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I have been reading various articles on AR for several months now and have really enjoyed some of the hunts, banter, general info etc shared on this site. I thought some of you out there may be interested in a particular incident that really surprised me!! I was conducting a hunt for Chifuti Safaris in the very beautiful Dande Safaris area of the Zambezi Valley in May of 2007, with 2 hilarious Englishman for Tuskless Elephant and Buffalo. On our first day out, the plan was to do the general ‘scout’ of the area so the clients could get a feel for what to expect during the hunt. We had encountered some fresh sign here and there which, for one reason or another, was decided to pass up on following, until almost midday when we were driving through the thickets of jesse/riverine that line the banks of the Mwanzamutanda River where we saw a small herd of Buffalo. Unfortunately the Buffalo had heard us and had made off is a haze of dust and tsetse flies!! We let them get out of sight and then prepared rifles, shooting sticks, water, radios etc for the follow-up. Midday is never the best time to follow Buff (IMO)because of the swirling winds and inevitably finding the animals lying down, but we needed to stretch our legs and get the ‘first stalk’ out of the way. As is typical with Buffalo, this particular herd stuck to the thick stuff where visibility was, at best, approx 15 meters, until we crested a small ridge that afforded us view of a stretch of the Mwanzamutanda thicket where we saw a large herd of Elephant cows, but in particular, one large Tuskless cow – perfect – CHANGE OF PLANS! Our attention now firmly focused on the Tuskless which was about 400 yards out, but the wind couldn’t have been worse. Trying to combat the wind we made a large loop in the hopes that we would get the wind right but it was one of those days when as the tracker took the ash bag out of his pocket and jerked it in the wind – the free falling ash particles were blown north, south, east and west in a matter of seconds! The Elephant were now about 200 yards out and while trying to come up with a game plan – the Elephant clearly picked up our scent and took off through the thickets, screaming and trumpeting as they went. I didn’t think the animals would leave the security of the Jesse so we moved quick trying to parallel the animals, in the hopes that we could catch them crossing a clearing or even better, the Mwanzamutanda river at some stage. It would have been pure suicide to try and work through a large herd of pissed off Elephant cows in the Jesse bush, trying to relocate the Tuskless cow, with the wind/breeze being so terribly inconsistent. We had walked at a brisk pace for about 20 mins or so when the herd which was still about 200 yards off, began to calm down and meander, possibly looking for a densely shaded spot, waiting for the cool of the afternoon. Just as the Elephants, we also called for a break to catch our breath and re-plan. Several water bottles where quickly sucked down and sweaty brows wiped, while we slapped at the pestering Mopane flies and Tsetse flies! I had just pushed my now empty water bottle back into the back-pack being carried by Gatsi (Council G.Scout) when we all became aware of a small herd of 6 Elephant cows and sub-adults that had broken away from the main herd and were moving at great haste across our front from left to right – approx 80 yards away. We caught the occasional glimpse of the grey hide but one couldn’t mistake the crashing sound of these large pachyderms, so it was relatively easy to monitor their path. I had quickly noticed that all of these animals where tusked so the fact that they moving out was a good thing – a few less animals to deal with in the large herd. The animals were now heading away from us and in the direction we had just come from, when, as they approached the path we had just used, the lead cow, quiet obviously, instantly became super intent on our scent and swung in our direction, now tracking us!! No problem, as by sheer chance, we had stopped in a clearing and we had enough space to warn the Elephants of our presence before they were on top of us. As they approached to approx 30 yard, I shouted at them but without any effect – the lead cow now locked in on my voice and made a bee line straight for me (the clients and trackers had retreated behind a large Leadwood tree behind me on my command). There was small bush between myself and the cow bearing down on me that kept the cow from seeing me until she was 5 yards or so and on the ‘other side’ of this bush. She stopped for a second, but I knew she was intent on her ‘target’, not wanting to harm her, I aimed my .458 about a foot over her forehead and let loose, in the hopes she would get the message and piss off! This had zero effect, she just came around the side of the bush with her head held low and ears flared and as she saw me (for the first time I believe) she came in at pace. I had no option but to hastily reload, centre the sights on her forehead and pull the trigger! The effect of the shot was instantaneous, but it took some convincing to get the rest of the herd to move on, as they had followed her the entire way ‘in’. The normal unpleasant formalities where done (reporting etc) and we organized