Is it pretty easy to rechamber a 458 winchester rifle to a 458 lott. I am looking at the older short barrel (22") rifles to do this conversion.

Am thinking I would atleast get proper 458 velocity owing to the shorter barrel.

Thanks

AR

I trimmed the barrel of a CZ 458 Lott to 23" and still get 2300 FPS with 500's and 2400 FPS with 450's.
I would not be to concerned with a 22" pipe.

The re-chamber is easy. The question is will the action take a longer cartridge, and will the magazine fit it as well. Otherwise it is a single shot, and perhaps not very useful.

What rifle are you looking to redo?

Jeremy

magazine length and feed rails will change

I don't have a dog in this fight, but have some questions:

1) I assume that the advanatge of 458 Lott chambering is, as intended, that one can use Lott length cartridges but if they are not available revert to using standard 458 Winchester?

So given that:

2) Could one, if feeding was an issue, use a 458 Lott "up the spout" but in the magazine simply put standard 458 Winchester cartridges?

Or:

If you don't want to do a magazine and feed rail modification simply TRIM down 458 Lott cases until they will feed reliably in the hope that that trimmed length still gives an increase in capacity over a standard 458 Winchester?

A sort of "short Lott" as it were that is still just that nip longer than the standard 458 Winchester and, as such, allows a little more powder.

3) Or...should the OP see if today's MODERN powders will, in fact, give that desired 2200 fps in his 22" barrel rifle, in 458 Winchester "as is"?

Not for nothing. The 458 accrel will clean up a win mag Chamber and have greater than lott capacity. In the standard length action

quote:

Or...should the OP see if today's MODERN powders will, in fact, give that desired 2200 fps in his 22" barrel rifle, in 458 Winchester "as is"?

You got it. The bone stock 458 is used by tons of PHs in Africa as well as Big Bear guides here.
H332 will get you there although the NEED for a 500 gr bullet, given today's super monometals is an open question.

A 450 gr Barnes Banded Solid or TSX will see 2300 and I rather doubt anything shot would note the 50 gr "deficiency".

I have a No 1 African that was redone from 458 WRA to 450 Nitro #2 3&1/2". It has a very high "cool factor" but I doubt it will kill anything deader and the cost of brass and dies......Yeoweeee! Then there is the slight problem that the ejector still is not working 100% of the time......

If I had a 458 WRA and wanted a Lott, I would sell the former and dig up a Ruger RSM, a great rifle, that Ruger could no longer afford to make, and be a very happy Lott owner.

Like this one:

http://www.gunsamerica.com/946..._Magnum_458Lott.htm#

reddy375:
I rechambered a M-70 from the .458 to the .450 Watts. I loved the 22-inch barrel. I would buy it back in a minute! The serial number ended with 458! Other than the rechambering I seem to recall a spacer had to be removed from the magazine to accept the longer cartridges.
Cheers and good luck.
Cal

I did a similar job as Cal to a M70 but went to the Lott. It was a simple reamer job and remove the magazine spacer. The increased recoil was bad on the stock though and it started pushing the factory crossbolts back through the stock. If I had it to do again I wouldn't, I would just buy a Ruger or a CZ. I still may buy a ruger RSM if one presents itself and I have too much cash on me

Matthew