.458 Winchester Magnum too much gun?

I’m very confident in my CZ 375H&H but I will be interested to see how my Ruger in a 458 Win Mag shoots. I wanted to do on land hippo hunt in the future along with a Cape buffalo hunt. If I felt confident in the 458 Win, I might be inclined to take it hunting over the more versatile 375 H&H.

Timbo said:

I find it very surprising how hunters will scrimp out on using a premium bullet, when by comparison it's probably the least expensive component of a hunt - yet arguably THE pivotal item upon which their success or failure is decided!!

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Without opening “Pandora’s Box” so to speak, your choices for good .458 bullets? Thanks!

enysse said:

I’m very confident in my CZ 375H&H but I will be interested to see how my Ruger in a 458 Win Mag shoots. I wanted to do on land hippo hunt in the future along with a Cape buffalo hunt. If I felt confident in the 458 Win, I might be inclined to take it hunting over the more versatile 375 H&H.

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I would think the weight of the Ruger (like the CZ) will help mitigate much of the recoil of the .458? I went from shooting my Whitworth .375 (8.5lbs) to my CZ .458 WM (9.5lbs) and the recoil difference was minimal when I put a Limbsaver recoil pad on the .458.

The Ruger M77 in 458 Win Mag is not a light rifle and the barrel is very heavy but for me that is okay. I’d rather shoot a heavy rifle than a light one.

enysse said:

The Ruger M77 in 458 Win Mag is not a light rifle and the barrel is very heavy but for me that is okay. I’d rather shoot a heavy rifle than a light one.

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I too prefer a heavier barrel/rifle in a larger caliber. I’ve never shot a Ruger (except my .220 Swift in the late ‘70s) but it’ll be a great large bore rifle for you!

CoElkHunter said:

Without opening “Pandora’s Box” so to speak, your choices for good .458 bullets? Thanks!

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I'm in Australia, so for me it's Woodleighs all the way. They replicate the ballistics of the Kynoch ammo, and as the game hasn't changed since then, I see no reason why their bullets won't be as effective. So I use them in my larger calibres, and they perform very well:
- 180gr PSP in the .30/06,
- 286gr RNSN in the 9.3x62 and,
- 500gr RNSN and FMJs in the .458 Win Mag.

If you look up Woody's bullet catalogue, you'll see both the .458 calibre 500gr RNSN and FMJs have the same SD - with an almost identicle BC - therefore, I load both with 72gr of AR2206H (an ADI powder) which enables them to print almost touching cloverleaf groups, with each type of projectile at 50yds. I seat and roll crimp into the cannelure without any compression issues at all. One essential piece of info Woodleigh always stresses is to load their projectiles within the velocity range designated for each type of bullet. Stay in that range, and they'll perform beautifully!

I know many on here prefer other premium bullets (Swifts, Peregrines, Rhinos, North Forks etc etc) but here in Oz it primarily comes down to availability - and Woodys are only a phone call away - and they're delivered to my door through the post! That simplifies everything.

Best of luck!!

CoElkHunter said:

Without opening “Pandora’s Box” so to speak, your choices for good .458 bullets? Thanks!

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Cutting Edge bullets. I have used the from bear to elephants.

Assuming my Leopard/Buffalo hunt is still on in August will be using them in my .458 B&M wildcat.

IvW said:

A lot have to do with what each has used and the specific results of such use on DG. Some are happy with 458 WM no matter the situation, some are not.

I saw too many issues with same.

I started with a 375 H&H and as Elephant and buffalo became more part of the deal. I switched to a 500 JEFF, because my first DG mentor used one and I saw what it was capable of, and the rest as they say is history....I have the utmost confidence in my 500 JEFF and have used in many bad situations always with the same result, one well placed shot, game over.

Yes the use of premium quality bullets is a foregone conclusion and should not even be a point of discussion, use only the best when dealing with DG, more so if you are the one responsible to save the bacon...

I ques if you had decided on a 500 Jeff or 458 Lott at the time you would have the same confidence in their ability.

Glad the 458 WM has worked out for you and you are happy with it.

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Hi IvW,

I am a staunch, avid fan of the .458WM (but I know that you are not) but after reading your post I did some googling on the 500 Jeffery. Of course I had heard of it, but I had never had a real good look at it's ballistics...