with Jimmy (the area/camp manager) to have a skinning team come help with the recovery. The process was about half way done when, Nqobile (head skinner) sauntered over and placed a 450gr Barnes X banded solid in the palm of my hand (as I am sure many hunters have experienced), interested to see where he had recovered my bullet from and as I wasn’t paying too much attention as to where exactly he was working, I sauntered over to the neck area, where I assumed it had been found. The neck muscles had not been cut away yet, so now puzzled, I asked him where he had found it. Frowning at me (I guess because I hadn’t been paying attention) he indicated the back end!! I said, no, I mean the bullet – where from? - and he nodded the ‘affirmative’ as he pointed to the back end?? On investigation, we found that the projectile had entered the forehead and had come to rest in the hip area!! I was absolutely shocked! Only one shot had been fired, so there couldn’t have been any confusion! I am absolutely no Guru when it comes to “in-depth ballistics” etc but I obviously follow the basics. The age old story of the poor performance of .458 has been flogged to death and obviously, with time, the powders etc have improved. At the time, I was using one of my favourites, which is a pre64 Winchester .458, shooting a 450gr Barnes X banded solid (I actually purchased these from Roy Vincent when he still lived in Byo) and had a local gunsmith by the name of Ron Mostert (now late) in Harare, load them up for me – they were chronographed at around 2180fps. Admittedly the Cow was of average size, but still, the penetration absolutely blew my mind (and the Elephants!!!!)    | ||
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Great report! Sorry you had to shoot the cow, but sometimes such is the nature of DG hunting. I don't think (at least in 2012) that anyone can reasonably say that a .458 with a good bullet isn't a worthy rifle to stop an elephant. A .458 Win Mag is now just what it was intended to be: A .450 N.E. substitute in an affordable magazine rifle. Not incidently, "Good shooting, too!"
JudgeG ... just counting time 'til I am again finding balm in Gilead chilled out somewhere in the Selous. | |||
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Great story. Add paragraphs and spacing on your next thread. A long story like this is a difficult read without paragraph breaks. I had similar experience on 2 elephants with my .458. Found the bullet in the hide of the exit wound....puffed out outpocketing of the hide. One was a brain shot the other slight quartering heart shot. No question the .458 has an excellent penetration index. Barnes makes an fantastic solid. I know a lot of AR memebers poo-poo the .458, but I think it is the best rifle for elephant. You can always find brass and bullets relatively cheap and the recoil is tolerable. I just bought a winchester .458 from a old fellow...he fired it only 3X. Excellent condition. The price was $400. Who says you cannot afford an elephant hunt? Thanks, dale | |||
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Judge, Thanks for paragraphing the story! | |||
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If I ever get the opportunity to hunt ele, I'm going to carry a clean pr. of underwear for back-up. LORD, let my bullets go where my crosshairs show. Not all who wander are lost. NEVER TRUST A FART!!! Cecil Leonard | |||
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Gents/Gals - apologies, I had paragraphed in the word doc before copying and pasting - it obviously never worked! It is quite a mission posting before you know how to do it properly - especially the photos!! | |||
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I think we worked out that it was in the region of 10-12 feet of penetration! $400 for that 458 win is an absolute steal! Good for you! Cheers, Brent | |||
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Great story Brent... now I know why you were so darn serious on my hunt! I must have been the safari right after that one!!! Well done and I look forward to your next report! On the plains of hesitation lie the bleached bones of ten thousand, who on the dawn of victory lay down their weary heads resting, and there resting, died. If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue, Or walk with Kings - nor lose the common touch... Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it, And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son! - Rudyard Kipling Life grows grim without senseless indulgence. | |||
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I have a 458 on order. Frank "I don't know what there is about buffalo that frightens me so.....He looks like he hates you personally. He looks like you owe him money." - Robert Ruark, Horn of the Hunter, 1953 NRA Life, SAF Life, CRPA Life, DRSS lite | |||
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I have been using 480grn 458Win bullets for a velocity of easily over 2100fps. This is the same as the famed 450NE and is a real pleasure to shoot. With modern loads and 480grn bullets I think a light rifle in 458Win is a great combination for those hot and rugged Zambezi Ele hunts. Mandla, You have any Ele moving up into your area? | |||
