The Accurate Reloading Forums THE ACCURATE RELOADING.COM FORUMS Shooting Lefties WTB elephant gun built for us.Go | New | Find | Notify | Tools | Reply | |
| WTB elephant gun built for us. | Login/Join |
One of Us |
Hey folks, I am bound for Botswana next April for an elephant hunt. If I can, I'd like to buy a .458 win mag to take with me. if anybody's got a line on a Ruger or Montana or Mauser in the afore mentioned cartridge I'd appreciate knowing about it. Obviously I'm a lefty as I post the request here. | ||
|
One of Us |
Scott, I am often perusing the classifieds for such a rifle (not that I need one), I will keep an eye open for ya. I wonder if Snowwolfe knows of any? Rod -------------------------------- "A hunter should not choose the cal, cartridge, and bullet that will kill an animal when everything is right; rather, he should choose ones that will kill the most efficiently when everything goes wrong" Bob Hagel | |||
|
one of us |
Maybe Savage? Other than that I think the only options are the custom route. There was a Remington in 458WM listed on Gunbroker a while back. Think it was a custom shop rifle. ****************************************************************** R. Lee Ermey: "The deadliest weapon in the world is a Marine and his rifle." ****************************************************************** We're going to be "gifted" with a health care plan we are forced to purchase and fined if we don't, Which purportedly covers at least ten million more people, without adding a single new doctor, but provides for 16,000 new IRS agents, written by a committee whose chairman says he doesn't understand it, passed by a Congress that didn't read it but exempted themselves from it, and signed by a President, with funding administered by a treasury chief who didn't pay his taxes, for which we'll be taxed for four years before any benefits take effect, by a government which has already bankrupted Social Security and Medicare, all to be overseen by a surgeon general who is obese, and financed by a country that's broke!!!!! 'What the hell could possibly go wrong?' | |||
|
| One of Us |
scott, one option may be to pony up for a LH CZ in 375 and have it rebored to the Lott. | |||
|
One of Us |
Another option is to rebarrel a LH model 70 375H&H. I like their configuration and style. They pop up from time to time, keep an eye on gunbroker. Here's one avaialable now: http://www.gunbroker.com/Aucti....aspx?Item=165946048 | |||
|
| One of Us |
Gad, I typed a long reply, hit Post Now and the internet dumped me. IF ANYBODY EVER ASKS YOU, NUSHAGAK CO-OP'S INTERNET SERVICE IN DILLINGHAM ALASKA SUCKS NO MATTER WHAT THE PRICE! AND OVER PRICED IT IS AT THAT! Geez. Ok, well anyway like I already wrote that no one saw, I was going to avoid the Savage or Remington route. I already own a Remington in .375 and have used it quite a bit. If push comes to shove I'll just use that. I've already been experimenting with some 350g Banded Solids I bought in Reno with no great results. I did see the Remington .458, passed, and just the other day Saw a Brockman .458 Lott that was a hair more money than I wanted to spend and in a cartridge I have not stocked up on components for. I don't favor the idea of building or altering a rifle at this point because of the time constraints. I have a short practice shooting season here in Dillingham so were I to place an order with Montana Rifle Co this morning they tell me I wouldn't have it in my hands until September at the earliest. Several years ago I bought a nice Charles Daly action on the AR Classifieds. I sent it off to a "smith" to be built into a .458 and as of this morning have nothing in my hands. Certainly I'll see it one of these days but I'm not holding my breath. So here I is. If anybody runs into anything they think is neato I'd appreciate knowing about it. I'll be hitting the Post Now button, wish me luck. | |||
|
| One of Us |
| |||
|
| One of Us |
I've talked to that guy, 470 about the m70 and he is stuck on a price and won't move. It's more than a new cz, BTW. I made him a very generous offer and he still refused. There's another one on there for 2500. I bet Jim Dubell at Delta Gun could rebore a CZ and have it back in a couple of months. | |||
|
| One of Us |
I just sold off both my Lotts. Funny, no one would even bid on them for months then two people got into a bidding war on one and it sold for way more than I thought it was worth. If you need a 458 WM post haste I would buy a lefty Ruger and have it rebarreled. Bet with some luck you can find a .458 barrel in stock at Midway. The smith I use in Anchorage would have the job finished in two weeks or less including iron sights if you wanted. Am guessing he would charge about $400 to rebarrel, chamber, and true the action. Labor for installing the irons, and a trigger job to boot. Try to find a lefty stainless because they are in the black laminated stock which would hold up to the recoil better. Not sure if the action would have any feeding issues. Wal Mart in Eagle River has a lefty 300 Win Mag in their rack for about $650 or so as we speak. If you bought a rifle would be happy to do the leg work for you and drop it off to the smith and have it mailed back to you. My biggest fear is when I die my wife will sell my guns for what I told her they cost. | |||
|
| One of Us |
| |||
|
| One of Us |
