.458 Lott reloading

[mdsalern]

A friend’s father has invited me to look through his reloading equipment and take what I want in dies and other equipment.

While talking on the phone he told me that the .458 Lott, due to the straight wall makes a great oversized .410 shotgun by reloading as shotshells. He also told me you could make “plinking” rounds using as little as 7 grams of powder using filler. Has anyone done either these?

I have a press but am only just starting to reload.

 

[Luvthunt]

Rimmed case vs rimless?

 

[Forrest Halley]

I would advise against pursuing this advice. I would also kindly decline any handloads as well.

 

[TNDave]

^^^This^^^

 

[Hunter4752001]

Yes, you can load 458 cases as shotshells. BUT you are going to get excessive leading which could be dangerous if you follow up with a proper 458 round. Furthermore, because the barrel is rifled, the shot column gets spun and the resultant pattern is more like a donut with few pellets in the center where you want them. Long story short: if you want a shotgun, buy a shotgun - if you want a rifle, load it as a rifle.

 

[mdsalern]

That makes sense. I wouldn’t use them often. Maybe to dispatch a snake or such around camp. Much like the shotshells for my .44 mag.

As for the light loads, I believe he told me he uses filler in the case and necks them down to .41 using lightweight pistol bullets.

 

[Brandon.Gleason]

You should not take any additional advise from this individual related to reloading. Nor would I be within shrapnel range when he's shooting.

 

[Mark A Ouellette]

If you want a .410 shotgun I will trade you one for your 458 Lott.

 

[fourfive8]

Easily done using light 410 load data with correct powder and shot charge. TOTW sells suitable 45 cal fiber and card wads. The issue is the rifling and lack of choke, both rendering the pattern nearly worthless for anything other than a novelty- extremely limited effective range. The same holds true for the factory loaded shot shells for the various revolver rounds and the #12 shot carts for the 22 rf.

 

[Forrest Halley]

Easily done using light 410 load data with correct powder and shot charge. TOTW sells suitable 45 cal fiber and card wads. The issue is the rifling and lack of choke, both rendering the pattern nearly worthless for anything other than a novelty- extremely limited effective range. The same holds true for the factory loaded shot shells for the various revolver rounds and the #12 shot carts for the 22 rf.

Old woman living next door shot the heck out a root she thought was a snake one night. A whole cylinder of the .38 snake shells. She definitely killed a few snakes in my time knowing her using it though.

I shot a #6 through a fully rifled 12 gauge barrel once upon a time with a similar utility in mind. At 10 yards the pattern was five or six feet in diameter, but the density was terrible.

This use of a .458 Lott as a shotgun is even more of a fool's errand.

 

[Bush Buck]

A friend’s father has invited me to look through his reloading equipment and take what I want in dies and other equipment.

While talking on the phone he told me that the .458 Lott, due to the straight wall makes a great oversized .410 shotgun by reloading as shotshells. He also told me you could make “plinking” rounds using as little as 7 grams of powder using filler. Has anyone done either these?

I have a press but am only just starting to reload.

What he is describing are ways to "play" with the cartridge and reloading equipment - in ways that they were never intended to be used.
This sort of thing can and has been done - but not without risk.

When starting out I strongly recommend that you stick to published reloading manuals (online and print) and reloading articles from well recognized magazines.
Reduced loads can be found from reputable sources - but they will involve a lot more than 7 grains of powder!

 

[Forrest Halley]

What he is describing are ways to "play" with the cartridge and reloading equipment - in ways that they were never intended to be used.
This sort of thing can and has been done - but not without risk.

When starting out I strongly recommend that you stick to published reloading manuals (online and print) and reloading articles from well recognized magazines.
Reduced loads can be found from reputable sources - but they will involve a lot more than 7 grains of powder!

He said grams in his post. 7 grams is around 108 grains. I know of no loads that take that for the .458 Lott. Seven grains of powder is going to get you all the way to the scene of the stuck bullet. This is a bad road. No need to venture down it.

 

[mdsalern]

I misspoke with grams vs grains. Context…

I get that they are ways to “play” with the round and that is exactly what I suspected. Thanks for the useful replies.

 

[mdsalern]

Very thankful. Received a donation to my reloading efforts today. He couldn’t find the .458 dies he was going to give me, so he purchased a brand new set. Couldn’t believe the generosity. Pretty excited.