What would you all recommend for factory ammo in a 458 Lott? Sorts and solids.

I am simply too busy to load myself. I have no interest in it.

Thanks .

Hornady

What's factory ammo???

Another vote for Hornady!

Larry: I know you know this and it's a bit expensive but buy a box of Hornady softs and solids and a box of Federal Premium softs and solids and see how your rifle likes the loads. If you have a chronograph use it to see what velocities hence muzzle energy you are getting. You may be surprised to find that your Federal solids (Trophy Bonded or Barnes) shoot close to the Hornady soft but not the Federal. The end result you try for of course is the rifle shooting one soft load and one solid load close together. Once this is done you are set. MMP

quote:

Originally posted by Hollis Perkins:
Hornady

+1

and-please-consider-learning-to-reload-as-it-increases-your-trigger-time

Larry,

Check out Superior Ammo. They will do your reloading for you. That way you can get what ever bullets you want.

465H&H

I had pretty good luck with the Hornady. It shot 2280 FPS across my chrono. Rifle has a 23" barrel. With a 24" pipe it might deliver factory claimed specs at 2300 FPS.

I order all my hunting ammo, including .458Lott from Larry at Superior Ammunition. This is factory custom ammunition, not re-loads. Pick your preferred bullet. You can even order a sample pack with three different bullets to see what your rifle likes best, or you can send your rifle to Larry and he'll work up the best load for your particular rifle.

I did buy Hornady 500 NE when I had my DR, and Steve Hornady is doing great work for large bore hunters. If I had to go to the sport shop to buy big bore ammo, it would be Hornady.

quote:

Originally posted by eezridr:
I had pretty good luck with the Hornady. It shot 2280 FPS across my chrono. Rifle has a 23" barrel. With a 24" pipe it might deliver factory claimed specs at 2300 FPS.

I chronographed Hornady 458 Lott factory ammunition through a 24" barrel on my Ruger #1. All shots were a smidge over 2300 fps (2305-2315 range IIRC).

I am not trying to start a war here but I thought i read somewhere that there were problems with some of the Hornady bullets. Does anyone recall this?

I think the "real" problems were when Hornady went with a monolithic solid some years ago. I believe that they were too brittle and the softs (perhaps without a steel cup) were flawed, too, since they expanded too much.

With the new DGS and DGX products, I think that's all fixed (for good, I hope! Hint... Hornady... don't screw with them again!)

Anyway, with the new DGS solids, I've shot elephant and buffalo in .458 Win Mag, .416 Ruger and .450 N.E.

The solids that I've recovered have been found on the offside skin of elephants and all have the characteric little poop of lead from the hole in the bottom (like a Kynoch/Woodleigh), but aren't deformed at all and penetration as always been straight as an arrow. I've not used DGS on a frontal brain shot yet. All the side-brain shots exited after telling the elephant "good night".

I've never found a DGX. All were shoot throughs, but being fair, none hit a big bone on the buffalo or other animal shot. They did leave quarter-sized exits, though. As with any bullet, I would hesitate to shoot a buffalo in a herd if others were behind the target, but I doubt a DGX will penetrate like a TSX or even a Swift A-Frame. Again, kind of like a Woodleigh???

I'll continue to use Hornady and look forward to killing an elephant with a DGS with my .404 Jeffery in late July.

My Ruger Lott and my CZ Lott both shoot excellent groups with Hornady DGS. Have not hunted with either.

Judge,
hornady did interbond, not mono ... its still a cup and core..

the dgx/s are darn good bullets

I still have some "bronze"? Hornady mono .416 "solid" bullets loaded for a .416 wildcat. I think they only made them for a year or so. I took them to Africa and killed all sorts of stuff with them. That said. They are awfully brittle and I think I was lucky. I was not refering to "softs" as mono. I also have a bunch of the "interum" softs loaded. They suck. I wouldn't shoot anything larger than a wild hog with them (and would pray that the hog didn't suffer).

If I was inartful in my post and sorry if I confused anyone.

Hornady made great solids (steel jacketed) and great softs, then they went mono on the solids and did something funky with the softs that made them softer. They realized their mistakes, corrected them, went back to steel-jacked bullets and now, IMHO, they make jam-up products for Africa.

E - you know you are VERY respected here!

Judge G,

The Hornady solids you are refering to have a lead core but don't have any steel in them. The DGS does have a steel jacket over a lead core as did the original Hornady solid.

465H&H

Hornady DGX and DGS are just fine in the Lott. The problem exists with Hornady softs coming unglued at high speeds (which the Lott is not).

I do not know why anyone would buy Federal or Norma or Kynoch. Custom made ammo from Superior and others is actually a lot cheaper and probably better made.

I've found a big advantage to reloading the big bores is the ability to download them for practice. One can actually run a box through without jarring the rifle/scope or your fillings loose. Not only is it a lot easier on the rifle but you don't feel like you've done 15 rounds with Mike Tyson.

NORMA with the 550grn Woodleigh bullets.

quote:

Originally posted by ozhunter:
NORMA with the 550grn Woodleigh bullets.

The Norma web site only lists the 500 gr. bullet for the Lott. Do you know something that we don't?

465H&H

Double Tap is the only manufacturer I know of who markets the 550gr Woodies. I haven't used them.

You guys must all make a WHOLE lot more money than I do... there is no way in the world I am buying factory Lott ammo!

Hornady loads with the 500 grain DGS and DGX bullets have been and would be my choice for factory loads in the Lott.

These are good bullets and Hornady loads them to real Lott velocity of right at 2,300 fps (at least in my rifle).