I have seen more than a few Weatherby big bores in left hand for sale over the years. I once bought a LH 460 in Mark V configuration for $500. The guy could not wait to get rid of it. I see them occasionally from time to time in the 416 and 460. In the Mark V, and the EuroMark configurations. I think if you spend enough time to look around that you can find one. And probably at a decent price. Tom. WEST BY GOD VIRGINIA | |||
|
| One of Us |
A striking but perhaps not suprising gesture of generosity on your part. I very sincerely appreciate the assistance provided by you all. Offers like the one made by Snowwolfe are just the latest reminder of how priviledged I am to be the recipient of all the different advantages, rights and blessings I have as an Alaskan, American and AR associate. To the point, I can't think of five other nations where you could safely accept an offer of assistance in procuring a firearm from and with a complete stranger in complete confidence and safety. From the advise offered here I replied to Roger's post regarding the lefty .300 for sale. Snowwolfe, if I'm able to make a deal with Roger and its ok with you I'd like to take you up on your thoughtful offer of your recommended gunsmith. Thank you again Gentlemen. I certainly hope you allow me in the future to assist you. | |||
|
| One of Us |
I've been watching the weatherbys some but haven't gotten too excited. The .460 just sound way over my head and I already have components for the .458. A .416 would be interesting but, again,...... Thanks for helping tho'! | |||
|
| One of Us |
Be glad to help. Smiths name is Stan Jackson. Operates out of Anchorage. His number is 907 349 3854. A quick call to him can confirm his latest prices and he can verify he has the reamer in stock and if there will be any feeding issues. His shop is about 25 miles from me but I usually visit once or twice a month with new projects. No big deal to run down there as he is close to Sportsman Warehouse and I go there weekly. My biggest fear is when I die my wife will sell my guns for what I told her they cost. | |||
|
| One of Us |
Ok, so Roger is willing to sell me his rifle. Snowwolfe has graciously offered to assist in the modification and has advised a Douglas barrel and Williams sights would be sufficient, so I got on Midwayusa.com this morning intent on purchasing sights and a barrel and got confused. Gee, what are the odds of that. There appears to be several different contours available and mebbe two different rates of twist. As this is going to be a 450-500g bullet driving rifle what would you all suggest? The length of barrel is certainly going to be 24". I haven't felt the need to shorten it any and if a thicker contour will add weight and lessen recoil that'd be fine with me. Suggestions? | |||
|
| One of Us |
I bought lerfty .458 from dirklawyer which is in the shop getting a recoil reducer in it. My comment is on barrel length. I have a 24" barrel on my .375 Mod 70. I was hunting buff in the thick stuff last year, and I commented to the PH that if we ever did this again, I was going to chop two inches off the barrel. My .458 has a 20 incher and is really handy, so you might consider if you're going to be hunting in the really thick stuff, the shorter barrel length is definitely an asset, and you don't sacrifice that much velocity. | |||
|
| one of us |
Scott, I also think you will be happy with a 20” barrel and would try and keep the contour as small as possible as the barrel gets heavy fast with this large of a bore. I would also recommend you speak to the smith that will be doing the work prior to buying any parts. They may have some ideas that will save you some time and money. Good Luck. R ****************************************************************** R. Lee Ermey: "The deadliest weapon in the world is a Marine and his rifle." ****************************************************************** We're going to be "gifted" with a health care plan we are forced to purchase and fined if we don't, Which purportedly covers at least ten million more people, without adding a single new doctor, but provides for 16,000 new IRS agents, written by a committee whose chairman says he doesn't understand it, passed by a Congress that didn't read it but exempted themselves from it, and signed by a President, with funding administered by a treasury chief who didn't pay his taxes, for which we'll be taxed for four years before any benefits take effect, by a government which has already bankrupted Social Security and Medicare, all to be overseen by a surgeon general who is obese, and financed by a country that's broke!!!!! 'What the hell could possibly go wrong?' | |||
|
| One of Us |
FWIW the standard twist rate for a 458 is 1 in 14". | |||
|
| One of Us |
Here is a link to a LH Weatherby 460. Tom. http://www.frontiernet.net/~wbyman/Rifle.html WEST BY GOD VIRGINIA | |||
|
| One of Us |
Thanks for the barrel advise and all the other help! As of now it looks like I have purchased a rifle from Roger that Snowwolfe has graciously agreed to help me turn into a .458wm. I expect the rifle to show up here in the next week or two and I'll turn around and send it to Snowwolfe in Eagle River. On another note,..............Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! All the rest of you lefties out there LOST OUT! Snow wolfe sold to me a stainless, gray laminate, Ruger 77mk2 that he had re barreled in 9.3x 62! I haven't shot it yet but it is the neatest, the coolest rifle I've got and yes its mine. Snowwolfe says its a tack driver, and having previously owned a RH one I know what it'll do to moose. I think this is the first time I can truthfully say I win! | |||
