My new and favourite big bore

[flatwater bill]

Nice looking rifle in a great caliber............................but "last rifle purchase" .....good luck on that one. I first said that 40 years ago. "This is the last rifle I will ever need"...I have been saying it every 6 months or so since.

But with lots of good 458 bullets to choose from, your rifle would do well on almost any hunt. As your data indicate, it is no trouble to work up a 300 meter load for an accurate 458......again........nice looking rifle.......................FWB

 

[edward]

Hi Matt,
Yeah a pound heavier would be more comfortable to shoot but to be honest I'm starting to warm to the idea it's a bit lighter. It'll be a lot handier to carry on those long sambar hunts!

I also agree with you that a 500gr @ 2050fps is enough for all that can be hunted but I'd add another 50fps to the practical speeds. Today I would honestly rate the .458 comfortable at 2100-2150fps with a 500gr bullet.
However, to bring out the best in any .458 (WM, Lott, etc) I believe that the 420-450gr non-con bullets (CEB, NF, ACP, Hydro's, Barnes) are the best choice. Michael458 has done extensive testing both in the field and in the laboratory that prove these bullets out penetrate and out perform the more traditional bullets, such as the Woodleigh.
Now don't get me wrong, I'm a big fan of the Woodleigh's. They're a premium projectile and they're made only a couple of hours from my home. But my .458 is my elite rifle. The one rifle I'd stake my life on. So bearing that in mind, I'm going to feed it the best possible projectiles I can find.. and Michael has convinced me that they are the CEB's.

have you tried the woodliegh hydro solids?

 

[Badboymelvin]

No I haven't yet, but I've heard that they're awesome. Actually I don't think that I've ever heard a bad report on them performance wise. I know some people reported that they have had feeding problems but they're capped now so that should hopefully be a thing of the past.
I'm definitely going to give them a try...

 

[tarbe]

Beautiful rifle!

You might also take a look at the Northfork Cup Point Solids.

Tim

 

[crs]

BBM,
You 300 grain velocity is the same a from my 1886 45-90 AND you are correct about being sure you use a bullet /velocity mix that will not destroy the bullet.
We hung dead goats from a tree and tested bullets and none of the 300 grain jacketed bullets could take 2600 fps MV . So, we called Nosler to learn the max impact velocity of their .458 protected point that does so well on deer-- 2200 fps was max, so we loaded them at 2200 fps MV for Africa and by golly it worked on this big male leopard from 20 yards. Nailed it to the Sand and made a perfect mushroom.

The serious guy was our shooter and he liked the smart 4 pound trigger on my 1886 -- said it always knew just when to drop the hammer. It is a great rifle!

 

[crs]

Tarbe,
Great bullets and my rifles love all the NF bullets. Even my 45-70 DR likes the .458 350 grain SS and groups them well.