El Cheapo Magnifico CZ 550 Safari Magnum 458 Lott has been given another pet name. First I thought this DGR should be called a CRAP-DGR, for CheapReliableAndPowerful, but thought DaggaRifle was nicer, since I really do like the concept, Lux stock and all.

Here are some starting loads for the newly born DaggaRifle. Just 3 shots with each load, so just ballpark validity so far. These were chronographed 15 feet from the muzzle, temperature 92 degrees F in the shade, factory express sights, 50 yard target. I am sticking to two of my favorite powders: IMR 3031 for 350 grainers and RL-15 for 500 grainers. F215 primer, 25" barrel. Brass: HDS cases for all 350 grain bullet loads, old Barnes Ammo basic cases used for 500 grain bullet loads (very similar in case weight to BeLL brass which I am saving for final loads).

500 grain bullets with 80.0 grains RL-15:
*************************************************
Hornady Steel FMJ/solid (maybe Woodleigh equiv.):
vel = 2171 fps
Sd = 6 fps
acc = 1"

Swift A-Frame:
vel = 2146 fps
Sd = 14 fps
acc = 1/2" (3 bullets in two holes, center to center group)

Barnes X:
vel = 2159 fps
Sd = 10 fps
acc = 1-3/4"

Hornady RNSP:
vel = 2105 fps
Sd = 6 fps
acc = 1-3/8"

350 grain bullets with IMR 3031, 80-82 grains:
**********************************************
Hornady RNSP:
*************
80.0 grains IMR 3031
vel = 2403 fps
Sd = 1 fps
acc = 1-1/4"

81.0 grains IMR 3031
vel = 2433 fps
Sd = 15 fps
acc = 1-5/8"

82.0 grains IMR 3031
vel = 2443 fps
Sd = 5 fps
acc = 1-1/4"

Barnes X:
*********
80.0 grains IMR 3031
vel = 2371 fps
Sd = 9 fps
acc = 1-7/8"

Again, note these are just three shot strings for each load, just a starting point.

Ever notice how the Barnes manual velocities seem to be overstated, usually by 100 to 150 fps for a given powder charge?

My projection for further testing is up to 85 grains of RL-15 with the 500 grain bullets, maybe giving 2300 fps with the Hornady or Woodleigh steel jacketed solids.

Others have been there and done that, but how many with a DaggaRifle?

Is there a question here or has that Lux stock shortened your attention span?!!!!!

I'll e-mail you what I came up with using 4320. But I may have done that already, as my short term memory has done to pot!!

Will

What a Wus! Where are those 2400fps/500 gr loads? These loads are .458 win mag stuff. I hope they are for fireforming only! They will bounce off any decent Buff! Go for more horsepower!-Rob

Yee haa! I think I will get the goats of you two geezers by posting some starting loads for the 470 Capstick next. They pick up where the 470 NE left off.

William,
Punch drunk from your 9.9 # Heymie? I do not believe I was on the list to get any special information from you, except for the elephant hunting article you wrote, for which I am thankful, as I have yet to see issue one of _African Hunter_ via the slow boat from Zimbabwe.

I am avoiding IMR 4320 in order to make use of RL-15 and get my powder inventory minimized in the near future. KISS principle. The literature is replete with 4320 loads, THE POWDER for 458 Lott.
If you have any RL-15 data let me know, or don't.

Robert,
Of course these are fire forming loads for my never used old Barnes Ammo basic brass necked down to .458. I bought a bunch of it back in the 1980's, still brassy in the MTM storage boxes.

This does pick up where the 458 WinMag left off. The 500 grain loads, though starting loads, would be adequate for anything the old standard Nitro Express ballistics covered, and that is indeed anything. Fun to shoot too. In the manner of your hyperbole, 500 grains at 2400 fps would be nothing compared to some of my play. I would never push the DaggaRifle to such velocity as you suggest.

I will go back and look at any RL-15 loads posted recently for the 458 Lott and see if I can extrapolate these down to my low level for comparison.

Keep the fan mail coming y'all and be safe.

Ron,

I worked up to 87 gr of RL 15, CCI 250 and hornady 500 gr soft in my 458 lott, it clocked 2280 fps from a 21 1/2" ported barrel.

For 350 gr bullets I used RL 7, and it worked very well, though I don't recall the loads off the top of my head, velocity was 2400-2500, I was looking for accurate mild recoiling loads

Will,
I got the nice graph of "Vel.(fps)" as a function of "Powder Charge/IMR4320 (gr.)" for the "458 Lott/CZ 550" and 500 grain bullets: Hornady 500 gr. FMJ and Speer 500 gr. AGS solid.

