I am about to rechamber a 458Win to 458Lott. I read an article on African-Hunter.com by Cal Pappas that describes differences in throat and overall case lengths that occur with this cartridge and the importance of the longer throat/chambering to avoid high pressures. Apparently some chambers are 2.80" (the SAMI spec?), others 2.85" (the length of the 375 case). Is anyone familiar with this?

COTW lists the 458 Lott brass length as 2.800", while the 450 Watts is full 375 H&H length, 2.850". OAL for loaded rounds are 3.600" for the Lott and 3.650" for the Watts. If you chamber for the Watts, you can safely shoot 458WM and 458 Lott, but you can not shoot a Watts in a Lott....

Unless you have a magazine length limitation, I think that I would prefer the Watts over the Lott.

I am no expert, and have NO first-hand experience with any of the above cartridges, but hope this helps,

Bill

Rechambering is only half of the battle - then you'll have to get it to feed properly, and that's the hard part. Trust me on this, but a magazine box that's right for a .458 Winchester will not be right for the .458 Lott. You'll need a box that's slightly longer than one appropriate for the .375 H&H, and that's not the only dimensional consideration.

AD

Thanks Allen, I hinted at that but did not go into the depth that you did. We don't know what action it is - it may be a moot point if he's re-chambering a Ruger No. 1....

Bill

It is a Ruger #1. The confusing part to me is 375 cases (which I intend to use) are 2.85" long whereas the 458L is 2.80", which conceivably could lead to high pressures. I can trim the cases I guess. Mr. Pappas mentions two versions of the cartridge (2.80" & 2.85") and recommends the 2.85", which seems logical to me given that is the length of the 375, but apparently the reamers are set up for 2.80".

Sounds like he doesn't differentiate between the Lott (2.800") and the Watts (2.850"). If you chamber for the 450 Watts, you can shoot all three....

(Edited to add) If you chamber the 2.800" Lott, you will need to trim those cases!

Bill

[ 07-25-2002, 01:03: Message edited by: Bill M ]

Heck, if you're converting a Number One you've got it made!

Here's a suggestion: Hornady is now producing loaded .458 Lott ammo. You might call them and ask about their standardized chamber dimensions

www.hornady.com

AD

Bill: I hadn't thought about the Watts option. Have you tried shooting Winchesters or Lotts in a Watts chamber? Do the cases simply expand to the larger Watts dimensions? Is accuracy OK? Thanks.

Sorry FLA3006, no personal experience, but it is the same as shooting a 38 spl in 357 Mag chamber, 45 LC in 454 Casull, etc. Should be safe, but I can't comment on accuracy.

Bill

Ahh, I have chambered several Lotts, let us clear up this dilemma.

Jack's original chamber was for 2.80" brass, which he formed from 375 H&H and trimmed.

SAAMI calls for 2.80" brass, and a SAAMI reamer cuts for about a 2.83" or so case length to give a fudge factor for stretched cases, etc.

The Pappas' artice recommended cutting for a 2.85" brass length as some of the early Lott brass is made from H&H basic cylindrical brass which is around 2.85" length. And I have seen a good bit of Lott brass that is longer than 2.80".

So, it all boils down to this: If your Lott must digest any and all Lott cases, including some old spares that the PH found under the seat in the 'rover, then have a chamber cut for 2.85" brass. If you never anticipate having to scrounge for cartridges, the 2.80" chamber is OK. My Lott reamer is for 2.85" brass. Something to keep in mind is the bullets you use and where the crimp cannelure is located. This dictates overall cartridge length, and the magazine length. The Lott needs a heavy crimp, use a Lee collet die as JJHack mentioned in an earlier post.

RE feeding, all it takes for a M70 is a touch of rail widening, extending the ejection port to the rear about 3/8", shortening the ejector and bolt stop, recontouring the ramp, and changing the angle on the extractor just a tad so the case rim slips under the ejector without binding, and opening up the rear of the rails at the magazine opening so the belts will clear.

And Watts vs Lott: The Lott is standardized and has a straight taper so 458 Win's work fine. The Lott is highly recommended over the Watts for this reason. Plus there is the headstamp and barrel engraving issue.

If you are building a Lott, remember that a full house Lott cartridge with 500 grain bullets has considerable more recoil that a 458 Win. You gotta properly reinforce the stock with two cross bolts and internal wrist reinforcement, install a stout barrel recoil lug, use a good pad, have the proper length of pull, pitch, drop at heel and comb, and cast off. I also install SS pillars. Other wise you will have a monster that downright hurts to shoot and will devour the wood stock in rapid order. If you are building a Lott on a M70, the Williams one piece bottom metal is highly recommended, nope, make it a "Requirement".

For those that have not seen JJ's rifle, there are a couple of photos on my site, link below. Note, this is a 'pre checker" photo.

[ 07-25-2002, 06:25: Message edited by: John Ricks ]

Thanks John and others, that answers my questions.

fla3006
I had my 458 win mag ruger #1 rechambered by ssk industries. J.D.Jones talked to me about all the questions you have. I settled on the watts chambering and had it throated to shoot the longer barnes X bullets. I have no complaints about his work, turn aroud time or costs. The rifle now shoots everything very well from 300 grain hollow points to 600 grain originals, with the short lott cases or the longer watt cases. hope this helps, if you decide to do it your self listen to what you have been told. Good luck RNS

A-Square's .458 Lott ammunition is a 2.800" case and a 3.600" overall length using the 465 grain bullets. The source is the A-Square reloading manual.

jim dodd