terrible, my concern is what will happen when I lop 4" off the barrel.

1) You are going to lose 50- 75 fps.velocity. Something the .458 Win mag doesn't have in excess.
2) There will be a 6 foot yellow- orange plume of fire from the muzzle when you touch one off. Really impressive in the evening!
3) The muzzle blast will be more impressive than the plume of fire!

The up side is, if you are shooting at a small animal of say 50 pounds or less, at a range of less than 50 yards, you don't even have to hit it to kill it.

Geronimo

On the .458 it is wise to keep the barrel as long as possible, then it will make you a fine killing round, but it needs the velocity as the case is short on volume.

I like 26"s and long barrels make off hand shooting much easier and long barrels settle down quicker when you are out of breath. If one wants a short tube then it should be at least a #6, that gives it the needed weight to hold steady in a winded state, but it should not be a .458 Win. IMO.

The Interarms is correct just like it is, you may add a scope/mounts, loaded with ammo, perhaps a sling, and that will get you to 9.5 pounds easy..Make it a Lott and you will need considerably more weight IMO, The Lott is a real barn buster for recoil...

The 458wm likes longer barreles, that is for sure. Most of the powders that make it perform will want the longer barrel. If you want light, hit the stock and not the barrel, a muzzle heavy rifle shoots well off hand as has been pointed out.

JPK

Turn it into a Lott, Watts, or Ackley and you won't have to have such a long barrel because you'll get as much velocity as you'll need out of any of these cases. 8.5 lbs is a bit light for a 458 Lott, but you can always add weight to the stock or load it down to win mag, 416, or 45/70 levels. You can always shoot the win mag ammo out of the Lott etc. My 458 Watts only weighs 9 pounds, and it aint too bad. That said, I don't load it up hot and shoot it off the bench everyday day either.

There would be no advantage to making a Lott, Watts, or Ackley out of .458 Winchester magnum with a 20 inch barrel IMO. In the original thread the question was how to add wt. to the gun and now we are cutting off the barrel and carving on the stock?

If he is going to lose velocity from wanting to chop the barrel it is better to start out with more then less

quote:

Originally posted by doccash:
There would be no advantage to making a Lott, Watts, or Ackley out of .458 Winchester magnum with a 20 inch barrel IMO. In the original thread the question was how to add wt. to the gun and now we are cutting off the barrel and carving on the stock?

DOCARSEHOLE-

Yes, there are in fact many advantages to converting the 458 win mag into a Lott. Some of witch I mentioned above. Versatility in terms of loading capabilities and the fact that he could shoot 458 win mags out of the Lott makes me wonder why anyone would not want to convert it to a Lott to begin with. Not to mention lower pressures and all other advantages associated with a greater case capacity.

I've heard the shorter action argument, but that's rubbish in my opinion. If you've got a big greasy critter charging at you, a modicum more of an action length aint going to make a difference (anyone is going to be pumping that thing like hell if faced with a charging situation).

Somebody else mentioned that if he cut the barrel, he would lose too much velocity for the 458 winny to be effective. My suggestion was that loading a Lott a bit hotter than the win mag will give him enough of an increase in velocity to offset velocity lost with a shorter barrel. That's just common sense, and no where did I suggest he shorten the barrel.

You'll notice that I never said anything with regards to "carving out the stock", but I did suggest that adding weight to the rifle if he converted it to a Lott would be beneficial.

Although you made a futile attempt at criticizing my and others' suggestions, I noticed you didn't contribute anything whatsoever to the thread aside from your bitching. Perhaps you should consider writing constructive posts as opposed to just being a DocARSEHOLE.

My FN Browning is 8 1/2 and its perfect. If you want to chop the barrel go ahead, the 458's about as efficient as it gets. Not like you're going to be shooting 400 yds with it.

I like all my Big Bores LIGHT & Handy!...Shorter barrels are fun too(16-20")...Go Lighter if you hunt with it as you carry them 99x more than you shoot them.When sighting in,try the Caldwell lead sled and you wont feel a thing!..Add a light Leupold 2.5 or 1-5x20 in Leupold QR mounts and your set for anything under 200 yds!.PS-They look meaner too!

