.458 Lott

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Kevin375
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.458 Lott

Post by Kevin375 »

Is there someone here who reloads the .458 Lott ?

I bought my Blaser R8 in .458 Lott last september because I had the opportunity to shoot with one in Namibia in november 2016 and I fell in love of it.
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As the price of factory ammunitions are very expensive (starts at 170 € up to more than 350 € for Federal ammos), I have never bought one of those boxes.

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For the moment, I have found a very good loading with the Barnes TSX 350 gr.

We have a producer of powder in my country (Vectan) but I heard many complains about them. From a batch to an other one, the regularity can be a big problem. I've never tried them and I'm using Vihtavuori and Reload Swiss powders for my other calibers. We can have also access to powders like IMR and Hodgdon but at a higher price and the supplying is not as good as the others european brand.

For lightweight bullets, I've chosen the Vihtavuori N530 because my gunsmith no longer had Reload Swiss 40 but it doesn't matter. Both are excellent.

I made few simulations on Quickload before and at the second test I got a very good loading.

Hornady cases trimmed to 2.775"
Case capacity with H2O : 108.9 gr
Winchester Large rifle primer magnum.
Barnes TSX 350 gr
85 gr of N530
COL : 3.60"
Crimping with the bullet setting die.

Velocities measured : 2582 f/s, 2591 f/s, 2598 f/s, 2591 f/s, 2611 f/s, 2601 f/s, 2591 f/s, 2598 f/s

I'm a bit below what Quickload announces, but the accuracy is perfect.

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3 bullets almost in the same hole.
The triangle is 4 cm (1.57") high ;)

I tried to reload some heavy bullets (Hornady Interlock 500 gr) with 80 gr of Vihtavuori N140 and I obtained 2185 f/s. I haven't tried with a bigger load of powder because I'm close of the maximum and still quite far of what this caliber is able. The next weeks, I'll try to find 1 kg (2.20 lbs) of Reload Swiss 52 which is good for this caliber and this weight of bullet.

Two weeks ago I also bought a nice batch of Degol bullets 500 gr (Starkmantel and FMJ) which is tougher for the soft nose and this brand owns an excellent reputation on African big game. I also received my Lee factory crimp.
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Joe338ST
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Re: .458 Lott

Post by Joe338ST »

Well done Kevin. You're getting some good speeds and accuracy with the TSX 350 grain bullets. What does the kick feel like? There is a lot of energy at the muzzle there....

Joe
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pagosawingnut
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Re: .458 Lott

Post by pagosawingnut »

I load for the .458 Lott. I'm using IMR8208 and the 450 gr CEB solid and the 420 gr CEB Safari Raptor.
Accurate and deadly.
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Kevin375
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Re: .458 Lott

Post by Kevin375 »

Joe338ST wrote:Well done Kevin. You're getting some good speeds and accuracy with the TSX 350 grain bullets. What does the kick feel like? There is a lot of energy at the muzzle there....
Well, it's a heavy rifle with its steel receiver and its big Zeiss and I feel the recoil is less important than my R93 in .375 Holland & Holland magnum. It pushes a bit but it's pretty confortable. .
But with my Namibian buddy's rifle with no scope and his factory ammunitions 500 gr from Nosler, the recoil is quite strong. At the first shot with it, I took my thumb in my nose. Will see how will be the recoil with my 500 gr bullets push faster than 2185 f/s I obtained with the N140. My purpose is 2260-2300 f/s with that weight.

pagosawingnut wrote:I load for the .458 Lott. I'm using IMR8208 and the 450 gr CEB solid and the 420 gr CEB Safari Raptor.
Accurate and deadly.
What velocity do you have and does the point of impact is the same with both ?

I already loaded the CEB solid 300 gr for my .375 Holland & Holland magnum. Very accurate in my R93 and I had a great penetration in straight line. I wanted to order one box but unfortunatly Brownells France doesn't import them anymore :(

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Joe338ST
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Re: .458 Lott

Post by Joe338ST »

Kevin375 wrote:
Joe338ST wrote:Well done Kevin. You're getting some good speeds and accuracy with the TSX 350 grain bullets. What does the kick feel like? There is a lot of energy at the muzzle there....
Well, it's a heavy rifle with its steel receiver and its big Zeiss and I feel the recoil is less important than my R93 in .375 Holland & Holland magnum. It pushes a bit but it's pretty confortable. .
But with my Namibian buddy's rifle with no scope and his factory ammunitions 500 gr from Nosler, the recoil is quite strong. At the first shot with it, I took my thumb in my nose. Will see how will be the recoil with my 500 gr bullets push faster than 2185 f/s I obtained with the N140. My purpose is 2260-2300 f/s with that weight.

pagosawingnut wrote:I load for the .458 Lott. I'm using IMR8208 and the 450 gr CEB solid and the 420 gr CEB Safari Raptor.
Accurate and deadly.

