experiences with 458 Lott
- Thread starter micksis86
- Start date
I've only fired a customer's 458 Lott rifle, but it is not even in the same recoil category as the 338 Win Mag. I can shoot a 338 in a T-shirt, but I would not try that with a 458 Lott. The 458 Lott will definitely set you back on your heels. That said, if you handload you can tame it down.
Kreyzhorse
New member
I've got a 45-70 Ruger No 1. It is truly a great gun, accurate and reliable. It's very well made and a joy to shoot.
As far as the 458 Lott, I'd guess the recoil is going to be very, very stout. Your .338 isn't in the same ballpark as the Lott. With that, if the price is right, and you don't mind paying for expensive, hard to find ammo, I'd buy it right now.
As far as the 458 Lott, I'd guess the recoil is going to be very, very stout. Your .338 isn't in the same ballpark as the Lott. With that, if the price is right, and you don't mind paying for expensive, hard to find ammo, I'd buy it right now.
Kreyzhorse
New member
Alright, we look forward to a full review and range report.
Dissenting opinion:
That Lott is for things that gore, stomp and stamp. Those things soak up a lot of lead.
We've all seen the pictures of the gents with the cartridges in their fist and heard stories of quick reloads, but a lot of times you have scant chance of working the bolt, let alone feeding a single shot.
If this is just a fun gun, get it. Recoil is addictive. But if you're going to hunt anything for real, get another gun.
That Lott is for things that gore, stomp and stamp. Those things soak up a lot of lead.
We've all seen the pictures of the gents with the cartridges in their fist and heard stories of quick reloads, but a lot of times you have scant chance of working the bolt, let alone feeding a single shot.
If this is just a fun gun, get it. Recoil is addictive. But if you're going to hunt anything for real, get another gun.
Thanks Amflyer I have read that elsewhere. I would imagine it's too fine a movement to carry out under pressure.
It is mostly a fun rifle however I do plan on hunting with it but nothing that stamps, gores etc so should be ok.
If I do I might look at a 458 Lott bolt action.
Thanks
Krexyhorse i will post a review once i've taken it out.
It is mostly a fun rifle however I do plan on hunting with it but nothing that stamps, gores etc so should be ok.
If I do I might look at a 458 Lott bolt action.
Thanks
Krexyhorse i will post a review once i've taken it out.
The .458 Lott is a stretched .458 Win Mag. Lott stretched the case so he could get enough powder in it to actually achieve the original claimed .458 Win Mag ballisitics.
The Ruger in these calibers feels heavy. I have a No.1 in .375H&H and I swear it feels twice as heavy as my No.3 in .45-70! Thats because all the weight seems to sit in that thick, heavy barrel.
Probabaly not the best choice for a dangerous game rifle, (only because its a single shot),but far from the worst. As to the reload under stress, that's you, not the rifle.
The beauty of this rifle (and getting it at a good price really adds to the appeal
) is that by handloading, you now have a rifle good to take anything that walks on earth. You can shoot .458 Win Mag brass in it (save the Lott brass for when you really need it), and you can load cast bullets at any speed you like up to full bore.
A load matching the black powder ballistics of the .45-70 will have a fairly light felt recoil in that heavy No.1, and take everything in North America, if you can get within the range that you can make a good shot. 400gr cast loaded in the 1800fps range extends that distance some. And you still have plenty of "throttle" capacity left.
And the big bore rifles are generally still very accurate with reduced loads.
One word of caution, when handloading with jacketed bullets, make sure you choose a bullet that is right for the target, AND right for the speed you shoot it. IF you push a bullet designed to expand at .45-70 speeds all the way to 2000+fps, it will act like a varmint bullet. Explosive expansion (with matching change in penetration. Have seen deer hit with a load like that, and while the job was done (deer was anchored, decisively) only about half the bullet was still in one piece and a pretty fair amount of tissue was really "messed up". A hard cast slug or a heavier jacketed one, at the same speed would have left a clean hole and still gotten the job done just as well.
The Ruger in these calibers feels heavy. I have a No.1 in .375H&H and I swear it feels twice as heavy as my No.3 in .45-70! Thats because all the weight seems to sit in that thick, heavy barrel.
Probabaly not the best choice for a dangerous game rifle, (only because its a single shot),but far from the worst. As to the reload under stress, that's you, not the rifle.
The beauty of this rifle (and getting it at a good price really adds to the appeal
) is that by handloading, you now have a rifle good to take anything that walks on earth. You can shoot .458 Win Mag brass in it (save the Lott brass for when you really need it), and you can load cast bullets at any speed you like up to full bore.A load matching the black powder ballistics of the .45-70 will have a fairly light felt recoil in that heavy No.1, and take everything in North America, if you can get within the range that you can make a good shot. 400gr cast loaded in the 1800fps range extends that distance some. And you still have plenty of "throttle" capacity left.
And the big bore rifles are generally still very accurate with reduced loads.
One word of caution, when handloading with jacketed bullets, make sure you choose a bullet that is right for the target, AND right for the speed you shoot it. IF you push a bullet designed to expand at .45-70 speeds all the way to 2000+fps, it will act like a varmint bullet. Explosive expansion (with matching change in penetration. Have seen deer hit with a load like that, and while the job was done (deer was anchored, decisively) only about half the bullet was still in one piece and a pretty fair amount of tissue was really "messed up". A hard cast slug or a heavier jacketed one, at the same speed would have left a clean hole and still gotten the job done just as well.
