You had said in the 458 thread that you thought the 458 was " is on the marginal side velocity-wise, and it would be the last of on the list of my choice for buffalo." My question is... What do you consider a decent velocity for 458s, and what 458 cartridges might you choose?
Thank you Saeed.

I have no idea what Saeed's answer will be, but the old British formula was that for DG you should shoot a bullet of at least .400" diameter with a sectional density of at least .300 and a muzzle velocity of at least 2150 fps. Obviously the .577 NE and .600 NE fall short of those criteria, but rules were meant to be broken.

A lot of .458 Win Mag rifles have difficulty pushing a 500 grain bullet past 2000 fps, and some only break 1900 fps, leading to insufficient penetration in some cases. So with the .458 Win Mag, there is something to be gained by doing down to a 450 grain bullet and increasing velocity. Also, since the case is so small, a guy using a .458 WIn Mag may want to avoid monolithic solids which are longer than lead core solids and therefore take away some powder capacity.

In the July issue of Rifle Magazine Phil Shoemaker tested the 458 Lott against the 458 Win mag. It sure shows how little difference there is between the two. GOOD READING.
Phil quotes D'Arcy and his findings also.

Have have not been able to find the issue of Rifle that has Mr. Shoemaker's article. Did this just come out? Maybe it hasn't made it to the magazine rack yet?

quote:

Originally posted by WORLDHUNTER1:
In the July issue of Rifle Magazine Phil Shoemaker tested the 458 Lott against the 458 Win mag. It sure shows how little difference there is between the two. GOOD READING.
Phil quotes D'Arcy and his findings also.

I would have to question this work. With 10-15 extra grains of powder, the Lott gets more velocity. Perhaps he did not push the Lott as hard as he pushed the Win. Mag.?

I just finished reading this article and admit that it was somewhat of an eye opener. Phil is a straight shooter and I'm sure his numbers could be verified. I've owned a Lott and the velocities listed in the article match up pretty well with my own findings for that cartridge. IMO, if the 458 isn't making you happy, there are much better 45cal chamberings to use than a Lott.

I will have to look for that mag., not many stores carry a good selection of outdoor mags here in Fresno.

I have a question, what is wrong with using a 450g bullet in the 458 win like Northfork makes? SD is .305, shouldn't this be enough, if it could be driven at 2250 or so?

Red
PS
yes, my 458 win is in the process of becoming a lott but that is to drop the pressure down nice and comfortable level.