What velocity do you have and does the point of impact is the same with both ?

I already loaded the CEB solid 300 gr for my .375 Holland & Holland magnum. Very accurate in my R93 and I had a great penetration in straight line. I wanted to order one box but unfortunatly Brownells France doesn't import them anymore :(

Try Reloading International for your hard to get bullets....

http://www.reloadinginternational.com/s ... ?s=Cutting Edge&sort=1a&page=6
http://www.reloadinginternational.com/s ... ?s=Cutting Edge&sort=1a&page=10
http://www.reloadinginternational.com/s ... ?s=Cutting Edge&sort=1a&page=9

I've found them useful when i can't get the projectiles I want in Oz....They have a guide on how to import to various countries.

Joe
Joe

I hunt, I shoot, I camp, I fish. They are the great reset buttons in my life.

pagosawingnut
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Re: .458 Lott

Post by pagosawingnut »

Kevin,
When I chronographed the 420's, they were running (as I recall) 2540fps. one hole groups at 50 yards and yes, both loads have approximately the same point of impact at 50
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Kevin375
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Re: .458 Lott

Post by Kevin375 »

Thank you ;)

ebrownw2
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Re: .458 Lott

Post by ebrownw2 »

You guys are gluttons for punishment!

pagosawingnut
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Re: .458 Lott

Post by pagosawingnut »

Naw...............In the R8, it's just a walk in the park!
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TheoR8
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Re: .458 Lott

Post by TheoR8 »

Hello Kevin,

How is the 458 lott going?? :handgestures-thumbup:

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Kevin375
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Re: .458 Lott

Post by Kevin375 »

Hi Theo

Sorry for my late reply :oops:
This .458 lott is great rifle and a real pleasure to shoot. I bought a Zeiss V8 1.1-8x30 for big game hunting and since my last message I have loaded 500 gr bullets with success.
First I tried Hornady Interlock bullets and had really quickly a nice result with the Relaod Swiss 52 powder. After, I tried Degol bullets (Starkmantel and FMJ) of the same weight also with a great result.


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Hornady cases
Federal 215 GM primers, I had several issues with Winchester primers :(
83 gr of Reload Swiss 52 powder.
COAL : 3.60"
Crimping with the LFC

At 50 meters:
Image
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Velocities : 705 m/s (2313 f/s), 698 m/s (2290 f/s), 697 m/s (2286 f/s).
The one that is a bit lower is a mistake

Then I tried in 10 liters jugs, to see the penetration and the weight retention.
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Bullet recovered in the 5th jug.

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Not to bad ;)

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Kevin375
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Re: .458 Lott

Post by Kevin375 »

I brought it to africa last november and it worked perfectly.
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I shot a buffalo in a big herd. More than 200 animals in this herd and it was not easy to approach them.
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A big bull, 42 inches, but still young cause I didn't focus the same one than my Ph :( Hit hard with a perfect high heart shot, he collapsed 30 meters further.
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The Degol Starkmantel was recovered under the skin.
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I also shot a wounded elephant bull that had a very bad injury to its jaw and it was very thin. A Degol FMJ with a frontal brain shot did the job. Unfortunatly, it was not recovered :(

TheoR8
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Re: .458 Lott

Post by TheoR8 »

Awesome stuff Kevin, thanks for sharing mate. Nice job on the Buff too, the 458lott certainly has it's place in Africa. The Zeiss looks good on top, might have to keep that in mind if I ever decide to scope my next purchase, a 416rm. :handgestures-thumbup:

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Re: .458 Lott

Post by canalrifle »

Thanks for such a complete report and putting the elephant out of its' misery.

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mchughcb
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Re: .458 Lott

Post by mchughcb »

Great stuff. I'm glad you are using a real elephant calibre :clap:

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