James B

I know what you mean DD. However I am used to it. . Some of us will never be in that "CLASS"

bigbulls

Now Now guys. Calm down.

In EKM's defense... While there are some of you here (James, Vapodog, EKM and others) that have and do shoot big bore rifles reguarly, and actually know what they are, here at HNI there are many many more people that are incredibly knowledgable about the big bores over at AR than what come here. That's what they do over at AR. Remember that they invented the 577 tyranousar and the 12 ga from hell as well as other shoulder busters. They live for this stuff.

I have been a mamber there for about 6 months and read the infromation there but have yet to post anything. Been coming here for so long that it's just second nature to post questions here.

I appreciate all the information guys.

Roskoe

I would build a .458 Winchester. I can load mine down using.45-70 bullets, and it is fairly enjoyable to shoot. I particularly like the 405 grain Remington JSP bullets at about 1600 fps, which are available in bulk for a reasonable price. Or go all the way up to something designed for elephants and rhinos. I have even shot hard cast bullets at 1200 fps. Brass life has been very good with reduced loads.

James B

Don't you know that the 458 is a whimp gun?Sure its ok for short range plains game..

No, Really the 458 Win Mag is a very underestimated cartridge. It gets a lot of bad press form the big bore fans but it can certainly hold it own. I am suprised that it does not get more use for the big Bears but I guess its lack of long range capabiltiy or trajectory, makes it less than ideal for a combo hunt in Alaska or BC.

Roskoe

Although factory rifles, and factory ammunition for that matter, are fairly expensive for this caliber - I guess they figure if you can afford to go to Africa, they can call it a "safari" rifle and charge more - it was a pretty inexpensive rifle to build. Got a Douglas .458 blank for $133. Screwed it on an oldRemington ADL 7 Mag with a black synthetic stock. Brass and dies. I could switch it back to 7 Mag in about 15 minutes.

James B

When they first came out the price was pretty reasonable. I think maybe that was one thing that the big boys didn't like. This rifle just didn't cost enough to be in their class. I would always hear things like "If you are going to shell out the bucks for an African hunt, better get a decent rifle." It was to American and not exotic enough for their taste.My uncle was a Brit and a PH in Africa for many years. He just hated anything American and prefered the 303 British to the 30-06. In later years though, I noticed that he had a couple 30-06's tucked away in the safe. I am a sucker for the old 45-70 kind of another American Big Bore.

bigbulls

Roskoe, that's kind of along the same lines as what I am thinking about doing.

Gonna look for a beater of a CRF gun to come into the shop, get a Shilen or Douglas barrel in .458 or .475, chamber it for the 458 Lott or 470 Capstick, and carve out a stock from some straight grained walnut.

Other than time it shouldn't cost more than about $400 - $500. Maybe even less.

handloader1

If I ever get to go to Africa, I would take a .416 Wby. Mag., .416 Rigby, or .416 Dakota in that order. Good luck.

ELKampMaster

Well, it seemsthings are struggling to a halt and after some indignation, here we are with much conjecture, but scant point on replies....

TOPIC: DANGEROUS GAME RIFLE

5 Days, 12 different Posters....

Result: 1/2 to11 1/2 (I include myself in that 11 1/2)

BB, I'd encourage you to go "burn the redshirt" on your accuratereloading registration that you have not used yet and get some "on point" answers to your question. You might want to be careful though, folks mayconsider you "tainted"when you come back!

bigbulls

I definetly will. I have just been reading a bunch on the big bore forum and trying to take it all in and form a more a more solid foundation about this class of cartridges before I go to the "experts". Those guys are big gun fanatics.