I had a friend who bought a Ruger No1 in 458 Win. He shot it once or maybe twice. He told me that he was not emotionally or physically prepared for the recoil. He promptly sold it.
Unless I was going to Africa for the BIG stuff I would have no desire or need for such rifles.
Jerry
Unless I was going to Africa for the BIG stuff I would have no desire or need for such rifles.
Jerry
I'm getting my Sako .416 Rem. mag. re-barreled to .458 Lott, should be getting it back from the 'smith within a couple of months. I already purchased a set of Redding dies, and I can easily re-size my .416 RM brass to .458 Lott.
My .458 Win. mag. is great fun to hunt with. Having a .458 Lott is gonna be a real hoot.
My .458 Win. mag. is great fun to hunt with. Having a .458 Lott is gonna be a real hoot.
Thanks guys helpful as always. I'll be sure to remember that informaiotn 44 AMP as i plan on using this rifle for as much as i can.
Jerry M I can see where your friend is coming from and to each his own I'm into the big bore rifles I guess so it's only been a matter of time until I got one.
Jerry M I can see where your friend is coming from and to each his own I'm into the big bore rifles I guess so it's only been a matter of time until I got one.
Kreyzhorse
New member
That is a great line! I will steal it at some point.
While not the same caliber my 375 RUM can offer some insight into the recoil weight equation.
I loaded my scope sighting rounds at starting level; 105 gr. of H4831SC behind a 225 gr. Hornady SP. Book listed these at 3062 fps. (no chrono data due to malfunctions). These loads are a solid 200 fps book over published 338 WM data per Hodgdon. The sighting loads produced "STOUT" recoil.
My follow up load was a 300 gr. Hornady BTSP over 97 gr. RL22 (Sierra max. is 99 gr.) and they clocked over the chrono at over 2850 fps. In my notes I describe the recoil as "HOLY $#!t". These make the 225. gr. loads seem tolerable.
Only a difference of 75 gr. bullet, 200 fps speed, and 7 gr. powder but the 300 gr. loads were noticeably more stout. The rifle is a Rem. 700 AWR scoped with a Leupold VX II 2-7X 33mm. with Warne Maxima rings and bases. It weighs in at 8.25 lbs.
Just fair warning. If you have never fired something of this magnitude before you are in for a serious mental readjustment.
The difference between a 458 WM snd 458 Lott will be noticeable. 500 gr. at 2050 vs. 2300 fps in a gun of the same weight is going to be night and day. No knocks against the 30's and 338's but the recoil is not even in the same league. A hot 45-70 400 gr. out of my Marlin 1895 SS isn't in the same league. The 416 Rem. is close enough since you are dealing with a 400 gr. slug out of a brass of the same length and similar pressure. Here, we are talking about loosen your fillings recoil. Hang on tight; this is gonna kick.
I loaded my scope sighting rounds at starting level; 105 gr. of H4831SC behind a 225 gr. Hornady SP. Book listed these at 3062 fps. (no chrono data due to malfunctions). These loads are a solid 200 fps book over published 338 WM data per Hodgdon. The sighting loads produced "STOUT" recoil.
My follow up load was a 300 gr. Hornady BTSP over 97 gr. RL22 (Sierra max. is 99 gr.) and they clocked over the chrono at over 2850 fps. In my notes I describe the recoil as "HOLY $#!t". These make the 225. gr. loads seem tolerable.
Only a difference of 75 gr. bullet, 200 fps speed, and 7 gr. powder but the 300 gr. loads were noticeably more stout. The rifle is a Rem. 700 AWR scoped with a Leupold VX II 2-7X 33mm. with Warne Maxima rings and bases. It weighs in at 8.25 lbs.
Just fair warning. If you have never fired something of this magnitude before you are in for a serious mental readjustment.
The difference between a 458 WM snd 458 Lott will be noticeable. 500 gr. at 2050 vs. 2300 fps in a gun of the same weight is going to be night and day. No knocks against the 30's and 338's but the recoil is not even in the same league. A hot 45-70 400 gr. out of my Marlin 1895 SS isn't in the same league. The 416 Rem. is close enough since you are dealing with a 400 gr. slug out of a brass of the same length and similar pressure. Here, we are talking about loosen your fillings recoil. Hang on tight; this is gonna kick.
kilimanjaro
New member
I've fired No. 1's in various 'forties', but not the .458 Lott. The .458 Magnum will set you back on your heels, no question. So the Lott has got to be a real joy, if you like that kind of thing.
Having said that, I own 4 Rugers in the African calibers, they are fun to shoot, if you want one of them, go ahead and get one. I'm looking for .416 Rigby and 9.3x74, just to round out the 'collection'. There's a .505 Gibbs here locally, I think Hemingway liked the round, if the price comes down I might spring for it, just for fun.
I figure I'm all set should the elephants escape next time the circus comes to town....
Having said that, I own 4 Rugers in the African calibers, they are fun to shoot, if you want one of them, go ahead and get one. I'm looking for .416 Rigby and 9.3x74, just to round out the 'collection'. There's a .505 Gibbs here locally, I think Hemingway liked the round, if the price comes down I might spring for it, just for fun.
I figure I'm all set should the elephants escape next time the circus comes to town....
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