.458 winchester silk purse from a sows ear project

[ChrisG]

What a great project! Am watching with interest.
Also its great to see another .458 Win mag out there! It really is a great round and don't let anyone tell you otherwise...
If you're after any loads let me know as I have a few good ones using 480 & 550gn Woodleigh projectiles.
As l said, watching with interest and good luck with it. Can't wait to see how it turns out

Russ

After I put in a bid on this rifle, I actually read a lot of your posts on AH about the .458 and it got me excited to get out and use it. I loaded a 20 rounds of older hornady 500 grain RN FMJ solids (they were the only bullets my local shooters supply had). They should be around 2050fps and I have some 350 grain speers on the way as well. Im gonna take the gun out to my property tomorrow and see how thick of a hickory tree these will go through.

 

[Badboymelvin]

Keep us posted on how those Hornady's go ChrisG

I'm glad you're excited about your rifle - and they're a hoot to shoot!

Well... except for my 550gn reloads I had to sight in off the bench the other day.
They're clocking just under 2100fps and in my 9lb rifle they calculate to approx 80ft/lbs of recoil.
These actually exceeded my recoil tolerance (off the bench) and I couldn't wait till I was done.
I got bashed mate!

As I said mate, anything I can do to help just let me know

Looking forward to seeing your rifle completed. I love watching rifle builds...

Russ

 

[Cervus elaphus]

Ok... so I bought a "project gun". A Whitworth Mauser .458 Win Mag. There seems to be some slight pitting on the barrel and the Tupperware stock looks to have been painted with a rattlecan. The bore apparently is mint despite all the other issues... so I m hoping for a diamond in the rough here. If I need to I will rebarrel it but I am hoping that isn't necessary.

The first order of business will be to TIG weld up the holes in the side of the rear portion of the action where the peep is installed, then sand everything back to bare metal and get as many of the pits out as possible. Then I will give it a rust blue. I typically do about 5-10 applications and carding before finally soaking for a few days in ATF. View attachment 405406View attachment 405407View attachment 405408View attachment 405409View attachment 405410

Once the rust bluing is done, I am going to send the rifle off the gentry custom and have one of their 3 position M70 styled safeties installed.

From there I will be fitting and installing an English walnut classic sporting stock from Richards Microfit Stocks. That will be finished in oil and checkered (Might go with Fleur de Lis but we will see how the mood strikes me after the stock is finished.

A set of nice steel scope bases will follow that.

I will be slicking up the action as well when it is apart.

Now... keep in mind that I am not made of money, but is there anything else anyone would suggest to give this rifle a classic big game rifle look and feel?

That's a solid piece of bad boy metal !. Love those projects and looking forward to seeing the finished rifle. I'm reserving the right to one day get a munted 30-06 like a Sako L61R or Win M70 e.g. restore and convert to a 35 Whelen.

 

[Cervus elaphus]

What a great project! Am watching with interest.
Also its great to see another .458 Win mag out there! It really is a great round and don't let anyone tell you otherwise...
If you're after any loads let me know as I have a few good ones using 480 & 550gn Woodleigh projectiles.
As l said, watching with interest and good luck with it. Can't wait to see how it turns out

Russ

Have you used your big boy to prosecute any buffs up north of us?

 

[CBH Australia]

@Badboymelvin Russ, I should have had a yarn with you before I sold my err, ahh .,458wm .
I had good intentions when I sold it to pay for my .375H&H

@Cervus elaphus
You are not really going to build a Whelen are you?

 

[Red Leg]

Haha like I said, a silk purse from a sow's ear. I have to be careful that I don't drop $2,000 dollars trying to turn a $700 Whitworth into a Rigby... But when I am done, I can brag that I own a "British big bore express rifle built on a Mauser action"!

Alas, in a not so British caliber... but I have to confess... I am an Anglophile when it comes to rifles. I think the classic turn of the 20th century British rifles were some of the most beautiful and functional guns ever made. They had a level of taste that was subtle... a subtlety that completely eluded Roy Weatherby with his garish high gloss plastic covered stocks, horrendous inlay, sharp accentuated protuberances and unnaturally high cheek pieces.

