.458 Lott for Plains game?

[WoodencrossIII]

Yeah that’s interesting to me I like the input. I guess for where I live my hunting now is whitetail deer but shits can be far or close. My furthest was this year at about 230 yards. I didn’t use my Lott but I’d like to use it. I think with some practice and maybe using lighter bullets for whitetail shots like that would be easy. Old time bison hunters used 45/70 at longer ranges with 400 gr bullets and up to kill bison why can’t I use my Lott in the same way even though it’s meant for close range DG stopper.

 

[Forrest Halley]

I have been reading through here and I am wanting to try my Lott with some lighter bullets for deer. Will Hornady FTX be too soft at Lott velocity or do they hold up well? I’m looking into using maybe 300 gr and I have found some Barnes 250 gr TSX that I think will work great and would make this even reach out there as a PG with good Barnes bullets.

It would be my conjecture that the bullet will have explosive expansion much like a varmint bullet. My experience with a 400 grain SPRN was an instant stop on a running buck at forty yards. Piled up and bounced off the ground. Double lung and a whole lotta shakin' went on under the hood to include heart ripped off its mounts. The thing is that if you go too light with the bullets this caliber bleeds energy like poop through a goose.

 

[WoodencrossIII]

yeah I would probably use Barnes TSX those wouldn’t blow apart but the energy would wane that’s for certain the heavy weight gives it the down range energy. Could stick to 400-500 gr bullets and shoot everything with it just need to learn the trajectory

 

[Forrest Halley]

yeah I would probably use Barnes TSX those wouldn’t blow apart but the energy would wane that’s for certain the heavy weight gives it the down range energy. Could stick to 400-500 gr bullets and shoot everything with it just need to learn the trajectory

Unfortunately it looks as though you'll have to shoot whatever you can find at present.

 

[WAB]

Yeah that’s interesting to me I like the input. I guess for where I live my hunting now is whitetail deer but shits can be far or close. My furthest was this year at about 230 yards. I didn’t use my Lott but I’d like to use it. I think with some practice and maybe using lighter bullets for whitetail shots like that would be easy. Old time bison hunters used 45/70 at longer ranges with 400 gr bullets and up to kill bison why can’t I use my Lott in the same way even though it’s meant for close range DG stopper.

A 230 yard shit, that’s impressive!

 

[WoodencrossIII]

Yeah totally but I meant to type shot hahah I went to edit it and time had passed oh well I’m sure everyone will laugh it wasn’t intended

 

[bobdahunter84]

When I was in Africa this year, I brought a 458 Lott for buffalo with 500 gr TBBC. Brought a 300 Wby with 180 gr ttsx for everything else. My PH saw me shoot both and said, "you don't flinch with the 458, and you're shooting less than 1" groups at 100 yds. So leave the 300 Wby at camp." I didn't necessarily think it was a great idea going into it, but I listened to him. It was my first trip to Africa, and figured he knew best.

I proceeded to shoot everything I got with the 458 lott. Sable, buffalo, zebra, kudu, wildebeest, and impala. Was it more than I should have used? Especially shooting 500 gr bullets. Most certainly. Did we waste any time tracking anything? Nope. Everything except the wildebeest, ran 2 inches.

Most of the shots were inside 150 yds. Wildebeest was about 275 yds if my recollection is correct, which was a stretch with probably 13" drop. I shot low on that one. But got lucky and hit him a 2nd time running away at 350ish yds.

If I was going again for PG, using a 458 for everything wouldn't be my plan. I'd probably bring the Weatherby again, because I still think that was more appropriate. Maybe a 338 Win Mag. But if the 458 was my plan, I'd get some lighter tsx.

 

[WoodencrossIII]

Bob that was awesome shooting, I have a 300 Wby as well and that would probably be my battery I’d bring as well. That Lott has the fire power and I’d say that PH knew that tracking wasn’t gonna be an issue with the Lott and good hits. Im impressed with that wildebeest that tells me a lot of what that weapon can do, yeah the lighter 400 gr Barnes would probably be the best combo as a PG DG rifle with the Lott.

 

[WoodencrossIII]

I’m debating if I should put a scope on my Lott it’s a cz 550 but I prefer a scope on most of my rifles honestly could get a lower magnified 1-5x Leupold or something, I can find decent Barnes 250-300 gr ttsx but nothing bigger except Hornady 350 gr. The 250 gr might shed velocity so much tho

 

[ldmay375]

I’m debating if I should put a scope on my Lott it’s a cz 550 but I prefer a scope on most of my rifles honestly could get a lower magnified 1-5x Leupold or something, I can find decent Barnes 250-300 gr ttsx but nothing bigger except Hornady 350 gr. The 250 gr might shed velocity so much tho

I would consider the Hammer Bullets 404 grain Shock Hammer in 458 Lott. They estimate the bc at .419. It is a pretty sleek looking bullet that seems to perform well on whitetails through Cape Buffalo.