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Great story! Good to see what the 458 is able to do. | |||
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Brent, that is a great story! It is good to hear that those of us that carry the .458 are not actually as handicapped as previously thought! Les | |||
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Thoroughly enjoyed that report. Thank you  NRA Lifer; DSC Lifer; SCI member; DRSS; AR member since November 9 2003 Don't Save the best for last, the smile for later or the "Thanks" for tomorow | |||
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Good story Brent. Keep them coming. I've always said the 458's problems were a thing of the past. Modern ammunition and components cured the 458's past problems. Come see us first three weeks of June if you can. Will J. Parks, III | |||
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Ozhunter, Yes, we have some Elephant Bulls that have taken up residence on the Conservancy, albeit approx 2 dozen or so. Brings a whole new 'feel' to an area when you see trees pushed over by Elephant and see the fresh dung down the road from the night before... Cheers, Brent | |||
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Will, Thank you for the invite - may just see you then, at Sango, hopefully to celebrate a big Shumba!!! Cheers, Brent | |||
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Brent I met your parents last year at Sango, excellent people. They are quite proud of their P.H. son. I wish your dad would write a book about his life experiences, I'd buy it. Your mother was a real sweetheart. Cecil Leonard LORD, let my bullets go where my crosshairs show. Not all who wander are lost. NEVER TRUST A FART!!! Cecil Leonard | |||
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Tests we have conducted and even better tests performed by AR poster 458 Michael have shown the 450 grain Barnes Banded Solids to be the read deal at about 2135 feet per second. I will add that the Barnes 450 grain TSX at 2130fps in a .458 Winchester Magnum will handle Cape buffalo very well also. I shot another buffalo bull with mine this year in the Save. The TSX penetrated the left front shoulder, the heart, the right front shoulder, and was balled up and perfectly expanded in the hide behind the far shoulder. PH Louis Mueller washed the recovered bullet off and weighed it with a small electronic scale he had brought along only to find that the bullet still weighed 447 grains. I'm small framed but I can carry a light Model 70 bolt gun all day and shoot it accurately due to the very tolerable recoil. I like mine and will try it on ele first chance I get. "The government cannot give to anyone anything that it does not first take from someone else." | |||
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I always enjoy reading reports confirming what most of us here already know, the 458 win mag is a great cartridge when loaded properly. "The difference between adventure and disaster is preparation." "The problem with quoting info from the internet is that you can never be sure it is accurate" Abraham Lincoln | |||
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Verry interesting. There are many ph's that shoot the 458 and I too believe the new powders have corrected the past. Mike | |||
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Excellent report!! Thanks! While I spent about a year, more or less, defending the .458 WM on AR, and taken my lumps because of it, I too very much welcome positive reports coming from the field. I don't have enough African experience to qualify as any kind of expert, and certainly not with a .458 Win Mag, but I have, in recent times, spent hundreds of hours developing and testing loads with modern components. Based on what the experts here claim to be perfect for elephant and buff, the ballistics from my tests reveal no shortcomings whatsoever. Having said that, I must add that a very close personal friend spent nearly all his working years in Kenya as a teacher and administrator of The Rift Valley Academy. From the late '50's through the '60's and mid-'70's, he hunted elephant and buff, along with some plains game each year until hunting was shut down. I know he killed a lot of elephant, some in the 100 lb range, sold the tusks to pay for furloughs in Canada for self and family. They spent time with us in our home. I saw slide presentations and artifacts. Interestingly, he used an original M70 in .458 Win Mag, with FACTORY AMMO, for ALL his DG hunts, and never reported any misfires, squib loads or lack of penetration. His loads were original, yellow box 500gr solids and 510gr softs. Never an animal lost or any other kind of problem. The only incident he reported was a poorly placed shot by one of their group into a buff. The buff tossed a guide into a Mopane and thereafter became nearly "bulletproof"!! He laughed about it! Everyone opened fire on the buff which lost that battle! There were 4 to 6 of the Academy staff that took off a month, each year, to go camping and hunting. They all became resident hunters... but they did also hire a guide. I only mention this, not to hijack the thread, but because "back in the day", while there may have been some "failures", yet records prove that many thousands of DG fell to the .458 WM before everyone with a chronograph became an expert on ballistics (and some without them!)! My friend's unblemished record made me a believer long before I ever owned one or knew anything about reloads. Thanks again for pictures and an excellent report! Bob www.bigbores.ca "Let every created thing give praise to the LORD, for he issued his command, and they came into being" - King David, Psalm 148 (NLT) | |||
