My new and favourite big bore

Badboymelvin

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Hi guys,

Here is my latest (and last) rifle purchase... and it's a ripper!
It's a Winchester M70 'Safari Express' in .458WM and even though I bought it secondhand it's in great condition.
Even though I bought it secondhand, I have followed this particular rifle's history quite closely on a couple of shooting forums. When first bought, this particular rifle was... well... a lemon! It was advertised as in excellent condition and the first owner eagerly snapped it up. However all was not what it seemed! The bedding job that was done on the rifle was done completely wrong and after 7 shots the stock cracked behind the tang. Also the rifle wouldn't feed the second round from the magazine which essentially meant it was a single shot. And finally, the barrel band that held the sling swivel was loose and slid freely up and down the barrel.
The owner contemplated what to do and considered returning the rifle, however the gunshop came to the party and offered to help get the rifle fixed so off to the gunsmith it went.
When it came back the bedding was done correctly and the chips behind the tang were repaired. It fed all rounds flawlessly and the barrel band was repaired. The owner was so happy with the end result he went to the N.T. with it and shot some buffalo!
Eventually he sold it to it's new owner and that's who I bought it off.
I got it for a very reasonable price - especially considering all the gunsmithing that went into it and it really is a very nice rifle.
The first thing I did was fit the Talley bases to the rifle and fit some steel Talley rings to them. My tried and tested Pentax 2.5x scope was fitted to the rings and the whole package came up nice.
Now, what to feed it?
I had some reloads left over from my last .458 which was built on a magnum length action. The projectiles on these reloads were seated out long to suit the action and thus they were to long to fit in the Winchester's magazine. So what I did was slowly seat the projectiles in deeper until they just fitted in the magazine. These loads consist of the 500gn Woodleigh PP and a hot load of 77.5gn of AR2206H which proved mild in the last rifle, but with the bullets seated deeper I was worried that they may prove too hot for the Winchester..?

So today saw me doing a session over the chronograph, where I chrono'd 3 loads;

Reload. 300gn HP over a mild load of 2207 = 2661fps
Winchester factory load. 510gn SP = 1980fps
Reload. 500gn Woodleigh PP 77.5gr 2206H = 2220fps

That last load did prove to be safe in my rifle, with the cases falling out of the chamber and the primer and miked case were fine. Despite that, I'm only after 2150fps so I think a little tweaking may be in order. I'm going to drop it back a grain which will prove easier on the case, rifle and the shooter!

Speaking of the shooter the chrono session was punishing. The rifle isn't particularly heavy for a .458 - and indeed, of the 3 .458's I've owned, this is the lightest. I fired off 14 rounds of the 500gn reloads off the bench and the recoil was brutal. I even copped a scope to the head but luckily I was wearing safety glasses and judging by the chunk that was taken out of them I'm glad I was...
By using a ballistic calculator I worked out that recoil is around 72ft/lbs which is getting up there in anyone's language..
So there you have it, my new rifle.
This is my third .458 and I think it may be my favourite so far.
It's just such a complete rifle and there's nothing that I would change.
As far as I'm concerned it's the perfect rifle..
 
 

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Nice rifle. FYI, the Woodleigh load manual says a max charge of 74.0 g of AR2206H will get you 2160 fps, basically what you're looking for. I have no personal experience loading the .458 win mag, just reading straight from the manual and thought I would share.
 
Congratulations on your new Thumper, nice wood for a Factory Rifle
 
Congratulations on your new baby, believe you will dearly enjoy it (seems you already do). Just some advice on load development and shooting of the bench, never easy with these big bores. I own and shoot a .458 Lott and bench work is hard, so I devised a sling that I throw over a tree or roof truss at the range and basically hang the rifle in the sling (like shooting off-hand with support). The rifle recoils freely (unlike shooting sticks) and your body rocks back with the recoil. We are not trying to shoot sub MOA at 100yards, thus this method is more than stable to chrono and shoot groups at 50y.
 
458 WM rock!!!
 
I know I love mine! I just returned from Africa and used mine on everything from Steenbok to Cape Buffalo with a couple impala thrown in, and the rifle did it's job perfectly! Hell, I had to fight off offers to buy it off me while I was there, lol... In any event, that is a fine specimen and I know it will serve you well. Maybe we can swap loads sometime as I reloaded all my safari ammunition but I use Varget. Congrats!
 
thats a fine looking big bore rifle you got there!

how much does she weigh?

also, it looks like youve got room to move the scope further forward which should protect you from dreaded scope eye (weve all been there). my 416 has its scope pushed as far forward as possible. my Gibbs and Hubel Express dont have scopes because id fear for my life!

-matt
 
Yu can always go to offset mounts should you run out of room on that tube
 
Thanks for the compliments guys, I'm very happy with it.

Matt, it's around 9.5lbs scoped. I agree with you about scope, I will be moving it forward because getting scoped by a .458 is no fun at all..

I did a little bit more testing of the 500gn reloads today. As it was very hot today I went to my range and sat the rifle in the rifle-rest and left it in the sun to get hot. I also sat a reload on the dashboard of the car and left it there until it was almost too hot to touch. I then fired the hot reload in the hot rifle to see if there was any pressure spike... and there was. Upon opening the bolt there was sticky extraction so I'll be backing this load off a grain and a half. The above might seem a bit extreme but as this rifle will be used for sambar in the Victorian alps, as well as being used in the N.T and hopefully Africa, I want the rifle to be totally dependable in any temperature.
I'm getting over 2200fps now - but I was ever only after 2150fps so I reckon backing off a grain and a half will hopefully get me spot on!
 
as your stated, your rifle is too light. you need to add at least a half pound but a full pound would be better.

practical speeds for the 458 WM are 2050-2100 with a 500gr bullet any time your above that your running fairly high pressures. the extra speed isnt really going to do you any favors unless its yielding better accuracy. at 2050fps a 500gr .458" bullet will bring down anything thing on four legs.

-matt
 
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.
 

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