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Hi All, The debate has raged about the 458 win mag for years and I just wanted to cut through the bull doo doo and try to compare some well loved calibres and the math behind their reputation. In the picture below, I have put down some facts and figures that are used to compare ballistics...

I trimmed my stock to 13.5 ". I am 5 ft 8 with maybe wider shoulders and longer arms than average. I think I trimmed half an inch off. The difference it made is easier/quicker mounting of the rifle and sights align naturally. When the length of pull was longer, front sight was often high. I can...

I have a CZ 550 and it needed some help to feed correctly and I did it myself. But I have helped out at the Zim Guides and Hunters shooting exams (3 exams now and about 45 candidates in total). ALL makes of rifles threw up some failures and I could not pick out a problem brand for you. People...

Give your bottom firing pin/spring/trigger a good clean. Blast it out with WD-40 -scrub with a brush and inspect it for burrs or sticking points. It may just be dirty or old oil is making it sticky so it doesnt strike hard. good shooting !

Any discussion on stopping power should look at penetration,wound diameter and energy. Many documented cases of humans having bullet through the brain and still living indicate that physiology is important too and sometimes just plain luck is involved. Simply put, the bigger the wound channel...

Lots of truth in IvW's post. I carry on an empty chamber (bolt action) and then load chamber and put on safety if we are close to an animal. I walked by myself in the bush with no weapon for years and I am still around. Dangerous situations are few and far between and negligent discharges are...

I think that CZ created the second lug because of split stocks that happened to them several years ago. The 'normal' lug is close to the magazine box and so can split at the box. The front lug is a double tie in to the wood and also there is a solid lump of wood behind it to spread the load...

Thank you. That is helpful. The spread is more than I would expect at 112 FPS. Also interesting that the velocity seems to taper off on the last shots. Do you reckon the barrel warmed up and expanded a little ? Anyway seem Hornady 458 Ammo does what it says on the box- disproving the general...

T Thanks for the he feedback. I have independently found confirmation of Hornady velocity and this is now handloads making the advertised specs today. What Happened at Winchester in the 60’s should stay in the 60’s !

Thank you for your reply. That puts me in similar territory with 3,5 pounds.

I believe that the design on CZ 550 with 2 recoil lugs is newish. Before they had some problems with heavy calibres (+ 375) splitting stocks. So they added the front lug which someone pictured above. I have sat and thought long and hard why they added the front lug.(shown in the pictures above)...

Interesting side note- Yesterday I found out that if I rest my finger on the trigger and let off the safety, it fires(dummy rounds so no bang). I obviously put leverage on the trigger as I took off the safety without thinking about it.So even my heavy trigger pull with a bit of creep doesn't...

That was exactly why I started this thread. I can lighten the spring tension and minimise the overlapping surfaces. The trigger may be safe on a bench with the muzzle pointed downrange but it may go bang if you drop it. The other extreme is a trigger that has so much overlap and spring...

My brother uses Hornady DGS (solids). The newer bonded solid. 7 elephants with frontal brain shots all from 416 rigby and factory ammo. He is happy with those although I expect that this post will soon be rubbished..... get your popcorn ! I have a bunch of peregrine solids for my 458, no animals...

Good advice... see if you can get a lead sled and shoot off the bench. Let the barrel cool between shots. Then you know it is the gun performance.

Would you guys all be comfortable hunting with a PH that had a Jewel trigger with a pull in ounces ? Or as a PH had a client with same ?

Thanks All. Seems my 3,5 lbs is a little on the heavy side. Does anyone know how much overlap on the surfaces that actually trip or 'break' when the trigger releases ? My CZ started at maybe 4,5 lbs (estimate) pull but less creep. I think that the creep was not noticeable because I was pulling...

I believe (wasn't there so ...) Win Mag problems were more about the chemistry of the powder than compression. Many people have long term compressed loads ( 1 member on this forum states 30 years storage ) that perform exactly as they say on the box. I have also seen numerous reports of 303 ammo...

He was well and passed his test quite comfortably.

Hi all, quick question. Does anyone know what weight trigger pull your DG rifle has and how much sear overlap ? I tend to err on the side of caution and safety, mine is about 3,5 lbs and the sear has 1,5 mm before it trips. My thoughts on sear overlap is that a super safe trigger will have creep...

I assume that you seated the bullet out of the case somewhat-How many grooves out the case ? Attached is a pic of 3 bullets dug out of a shale/gravel bank. Approx 12-14 inches into the bank.Peregrine 450 gr Bullet Performance by Nhoro posted Jan 21, 2019 at 10:16 AM

It is.

