458 winchester or lott ?

[M70375!]

In my weakness I am thinking of getting another rifle for elephant and buffalo. I am on the fence, 458 win mag or 458 Lott. Any thoughts?

 

[Mountaineer]

I wouldn’t want any more recoil than the 458 win mag.

 

[matt85]

Do you hand load? The Lott will have more to offer if you do. If you dont roll your own, than which caridge you use will matter less than what brand of rifle you use.

@Mountaineer ive fired some 458 WM rifles that were less comfortable than a 458 Lott. How unpleasant the recoil is will depend on how the rifle is made. Example: the Win M70 in 458 WM is much less comfortable to shoot than the CZ 550 in 458 Lott.

 

[BourbonTrail]

 

[sgt_zim]

In for a penny, in for a pound.

If you roll your own, you can always dial 458 Lott back to 458 WM loads, but you can't push 458 WM loads to 458 Lott levels.

 

[murray]

test fire both (if you haven't already). Recoil from the Lott is significantly more than the win mag. Both will do the job, 450gr from a 458 win mag is very efffective, and with modern powders and bullets you cant go wrong

 

[Scott CWO]

Lott. You can shoot 458WM in a Lott but not vice versa.

 

[Hyde Hunter]

if you load your own then a 458 win mag with CEB 420 gr Raptor loaded to 2400 fps will do a bang up job on buffalo or the 404 gr Hammer at 2500fps with a stout load of AA2230 powder. I have taken buffalo with both loads. for elephant the the CEB 400 gr .700NP will shoot completely thru a elephant skull.I used it on a cape buffalo all the way thru one end to the other complete pass thru. look at the CEB website and the bullet pictured is mine.

 

[BlackRhino]

Have a closer look at

The .458 Winchester Magnum vs The .458 Lott – P4

In 2008, I published my first edition of a reloading journal on the .458 Winchester Magnum. It was largely based on results from handloads in my CZ 550 and a few hunting experiences I’d had w…

bigborefan.wordpress.com

 

[DaddyFlip]

The Lott isn't needed for anything except bragging rights; merely variation on a theme. A comparable rifle so chambered will cost more. The velocity isn't that much more than the WM; my Hornady manual shows +100fps at best with similar powders. If factory ammo is important, WM has a slight availability and price edge. Brass availability is terrible for both right now if you are a handloader. I would go with the WM; in fact, I began thinking of one for myself only moments before this posted... until I found out about the brass situation.

 

[Beck]

lott

 

[grand veneur]

The Lott isn't needed for anything except bragging rights; merely variation on a theme. A comparable rifle so chambered will cost more. The velocity isn't that much more than the WM; my Hornady manual shows +100fps at best with similar powders. If factory ammo is important, WM has a slight availability and price edge. Brass availability is terrible for both right now if you are a handloader. I would go with the WM; in fact, I began thinking of one for myself only moments before this posted... until I found out about the brass situation.

I agree partially with you.

There were certainly some initial problems with the cartridge 458 Winchester Magnum, but these have since been resolved. Whether the Lott cartridge, with its few millimeters of longer case length, offers any real advantage in practice is questionable. Theoretically, it should be and the cartridge 458 Lott should have slightly better external ballistics than the cartridge 458 Winchester Magnum, but that is also very theoretical, like all ballistic values provided by designers and printed on the cartridge boxes. A friend of mine and PH always said that he did not notice any difference in practice when using both cartridges for backup. I would not say choosing the Lott is bragging; those who are hesitant should go for it, as it is certainly a bit easier to reload, but those who value tradition are also well served with the cartridge 458 Winchester Magnum. I am a fan of the caliber 45 for hunting in Africa, but since my choice would be for completely different cartridges of this caliber, I am trying to remain as objective as possible.