458 Win Mag to Lott conversion, PLEASE HELP

[Honeybadger1983]

I have a new manufacture Winchester Model 70 Safari in 458 Win Mag. Would conversation to the Lott be a fairly easy task to achieve?? I may be asking a stupid question, but the calibers are so close that I'm thinking feeding issues should not be very hard to overcome. Beyond that should just be a simple rebarrel.....or am I an idiot, lol. Please give me some input on this.

 

[baxterb]

Re-barrel? Should just be a re-chamber.

You’ll need a new mag box or remove the block from a win mag. Also the ejector will likely need to be adjusted.

As far as feeding - in for a penny, in for a pound. Once you start down that path you just need to keep throwing $$$ at it until it works as intended.

 

[spike.t]

What's wrong with it as is?...

 

[krish]

Keep it as it is. If you have to have a 458 lott then get one.
Krish

 

[Honeybadger1983]

What's wrong with it as is?...

Nothing, and if there is very much involved it will stay just as it is. I just have an extreme attachment to the Lott, more sentimental than anything. So it will likely stay a Win Mag, and I'll simply acquire a Lott in a different manner.

 

[TOBY458]

All that to get an extra 100 fps of real world velocity?

 

[One Day...]

I have a new manufacture Winchester Model 70 Safari in 458 Win Mag. Would conversation to the Lott be a fairly easy task to achieve?? I may be asking a stupid question, but the calibers are so close that I'm thinking feeding issues should not be very hard to overcome. Beyond that should just be a simple rebarrel.....or am I an idiot, lol. Please give me some input on this.

It is a very commonly done conversion Honeybadger1983, not a rebarrel, just pushing a Lott reamer in the Win chamber, and removing the magazine length internal spacer if there is one, but it still needs to be done by someone who knows what they are doing. Ideally, a complete job will require a slight alteration to the feeding ramps due to the longer cartridge length, and possibly shortening a bit the ejector blade, but this may not be necessary in all cases, and often is not, based on the existing ramps and ejector. You can try that by feeding partially Lott ammo from your existing Win magazine (with spacer temporarily removed) and ramps.

This being said, are you a reloader?

If you are, be aware that you can easily reach Lott performance from Win reload if you load the Win to the overall cartridge length of the Lott. Something a number of folks do not realize is that the SAAMI Win chamber has a much longer throat than the SAAMI Lott chamber and that Win powder space can be significantly increased by seating the bullets not as deeply as required for Win cartridge length. If the magazine well allows for .375 H&H length, which is the case for the Win 70, then it is easy to accomplish, especially with the rather long .458 bullets such as the TSX: just crimp it one grove shallower than for Win cartridge length.

Keep also in mind that Win performance and reliability WITH MODERN POWDERS is quite satisfactory and already plenty enough for anything that walks this earth.

This being said, a Lott rechambering on an original Win chamber gives you the best of all worlds, allowing for Lott commercial ammo, which typically outpace Win commercial ammo by 150 fps, while continuing to accept Win commercial ammo, and Win reload ammo with Lott overall cartridge length and power.

 

[Honeybadger1983]

You've convinced me fellas. It will stay as it is. As I said, I have no illusions of any real measurable performance difference on game with modern day powders and bullets.....it was simply a nostalgic thing for me. I'll just buy a completed rifle at some point.