Found a few old photos of my 450 Ackley

[rifletuner]

In the mid 1990s, I decided I needed a bigger bore than my 375H&H. I ended up building a 450 Ackley on a Sako action. It was my first custom rifle.

In 1998 I took it on a buffalo hunt in the Zambian Luangwa valley - one of the favourite hunts I have ever done. I loaded up some 500gn Woodleigh softs and sollids for the hunt. I put one soft & 3 solids into my buffalo.

When I got back home from Zambia, I took the rifle and left over ammo on a hunt in central QLD and knocked over a few pigs. Maybe a little bit more gun than I needed for that trip, but none of the pigs complained to me.

 

[Rem280]

Love the hog with it! Nice

 

[93marlin]

Great looking rifle!

 

[Boone66]

What is the recoil like and weight of rifle with the 500's.

 

[rifletuner]

Love the hog with it! Nice

Thanks mate

 

[rifletuner]

Great looking rifle!

Thanks mate

 

[rifletuner]

What is the recoil like and weight of rifle with the 500's.

Hi mate

As with any rifle, recoil is somewhat subjective and depends on how hot I load it and how heavy the rifle is. I made the 450 with a heavy barrel contour and I added two recoil reducers to the butt of the rifle. It balanced well, and weighed in at around 10.5 pounds which I find to be a good weight with a rifle like this.

With 400gn bullets I found it very comfortable to shot. Loading it with 500gn bullets gave a noticeable step up in recoil. All the load data I could find at the time quoted a top end velocity of 2400fps with a 500gn bullet. But with the 22" barrel on the rifle and the powders available to me, I could only get to 2300fps, and my working loads were around 2250fps. I was happy to run it there, but I would still call the recoil of that load fairly stout.

 

[Boone66]

Hi mate

As with any rifle, recoil is somewhat subjective and depends on how hot I load it and how heavy the rifle is. I made the 450 with a heavy barrel contour and I added two recoil reducers to the butt of the rifle. It balanced well, and weighed in at around 10.5 pounds which I find to be a good weight with a rifle like this.

With 400gn bullets I found it very comfortable to shot. Loading it with 500gn bullets gave a noticeable step up in recoil. All the load data I could find at the time quoted a top end velocity of 2400fps with a 500gn bullet. But with the 22" barrel on the rifle and the powders available to me, I could only get to 2300fps, and my working loads were around 2250fps. I was happy to run it there, but I would still call the recoil of that load fairly stout.

Thank you' that's not a bad weight to carry either. A heavy barrel would be just the thing to offset the weight of the two recoil reducers. Do you have the balance point at the front action bolt or trigger guard? I have only built a couple big bores' but find the front action bolt a little better for recoil management ' but I like weight forward guns also. A really nice looking rifle btw.

 

[rifletuner]

Thanks mate. I cant remember the exact balance point on that rifle, but it was very slightly muzzle heavy.

 

[Boyd Brooks]

Nice looking rifle, but they put the bolt handle on the wrong side.

 

[rifletuner]

Nice looking rifle, but they put the bolt handle on the wrong side.

Correct side

 

[Grumpy gumpy]

Nice looking rifle, but they put the bolt handle on the wrong side.

The photo must be reversed......
and a nice looking rifle in a good calibre, I had a heap of brass that I think I sold to Anthony George as I was going to build one, but ended up with the 458 windbag instead
gumpy

 

[Beck]

Cool gun, and photos - thanks for sharing

 

[F. Vaccaro]

Very pretty rifle!

 

[Luvthunt]

Always found that 2250 with a 500gr bullet to be enough for anything if I did my job.
Beautiful rifle right or left!

 

[D.M.V]

Great photos

 

[Jim Golden]

Very nice! Is the butt of the stock larger than "normal?" I only ask because I'm building my second A-Square Hannibal clone and use a copy of their "Coil Check" stock that has the enormous butt so that it shoves your entire upper body and not just your shoulder. It really works. I also put two recoil reducers in the stock. My new one will be a .458 Lott. I'm going to put scope mounts on it, but was half afraid to ever put a scope on it. But I see you're running one. Ever knock you in the noggin'? If not, I may give it a try. On my .375 Weatherby with the same stock and only one reducer, videos show the distance from eye to scope never changing. That big butt really works. So maybe I'll try a scope on the .458. Mine won't be as pretty as yours, though, as I had to go composite to get that stock

 

[skydiver386]

That is one beautifully stocked rifle. Dark grain with nearly jet black streaks. A PROPER stock for an African rifle IMHO.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

So what happened to the gun? Do you still have it?

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

In the mid 1990s, I decided I needed a bigger bore than my 375H&H. I ended up building a 450 Ackley on a Sako action. It was my first custom rifle.

In 1998 I took it on a buffalo hunt in the Zambian Luangwa valley - one of the favourite hunts I have ever done. I loaded up some 500gn Woodleigh softs and sollids for the hunt. I put one soft & 3 solids into my buffalo.

When I got back home from Zambia, I took the rifle and left over ammo on a hunt in central QLD and knocked over a few pigs. Maybe a little bit more gun than I needed for that trip, but none of the pigs complained to me.

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@rifletuner
Only one problem with that lovely rifle. You need to find a different gunsmith, he put the bolt handle on the wrong side for me. I'm a left hander but unfortunately right eye dominant so have to shoot right handed.
Bob