A number of qualified guides and hunters gathered to watch. After the tests were done, we all had an informal bit of fun with the charging lion test. Guys trying to put in two shots with a bolt action. Another guide loaned out his 500 NE double. I had a go with a borrowed 458 (bull) and then two...

Essentially a 'bull' inside a 10 inch circle carries the same points for all calibres above 375 h&h.(5 points) the outer rings then diferentiate between the below .400 and above .400. The 375 basically score one less point in the outer rings. The basis for this is that a larger calibre is more...

What powder and number of grains did you use ? The 450 gr bullets have impressed me, I dug them out out of the gravel/ shale behind a target and they had little deformation and were still straight.

I have a CZ 550 with 25 " barrel. Unfortunately I am currently using Peregrine 450 gr at 2250 fps so dont have data on factory ammo. 2 others at my range are using 480 gr hornady solids handloaded with Somchem powder at 2150 fps.(Someone will be along shortly to say it cannot be done but I trust...

Thanks you gentlemen for your chrono results. It seems that 458 factory ammo has been making 2050 to 2150 for about the last 25-30 years at least. And Lance Hopper, your results also show that older ammois not clumping or deteriorating. It seems that the actual facts of the matter are quite...

I helped out with the test this weekend, did a post with description of the tests and some videos. Here is a link https://www.africahunting.com/threads/zimbabwe-professional-hunters-and-guides-shooting-test-may-2019.50705/

Hi All, I helped out with the Pro Hunters and Guides shooting tests this weekend. The other thread, https://www.africahunting.com/threads/rifle-lessons-learned-from-the-zimbabwe-professional-hunter-proficiency-exam.2604, has had a lot of interest so I thought I would post my experiences and...

I am sure just the $100 would do. Much easier to carry.

I agree, probably unlikely that you would be checked but everyone in Zim will assume that your loads do not make the legal energy requirement unless you can prove it. There are well respected people who would check your reloads over a chrono at the gunrange but I am pretty sure that you would...

I would respectfully disagree.Just above I have quoted the figures from Zimbabwe National Parks Law. Buff/Ele/hippo have the same requirements and factory ammo generally doesn't make the energy requirement.(I stand to be corrected here,maybe some factory ammo is loaded hot) Handloads or certain...

Zimbabwean Zimbabwean Law states that the calibre must be larger than 9,2 mm or .362 in and must have energy of 5,4 kJ or more (3909 ft/lbs) for elephant/buffalo/hippo. Lion would need 7mm(.275 in) calibre and 4,3 kJ (3172 ft/lbs) Leopard 7mm and 2213 ft/lbs. These are minimum legal calibre...

I think all manufacturers produce the odd bad egg. I watched the Zim hunters test a few years back. A whole variety of actions gave trouble. However the CZ can be close to perfect with work as well as the Winchester action. I had problems with my 458 win mag with short (480 gr Hornady) flat...

This discussion got me thinking. I use my trouser/short belt because I want the belt and cartridge holder held down as I lift out new cartridges. So I went home and tried a loose belt. Unless you have a banch of things attached to the belt, I find it lifts with the cartridge and twists so you...

Sorry- not what I meant to say !Unload before getting in the vehicle and loading when you get out. Muzzle always pointed in a safe direction.

Seems I am bucking the trend. I prefer using my shorts belt. The belt loops keep the belt from riding up and keep everything in exactly the same place that I put them. This is probably because I am a bit of a control freak. Only ammo and my trousers on my belt, no extras. I carry a small...

Hi gt_diesel, I have spent a few hours(maybe days) getting CZ 550 to feed properly, you can read my story at https://www.africahunting.com/posts/507417/. My advice to you is to take it to a good gunsmith. 500 Jeffrey is notoriously hard to get to feed reliably. IMHO it is a bit fat for CZ...

I saw a bowed mag box on my brothers 416 rigby /CZ 550.We found it at the guides shooting exam 2 years ago. A friend of his had the same gun and we swopped parts until it we saw the sides of the box bowed in. My brother just bent it with his hands. The symptoms were that the second/third rounds...

I believe accuracy is the most important thing, as both calibres are capable performers. If you can handle the extra recoil of a 505 then it would be better but if you lose accuracy stepping up to the bigger calibre then think again. That stands for PH's and hunters alike, it depends on how you...

With the longer OAL of the Lott and a couple of other things, you may or may not get feeding issues. IMHO the CZ receiver/magazine is sometimes a little narrow just under the rails. Some people report problems but I found my 458 win mag feeds BETTER with a longer rounds and hates short rounds ie...