Alright, this is probably (? ) my last CZ question before I actually order the sucker next week (yippie!!).

I am getting the CZ-550 in .458 Win Mag, and was going to have it reamed to .458 Lott. However, is it possible to just have the chamber reamed to the .460 Weatherby round instead? Or would it be better to get a whole new barrel if I want that round? Please tell me I'm not nuts for wanting this!

I will be restocking the gun, with a McMillan stock. Maybe mercury recoil tubes, if people think I need 'em ??

I can always down-load to Lott/Winnie levels if needed, and would have a bit more thump. I like the extra power, plus I just meet someone here locally who has a .600 Nitro that he's gonna let me shoot!!

I will be filming THAT, since I've never shot any rifle bigger than a .22 before! Maybe I'll see if he has some reduced loads...maybe

The downside to that is the .460 will seem wimpy, plus I won't have the biggest gun! Time for a .600 OK, then I guess.

Glock,
Ask your friend with the 600 if he knows others who could let you shoot a 460 Weatherby and a 458 WinMag/Lott. Odds are he's probably connected enough to know if these others in your area. It would be fine if you could arrange to try them all out at one time -- do a real side by side comparison. When the smoke clears, it's my bet you won't have any problems with any of them being too wimpy.

Good Luck and Enjoy
EKM

Glock:
Mercury tubes, a huge recoil pad, and, a threaded muzzle brake are all great ideas.

MY 375 kicks with factory loads, and this is due to them trying to ring the max velocity out of the round, with cheap, factory powders, that kick like hell.

A 460 is going to be about 4x worse then my 375, so, prepare for the worst, download it a bit( you HAVE to reload) and it will be fine.
Pabst Magnum recoil pad for your shoulder. Pach or Kickezes best pad... etc.

Guys use such techniques on 12-20 pound 50 caliber BMG's, and post tapes that make it look like they are shooting a 30-06...

GS

The 460 is a great gun, load it down to 2200 to 2300 FPS with a 500 gr. bullet and you have a 458 Lott, very little recoil as the pressures are only about 45,000 PSI at that velocity in that big case. Actually about like a 375...

Loaded to its ultimate velocity it sucks as a Buffalo Killer IMO, bullets do funny things at that high velocity more often than most 460 owners care to admit I have noticed...

glock20rocks:

I think you need more information before you move forward.

I don't think you can just ream the chamber to convert from a 458 Winchester to a 458 Lott. You might have to open the action up as well. The physical size of the 460 Wby would preclude it from the 458 Winchester size action without extensive work. If the 460 Wby is the goal, you might be better off starting with the CZ 550 chambered in 416 Rigby and then re-barrel.

In any case I think you need more due diligence. Do a search on the Gunsmithing Forum or post for more details on the Gunsmithing Forum.

Good luck.

Buliwyf

Oh, I *WILL* be downloading this thing!
I will poke around on the Gunsmithing forum before getting this. Others here have said it just takes a chamber reaming to go from Win Mag -> Lott, and could be done with the .460. ?

G20:

I don't think you have the necessary facts to make an informed decision yet. I saw on your post that you are planning to order your rifle next week. I'd hate to see you get off on the wrong foot.

All these projects are doable, however, they are not as simple as they sometimes sound. There are some very experienced and honest people here at AR that can and will help. Give them a chance to answer all your questions before spending any dollars.

B

I will be doing alot more digging before getting any work. I'll probably still order the rifle...I can shoot it as a .458 Winnie for awhile until I can find a 'smith who can do all of the work to convert it to Lott or Wthby.

Thanks for the advice guys!

This conversion is quite workable, but make sure you have discussed it thoroughly with a COMPETENT gunsmith. The boltface will have to be opened and deepened, extractor modified and or changed, Mag box opened and it will require extensive rail and ramp reconfiguration. Rechambering requires the barrel must be removed and the chamber timed such that your CZ sights are realligned at TDC. Not trivial.The 460 WBY is an excellent cartridge but not usable for hunting past 2400fps.
Frankly a much easier and potent concept is converting a 416 Rigby CZ550 to a 500 A2. This requires no boltface mods or even extractor mods. The box works fine and all you really need is a new barrel, chamber and some minor rail and ramp work. This is a huge step up in power over a 458 lott and you can load it down to pussy cat levels and even shoot .50BMG pulls. Cost wise your way ahead. You don't need mercury recoil reducers, but for any of these you will absolutely need a second barrel mounted recoil lug. Don't even attempt one of these conversions without one. It will pound even a fiberglass stock to pieces. A Pachmeyer F990 tripple X pad will give you all the recoil reduction you need.-Rob