|
| One of Us |
Wait till you shoot it  Even with the cheap Privi factory loads it will shoot well under an inch at 100 yards.Blame that short stubby stiff barrel making it a joy to carry around in the woods. Whoever built that rifle spent alot of time on the action as well. I wish my 375 Ruger was as smooth as the action on the 9,3. My biggest fear is when I die my wife will sell my guns for what I told her they cost. | |||
|
| One of Us |
Nice score & yup, you did win. A 9.3 is very high on my "gotta have list" Lemme know when you're done with it Rod -------------------------------- "A hunter should not choose the cal, cartridge, and bullet that will kill an animal when everything is right; rather, he should choose ones that will kill the most efficiently when everything goes wrong" Bob Hagel | |||
|
| One of Us |
FYI, Roger sent up the .300 he had for sale and it was as described by him and a pleasant transaction. I expect the Douglas barrel I purchased for the rifle to be here within the week and then will send it all to Snowwolfe who has so generously offered to assist in the .458 build. Thanks much to everyone that has assisted in this project. I know it can be a little hard for some to understand how easy some transactions can be in rural Alaska and then on the other hand how difficult others are. I can buy a brand new car to my specifications over the phone and literally have it delivered less than a city block from my front door but without the help from AR friends a LH rifle is insurmountable. Many thanks and a great week to you all. | |||
|
| One of Us |
Scott, ...And remember, your going to send us pictures as soon as your project is completed...  ....Has been good doing business with you...  Roger QSL | |||
|
one of us |
I have a 9.3x62 in a R93 with the Trcker length barrel (19"). Like said here, it is really handy walking in the woods. I did chrono the loads last week and the Privi factory 286 grain were only shooting just under 2200 fps, but talk about one little ragged hole at 100 yards. Plenty good enough for some fun shooting and woods hunting. I'm loading up some 250 gr AccuBonds to try in both my 9.3x62 and the 9.3x64. They should really be a great round for the short stubby x62. But then, it does shoot everything well so far. Good snatch on that lefty Ruger and good luck on your big bore project. ______________________ Guns are like parachutes. If you need one and don't have one, you'll likely never need one again Author Unknown, But obviously brilliant. If you are in trouble anywhere in the world, an airplane can fly over and drop flowers, but a helicopter can land and save your life. - Igor Sikorski, 1947 | |||
|
| One of Us |
I got a PM from Snowwolfe a couple of days ago letting me know that the .458 job will be done by this friday, (6/11/10). How it is possible to get a 'smith job done in roughly two weeks time is beyond me. In one of my PM's to Snowwolfe I offered to send him a box of fresh king salmon fillets to maybe not repay his favor to me but to say thanks and show a little appreciation. He replied and said not to send anything. I know his name as he gave it to me in order to mail Roger's .300 to him. I guess I'll just have to adopt a son and then name him after Snowwolfe in order to properly remember his virtue. I remain very appreciative of all the generous assistance I have received with this project and other general queries I have posted on AR. I say again, If I may be of assistance to any members here please do not hesitate to ask. | |||
|
| One of Us |
All the help & generosity must be a lfty thing! Cant wait to see it...are you done with that 9.3 yet? Rod -------------------------------- "A hunter should not choose the cal, cartridge, and bullet that will kill an animal when everything is right; rather, he should choose ones that will kill the most efficiently when everything goes wrong" Bob Hagel | |||
|
| One of Us |
two weeks! That is a gunsmith who works for the $$$. That, and repeat work and references. We could use more of them. Rich DRSS | |||
|
| One of Us |
Actually one week and that includes truing the action and installing iron sights. This guy is a master and is less expensive than most lower 48 smiths. He recently did the triggers on my Remington Baikal double rifle and they are now as good as any bolt rifle I've ever owned. He did caution me he made them a little light (3 pounds) and if it doubled to bring it back. Havent shot it yet but may try it out today just to see how she does. Scott, Appreciate the kind gestures but I wouldnt be much of an Alaskan if I couldnt catch my own kings However I do expect you to give me a jingle so we can meet for a beer or coffee next time you are through Anchorage.My biggest fear is when I die my wife will sell my guns for what I told her they cost. | |||
|
| One of Us |