I would go with Hornady.My decision is based on the confidence I have gained using there components in my reloads and having used their 458 lott ammo to take both first shots on my last buff hunt.Hornady cases make accurate loads,and hold a crimp better than Norma cases,IMO.Their new bullets are also tough to beat and they are famous for making ammo with plenty off punch such as their light magnum series.

quote:

Originally posted by 465H&H:

quote:

Originally posted by ozhunter:
NORMA with the 550grn Woodleigh bullets.

The Norma web site only lists the 500 gr. bullet for the Lott. Do you know something that we don't?

465H&H

In the catalog writing of Norma, that come standard when 458 Lott cartridges loaded with bullets of 550 grains.

Oscar.

Here is the URL of catalog:

http://www.norma.cc/imagasin2011/es/magazine.html

Oscar.

My apology's, Its only the 450rimless with the 550grners.

According to a rep I spoke w/ at Hornady, the Dangerous game ammo is actually hanloaded and not produced like their other ammo.
You can go to Michael458's Terminal bullet thread in the Big Bore forum to see his results if you need more info.

The Hornady 458 Lott ammunition gets the advertised velocity in my Ruger #1. It is much cheaper than the Norma or Federal. Hornady has always worked for me.

Just trying to find more info on the Hornady DGS and DGX in 458 Lott, there have been a few detractors but overall this thread sounds positive.

Anyone else got anything to add?

I`ve used Hornady 458 Lott ammo to take two buff.Both shots with the solid.I was very pleased by it and would use it again without hesitation.

I would recommend Woodleighs over the Hornadys. The front-end of the Hornadys seems more prone to disintegrating than on the Woodleighs, which give a much better mushroom. Some of the Sydney boys have done extensive testing on this. I only have one experience to put me off the Hornadys.

http://www.cheaperthandirt.com/product/6-0315319
http://www.midwayusa.com/produ...-flat-base-box-of-20

I love Hornady ammo, particularly their superformance stuff. After I did some testing last year (2950fps average with 165's GM's out of a 22" barreled 30-06) I decided I won't buy a rifle again that I can't buy Hornady superformance for. If only they'd do a good load for my 35 whelen ackley improved.

Superior ammo would be a great solution, I'd love to use them to save me so much range time, develop a load and give it to me and I'll duplicate it. unfortunately I'm a normal person that has two kids and lots of bills.

Red

Larry,

I used the Hornadys for several seasons in my previous Lott for back-up work and some numbers reduction shooting on buffalo over here in Aus.

They chronyed an average of 2240fps out of the barrel of my (now long gone) CZ 550.

The semi-meplat frontal area on the softs seems to transfer much more energy to the target than many other projectiles I had tried up to that point, and certainly noticeably more so than from my own handloads with Woodleighs.

Despite contradicting reports I have not had any (softs) fail in terms of shedding their cores or failing to penetrate adequately BUT, in saying that, at extreme close range (< 15yds), and at full Lott velocity, they are on the very edge of their performance envelope.

If I were expecting to be doing a LOT of work on say buffalo at 20yds or less I would want to place my faith on a tougher bullet (that's my opinion).
Once the velocity has decreased a bit they work fine.

I only had the occasion to use a dozen or so of the solids and over that test sample they seemed fine and perhaps (up until that point) were the best solid I had used.

Hope that helps some,

Paul.

Paul with Nosler 458 Lott ammunition loaded with 500g Partitions and Barnes Vortex 458 Lott ammunition loaded with 500g TSX bullets selling for $20 more a box than Hornady, do you think spending the extra $20 is worthwhile? I shoot a 500 Jeffery so the question is academic for me at least (can't afford to buy ammo at $20 a cartrige lol).

Chuck, for me personally the Nosler Partition has never figuered into the thick-skinned game scenario, and not only would I not pay extra for it but I would simply not use it if it were given to me for free.

The Triple Shok is a very good to great bullet light years ahead in performance from its nearest cup and core rival.

Several years ago I bought three "bricks" (200 rounds per) of Federal Premiums in .375 loaded with the Triple Shoks for our camp loan rifles at $180 per packet (5 packets per brick !!).
We are still using this ammo, about half way through, and it's never let me, or the hunters using it, down.

If I were forced to use factory ammo, as Larry is, I would be looking towards the Vortex, especially so in the Lott.
At only $20 per packet above the Hornady's, not only is it worth it (considering the overall costs of an overseas buffalo hunt thesedays) but it's a bargain compared with what we're paying down here.

Cheers,

Paul.

Out of my Ruger in .458 Lott, the DGX didn't provide the performance that I was expecting. I never got a chance to the DGS. While I killed the buffalo with the DGX, the 2 bullets we recovered didn't fare too well. The factory ammo out of my Ruger chrono'd at 2237 and shot well but I personally think that the jacket material is too brittle. The first bullet we recovered had started to mushroom and the mushroom sheared off of the bullet ahead of the ogive. Velocity on my handloads through the chrono were 2254 fps and very consistent. The second bullet had sheared off at the cannelure for most of the circumference of the bullet except for about 1/3 of the jacket material was still standing without any lead left. Have heard good reports from the PH's about the DGS but the ones I hunted with don't like the DGX very much. Just my .02

Are the DGXs in the .458 ammo built any sturdier than those loaded in the .450 NE? Thet like to blow up in the .450; I pulled this one out of a buffalo last August and would be very hestitant to try them at 2300.

Larry ask guys from Brooklands/Save/Zim - DGX Lott frontal on buff - same story as Dogleg's...