IMO, add a pound-pound and a half (I like the 458 at 9.5 lbs) and cut the barrel to 21 inches. Winchester M70's in this caliber are still wacking everything on the planet and they came with 21 inch barrels.

maddenwh: Just read the original post and the rest of the thread and you will see that all I implied is that w/ a short barrel a .458 Winchester Mag.is probably about all the performance that will be attained. A 8.5 pound .458 is ok but the origional poster was wondering about adding wt. to the gun and I don't think he meant to do that by using hesvier ctgs.,IMO. I don't understand your miserable attitude, hope you have a nice day Dr.C

If you're going to shoot it a lot, make it about 9.5#. 1# difference isn't going to kill you, it might if you shoot a light gun off the bench. The break-o's are a nice way to add just a bit of weight and soften recoil. Your shoulder and neck will love it.

The recoil energy from an 8.5 pound rifle in .458 Win. Mag., assuming that you leave the barrel long enough to get you 2,150 fps with 500 grain bullets, would be about 82 ft.-lbs.

That is plenty manageable, im my experience, for a big bore DG rifle.

As others have said, I would not shorten the barrel.

I have an original H.B. Anderson 450 Watts with a 21 inch barrel. Rifle balances perfectly and points like a fine english shotgun. Very easy to carry in the heavy brush of East Texas. Velocity 2260 with factory Lott ammo.

I like my 10# Colt Sauer Grand African with its 24" bbl. The weight really helps tame recoil; the 24" bbl helps tame the blast and provides decent velocity. However, I have never had to carry it very far - it's more of a conversation piece. Lou

Recoil tolerance is a very individual matter. If you can take it ... an 8.5 pound rifle will move nicely.

I chose to build my .458 AR with a 22 inch barrel at a weight of 10 pounds ... as it can generate as much or more energy than the Lott. Balance was worked on to be good, and it points very well. At .458 WM velocities it is loud, but recoil is reasonable. It gets fiesty as the velocity increases

The .458 WM is does not perform as well as barrel lengths get shorter as the .458 AR. I'd surely not go below 22" with the .458 WM and I'd probably leave it at 24" unless you hunt in heavy cover most of the time.

If you choose to add weight, recoil reducers are good but fine lead shot can be epoxied in to achieve the balance and weight you want. I prefer that method.

Try bullets around 400 grains if appropriate for the game being hunted or for practice. Reduces the recoil considerably.

My Interarms Whitworth 458 weighs 8.5lbs and isn't bad. Another half pound wouldn't hurt though.

Yes 8.5 Lbs is a little light and high in recoil

I would think right around 84 Ft Lbs. I don't mean to say one couldn't shoot it. But the recoil will be there.

If you haven't already, try adding a limbsaver pad first -- mine's the same weight, and it's pretty pleasant to shoot, once I replaced the 20+ year old pad.

No it's not too light. That's what I'm wanting to do for my next 458. The Ruger Express in 458 Lott was too heavy.

quote:

Originally posted by maddenwh:
. Perhaps you should consider writing constructive posts as opposed to just being a *

Um yes it's me again. Now for starters the original poster never asked anyone's opinion on a calibre change, and all that type of unsolisited opinion is getting rather boreing.

Anyway, my .458WM (which will never be a Lott) is 8lbs 14ozs, which isn't too light to shoot standing.

For weight increases, ammo (4) takes her up to 9lbs 5ozs, a scope would add a bit more, and if the forend has hollow areas, some lead could be added in there. If the butstock is solid it could be easily drilled out for some more lead.

Someone mentioned the 4" of barrel wouldn't weigh much, but doesn't the extra blast cause more recoil??

My Cz589 o/u double has 24 inch barrels and weighs exactly 8.5lbs and is chambered in .458 lott.Works just fine. In fact its my absolute favorite hunting gun.-Rob

quote:

Originally posted by dirklawyer:
IMO, add a pound-pound and a half (I like the 458 at 9.5 lbs) and cut the barrel to 21 inches. Winchester M70's in this caliber are still wacking everything on the planet and they came with 21 inch barrels.

You forgot the threads on the barrel. 22" from muzzle to breech on those pushfeed/post-63 .458WinMag M70 XTR's, and that meant 2100 fps instead of 2150 fps with my old 500-grain handloads, in 22" versus 24" rifles I have tried. I like 24". 23" to 26" would be preferrable to me over anything shorter. Short barrel handiness is overblown.