Glock Man,
My .460 is built on what was originally a Brno .375 rebarrelled. It was done in the late 80's but I don't recall the smith having too much of a problem with the rails, feeding, etc. He did have to modify the bolt face. As far as recoil goes, I use 110 grs of 4350 under a 500 gr Hornady and it's not bad at all. The rifle weighs right at 10.5 lbs, empty with 1.5-5 Leupold. I say go for it. Cobalt

If I wanted a 458 Lott, I would start with the 458 win mag cz and have the chamber poked out.

If I was after a 460, I'd start with the 416 Rigby CZ, and have a barrel fit and chambered as a 450 Rigby, case capacity is essentially the same as 460, and no bolt or mag mods needed. By the time you look at the costs of feed mods, and bolt work on a 458 to 460, you'll be dollars ahead having a 416 re-barreled as a 450.

If you are looking for the cheapest way to have a hard kicking gun, then get a Ruger #1 458 and have it poked out to a 460. There is no reason to start with a repeater, do an incomplete conversion, and suffer bad feeding.

You say in your post.
"I will be filming THAT, since I've never shot any rifle bigger than a .22 before!"

and yet you are talking of getting a rifle that has recoil that grown men with many years of experience shooting all sorts of shells stay away from because of the amount of recoil that they produce?

Heck, if I was out at a range with a handfull of rifles and you came up to me asking to shoot, I would be leery of giving you a 30-06 level rifle.

I cannot fathom you or any one else stepping from a .22 to a .458 Lott.

I saw a gun at my local shop the other day that you need to find. It was an H&R single shot 10 ga. with a 3 1/2 inch chamber. Find one of these monsters for about a $100.00 used and load it up with 2 oz. steel shells. Go to the local range and shoot the box of shells then on your way home stop at your gunshop and order the rifle that is right for you.

Jim B.

Hmm...the .500 A2 sounds like a really good idea. I'll poke around for a .416 now. Isn't the .500 A2 just a blown-out .460 case, though?

As for the recoil...if it don't hurt...whats the point? I hate .22's...no power what so ever. Mine had 20 rounds through it by me. I'll get a chance to shoot the .600 either this weekend or the next. Think I'll use a PAST recoil shield for that thing. Maybe I'll ask 'em for some reduced loads to start with.

Recoil has never bothered me in a handgun; I've but enough rounds through my .454 in a days trip to the range to go home with a bruised palm. Hell, my first gun was a .40 S&W. My second was a .50 AE. That's a pretty good sized jump, too. I'll be sorely disappointed if I pull the trigger on whatever rifle I get and I don't get knocked back a few feet at least. At worst, it'll just be another video along the lines of those T-Rex videos here...the difference is I'll just get right back up and do it again and again. I do have some idea what I'm getting into here, guys!
I know you're all well-intentioned, but, please, no more "it's too big for you" lectures. I can and will download the thing. Full powers are just gonna be "crowd pleasers", tree-busters, and water-melon killers. In retrospect, I should've left out my rifle experince, or been like Axel and just said I've shot just about everything Ok, well, maybe not.

I have a chance to pick up .400 H&H for $350, but am gonna pass on it. Might as well start big

Thanks for the info everyone!

[ 02-13-2003, 09:12: Message edited by: glock20rocks ]

I built my 500A2 on a 416 Rigby two or three years ago. The reamer was from JGS and barrel from Pac-Nor of course. Mine has a 26 inch barrel which tapers from 1.250 to 1 inch at the muzzel and has a integral brake. I now reccomend removable Vias brakes. All that had to be done was barrel, chamber and minor rail/ramp work ( 15 minutes worth with a file). I throated the gun separately so it would shoot 750 gr. Hornady A-maxs( single shot only). If you like recoil leave off the brake. I even salvaged the CZ stock by double crossbolting it, steel bedding everywhere and installing a stout second recoil lug. So far (300 rds) no cracks or splits in the stock. This was one of my early adventures into really powerful guns and I assure you, you won't be dissatisfied. The 500 A2 is to the 460 WBY as a 44 Mag is to a 44 special. You can load it up or down as it suits you and the effect on game is stupendous. This is a much better cartridge than the 460 WBY and reloading is a snap. Just run 460 WBY ( Norma) cases into a 500 A2 sizing die and load some full power rounds. This is a far better cartridge than even the venerable Lott or 450AcKley by a comfortable margin. It will also shoot <1 inch groups at 100 yrds for eliminating those pesky meadow grizzleys.-Rob

Thanks for the info Robgunbuilder-now I've got to find a .416 Rigby CZ! Found a .458 no problem. I will start with .458 Win Mag/Lott level loads, and work up. I may be crazy, but not stupid Well...too stupid, anyway.

