Hello everyone. I'm one of those guys who owns and shoots a 458 Lott, but will probably never actually use it for African hunting. Or, at least, not anytime soon. I was wondering just how much penetration this cartridge is capable of on a cape buffalo. When loaded with a solid, can it penetrate a buffalo length-wise? How about an elephant?

If everything was perfect? Length-wise through buffalo - yes. Length-wise through elephant - maybe with a small one.

George

There is a great body of work here:

http://forums.accuratereloadin...4711043/m/2861098911

I am not aware of a single table tabulation of penetration for each solid bullet type, vs velocity. With a foot note on how each or many correlate to actual field data. But information is there.

Bottom line also is an education on how to ask the question. As opposed to how does the Lott penetrate, you really need to ask how the Hornady 500gr (flat point) DGS bullet penetrate at a 2100 fps impact velocity.

Maybe Michael will answer here specifically on some popular factory Lott loads and his favorite 458 loads.

You can find some results on elephants in this post. http://forums.accuratereloadin...043/m/8121016941/p/2

quote:

Originally posted by action_can_do:
Hello everyone. I'm one of those guys who owns and shoots a 458 Lott, but will probably never actually use it for African hunting. Or, at least, not anytime soon. I was wondering just how much penetration this cartridge is capable of on a cape buffalo. When loaded with a solid, can it penetrate a buffalo length-wise? How about an elephant?

Action Can Do

Interesting name. Anyway, welcome to AR, bunch of really good guys here, I think you will enjoy.

458 Lott and solids. All solids are not created equal you know! There are but a small handful of solids that are capable of doing what you are talking about, on both buffalo, with any sort of consistency, and even then they would not be 100% of the time. Things like contact with bone material, stomach materials are great bullet stoppers! On elephant, a big bull, it is unlikely that even the best would exit from a long line rear shot. Last elephant I shot was 2007, with a good design solid, not the best, but very good. One shot penetrated completely through 7 ft of elepant, second shot that was 18 inches or so behind that one, did not. Possibly with one of the solids I am working with now, that 8.5 ft might have been penetrated, but might not have either? 8 feet is a long way for a bullet to travel, with all the variables it can find along it's path, and a lot to ask. My main goal is to get to the vitals from the rear, or raking. The bullets I use now will do that on buffalo, and in most cases on elephant as well. Also, the bullet needs to be able to crunch bone--and that takes a lot out of penetration!

More depends on the type of bullet you have than the cartridge. The bullet is the one doing the work.

Michael

quote:

Originally posted by action_can_do:
Hello everyone. I'm one of those guys who owns and shoots a 458 Lott, but will probably never actually use it for African hunting.

Then you won't need a 458 Lott. Welcome to AR by the way. Yes, it will traverse a buff but so will a 375 and 416 with proper velocities. No hunting caliber will traverse length wise an adult elephant. If you get over 60 inches of penetration in an ele your doing well, and that's with a good flat nose solid like a Northfork FN, GS solid, Woodleigh hydro.

Most of experience with the Lott on elephant has been with the 550 grain Woodleigh at 2,150 fps. It penetrates exceptionally well but I never tried an end to end shot from the rear. It won't do it from the front through the head. They stop in the stomach contents most of the time. One thing to consider is that from the rear on a straight away shot you can only hit one lung and if you hit one lung on an elephant they are going to go a long way and many have gotten away wounded with only one lung hit. The heart if hit will result in a much quicker death but how can you determine where the heart is form the rear. Look at a picture of a going away elephant and see if you can figure out for sure where the heart is. I can't. Better to go for the hip joint and cripple the elephant to hold it in one place until you can finish it. To spine it from the rear.

North Fork will be coming out with a 550 grain FN solid in .458. It will be too long for meaningful velocities (>2,150 fps) but from the 450 Dakota or 460 Weatherby it just may go end to end on an elephant or an Abrams tank for that matter.

465H&H

I should have given more information. The two bullets I've used are the Hornady 500 gr. DGS and the Barnes 500 gr. Solid. Are they considered serious hunting bullets?

Absolutely!!!

465H&H