Custom 460 weatherby

[CO_mtnman]

So it's finally happened, a process that has taken 2 years and 2 gunsmith to accomplish. I know have my hands on my 1st big bore rifle a 460 weatherby built on a cz550 magnum action with a 24 inch wilson arms barrel complete with barrel band and timney trigger. I topped it with a leupold fxii scope housed in alaskan arms rings, it has a muzzle brake (I know they are bad and I don't intend to hunt with it attached but I figured it would help me practice more if the rifle was more agreeable) I took it to the range today and fired 18 rounds to get it zeroed, 500gr barnes tsx with 104gr of aa2700 powder 2345 at the muzzle. Next time I go to the range I will shoot without the brake to ensure poa is the same and get a feel for it and start building competence. Later down the road I will have iron sights installed

 

[CO_mtnman]

 

[cajunchefray]

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Very nice. A CZ 550 action worked over by a good gunsmith is an excellent rifle. Please share more details of the build.

Regarding reloading, if you choose, BPI Shot Buffer is a great choice to make consistent, lower pressure loads, in the large Weatherby case, 500 grain bullets at 2150, aka. 458 Win Mag. Then work up from there to your recoil tolerance.

 

[CO_mtnman]

Wilson barrel cut to 24# with their 5.5 contour, bell and Carlson stock, alaskan rings, leupold scope ( iron sights at a later date) its a little light coming in at a little under 10 pounds without cartridges or sling ( I wanted it at 10 pounds even without the scope but so is life I suppose) the overall length comes in at 48 inches with the brake attached but it handles and balances just about perfect and with the brake it's just a big shove so I suspect it won't be long before the brake is permanently detached. I plan on getting it cerakoted at a later date and having my great uncles name engraved in the rifle as he was the 1st gunsmith to put the rifle together before his passing and it was his last custom rifle to build

 

[cajunchefray]

Wilson barrel cut to 24# with their 5.5 contour, bell and Carlson stock, alaskan rings, leupold scope ( iron sights at a later date) its a little light coming in at a little under 10 pounds without cartridges or sling ( I wanted it at 10 pounds even without the scope but so is life I suppose) the overall length comes in at 48 inches with the brake attached but it handles and balances just about perfect and with the brake it's just a big shove so I suspect it won't be long before the brake is permanently detached. I plan on getting it cerakoted at a later date and having my great uncles name engraved in the rifle as he was the 1st gunsmith to put the rifle together before his passing and it was his last custom rifle to build

Nice! Thanks for the info, looks like a Leupold 2.5x great eye relief.

Nice touch to have your great uncle’s name engraved.

 

[Certus]

Whack a recoil reducer in the stock and you could get closer to weight goal, but balance would change.

 

[TXdawg]

Nice build CMM. Your first big bore and it’s a 460 WBY!! Sounds like you’re very familiar with the phrase “go big or go home!”

 

[grand veneur]

Nice build CMM. Your first big bore and it’s a 460 WBY!! Sounds like you’re very familiar with the phrase “go big or go home!”

Why not ? My first big bore rifle was also a rifle caliber 460 Weatherby Magnum.

I wanted more than 30 years ago to have a rifle caliber 416 built. My preference was at this time the cartridge 416 Weatherby Magnum, a cartridge that was on the market not a long time. The gunmaker managed to sell me a used Brevex rifle caliber 460 Weatherby Magnum. I have no regrets because the 460 cartridge is one of the best cartridge caliber 458. Whether you really need such a cartridge, except perhaps for elephant hunting, is another question. After more than 30 years of big game hunting, I unfortunately know a lot better and a rifle caliber 416 Rigby would maybe have been more ideal.

 

[Flewis]

So it's finally happened, a process that has taken 2 years and 2 gunsmith to accomplish. I know have my hands on my 1st big bore rifle a 460 weatherby built on a cz550 magnum action with a 24 inch wilson arms barrel complete with barrel band and timney trigger. I topped it with a leupold fxii scope housed in alaskan arms rings, it has a muzzle brake (I know they are bad and I don't intend to hunt with it attached but I figured it would help me practice more if the rifle was more agreeable) I took it to the range today and fired 18 rounds to get it zeroed, 500gr barnes tsx with 104gr of aa2700 powder 2345 at the muzzle. Next time I go to the range I will shoot without the brake to ensure poa is the same and get a feel for it and start building competence. Later down the road I will have iron sights installed

Nice. Your poa will most likely change by more than you think without the brake. On one rifle it was 5 inch difference in height.