Pac-Nor can do all of the work, correct? I know they'll install they barrel. But can the do the extra recoil lugs, make it feed, and install sights?

One last thing and I'll stop bugging you guys - at least until I get it and want some "pet" loads

I plan on getting a McMillan stock-is there anything special I need to tell them to do to it because of the recoil lugs, or can Pac-Nor do that? I might as well get a mercury tube installed...it'll just bump the "plinker" rounds up a bit in power If I understand right, I should avoid the A-Square made brass?

Opps...that's was two things Sorry!

Let me apoligize to everyone for snapping a few posts back. I'm tired, sick, and cranky. Didn't mean to offend anyone; I know everyones trying to help! I had planned on the .458 Lott because it could shoot the .458 Winnie loads, which according to everyone here is a real pussycat to shoot. But I figured if I just had to ream the chamber to get a Lott...why not the .460? I can download to whatever level. And now Robgunbuilder's got me wanting a .500 A2 (that was another reason I wanted the .460; if I ever got a .500 A2, I've already got brass). Getting the A2 is gonna be a bit more than I planned for, but worth it overall I think. So it'll take a bit longer to get; well I've got to wait on a stock anyway. Then I gotta wait to get it back from Pac-Nor (or SSK or whoever). More $ and more time. Worth it, though. This is waaayyy bigger than I started out planning to get (.458 Winnie!). But a little dracon in those big cases, and voila! Reduced load! Now I just gotta con my recoil-shy friends into shooting it.
"Don't worry, it's just a .22!"

Probably stupid to turn down that .400, too. Oh well. Next time...

[ 02-13-2003, 10:08: Message edited by: glock20rocks ]

Go for a 500A2! It's the entry level Big Bore! You'll love launching 750 gr A maxes at 1000 yrds!!!I know the guys at Pac-Nor really well. they will install,chamber and headspace barrels, but won't do second lugs,sights etc. Don't even attempt to fit this stuff to a Mcmillan stock without serious previous experience.
Talk to Ed at AHR( American hunting rifles). They can do 458 Lotts, 460 WBY's and 500 A2's etc even turnkey guns on CZ550 actions( figure 3 mo). It won't be cheap,( figure on $2500 to $3000 before your done) but you'll have something that works properly. Talk to Ed or John Ricks, They are some of the few people I know who know who really can help you achieve your dream!-Rob

[ 02-13-2003, 10:17: Message edited by: Robgunbuilder ]

Just ordered a CZ-550 in .416!
Should have it in a week or two (my dealers are kinda slow at getting this kinda stuff).

I'll shoot it as a .416 for awhile, until I get the $ to get it converted (hopefully only a month or two). Thanks again Robgunbuilder! Can't wait for the .500! I've seen 470Mbogo's video of the .500A2. Looks fun, fun, fun!

Maybe I should get the .600 Overkill next...

I think your wise to start with the .416 Rigby and then move up to a 500A2. They are very very different beasts. The jump to a .600 OK will be even higher. No one including me knows if its even survivable at this point! . We will know soon enough though!

[ 02-13-2003, 21:21: Message edited by: Robgunbuilder ]

G20:

Sounds like you thought this through. Good.

B

Are the Iowa's guns available as a rifle or handgun ?

Well, the whole sitution may change here, but not by much hopefully. My friend with the .600? His dad's a FFL dealer/gunsmith (who did the work on the .600). He's going to get me a list of the big-bores he has in stock (he's the one that had the .400 H&H for $350). Hopefully he has a .416 CZ

...And ANOTHER change of plans. Ran into someone selling a custom-shop .458 cheap. I'm looking at it monday. Don't know anything about, but guess I'll find out. If it's nice, I'll grab it, and get the .416->.500A2 in a couple of months. Gotta work in a BFR .475 too, since I had to sell my FA .475 awhile ago