Deer hunting with a .458 Win Mag

[Quaticman]

I asked this question in a Facebook hunting group and got pilloried so I thought I would try again on this forum. I will be deer hunting this season with my brother and my son.
My brother owns a nice bush lot that is just crawling with whitetails.
I have a Zastava Mauser chambered in .458 Win Mag with a 1-4x Trijicon Accupower scope. I absolutely love shooting this rifle and was thinking I would work up a low power load using the Remington 405 grain softpoint bullet, at basically .45/70 velocities. I know it's plenty of gun but is it too much gun? One guy on the Facebook group basically told me I was nuts and that the .458 Win Mag would literally cut a deer in half. Another guy commented that the end result would be a high percentage of bloodshot meat and the animal would be unuseable. What do you guys think?

 

[JimP]

If you like it and can shoot it and have ammo then go for it.

A friend once said that my .340 Weatherby was too much for a cottontail rabbit after I shot it. But then he didn't get to eat any of it anyway. I just told him that he needed to learn how to head shoot the smaller animals.

 

[K E Johnson]

If you like the rifle use it.
I can’t tell you how many whitetail deer I have killed with my 375H&H. Mostly used 300 grain Serria boat tails. Way less tissue damage then what most of the Facebook experts will experience with whatever they use.
Just don’t use too light of a bullet. I did not care for the 300 grain hollow points I tried in a 45/70 Contender many years ago. I intended to try 350 grain round nose bullets in it. Never did get to it.
Have fun with it.

 

[Mekaniks]

I think it’s an excellent idea and makes for perfect practice and to build confidence with your rifle for hunting in Africa.

 

[CBH Australia]

I asked this question in a Facebook hunting group and got pilloried so I thought I would try again on this forum. I will be deer hunting this season with my brother and my son.
My brother owns a nice bush lot that is just crawling with whitetails.
I have a Zastava Mauser chambered in .458 Win Mag with a 1-4x Trijicon Accupower scope. I absolutely love shooting this rifle and was thinking I would work up a low power load using the Remington 405 grain softpoint bullet, at basically .45/70 velocities. I know it's plenty of gun but is it too much gun? One guy on the Facebook group basically told me I was nuts and that the .458 Win Mag would literally cut a deer in half. Another guy commented that the end result would be a high percentage of bloodshot meat and the animal would be unuseable. What do you guys think?

@Badboymelvin might like your choice of rifle or have something constructive in regard to Hunting with it.

 

[Tubby’s Canteen]

set your self up a shot at a distance your comfortable take a neck/head shot at and use full power ammunition.

 

[Bert the Turtle]

The person who said it will cut a deer in half is an idiot.

Shoot a deer with it and enjoy yourself. It's a lot less expensive than a buffalo.

I'm willing to bet that a low velocity 458 bullet gives you less bloodshot than a 30-06 at usual velocity. And even if it somehow managed to give lots of bloodshot meat, most of the meat is in the hams and backstops anyway, so it sure as hell isn't going to be unusable.

 

[1dirthawker]

The person who said it will cut a deer in half is an idiot.

+1

i don't know what velocities you are talking about, but if you use a 458 win bullet (350 gr hornady/speer) then you will not have big meat damage unless you hit bones.

a 405gr remington bullet at 2200 fps will likely make a bit of a mess. shoot the deer in the lungs and you will be fine.

 

[thriller]

I asked this question in a Facebook hunting group and got pilloried so I thought I would try again on this forum. I will be deer hunting this season with my brother and my son.
My brother owns a nice bush lot that is just crawling with whitetails.
I have a Zastava Mauser chambered in .458 Win Mag with a 1-4x Trijicon Accupower scope. I absolutely love shooting this rifle and was thinking I would work up a low power load using the Remington 405 grain softpoint bullet, at basically .45/70 velocities. I know it's plenty of gun but is it too much gun? One guy on the Facebook group basically told me I was nuts and that the .458 Win Mag would literally cut a deer in half. Another guy commented that the end result would be a high percentage of bloodshot meat and the animal would be unuseable. What do you guys think?

I have shot about 8 with my 458 win mag. It drills a hole mostly as the bullet does not have enough resistance to expand that much. Works well though go for it.