The divisions on your graph are in increments of 50 fps and 5 grains of powder, so eyeballing the functions is not extremely precise (DaggaRon got out the ruler).

It looks like you lost about 115 fps by shortening the barrel from 25" to 22" as indicated by the graph: the 500 grain Hornady FMJ was doing about 2390fps and dropped to about 2275 fps by chopping the barrel 3". This with 87.5 to 88 grains of 4320 or thereabouts?

Likewise the Speer 500 gr. AGS dropped only about 85 fps by the the 3" chop, from about 2360 fps to 2275 fps. This with 90 grains of IMR4320!

From your graph, it looks like 83.0 grains of IMR4320 would give 2240 fps in the 25" barrel with the 500 gr. Hornady FMJ.

Nice linear functions for both bullets. The Hornady getting about 30 fps more for each 1.0 grain increment of IMR 4320, and the Speer very close to the same with only a slightly lesser slope.

I do see that you started at 80.0 grains of IMR 4320, with the Hornady 500 gr. FMJ, and got about 2145 fps or very close to 2150 fps, with the 25" barrel.

I started at 80.0 grains of RL-15 with the same bullet and barrel length and got 2171 fps.

Of course this is only for three shots on a 92 F day in the shade, for my PRELIMINARY work.

Still, it looks like I have real potential for higher velocity.

Might I ask what brass and primer were used and what the temperature was that day?

Might I also remind you that Jack Lott recommended 83.0 grains of IMR4320 as a "best" load?

Le'ssee ... 83.0 grains of RL-15 ... 500 grain Hornady FMJ ... maybe 2261 fps in the DaggaRifle?

Paul H,
Le'ssee ... 87.0 grains of RL-15 ... 2381 fps in the DaggaRifle?

Bit over the top for a "wus" like me maybe.

Sorry, make that "Wus."

The 458 lott I had was 9#'s, though it did have a ported barrel. The new owner had a synthetic stock fit, and it now weighs in at 8 1/4#'s. That rifle did have a goodly bit of freebore, so that load might simply be too hot for your rifle.

I don't recall where I started my RL 15 loads at, but as I recall I took Finn Aagards max loads in the 458 win as starter loads for the lott.

I may simply be sick but I didn't detect that much increase in recoil between the 2100 and 2280 fps loads. I will say that two 3 shot groups off the bench were enough to educate me to the fact that it was not a gun to be shot off the bench put an elevated pad to rest your forearm grip, and shoot it standing up, and it wern't bad at all to shoot.

DaggaRon:

I settled on 81 gr./ 4320, which gives about 2300 fps w/AGS, as a compromise between velocities and very compressed loads. This was on a relatively cool day (~60 F??)...with Bell brass and CCI 250 primers.

Now to get a chance to mow something down with it. The only thing I don't like about the CZ is the tiny, slick bolt knob; I should try to get this fixed soon.

Have fun.

Will

Will,
By your previous data for the 22" barrel and the fact of the compressed load with the Speer solid getting 2300 fps, do you mean 91.0 grains of IMR 4320?

Yes, 91 grs. I told you my STM has gone to hell!

Will

[ 07-10-2002, 16:32: Message edited by: Will ]

83 Grains RL-7 for 2,770 - 350 X (.5")
78 Grains RL-7 for 2,450+ - 450 X & SS (.5")

BRNO - .458 Lott 25" Barrel - Moly Coated Bullets
No signs of high pressure with any of these loads. They were MAX in my rifle only because additional powder gave no worthwhile velocity gains or the groups opened up.

I have done a lot of testing with IMR-4320 in the 458 Lott and I consider it the ONLY powder to use with hi velocity charges least you get back into the compaction problem....

Out of my 26" barrel (kriger) Win. M-70 drop box.

1. my favorite load was and is 84 grs. of Imr-4320 with a Fed 215 primer and any 500 gr. soft of solid for a 10 shot av. of 2356.

2. I went to 86 grs. same as above for 2511 FPS and got one big extractor mark, too hot..85 was a little warm and 84 was fine, so I cut one more to 83 grs for hunting an settled on that at 2344 av. for 10 and that was the one I used..I cut to 82 with a solid to bring them together but I never chronographed the solid but it was at least 2300 I'm sure.....

the Lott is what the 458 Win should have been all along...It's a grand caliber for those who can shoot it. It will cave in an elephant with a shoulder shot and slays buffalo like the hammer of Thor. If the 505 is better, which it may well be, but I couldn't tell it.

A nice article for the 458 Lott appeared in the May-June, 1991 issue of Rifle or Handloader, don't recall which...