416 Rem Mag vs 458 Lott for Big Game

[Witold Krzyżanowski]

I like 416 Rem. Mag. and 458 Lott

 

[TOBY458]

Having shot buffalo with 375, 416 and 458, they all did the job with proper shot placement. On buffalo, I'd say you'd be hard pressed to tell the difference of effect between a 416 and a 458. For Elephant, unless you're taking a brain shot, I'd prefer a 458. But I would definitely not feel undergunned with a 416. My one and only Elephant was shot with a 375. Although it was a brain shot, it worked perfectly.

 

[BeeMaa]

None of the above. 375H&H

How many times are you going to hunt buffalo, elephant, hippo...etc? Would you be better served putting that money towards another hunt or another animal on the same hunt? Do you want it because you just want it? Because we all want just one more gun...LOL. And that's cool too.

By all means, get exactly what you want. I'm not TELLING anyone how to spend their hard earned money. Sometimes we can get carried away with thoughts of going to Africa for months at a time and doing nothing but shooting all manner of game and writing in a journal from the shade of a canvas tent. You need to decide what your reality is and how best to accomplish it.

BTW - If it's not the 375H&H, I'd choose the 416RM.

 

[Rocco490]

My experience is limited to one buffalo. That one buffalo took 9 rounds of 416REM 400gr AFrames. First three were textbook, then it was putting them in the black where I had the opportunity to put lead. It was after that experience I decided 458Lott was not overkill.

Buffalo can be seriously hard to put down and keep down. Have heard the stories. Sounds like you experienced that first hand. Great bullet and cartridge you placed your shots well but still sometimes the animal has a say in it and that one had a lot to say haha. I believe the 458 Lott with greater frontal area than the 416 Rem would hit harder and been wider wounding than the 416 Rem Mag with equal bullet construction. No telling but I would wager you still would have needed follow up shots even with the 458 Lott in that exact scenario on that exact buffalo. The end results would likely have been achieved sooner with the Lotts bigger slugs. I like both Cartridges and have owned rifles in both but did not hunt anything with either. I think they are both great for large and or dangerous game. Figured it would be fun to discuss and compare these two great cartridges. Thanks for the reply's everyone keep them coming.

 

[Rocco490]

And the great and long renowned 416 Rigby is essentially the ballistic twin of the 416 Remington Magnum when loaded to the much lower pressure limits the cartridge is rated for. With hot loads and over pressure loads it can produce greater velocities than the 416 Remington Magnum with the same bullet. I personally wouldn't bother with those sort of loadings. Kept within rated pressures the Rigby is already plenty strong and a complete equal to the 416 Remington. The only reason I chose to compare specifically the 416 Remington Magnum with the 458 Lott is because both fit in standard magnum long actions and use full length H&H improved cases necked up to their corresponding bullet diameters. And because of that compatibility and their performance capabilities they are my 2 favorite over 40 caliber large and dangerous game cartridges.

 

[wvfred]

I have a 416 Remington and two 458 Lotts.I prefer the 416 over the Lotts because of weight and thickness of the rifles.Also the versatility of the 416 is better.My last hunt I took only the 416 and took buffalo down to hyena all with one shot all were DRT but the zebra ran a couple hundred yards.When I go for elephant I will consider the Lott but will probably end up taking the 416.

 

[rifletuner]

They are both very good cartridges and both effective for virtually anything you would want to hunt. Its a little difficult to answer which one is "better", as it mainly depends on an individuals recoil tolerance. I have had a 416 Rem for years and really like it. I never owned a Lott, but had a 450 Ackley built in the mid 1990s, and that is ballistically identical to the 458 Lott.

I used to load the 450 with Woodleigh 400gn bullets for hunting pigs in northern Australia, and definitely found that load to be notably easier to shoot than when I loaded it with 500gn bullets. The 500gn loads are manageable and what I would use for any DG hunt, but it was surprising to me how much more recoil I felt when the bullet as 100gn heavier.

So whichever cartridge you can shoot more effectively should be the answer. And if it happens to be the 416 that works better for you, then that should be the answer.