.458 Lott vs .458 Winchester recoil

dhughes66

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I have a Ruger M77 RSM in .458 Lott so I can shoot .458 Winchester in it as well. To me the .458 Winchester has a more uncomfortable recoil than the .458 Lott. The Winchester is a sharper recoil to me than the Lott is even though on paper the Lott has more recoil. Does anyone agree?
 
Hmmm,
Assuming you are shooting the same projectiles are at least the same weight bullets, are you measuring the muzzle velocity both Win Mag and Lott?

I bought a few boxes of Nosler 458 Win and 458 Lott that were on sale. My Lab Radar clocked both cartridges at 2150 fps. Great for the 458 Win cartridges but, well I found out why the 458 Lott were on sale!

If however your higher velocity 458 Lotts have less recoil than your 458 Win, then good for you!
 
My CZ 550 .458 WINCHESTER MAGNUM shooting factory 450gr Barnes TSX feels “snappier” to me than my .458 LOTT shooting factory 500gr Nosler Partitions in my other CZ 550. I don’t have a chronograph but I have a suspicion the Partitions are downloaded. I’ve shot @CZDiesel ‘s .458 Win Mag Winchester M70 with factory 500gr Hornady solids I believe. The felt recoil is noticeably more than my Lott. So, I guess rifle weight, stock design, recoil pads and of course the cartridge loads themselves, all are intertwined with affecting felt recoil for an individual shooter.
 
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Different powders pushing the same weight bullets at the same muzzle velocity can produce different recoil energy. A heavier charge of a slower buring powder will produce more recoil than a lighter charge of a faster burning powder, assuming the muzzle velocities of the same weight bullets are the same.

Different bullets of the same caliber and weight can produce different felt recoil. Examples are monometals vs cup and core. Notice in loading data different charges of the same powder for different bullets of the same weight.

All the above stated, one needs a chronograph and a logbook to measure and record the mean velocities of each load. I recommend a Garmin Zero chrono. $550.
https://www.garmin.com/en-US/p/771164/

The Xero is very easy to operate!
1754942521438.png


Here's a recoil chart.

1754942014166.png
 
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Are the two types of ammunition similar? Are you shooting them both out of your 458 Lott rifle? If shooting different bullet weights or from different rifles could be the reason for the felt recoil difference.
 
I was using Hornady factory ammo for both. I knew I had read where higher pressure loads can feel like they have "more" felt recoil than a lower pressure load. I am assuming that is what is happening here. Honestly I have shot 375 H&H, 416 Rigby, and 458 Lott/Winchester and none of them kick as hard as a 12ga slug in a Remington 870 do to me. My 5ft 2in wife agrees. Yes my wife can shoot a 458. I am a lucky man. Lol
 
Meaningless without chronograph data and knowledge of the powder charge, for same bullets.
Subjective felt recoil judgement would require same rifle fit to shooter and same weight of rifles,
same barrel lengths and rifling.

Chamber pressure does not contribute to recoil.
Muzzle pressure contribution would be insignificant and very near the same low values for both rifles.
Chamber pressures:
SAAMI MAP for .458 WIN MAG is 60,000 psi.
SAAMI MAP for .458 Lott is 62,500 psi.
 
I also use a Rem 870 with 18” barrel for turkey and deer. It has after market synthetic forearm and stock. Has a RMR and screw in chokes. Use Fed 2 oz #6 shot for turkey and Buckhammer 3” 1 3/8 slugs for deer.
It dos get your attention when sighting in. Never remember recoil when using on game.
 
I have shot both and owned both. Now I don't. They are beasts no matter what anyone says.
The only way to dial down the pounding is with a suppressor. It helps.
 
There are dozens of factors in the recoil equation. There are also just as many ways to decrease it. If we want the power level that the 458's offer, we have to find ways to mitigate the recoil produced, and the easiest is to increase the weight of the rifle.