The British excelled at making rifles that were gorgeous to behold but not so much that you were afraid to take them hunting, throw them in a horse scabbard or a trucks rifle rack and go get some game with them.

I agree. "Beau" Brummel has cast a long and tasteful shadow across English design and taste for two centuries.

 

[browningbbr]

ChrisG,

If I read your early posts correctly, you are planning to install a Model 70 type safety and bases/rings AFTER having the rifle re-blued. If so, I have a suggestion: Please consider installing the safety, bases and rings, then lapping the rings BEFORE polishing and bluing. With the sweat equity you are willing to put into this project, it would be nice to have all of the metal match in finish and color.

Quite a while back, I posted pictures of a 98 Mauser that I built incorporating the suggestions above. I was happy with the outcome.

Which ever way you go, good luck!

browningbbr

 

[Cervus elaphus]

@Badboymelvin Russ, I should have had a yarn with you before I sold my err, ahh .,458wm .
I had good intentions when I sold it to pay for my .375H&H

@Cervus elaphus
You are not really going to build a Whelen are you?

Probably not but a 358-06 is one of the better wildcats I would like to use on a big Sambar stag or one of the wild bulls in my area without having to go to a magnum, and an easy conversion my gunsmith would love to do without stripping my wallet.

 

[Shootist43]

Chris, you didn't mention any trigger work, I usually have a Timney Trigger installed on my sporterized Swedish Mausers. BTW this sounds like a fun project. What are you planning to use it for?

 

[ChrisG]

ChrisG,

If I read your early posts correctly, you are planning to install a Model 70 type safety and bases/rings AFTER having the rifle re-blued. If so, I have a suggestion: Please consider installing the safety, bases and rings, then lapping the rings BEFORE polishing and bluing. With the sweat equity you are willing to put into this project, it would be nice to have all of the metal match in finish and color.

Quite a while back, I posted pictures of a 98 Mauser that I built incorporating the suggestions above. I was happy with the outcome.

Which ever way you go, good luck!

browningbbr

I honestly dont know as it matters too much one way or the other. Rust bluing allows me to tailor the number of coats to how I want the metal to look. The issue is with different types of metal. The gentry safety can be bought unblued nd I can rust blued to match. The bases and rings wouldnt be installed until they were set anyway. I usually dont lap my scope rings as I have never had a decent quality set of scope rings be misaligned or out of true enough to affect the accuracy of the gun,only enough that lapping them was the only evidence they were slightly out. But I will consider it. I also read up on bone charcoal color case hardening. I have a foundry so I could also do the rings, shroud and trigger in that. I dont like to use it on parts that are used a lot though, as color casing is very thin and wears off much more easily.

@Shootist43 , I did consider a timney trigger, but that is a long way off and ia a pretty simple modification to do. Thanks for all the suggestions

 

[ChrisG]

So before I took the rifle all apart, I wanted to give it a try.... I brought it, 2 rounds 300 grain Lead FN mild loads, 1 round 500 grain Hornady SP (dont remember what the load was) and 2 rounds 500 grain Hornady Solids with 72 grains of Win748, out to my property with my gun range to have a go. I know a lot of people claim that even with top tier loads, the .458 will never make its claimed velocity... I am here to tell you that my magnetospeed confirmed, 72 grains of 748 (which isnt even the max load) gives me 2,125 fps at the muzzle with a 500 grain hornady out of this gun. 5,014 ft-lbs. I set up a 14" thick hickory cutoff... those solids right through that like butter.

The downside to this rifle is that the stock is made of tupperware and the 24" barrel is only about 3/32" thick at the muzzle so it only weighs 7.8 lbs. I am here to tell you, It is NO fun to shoot in its current configuration (good thing it isnt staying that way). I fired my .416 Ruger (400s @2,300) a ton before I got rid of it and, except off the bench, I never got a recoil headache. The first two mild lead rounds kicked like a .30-30, but the 3rd, 4th and 5th were full house 500 grain bullets. I fired all of them standing and by the third one, I could feel a headache growing. So... once the stock goes on, I am going to brace the heck out of the wood, then add lead weight to the buttstock and forend until is up around 10lbs with bases rings and scope.

More fun ahead! Now that I got that out of my system, I can begin breaking it all down.

 

[CBH Australia]

I would not have a Tupperware stock on a .458wm, maybe a decent composite.