.458 WinMag or .458 Lott weight: 8.5 pounds bare is perfect. With scope and mounts and ammo and sling it is going to be well over 10 pounds. You can even add some more ammo weight with a buttstock ammo carrier. You will not notice recoil in hunting. At the bench it builds character. You carry it a lot more than shoot it, elapsed time-wise.

I had a rifle just like that and planned to cut the barrel down to 20" as well. Mine was 8lb 12oz scoped. Depending on what part of Oregon you're in, a short barreled 458 would make a great short range elk rifle. That's what I planned to use mine for.

Recoil was certainly brisk off of the bench, but nothing unbearable. I think that a new recoil pad along with a PAST shoulder pad would make the gun very usable even after cutting the barrel back. I wouldn't worry about adding any more weight. It would just make the rifle more unpleasant to carry through the brush.

For what it's worth, I hope your rifle shoots better than mine. The only load I could get to shoot under 1.5" was the now discontinued 400gr X bullet. Everything else was closer to 2"-2.5".

Oregon45

I had an Interarms in 458. I liked it, I only sold it because I started using doubles. Wish I still had it.

I like short bolt rifles. I regularly hunt with a 19 3/4" 308 and 375 H&H, however I would give it a hard think before I cut down a 458.

Why do YOU want it shorter? [Remember I really like short bolt guns]

What is your intended use for the rifle?
Do you plan on scoping it?

If I was going to add weight for recoil reduction I would try and use a good recoil reducer, may be one in the forearm and one in the buttstock, might as well have some science working for you as well.

Im my Blaser R93's I use their recoil reducer when developing loads, sighting in and when I am hunting where I do not have to walk to far in rough country. On a rough country hunt I take it out.

Oops, I see where you got the 375 H&H instead.... Nevermind.

JAL abd Doccash-

quote:

Originally posted by JAL:

quote:

Originally posted by maddenwh:
. Perhaps you should consider writing constructive posts as opposed to just being a *

Um yes it's me again. Now for starters the original poster never asked anyone's opinion on a calibre change, and all that type of unsolisited opinion is getting rather boreing.

Correct, he did not ask about a caliber change, but he did ask about cutting down the barrel.

"I've shot it and the recoil isn't too terrible, my concern is what will happen when I lop 4" off the barrel."

Ray then stated that he would lose too much velocity with the win mag if the barrel was cut too short.
Ray's response..."On the .458 it is wise to keep the barrel as long as possible, then it will make you a fine killing round, but it needs the velocity as the case is short on volume."

This post clearly addresses the issue of losing velocity. I simply suggested that converting the win mag to a Lott would give you more velocity to work with. This is a fact.

So, you're right; the original post did not ask about a change in "caliber" (still be a 458 cal regardless), but I wasn't responding to his original post. I was responding to his second post and Ray's reciprocating remarks. Though my post may have been "unsolisited" (I see you still haven't invested in spell check), it was certainly relevant to the discussion.

I apologize if this post was "boring", but I felt obligated to correct your erroneous evaluation of a rather simple tangent of the conversation. It seems that it has all become moot, as he has purchased a 375. You know, with a new barrel, it wouldn't be tough to turn an H&H into a Lott.

Please leave your Mark X intact.

8.5 lbs is not too light, if you ever intend to hunt with it, and carry it.

Better to squib loads for practice if you can't stand the recoil.

quote:

Originally posted by Robgunbuilder:
My Cz589 o/u double has 24 inch barrels and weighs exactly 8.5lbs and is chambered in .458 lott.Works just fine. In fact its my absolute favorite hunting gun.-Rob

and one of mine, as well, even though its an OU

After I hunted Water Buff in OZ a few years ago ( walked my ass off for two weeks), It dawned on me that a real light, real powerfull rifle was the way to go. SafariKid and I are unanimous on this concept! You carry it all day and shoot it twice. I'll trade pain on recoil for exhaustion every time. Just try carrying a 12.5 lb double 12 miles a day in 100 degree heat and humidity ( been there and done that- OK when I was 20 not now!) When I got back I built a ultra light .458 win mag on a VZ24 action, synthetic stock, fluted barrel, integral muzzel brake, skeletonized metal work etc. Gun finished up at 7.2 lbs. Man did it shoot MOA at 100yrds and fed slick as snot! I made the mistake of letting a buddy shoot it and as usual with my stuff it developed legs. I would have hunted anything on this planet with that gun and what a pleasure to carry.-Rob