 

[Huntndog]

Shoot him in the ribs and whatever it does is not damaging good meat anyway. Have at.

 

[Spearhead]

I asked this question in a Facebook hunting group and got pilloried so I thought I would try again on this forum. I will be deer hunting this season with my brother and my son.
My brother owns a nice bush lot that is just crawling with whitetails.
I have a Zastava Mauser chambered in .458 Win Mag with a 1-4x Trijicon Accupower scope. I absolutely love shooting this rifle and was thinking I would work up a low power load using the Remington 405 grain softpoint bullet, at basically .45/70 velocities. I know it's plenty of gun but is it too much gun? One guy on the Facebook group basically told me I was nuts and that the .458 Win Mag would literally cut a deer in half. Another guy commented that the end result would be a high percentage of bloodshot meat and the animal would be unuseable. What do you guys think?

Kudos to you. I'm doing the same with my 375 for whitetail this season. Where else are you going to get real hunting scenarios and practice at the same time? Beats punching paper at the range too

 

[375er]

It will likely do less damage then many "deer calibers". Bullet will pass through with little to no expansion. I have shot deer with a .375. It just eliminates those messy tracking jobs. Very little meat damage. Lock 'n Load!

 

[Boyd Brooks]

What’s the difference if your using a 50 cal muzzleloader with 3 pellets? I use my 416 Taylor for deer because I like it and shoot it well. If you like it do it.

 

[degoins]

I've used .458 , .375, 450/400, .450 exp and ne, 12 bore, and 8 bore on deer and pigs. none were cut in half or any more damaged than those shot with regular "deer" calibers. Enjoy your .458.

 

[degoins]

Add .405 to that list.

 

[Badboymelvin]

@Badboymelvin might like your choice of rifle or have something constructive in regard to Hunting with it.

I think it is a great rifle for deer hunting - and more often than not when I'm hunting big Sambar deer, I have my .458 with me

My rifle is a Zastava too and I love it.
I have used factory 500gn Winchester Powerpoint ammom @ 2015fps as well as my 480gn Woodleigh Weldcore handloads at 2150fps and results were always emphatic.
The .458 really puts them on their bum!

I am currently trying a couple of different loads in my .458, a 550gn WoodleighRNSP @2080fps and the Woodleigh 450gn Hydro @2300fps. Will keep everyone posted on how they go but I think we can all agree they should work satisfactory...

For hunting in the thicker stuff I think the .458 just can't be beat. Go out and enjoy yours

Russ

 

[Hunter4752001]

You haven't indicated at what distance you normally shoot. The 458 with light loads will have a somewhat rainbow trajectory. Only an issue at a distance. If you use full power loads then its probably the ultimate practice for your African hunts I say 'Go for it!'

 

[Hillbilly Marine]

Use that .458 and enjoy it! I have been using my .416 Rigby CZ 550 on deer, squirell, coyote, rampant watermelons, and other critters here in NC for the last few years and enjoy my rifle. It is comforting to know that I am as ready for a wondering buffalo as a whitetail. 400 gr Hornady DGX has worked great and I don't think it will be different this year. There is no such thing as too much gun.

 

[Ryan]

You mention going down in velocity to 45/70 range, well I dropped a fallow deer with a 45/70 and can say the meat damage was no worse than my 30-06, though it went exactly nowhere upon contact. And if the large bullets caused such amazing damage on light game how is it so many steenbok have died quickly and cleanly with 375 rounds, including one by myself.

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

Use that .458 and enjoy it! I have been using my .416 Rigby CZ 550 on deer, squirell, coyote, rampant watermelons, and other critters here in NC for the last few years and enjoy my rifle. It is comforting to know that I am as ready for a wondering buffalo as a whitetail. 400 gr Hornady DGX has worked great and I don't think it will be different this year. There is no such thing as too much gun.

@Hillbilly Marine
Those rampant watermelons are a real bitch they seek up on you without you knowing about it. I found the 22lr didn't affect them at all. I'm glad you are having success on them with the 458. Where the melons sunning themselves or in a full on charge.
Ha ha ha ha ha
Bob