How does the Magneto speed handle the seismic movement?

Serious question though as I am considering getting a chronograph

 

[Badboymelvin]

Have you used your big boy to prosecute any buffs up north of us?

Not yet mate. I was meant to go next month but Covid hit - so now everyone's 12 months behind, so I'm hoping next July
I just can't wait to use the .458 on buffalo... and I'm sure it won't let me down...

Russ

 

[Badboymelvin]

@Badboymelvin Russ, I should have had a yarn with you before I sold my err, ahh .,458wm .
I had good intentions when I sold it to pay for my .375H&H

@Cervus elaphus
You are not really going to build a Whelen are you?

Haha! You should've had a chat to me first - I would've talked you out of it!

 

[ChrisG]

I would not have a Tupperware stock on a .458wm, maybe a decent composite.

How does the Magneto speed handle the seismic movement?

Serious question though as I am considering getting a chronograph

It is that cheap stock with the rattlecan paint on it. I don't know what the obsession is with buying cheap plastic stocks then painting them with acrylic earthtone paints but it seems to be a condition that is spreading... there are just some people who shouldn't "DIY" until they develop the skill.

As to the chronograph, I really like it because it is so compact. The bayonet gets clamped onto the barrel very securely and held up under the few loads I fired over it even a .458 win mag recoil levels. The actual brains of the chronograph are in a little control box, not attached to it so my guess is that the bayonet is simply two magnets with copper coils around them. The leads are soldered to them running to the control box. Not much to break in the actual bayonet.

 

[CBH Australia]

Ahh, makes sense. Some people should not own guns. I hope you did not know the previous owner personally.

Makes sense about the Brains in the Magneto speed being separated, it's all in the name.
I did not understand how it works.

 

[ChrisG]

Ahh, makes sense. Some people should not own guns. I hope you did not know the previous owner personally.

Makes sense about the Brains in the Magneto speed being separated, it's all in the name.
I did not understand how it works.

No I did not. I purchased it on gunbroker. Now that I put a few rounds down the pipe, I am gonna start sanding off the finish and getting the pits out in preparation for rust bluing. I have the new bolt handle coming in the mail tomorrow so, when it comes, I am going to cut the existing one off and TIG weld the new one on. So that it sits like this:

Instead of this:

 

[ChrisG]

Started sanding down the barrel to expose the pitting a little with some 320 grit sandpaper.

Its not really bad, but its gonna take some elbow grease.

 

[Shootist43]

Chris, before you resort to pure elbow grease, try using some Kroil and 0000 steel wool. Fellas our age need to work smarter, not harder. LOL I've cleaned up "dark" bores with this. Trust me it works.

 

[CoElkHunter]

So before I took the rifle all apart, I wanted to give it a try.... I brought it, 2 rounds 300 grain Lead FN mild loads, 1 round 500 grain Hornady SP (dont remember what the load was) and 2 rounds 500 grain Hornady Solids with 72 grains of Win748, out to my property with my gun range to have a go. I know a lot of people claim that even with top tier loads, the .458 will never make its claimed velocity... I am here to tell you that my magnetospeed confirmed, 72 grains of 748 (which isnt even the max load) gives me 2,125 fps at the muzzle with a 500 grain hornady out of this gun. 5,014 ft-lbs. I set up a 14" thick hickory cutoff... those solids right through that like butter.

The downside to this rifle is that the stock is made of tupperware and the 24" barrel is only about 3/32" thick at the muzzle so it only weighs 7.8 lbs. I am here to tell you, It is NO fun to shoot in its current configuration (good thing it isnt staying that way). I fired my .416 Ruger (400s @2,300) a ton before I got rid of it and, except off the bench, I never got a recoil headache. The first two mild lead rounds kicked like a .30-30, but the 3rd, 4th and 5th were full house 500 grain bullets. I fired all of them standing and by the third one, I could feel a headache growing. So... once the stock goes on, I am going to brace the heck out of the wood, then add lead weight to the buttstock and forend until is up around 10lbs with bases rings and scope.

More fun ahead! Now that I got that out of my system, I can begin breaking it all down.

Good to know on the 748. I was loading with H335, but have a LOT more 748 on hand.