Does anyone know a gunsmith with a .450 Watts reamer?
I have been having trouble for years trying to figure any reason for the .458 Lott, except for a cartridge for Jack to hang his name on it. The Watts had been around for years and both take a Mag. action. The Watts can do the same thing with less pressure or more with the same pressure. < !--color-->

Sorry, the 'smith I knew who had one here retired. But along the same vein, why would you choose a Watts over the 450 Ackley? All the same reasons apply. - Dan

Use a Lott reamer and then get the extra length with a
reamer the same size as the neck.There are some Lott
reamers now being built with the extra length.Which by the way isn't going to give astronomocal gains.It's only .050.
Maybe 50 fps. Experimenting with powders will get you more,
don't use what everyone else does.Ed
Ed.

Damn, wish folks would fill out the profile page with a email addy!!

Anyway, ain't much difference on a practical note between the Watts, the Ackley, and the Lott. Advantage of the Lott is available headstamped brass.

My Lott reamer is for the long case, 2.850", instead of Jack's shorter 2.800".

For Fortner, if you are set on the Watts as it sounds, give me an email, I will chamber one up for you.

There is a bit of recoil with all three of these cartridges with full house loads, so the rifle must be constructed properly.

The reason Jack Lott developed his round at 2.80" vs 2.85" for the Watts is that 375 H&H brass when blown out shortens up, and doesn't make a full 2.85". Thus Jack designed his round to use blown out and trimmed 375 H&H brass. When the Watts round was developed, full length basic belted brass was easy to come by. Jack Lott developed his round when the full length brass wasn't easily found, especially if one found themselves in Africa. With a std Lott chamber, a Watts round cannot be chambered, and thus a different name needed to be stamped on the gun to prevent confusion.

Forgot to mention, I have a 450 Watts reamer.

I have an old box of 450 Watts cartridges, made from H&H cylindrical basic brass with no headstamp. Most cases are around 2.85" length, but a few in this batch are pretty close to 2.860". So, for folks with a Watts or considering one, be sure to measure the chamber, measure the brass, and trim accordingly. My Watts reamer cuts a 2.865" length for the case.

There is a dissertation in the archives about the 458 Lott and the need for a chamber that will accept cases at 2.85", as many cases at this length do exist, even some with a 458 Lott headstamp. My Lott reamer cuts a chamber that will accept a 2.85" case.

The original 450 Watts chambers had a very short throat and experienced pressure problems when pushed with the 500 grain bullets. Soooo, I had my Watts reamer ground with extra length in the throat.

We ain't dealing with benchrest chambers in the heavies like the Lott and the Watts and the Ackley: Give those bullets plenty of room in the throat, be sure the chamber is longer than the brass, and things will work as advertised. Regardless, if the rifle is constructed properly with good components, the accuracy is there: I have obtained a 5/8" three shot group at 80 yards, iron sighted 458 Lott, chambered with my "long chamber Lott reamer", 500 grain Hornady at 2350, out of a 9-1/2 pound rifle. This will do quite nicely when aiming at an oncoming black nose at 25 yards!