 

[CO_mtnman]

So far I've shot the 500gr barnes tsx and the 420gr cutting edge safari raptors, I've got some 470gr cutting edge safari raptors in the mail. I guess the rifle will tell me which one it likes the best but personally I would like the cutting edge bullets to be the primary bullet but it's hard to turn away from the tried and true barnes tsx. I use exclusively the safari raptors in my 375 h&h which is why I would like to use them in the 460 wby.

 

[Riflecrank]

Excellent. My second big bore was a .460 WbyMag Japanese MKV Deluxe in 1984.
Came right after the Ruger No. 1 .458 WinMag.

You will want to try the 404-gr Shock Hammer at about 2900 to 3000 fps for those cross-canyon shots at elk.
G1 BC on that bullet is about 0.419 and it can be used at 2500 to 2600 fps in the SAAMI .458 WinMag and .458 WM+ with a little longer COL: 3.28", 3.38", 3.48" or even 3.58" for the adventurous.

One shot kills with that bullet from a .458 WM+ have been documented on two cape buffalo bulls and one bull giraffe culled by a PH in RSA.
DRT.
That load is also an excellent plains game killer out to 300 yards or more, depending on the shooter.

 

[TTundra]

My 460 is sub 11 lbs scoped and unloaded and with mo brake I handle it well. I've written here numerous times echoing Pierre that the brake is what gave the 460 a bad name. If you can wield the 460, it's is a truly a magnificent and versatile beast. Nothing you don't already know.

I shot 500grs. for both buffalo and elephant at 2500fps and they performed perfectly. I needed a solid and soft to hit same POI and went with the DGS amd DGX Bonded. Planning on working with the CEBs and that Hammer mentioned by @Riflecrank sounds impressive as well.

 

[CO_mtnman]

I think what I am going to do is install some weight to the butt of the stock (same weight as the brake, to keep the balance good) I am definitely going to give the hammers a try! I don't intend to use the brake on any african hunt or any hunt with others with me and I won't take it without copious amounts of practice without the brake which is why I didn't even bother ensuring the brake matched the barrel finish. I am so very excited to have this rifle I feel like a little kid the day after Christmas, my wife is already making fun of me for just carrying it around the house

 

[Riflecrank]

Great accuracy load with any good 500-grain bullet in the .460 Wby Mag at ~2500 fps:

H4350 115.0 grains

I used to get that out and shoot a bughole 3-shot group at 100 yards,
every year on my birthday, just to see if I still had what it takes, me, not the rifle.

 

[Phil Giordano]

I'm a medium/small frame hunter, and the largest caliber I can shot accurately is my 416 - so a 460wby is really too much for me. But, I do believe it's a great caliber and lot of fun! Only, I'd put a 26" barrel, there's a gallon of powder inside there, and it needs a long tube in my opinion, to burn well enough and to down a bit the jump/recoil/blast...

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

Nice. Your poa will most likely change by more than you think without the brake. On one rifle it was 5 inch difference in height.

@Flewis
I must be lucky then. My Whelen has the same poi with or without the brake on it.
Either lucky, good workmanship or tin arse load development.
Bob

 

[Flewis]

@Flewis
I must be lucky then. My Whelen has the same poi with or without the brake on it.
Either lucky, good workmanship or tin arse load development.
Bob

Most times they shoot higher because of more recoil but as you know all rifles are different. My 338-378 is about 5 inches higher without the brake.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

Excellent. My second big bore was a .460 WbyMag Japanese MKV Deluxe in 1984.
Came right after the Ruger No. 1 .458 WinMag.

You will want to try the 404-gr Shock Hammer at about 2900 to 3000 fps for those cross-canyon shots at elk.
G1 BC on that bullet is about 0.419 and it can be used at 2500 to 2600 fps in the SAAMI .458 WinMag and .458 WM+ with a little longer COL: 3.28", 3.38", 3.48" or even 3.58" for the adventurous.

One shot kills with that bullet from a .458 WM+ have been documented on two cape buffalo bulls and one bull giraffe culled by a PH in RSA.
DRT.
That load is also an excellent plains game killer out to 300 yards or more, depending on the shooter.

Sweet Jeezus! 400 gr @ 3K fps? How does one hang onto the gun. Shoot it prone at an elk across the canyon and expect to get seriously hurt.

 

[Inkgardener]

Cool rifle and caliber! Would love to shoot one.

I always wanted a 416 Weatherby, no clue what I would do with it though…

 

[CO_mtnman]

I will say that I was pleasantly surprised by manageable it is especially after the past 2 years of reading more and more into the 460 and in the back of my mind I was starting to get a little worried and thinking that I may have made a mistake but that all went away after my 1st shot and then the 2nd and by the time I was 20 rounds deep all my fears went away