 

[WoodencrossIII]

I thank you for letting me know about them I sure will check them out, I’d say that will make the Lott a PG and DG rifle and a whitetail getter too

 

[Hunter-Habib]

Keep your ranges under 120 yards and you wont' have a problem. Bear in mind, that your intended target is the Cape buffalo and that anything else is going to be a coincidental target of opportunity. In practicality, you will probably have to use your Cape buffalo cartridges (and the telescopic sight optimized for them) on them when such targets present themselves. You will not have time to use the lighter-for-weight cartridges (or the telescopic sight optimized for them). It's a better idea to over-kill smaller game rather than under-kill larger (and more dangerous) game. So it's safer to use Cape buffalo cartridges on plains game, as opposed to using plains game cartridges for Cape buffalo.

Adjust your telescopic sight and Cape buffalo cartridges for maximum point blank range. You will benefit from it.

 

[Beck]

8 x and Christmas tree reticle just don't fit with a DG rifle even if intended for PG hunting.

Two different scopes for a DG rifle with two different sets of ammunition is a disaster waiting to happen on a DG hunt.

If you must have the 458 Lott, then get a second rifle to pair with the 458 Lott and keep the Lott as a dedicated DG rifle, that is what is was designed for.

Personally I would recommend the 375 H&H for a DG(buffalo) and PG mixed bag hunt, there has never been a more versatile caliber for this application. Premium grade 300gr bullet and you are good to go, pair that with a low power variable with decent eye relief (1-6 is more than enough) and you have the best combination for such a hunt. No need to fart arse around with different loads and more than one scope etc. etc.

If it must be the 458 Lott, as I mentioned then pair it with another more appropriate PG rifle.

Good luck.

On my fourth Safari I used a .375 for everything PG, and light skinned dangerous game. It was lot of fun and very convenient. Using just one gun is a lot of fun, by the end of the Safari you almost feel married to the damn gun.

 

[Beck]

8 x and Christmas tree reticle just don't fit with a DG rifle even if intended for PG hunting.

Two different scopes for a DG rifle with two different sets of ammunition is a disaster waiting to happen on a DG hunt.

If you must have the 458 Lott, then get a second rifle to pair with the 458 Lott and keep the Lott as a dedicated DG rifle, that is what is was designed for.

Personally I would recommend the 375 H&H for a DG(buffalo) and PG mixed bag hunt, there has never been a more versatile caliber for this application. Premium grade 300gr bullet and you are good to go, pair that with a low power variable with decent eye relief (1-6 is more than enough) and you have the best combination for such a hunt. No need to fart arse around with different loads and more than one scope etc. etc.

If it must be the 458 Lott, as I mentioned then pair it with another more appropriate PG rifle.

Good luck.

I also used a Leupold VX-5HD 1-5 x 24. I feel pretty confident out to 300 yards with that scope

 

[Forrest Halley]

Keep your ranges under 120 yards and you wont' have a problem. Bear in mind, that your intended target is the Cape buffalo and that anything else is going to be a coincidental target of opportunity. In practicality, you will probably have to use your Cape buffalo cartridges (and the telescopic sight optimized for them) on them when such targets present themselves. You will not have time to use the lighter-for-weight cartridges (or the telescopic sight optimized for them). It's a better idea to over-kill smaller game rather than under-kill larger (and more dangerous) game. So it's safer to use Cape buffalo cartridges on plains game, as opposed to using plains game cartridges for Cape buffalo.

Adjust your telescopic sight and Cape buffalo cartridges for maximum point blank range. You will benefit from it.

This is a wise recommendation. Just take the one bullet and scopes zeroed for just that bullet otherwise you're going to be out of position and a step behind. It's the truth of hunting.

 

[RayAtkinson]

I disagree with the use of the Lott for PG, not what its designed for, Ive shot some PG with some big bore but see no real point it it, unless your playing games. but it will kill sbout anything up to a sperm whale..

 

[19_A_CPT]

A fixed 8 Power on a .458!!! I urge you to spend a little time behind the butt of a forty class gun at a range before investing in the theoretical. To paraphrase a fellow contributor whom I appreciate immensely, you can load that thing with a frozen herring and you won't need more than 4-power. And a fixed 8, regardless of manufacturer, is about as bad a choice for hunting Africa (or most anywhere I have ever hunted) that I could imagine. More importantly, all this theoretical two scope stuff set up for two loads tends to fall apart in the bush. You are drifting along behind your trusty PH and tracker two hours into trying to walk down a dugga boy. A beautiful kudu, zebra, bushbuck, whatever freezes at 175 meters. It is getting late to continue the buffalo approach and the alternative animal is about to bolt. Is anyone really going to change scopes and ammunition? And the truth is, a low magnification scope will make that shot much easier, just as accurately, and much, much quicker than searching for him with an 8-power.

If you really want to try and turn a Lott into a PG rifle with a light bullet, and the group difference is significant at 100 meters, then just tape the click difference to the side of the stock (or memorize it). Whatever scope you are using for DG will be adequate for any other game you will shoot at to include a duiker, and turning the top turret a few clicks is much simpler than trying to change scopes.

I recently bought a 458 Win that had a fixed 8 power Weaver on it! Definitely a head scratcher. Now a 2.5 power fix steel Weaver sits atop it.