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Hey Brent, I am a fan of the modern .458 WM. I just got back from Malapati, where I used that caliber with Hornady DGS ammo to take a 43.5" Buff and a 65 lb Elephant. Kind of sloppy on my part, since last year, I now shoot until I am out of ammo and then shoot some more. At any rate, the caliber and ammo (at 2140 stated on box) did the job. Nixon likes the .458 for Eles. Brent, BTW, Nixon said for me to tell you that he will not retire until he is 70. BUTCH C'est Tout Bon (It is all good) | |||
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I have used the 458 for over thirty years on Alaskan game but have a very limited experience in Africa. I don't doubt the veracity of the reports of occasional squib loads in the past with the old ammo but from the many PH's I know and have talked with, plus those I have read, I would say that there are an awful lot more fans of the 458 than detractors. Both in the past as well as today. Anyone who claims the 30-06 is ineffective has either not tried one, or is unwittingly commenting on their own marksmanship Phil Shoemaker Alaska Master guide FAA Master pilot NRA Benefactor www.grizzlyskinsofalaska.com | |||
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Bret, Thanks for that man! I have had a couple of frowns from clients that do not know how potent it is with modern day powders. I have used the 475gr. PMP factory mono's with good effect on Buff and Hippo. Now I switched to the 450gr. North Forks. Looking forward to seeing them at work. Good luck with the rest of your season! Charl van Rooyen Owner Infinito Travel Group www.infinito-safaris.com charl@infinito-safaris.com Cell: +27 78 444 7661 Tel: +27 13 262 4077 Fax:+27 13 262 3845 Hereford Street 28A Groblersdal 0470 Limpopo R.S.A. "For the Infinite adventure" Plains Game Dangerous Game Bucket List Specialists Wing-Shooting In House Taxidermy Studio In House Dip and Pack Facility In House Shipping Service Non-Hunting Tours and Safaris Flight bookings "I promise every hunter visiting us our personal attention from the moment we meet you, until your trophies hang on your wall. Our all inclusive service chain means you work with one person (me) taking responsibility during the whole process. Affordable and reputable Hunting Safaris is our game! With a our all inclusive door to door service, who else do you want to have fun with?" South Africa Tanzania Uganda | |||
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http://forums.accuratereloadin...4911043/m/3971076231 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ J. Lane Easter, DVM A born Texan has instilled in his system a mind-set of no retreat or no surrender. I wish everyone the world over had the dominating spirit that motivates Texans.– Billy Clayton, Speaker of the Texas House No state commands such fierce pride and loyalty. Lesser mortals are pitied for their misfortune in not being born in Texas.— Queen Elizabeth II on her visit to Texas in May, 1991. | |||
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In The Accurate Reloading Africa book, Terry BlauwKamp was very adamant and specific in that the .458 WM should never be handloaded for hunting in Africa. I recently emailed him to see if that was still his position, he didn't go into detail but confirmed that it was. How do you guys with experience feel about this? "If you are not working to protect hunting, then you are working to destroy it". Fred Bear | |||
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I am glad I do not own the book. Excellent story, Brent. | |||
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 Butch, you're working on a hunt report - right?Antlers Double Rifle Shooters Society Heym 450/400 3" | |||
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Hey Begno, When you correspond with Nixon next - please call him "Madala". It is the Shona name for an old man and a respectful name we call him because he is of the older generation!! He is a good chap. More importantly - we all looking forward to a new report here and I am sure yours will be just what the Dr ordered!! Cheers, Brent | |||
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The incident described above should surely plant some doubt in Mr BlauwKamp's theory?? Cheers, Brent | |||
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I know Terry well. He and Jo-anne hunted with me twice. I'll ask him about this As they say, the proof is in the pudding.....and I have had enough dead animals at my feet to trust my rifle! No one can argue with the report above on the elephant! Charl van Rooyen Owner Infinito Travel Group www.infinito-safaris.com charl@infinito-safaris.com Cell: +27 78 444 7661 Tel: +27 13 262 4077 Fax:+27 13 262 3845 Hereford Street 28A Groblersdal 0470 Limpopo R.S.A. "For the Infinite adventure" Plains Game Dangerous Game Bucket List Specialists Wing-Shooting In House Taxidermy Studio In House Dip and Pack Facility In House Shipping Service Non-Hunting Tours and Safaris Flight bookings "I promise every hunter visiting us our personal attention from the moment we meet you, until your trophies hang on your wall. Our all inclusive service chain means you work with one person (me) taking responsibility during the whole process. Affordable and reputable Hunting Safaris is our game! With a our all inclusive door to door service, who else do you want to have fun with?" South Africa Tanzania Uganda | |||