I see I started this thread on April 21st. This morning I checked the Post Office and sure enough I had a slip for a package that ended up being my .458.  Snowwolfe had picked up the rifle last week, packaged it up a heck of a lot better than I sent it to him and mailed it to me. I intend to shoot it in a couple of days but so far I am more than very happy. The rifle is a Ruger 77 Mark 2, purchased from Roger a month or two ago.  The package includes now a Douglas 24" barrel, Williams sights, blueprinted action, rails adjusted to feed, a bedded stock, and I added the scope this afternoon. The total bill from the 'smith was in all probability less than it should be and out the door the rifle ended up setting me back about $1700.00. All in all I think that was fairly in expensive for what seems to me to be a semi custom and certainly heavily tweaked big bore that I expect to be a tack driver.  I believe after I get done posting this I'll get on the Midway website and buy a pre cut recoil pad and a mercury recoil reducer that I will in all probability try to install myself with perhaps some advise or supervision.  Hard to believe I can type sufficiently to express my gratitude but here goes. Thanks to all who read and responded to this thread. It has been a priviledge to coorespond with all of you and a wonderful education for me to learn from what I have read on this thread specifically and on AR generally. Roger, thank you very much for the fine rifle and the advise regarding its production. I am very thankful the two of us got the chance to visit and that you were willing to sell this rifle to me. Snowwolfe, hardest to know what to say to you so I'll just say thank you and tell the rest of the folks what you did. Everyone. FYI, Snowwolfe, a complete stranger to me other than AR, took it upon himself to facilitate the construction of this elephant gun in its entirety. Without being asked, Snowwolfe facilitated the entire project, including the recommendation of the 'smith, the delivery and return of components and the final shipment to me. I can only guess at the hours and expense lost for my benefit and my guess is that its considerable. It is very uplifting to see another example of a fine man and even more so to know he is willing to assist me. Thanks so much to Snowwolfe. Randy, I'll certainly take you up on a meet for a beer or coffee next time I'm in. I'll make it a point.  I'll be sure to update as the summer shooting progresses, and hopefully this time next year I'll have already long posted pictures of a successful elephant hunt with this rifle. | |||
|
| One of Us |
Nice looking gun you got there. This story is a refreshing read, makes up for alot of other posts on here that turn into nothing but crap slinging arguments. Make sure you keep us posted on the range results. PS....you never answered me, are you just about ready to let go of the 9.3? Rod -------------------------------- "A hunter should not choose the cal, cartridge, and bullet that will kill an animal when everything is right; rather, he should choose ones that will kill the most efficiently when everything goes wrong" Bob Hagel | |||
|
| One of Us |
Scott, Your welcome. You picked out a really nice barrel contour for that .458. In the few minutes I had access to it the balance of the rifle was superb. Anxious to hear how it feeds and ejects as I noticed where the smith opened up the rails. Hope to see some photos of that tusker after you visit Africa My biggest fear is when I die my wife will sell my guns for what I told her they cost. | |||
|
| One of Us |
Scott, Looks very well done. I gotta question though. I notice there are no crossbolts. Does your smith think the laminate will handle the 458 without them. Again, nice gun. Roger QSL | |||
|
| One of Us |
Roger, I guess I dunno. He didn't say anything about it and I didn't ask. He did bed the action and I shot it some off hand today with good results. I guess I wouldn't have thought the laminate stock would mind the .458 especially as it has been bedded. | |||
|
| One of Us |
Sorry about that, I really wasn't ignoring you. I guess I don't know which rifle to take moose hunting yet. Today I shot the .458 for the first time and it seemed to go well, but on the other hand the 9.3 does hurl the 286's well. Hopefully I'll get to spend some more time shooting them both before September rolls around and then do something really smart like flip a coin. | |||
|
| One of Us |
Scott, I'll go with your smith and assume the laminate is fine for 458. What I had planned on doing was bascially the same with the Ruger, although I was thinking of changing stocks. With good bedding, it might not be a problem. However, keep an eye open for laminate separations at the very rear where the action contacts the tang area. You might also contact your smith and get his opinion. Hopefully, the bedded laminate is strong enough for the 458 as this setup you have is very nice looking. As you will be doing quite a bit of shooting for your upcoming hunt, if any problems show up, you will have plenty of time to make adjustments. Roger QSL | |||
|
| One of Us |
Scott, Just pick up some threaded brass rod (or long brass screws), 1/8 or 3/16ths and drill a couple of holes where you think cross bolts may be useful. Tape the outside of the stock and then smear acraglass over the threaded rods and screw them through the holes. Allow the acraglass to dry then grind or file down the end of the rods until flush. Easier to do than it sounds actually. Hardest part is drilling the holes correctly so they remain straight. Or just ask the guys on the gunsmithing forum, they have a wealth of information. My biggest fear is when I die my wife will sell my guns for what I told her they cost. | |||
|
one of us |
I have a friend that is going to sell a LH 450 Dakota. I think it was built by Biesen, but I'd have to check. Jeff | |||
|
| Powered by Social Strata |
 | Please Wait. Your request is being processed... |
|
The Accurate Reloading Forums THE ACCURATE RELOADING.COM FORUMS Shooting Lefties WTB elephant gun built for us.
Visit our on-line store for AR Memorabilia