I just got in a couple of boxes of North Fork bullets to try in my Lott. These are the 500gr soft and flat point solids. I don't have any experience loading the North Fork bullet. Does anyone have a rcommended starting load with AA2520 or IMR4320. I have been shooting 83gr of IMR4320 with 500gr Hornadys for 2300fps. I think the load for AA2520 was 83gr for soft nose and 82gr for the DGS in Hornady. The North Fork information indicates that they will probably get the same velocity with 3-4% less powder. I don't want to waste a lot of bullets or time but also want to be safe.

For the solids, look up the banded solids in the Barnes manual, start low and STOP at 2,200 fps.

For the softs look at data for Barnes TSX bullets.

Your powder choices are OK. Go online and review the Accurate Data, and the Ramshot (Western Powders) data.

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I don't want to waste a lot of bullets or time but also want to be safe.

Change that line to "I will be safe", and, again, stop at 2,200 fps.

Enjoy!

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Originally posted by Ed Scarboro:
I just got in a couple of boxes of North Fork bullets to try in my Lott. These are the 500gr soft and flat point solids. I don't have any experience loading the North Fork bullet. Does anyone have a rcommended starting load with AA2520 or IMR4320. I have been shooting 83gr of IMR4320 with 500gr Hornadys for 2300fps. I think the load for AA2520 was 83gr for soft nose and 82gr for the DGS in Hornady. The North Fork information indicates that they will probably get the same velocity with 3-4% less powder. I don't want to waste a lot of bullets or time but also want to be safe.

I think you have answered your own questions. The NF seemed to take a grain or two less in my recollection for the 470. Shouldn't take long to find out.

If you stop at 2200 fps instead of 2300 fps then you are basically wasting your time, in my opinion. With the right powder, etc. the old 458 WM can easily get 2150 fps and more if you want. Closer to 2200 fps then your subdued "Lott" would be to 2300 fps.

I know all about getting the crap kicked out of me by shooting a Lott but really.

I have tried h4895, IMR4320 and AA2520 with the 500gr Hornadys and have had no problem reaching 2300fps with all three powders. The accuracy seemed to be the best right at 2300fps. The IMR4320 allowed me to get the DGX and DGS to shoot to the same POI. The North Fork's are a longer bullet so capacity is going to be the issue I think. I tried the Barnes banded bullets and TSX's and ran out of powder capacity before reaching 2200fps. A technician at Barnes told me I would do that so not to worry about pressure--I was limited by capacity.
I sent an email to North Fork since I can't find anyone that is using them in a LOTT.

In my opinion but probably not North Forks, the 500 gr. 458 FPS bullets are really for single shots and double rifles.

I can send you 4 or 5 of the smaller 450 gr. 458 FPS's if you want, and if you want to go that light.

Michael458 acheived around 2250 fps with the Barnes banded solid 500 grs, would be a start for use with North Forks in 500 grs

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Originally posted by Ed Scarboro:
I have tried h4895, IMR4320 and AA2520 with the 500gr Hornadys and have had no problem reaching 2300fps with all three powders. The accuracy seemed to be the best right at 2300fps. The IMR4320 allowed me to get the DGX and DGS to shoot to the same POI. The North Fork's are a longer bullet so capacity is going to be the issue I think. I tried the Barnes banded bullets and TSX's and ran out of powder capacity before reaching 2200fps. A technician at Barnes told me I would do that so not to worry about pressure--I was limited by capacity.
I sent an email to North Fork since I can't find anyone that is using them in a LOTT.

I couldn't resist trying a few rounds over the chronograph after work today. I could only get enough powder in the case with the soft nose to get to 2184fps---76gr of IMR4320 bullet seated to 3.645" OAL. However, with the FP solids I could run it up to 2300fps using the IMR4320. I started at 76gr (8% below my Hornady load) of IMR4320 and worked up to 81.5gr. At 79gr the velocity was 2257, at 80gr 2268, at 81gr 2289 and at 81.5gr 2306. I was starting to really compress the load at 81-81.5 so I stopped at 81.5gr and 2306fps. Primers looked good with rounded edges and extraction was easy.

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I know all about getting the crap kicked out of me by shooting a Lott but really.

Ed seems to handle these well.

Ed, try Accurate 2230, or 2520 in the Lott. The flat nosed bullets feed much better in a magazine rifle if you seat them all the way back so you are crimping on the foremost groove. I will post a few pictures this weekend.

