Does anyone have first-hand experience with this bullet at 2300-2400 in .458 Win Mag on heavy game such as eland and buffalo? It seems it might make for a good "light heavy" if a fellow were hunting for eland and big kudu in, say, southern Zimbabwe and he had a buff license, too.
Posts: 16671 | Location: Las Cruces, NM | Registered: 03 June 2000
On game, no. But, in my Ruger M77 .458 I could could only coax out 2257 and 2285 for the 400 gr. X and solid respectively. Accuracy was sub MOA and switching powders from IMR 3031 to Re #7 might have gotten me higher vels, but I doubt it could have done much to improve accuracy.
I was thinking of using the same bullet. I'm also interested in the responses. Even though I'll be using mine in a Lott, it would give me something to start with.
Posts: 204 | Location: Alaska | Registered: 06 December 2000
I experienced best results in a .458 Lott at 2600 f/s for big game. But I use it more for smaller game down to baboon. Than it is the same as using the Woodleigh 400 PP. Penetration on big game depends on shearing off the petals or not, and that depends on the structure of hide / bone.
Under any circumstances cutting back on bullet weight is not the way to go in my opinnion...The 500 has the SD and penitration any way you cut it and a handloaded 458 at say 2000 or better is plenty of thump for anything I assure you of that, 1800 or 1900 is not, by the way..The cut oof is 2000 FPS...A 100 fps increase in velocity in a big bore is a substantial amount of killing power whereas it means nothing in say a 270 or 300 mag....I keep hearing this applied to big bores and it doesn't work that way, 100 FPS is a bunch of whomp with a 500 gr. bullet.
I haven't used the bullets on game, but would concur that it'll be tough to get much speed out of the bullet, as it is a loooonng bullet, and I'd expect it to take up at least as much of the case as a 500 hornady, maybe more. The win mag really starts to fall on its face with 400 gr bullets, and especially with a case hog like the X. If you want more range with a 458, then drop down to 350 gr and use it on thin skinned game. I also concur with Ray that light bullets in a 458 against buff aren't the right way to go.
Posts: 7213 | Location: Alaska | Registered: 27 February 2001