Wow! What a powerhouse! It certainly has impressive ballistics.

I then went on my ballistics calculator and worked out the recoil of a typical load of 535gn @ 2400 fps (as found in the Barnes manual) in a 11ib rifle. It was around 100ft/lbs! That's certainly impressive as well...

So while it certainly is impressive - and there are a lot of very fine rifles chambered for it, I'm afraid it's just too much of a good thing for me...
The highest recoiling rifle I have ever fired was a .458WM @2200fps in a Winchester M70 and I think that worked out to around 70ft/lbs - and that was my absolute limit.
In fact, I did not enjoy it off the bench one bit...
But people that can shoot such rounds as the 500 Jeffery, 505 Gibbs and 460 Wby accurately, certainly do have my respect.

Cheers,

Russ

Badboymelvin said:

Hi IvW,

I am a staunch, avid fan of the .458WM (but I know that you are not) but after reading your post I did some googling on the 500 Jeffery. Of course I had heard of it, but I had never had a real good look at it's ballistics...

Wow! What a powerhouse! It certainly has impressive ballistics.

I then went on my ballistics calculator and worked out the recoil of a typical load of 535gn @ 2400 fps (as found in the Barnes manual) in a 11ib rifle. It was around 100ft/lbs! That's certainly impressive as well...

So while it certainly is impressive - and there are a lot of very fine rifles chambered for it, I'm afraid it's just too much of a good thing for me...
The highest recoiling rifle I have ever fired was a .458WM @2200fps in a Winchester M70 and I think that worked out to around 70ft/lbs - and that was my absolute limit.
In fact, I did not enjoy it off the bench one bit...
But people that can shoot such rounds as the 500 Jeffery, 505 Gibbs and 460 Wby accurately, certainly do have my respect.

Cheers,

Russ

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Hi Russ

Yes the 500 Jeff is certainly a power house and it is not for the recoil shy.

Stock design and rifle fit also go a long way in recoil management. Mine weighs 11 1/2 lbs un-loaded and fits me well. Although recoil is there(it is a .500 after all), I can bench rest it as well as shoot off the sticks, however the main use is freehand during dangerous situations and during these you do not feel the recoil and practice just takes over.

It is devastatingly effective on the front end and if shot is placed correctly with the right bullet, whatever you shoot at coming or going goes down, decisively. Only one shot needed.

During load development I have gone as high as 2450 fps with a 570 gr bullet but trust me that is a bit rough and recovery time for the second shot takes too long. 2250 to 2350 fps is more than enough.

I have shot 505 Gibbs as well as 460 Weatherby. 505 Gibbs was built on a P14 action, Weatherby was without brake. Gibbs had sharper recoil than the Jeff and the 460 well tooth rattling and recoil unmanageable.

I have a two part article somewhere that I will find and post here, it makes for very interesting reading.....

Badboymelvin said:

...

I then went on my ballistics calculator and worked out the recoil of a typical load of 535gn @ 2400 fps (as found in the Barnes manual) in a 11ib rifle. It was around 100ft/lbs! That's certainly impressive as well...

So while it certainly is impressive - and there are a lot of very fine rifles chambered for it, I'm afraid it's just too much of a good thing for me...
The highest recoiling rifle I have ever fired was a .458WM @2200fps in a Winchester M70 and I think that worked out to around 70ft/lbs - and that was my absolute limit.
In fact, I did not enjoy it off the bench one bit...
But people that can shoot such rounds as the 500 Jeffery, 505 Gibbs and 460 Wby accurately, certainly do have my respect.
...

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I shoot high recoiling big bore rifles. However, I never shoot them off the bench unless it is from a lead sled (bolts) or with a sissy pad (doubles). Most shooting is done off-hand or from sticks in preparation for a hunt. So, recoil never becomes a factor for a rifle that fits with proper technique. Also, I don't shoot more than 5-10 rounds at a time for a practice session with a big bore. I shoot a lighter caliber before and after to make sure my brain doesn't want to flinch. Of course, at a hunt it is not an issue due to adrenalin and focus.

For bench shooting I have lighter calibers.