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The option to factory ammo of course is hand loaded ammo. Hand loaded ammo is only as good as the man that reloaded it. If he is very careful on his load selection and loading techniques and really rings out his loads on the range, they should be just as reliable as factory ammo. For the PH hand loads are not that easy to come by and most available come from clients. They really don't know how reliable the clients is at hand loading. 465H&H | |||
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I'm not sure I understand the difference between a machine dumping powder and seating bullets and a person by hand. I'm curious that he wouldn't answer the 'why' question with any specificity. What is it that he knows that makes him avoid handloaded ammo but will not share? | |||
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A good handloader should be able to create far better consistency in his loads than factory fodder. I will typically measure all my powder charges to within 1/10 grain. I suspect factory stuff is +/- 2 grains. You dial in a load that works in your gun and if absolute reliability is key then handload and do not reload. Start with all new components. I can guarantee the "BEST" factory stuff will not measure up to an experienced handloader with a chronograph and some range time. | |||
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+1 And there are numerous descriptions on AR particularly in the Doubles Forum regarding inconsistencies with Hornady and Kynoch factory ammo. NRA Lifer; DSC Lifer; SCI member; DRSS; AR member since November 9 2003 Don't Save the best for last, the smile for later or the "Thanks" for tomorow | |||
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Interesting that. I have used the .458 for 15 years with confidence in Africa. I also swear by the .404J With the right ammo the .458 puts big game down at short range, which it was designed to do. ROYAL KAFUE LTD Email - kafueroyal@gmail.com Tel/Whatsapp (00260) 975315144 Instagram - kafueroyal | |||
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I have chronoed various .458 WM factory loads and have been very dissapointed. With good hand loads and 450 gr premium bullets...the .458 WM reaches all new dimensions. Mine really likes Northfork flat nose solids and AA 2230 powder. The Northfork softs shoot to the same point of impact but open up to 1.5" groups at 100 yards (NF FPS make one ragged hole at 100). Still acceptable to me. Very easy to get to 2250 fps with out compression. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ J. Lane Easter, DVM A born Texan has instilled in his system a mind-set of no retreat or no surrender. I wish everyone the world over had the dominating spirit that motivates Texans.– Billy Clayton, Speaker of the Texas House No state commands such fierce pride and loyalty. Lesser mortals are pitied for their misfortune in not being born in Texas.— Queen Elizabeth II on her visit to Texas in May, 1991. | |||
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I just bought a new M70 Safari Express in 458 WM and have been absorbing all I can from this site and elsewhere to develop my own handloads. During early load development I created a baseline off of Hornady 500 gr DGS factory stuff and it is no surprise that they perform well; here is what my chronograph showed for N=6 Avg. Velocity=2146 Min. Velocity=2136 Max. Velocity=2154 Standard Deviation=7 All 6 were <1.5" at 50 yds It was nice to see factory ammo meet listed velocity and shoot consistently, but handloading is so much more fun and it helps one get to know a new rifle! I hunt to live and live to hunt! | |||
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I feel that Terry doesn't know what he's talking about. I load 450 TSXs and 450 North Fork solids to 2250 fps from my 22" barrel. Both shoot to the same point of aim. There are no pressure signs. You cannot duplicate those loads with factory ammo. I have probably shot at least 20,000 rounds with various calibers, all hand loaded, and never had a problem reliability-wise. Indy Life is short. Hunt hard. | |||
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Here's a point about Barnes monolithic solids. In 2007 I believe they had a large flat meplat. As such, they would penetrate 20% to 80% further than conventionally shaped round nosed solids. Later, Barnes started making them with round noses for "marketing reasons," I heard. Still later the US government decreed they were "cop killer bullets," because they were made out of brass, and Barnes is not allowed to sell them. So we have to shoot flat pointed copper bullets such as North Fork and G.S. make. Indy Life is short. Hunt hard. | |||
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