The Lott with 500 grain North Fork bullets is a slightly tougher juggling act than the 458 Winchester Magnum with 450 grain North Forks.

2,200 to, OK, 2,250 fps will give you straight line penetration to go stem to stern on most anything short of a Democrat.

Charlie

I never fiddled with the Lott but I would recommend staying away from 2460, 2520 and 2015 in the high pressure straight wall 45 cals. Without a mult-page dissertation, I have seen those three powders do some strange things to soft points that can run pressures up. I have never had a problem with 2230.

I shot a number of groups today with both the soft nose and FP solids from North Fork. The FP solids did not want to load very well out of the magazine of my CZ, they were seated to 3.625OAL. I seated the soft nose out to 3.645OAL and started at 76gr of IMR4320 and went up to 80gr. The extreme spread was fairly broad with the soft nose 40-50fps. The groups came in at 78 and 79gr with velocity at 2208 and 2230, respectively. At 79gr I started seeing flattened primers and slight cratering. At 80gr the primers were flat and the cratering was worse. These loads were very compressed. On the solids, I started at 79.5gr of IMR4320 and went up to 81.5gr. The extreme spread with the solids was very reasonable at 10-12fps. The groups came in to the 1.5" range at 80.5gr and 81gr with velocity at 2255 and 2270 respectively. At 81.5gr I started to see cratering of the primers but the group was still at the 1.5" size with velocity at 2290fps. The temperature was getting into the low to mid 80's while I was shooting. All of the groups were shot at 100yds.
Does anyone have a gunsmith that could work on the feed problems if I decide to stay with the North Fork bullets?

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I couldn't resist trying a few rounds over the chronograph after work today. I could only get enough powder in the case with the soft nose to get to 2184fps---76gr of IMR4320 bullet seated to 3.645" OAL. However, with the FP solids I could run it up to 2300fps using the IMR4320. I started at 76gr (8% below my Hornady load) of IMR4320 and worked up to 81.5gr. At 79gr the velocity was 2257, at 80gr 2268, at 81gr 2289 and at 81.5gr 2306. I was starting to really compress the load at 81-81.5 so I stopped at 81.5gr and 2306fps. Primers looked good with rounded edges and extraction was easy.

AT 81 grains of IMR4320, quickload predicts 2292 fps, with a chamber pressure of 64531 psi, which exceeds maximum recommended average pressure.

I don't know anything else about your case dimensions, prep, primer choice, etc. If that were my rifle, I'd probably back off a little just to be on the safe side.

akalinin---Does quickload consider bearing surface, jacket material, etc for the different shapes and materials used in the various bullets? I have heard several references to quickload but have never used it. In the test loads I fired today, after correspondence with North Fork, I started seeing pressure signs at 79gr of IMR4320 with their soft nose bullet and at 81gr with the solids. With 500gr Hornadys, my load is 83gr of IMR4320 with both the solid and softnose. Jack Lott used 83 to 84gr of IMR4320 in his load development according to a couple of articles I read.

I have been relaoding for 40 years and each rifle is certainly different.

It's a tool, take it for what it's worth (about 150 bucks). The more data you have, the better your predictions. I do a lot of experimental loading for my Lott also.

What load combinations have worked best for your 458 Lott? Do your soft nose loads have the same POI as the solids?

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Originally posted by Ed Scarboro:
What load combinations have worked best for your 458 Lott? Do your soft nose loads have the same POI as the solids?

Ruger rifle, H4895 and 550 gr woodleigh solids and softs.Solids and softs shoot in the same group.

I like the 450 grain NF softs in my Lott.

But I am thinking of rechambering to .450 Rigby, so you know where my biases lie.

What are the thoughts on using 450gr softs and solids in the 458 Lott instead of the 500gr bullets. With the extra length of the 500gr North Forks, I am thinking about dropping back to the 450's like several have mentioned.

There have been a number of posts here and elsewhere during the past three years to the effect that the 450 grain North Fork (and G. S. Custom) flat point 450 grain solids will out-penetrate 500 grain round nosed style solids.

I have shot one each elephant, buffalo, and hippo with them. One of them broke the front shoulder of a buff with a follow-up Texas heartshot. I think they work great.

It is no trick to get 2250 fps with them in an ordinary .458 Winchester and AA2320 powder, so if you want to fool around with the Lott, knock yourself out. It'll be easy to get whatever resonable velocity you want.