Add another 2 pounds to the gun, and it's a pussycat. Add another 10 pounds to that barbell you SHOULD be lifting at the gym, and you won't notice the 2 pounds.
images (28).jpeg
 
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I have shot 480 and 500 gr fmj and 480 and 515 gr copper solids in win mag and lott through my rifle at velocities from 2150 to 2325 fps. Subjectively, I feel like lighter bullets had a quick and more unpleasant kick. The 515 gr at 2325 fps was noticeably harder recoiling. But I don't feel a difference in the 2100 to 2200 and 480 to 500 gr rounds. The copper bullets need less powder for the same velocity to maybe the loads balance each other out. I think rifle weight makes the most difference to felt recoil.
 
I was using Hornady factory ammo for both. I knew I had read where higher pressure loads can feel like they have "more" felt recoil than a lower pressure load. I am assuming that is what is happening here. Honestly I have shot 375 H&H, 416 Rigby, and 458 Lott/Winchester and none of them kick as hard as a 12ga slug in a Remington 870 do to me. My 5ft 2in wife agrees. Yes my wife can shoot a 458. I am a lucky man. Lol
@dhughes66
Mate my Mossberg maverick with 3" magnum slugs boots like a bitch. In comparison @Badboymelvin 425 express with 400 grainers is a pussy cat in comparison.
That sub 7# bolt action shotgun definitely let's you know she has gone bang.
Bob
 
I have a Ruger M77 RSM in .458 Lott so I can shoot .458 Winchester in it as well. To me the .458 Winchester has a more uncomfortable recoil than the .458 Lott. The Winchester is a sharper recoil to me than the Lott is even though on paper the Lott has more recoil. Does anyone agree?
To me, it seems the opposite. The .458 Lott has a drier, faster, and more unpleasant recoil.
 
To me, it seems the opposite. The .458 Lott has a drier, faster, and more unpleasant recoil.
Yep, dhughes66 has it wrong. What is wrong with him ?
Oscar1975 has it right.

Unless ... dhughes66 was shooting a .458 WIN MAGA handload that would be excessive in the SAAMI .458 Lott.
The .458 WIN MAGA handload with 500-gr bullet in 2.5" brass case and 3.6" COL in a SAAMI .458 WIN MAG chamber is more powerful than a SAAMI .458 Lott.
Throat, throat, throat.
 
Yep, dhughes66 has it wrong. What is wrong with him ?
Oscar1975 has it right.

Unless ... dhughes66 was shooting a .458 WIN MAGA handload that would be excessive in the SAAMI .458 Lott.
The .458 WIN MAGA handload with 500-gr bullet in 2.5" brass case and 3.6" COL in a SAAMI .458 WIN MAG chamber is more powerful than a SAAMI .458 Lott.
Throat, throat, throat.
Should I take it I'm mistaken? The other day I fired two shots with the Cz in .458 Lott, using one .458 Winchester Magnum and one .458 Lott cartridge. My feeling was that the .458 Lott kicked like a mule, while the Winchester Magnum pushed.
 
Without a chrono it’s almost pointless to discuss. Barnes bullets tend to be slower than brass and cup and core bullets and pressure out sooner usually I’ve found. I’d imagine your Lott bullet is more significantly slower than you 450 tsx load. It’s impossible for a Lott to recoil less with the same bullet as it uses more powder to achieve the same velocity as a 458 wm load. It’s also possible you’re losing some velocity from the shorter 458 as you’re further from the lands and the gasses are escaping around the bullet before it seals
 
oscar1975.
Of course you are right.
Anyone who says otherwise is just gaslighting, like Democrats lighting their farts.
 
Recoil is a funny thing isn't it...
I look at it that there is calculated recoil and felt recoil.
For example the load that I used in my .458WM was the 550gn Woodleigh at 2100fps and in my rifle that calculated to 80ft/lbs... that's substantial.
My 425 Express (same make of rifle, different stock) firing the 400gn at 2300fps comes in at 60ft/lbs. However, the recoil from the 425 Express - even with the Limbsaver recoil pad feels snappier and more unpleasant than the 458. Just how it feels to me...
I guess this is where weight, stock design, etc... comes in to play.
 
Ah recoil perception.
A persons perception is their reality.
Most of the time you will not alter their reality.
 

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