New Life for an Older 458 B&M..............

Lol! I guess I'll have to start looking for a used short mag Winchester model 70 action!
If you are serious about it @michael458 might have some to spare unless people have finished it all. He was scouring the internet for WSM actions a while back to help out people that needed them. I got one lefty action from him, another from a Gunbroker lefty .270 WSM donor.
 
Instead of carrying multiple scopes. For one rifle with different loads. It’s much easier and cheaper to have custom turrets made for the additional load.

You need a scope that tracks reliably so you can return to zero for each custom turret.


That would seem to be the best of both worlds for sure. If you can get both of those loads to print that closely, it would be the answer to most any questions you might run across. I suppose if your rifle didn't group the different loads that closely, the next best thing would be a different scope for each load in QD mounts. I don't like adjusting scopes in the field, so I would prefer to swap the scope with the load.
 
  • Like
Reactions: RLL
Just stick with a .458 Win Mag. Good to go.
DSCN0089.jpeg

Yes, but not as cool
 
What’s not to love about the B&M line?

IMG_7531.jpeg
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Well after I purchased my 458 B&M I sold my 458 WM. Totally redundant in that power level. In addition was able to find ultra MAG cases much easier than WM cases.

To each his own. Both are good rounds.
 
Just stick with a .458 Win Mag. Good to go.
Well, if one can ONLY choose ONE Rifle/Cartridge, then I would not really disagree with that statement, you can come out very well with a good ole 458 Winchester and never need for more, or even less....... Did not expect that eh?................. Well, let me tell you a little story............

I did not come up with the B&M Cartridges by trying to improve on any existing cartridges! My goal was not "Cartridge" Oriented. I did not set out to make a bigger, better, faster .458 caliber cartridge, that had little or nothing to do with it.

It had everything to do with the "Platform" that the Cartridge is based upon!

I late 2005 all the stars, Sun and Moon were in alignment............

October 2005 found me and my lovely Wife in Tanzania. I was after Buffalo mostly and then whatever else came within sights........... I was carrying a Winchester M70 458 Lott African Edition #50. They only made 50 of these, I had #50 and #13 of the series. This 458 Lott still had a Musket barrel of 24 inches, came in with scope probably around 10-10.5 lbs. For my small caliber gun I had a Winchester M70 416 Remington, was mostly shooting the 340 Woodleighs that year, I would have to look at the exact load and velocity, but it proved to do a decent job on zebra and such, one and only leopard I had ever taken and a charging Roan. I liked the bullet, so good that for a conventional bullet I used my leftovers not so long ago for shelf ammo for my own 416 B&Ms........

Now, back to a real rifle and cartridge, 458 Lott........... That year I was using a combination 500 Swift A Frame and 500 Barnes FN Solids........ Proved to be an excellent combination on several buffalo, and I was astounded at just how hard the 500 Barnes Solids hit up front, a vast difference from the old RN versions........ You could see buffalo react to taking that FN Solid.......

We got involved in an Altercation between two bull hippos one day. We just happened to be there in the right/wrong place to witness the after effects. The looser of the ordeal was not very happy, and spotted us up above him and here he came. Now the bank we were standing on was too steep for him to come direct, so in a round about way he made his way up to us. This seemed to take a long time in my mind. Now I was ready, up in arms you might say, with a very very very LONG Musket size gun, that now felt like it weighed in at 25 ++++ Lbs, I was getting weak in the arms holding this thing, this fat, long, overweight 458 Lott! In this time I was thinking to myself "God there has to be something better than this to fight the beasts of the Earth?"............. just as the hippo was about to turn head on to us I busted a 500 FN Solid through his neck and the show was over immediately. What a great shot you say? Yeah, HEH HEH....... especially since I was aiming just below his ear... LOL........... Oh well, it worked out just fine at 6 steps.............

i-h2RH7VQ-X2.jpg


I was pretty pleased with everything none the less. But I kept thinking what would have been a better handling fighting rifle? No, I don't do double anything, so don't go there...........

Upon my return a few weeks later one of my life long close friends and I were on the phone one night. He wanted a 500 S&W on a lever gun! I told him, not going to happen, Marlin and 1886 receivers for 45/70 were too big. M94 receivers were too small. Needed a receiver in between (Later Big Horn did just that), but this was late 2005. At that time I had been playing with a 338 WSM, had a WSM rifle on hand, I looked at the cartridge, did some quick measurements on it, and got the hacksaw out and cut a case down and trimmed it to 1.65 inches........ and it would hold a .500 caliber bullet just fine! And on top of that, seemed to work just fine in a WSM Action! I told him, can't give you a lever gun, but I can give you a bolt gun!

Later that night, I could not get something out of my head, sure, the 1.65 inch WSM case fit the WSM magazine, bolt face, and seemed to feed fine, but I had a LOT Of Magazine Space there..... What other Case or Cartridge would be close to the same........ "Light Bulb" time........ RUM!!!!! Next morning, first thing, I had RUM cases for something, I think maybe 300 or 338.... But I cut one of those down to 2.250 and like magic it was the right length and size for the WSM magazine, bolt face, the works............ Now what capacity is this, would this be effective in a much shorter smaller rifle? Case capacity was about equal with 458 Winchester, so I had enough capacity. But there was a major problem, I did not have bullets that would work at the velocities this cartridge could churn up. So I split the difference and shortened the case to 1.950.... just short of 2 inches, I was not very smart at the time, I should have just stayed at 2 inches, but in the long run it worked out for something else down the road............

I touched base with SSK and got JD and Brian to work on this .500 caliber cartridge. At the same time I had them go to work on a 2.25 inch 458 Version as well....... with 458 being dear to my heart.

I had the first prototype .500, 50 B&M at 1.95 inch RUM case rifle, with 18 inch barrel around February of 2006. Of course, Win M70 WSM Control feed action. I started work with all the available bullets at the time, all designed for 500 S&W velocities. The 1.95 inch .500 case was about equal to 45/70 velocities, running 500 Hornady at 1850 fps, 400 Sierras at 2100 fps, and some various lighter bullets around 2000-2100 fps as well...... April of 2006 I found myself on a whirlwind shooting spree in South Africa.... I had already tested all bullets for Terminals, now field work to confirm. I love 45/70, but have had 45/70 in the field many times prior, and I expected these bullets at near 45/70 velocity to perform like 45/70s..... a little short of fantastic. I was wrong, .500 caliber made a difference, a big difference.

Could this be the Platform I was looking for? Shorter, lighter, faster, and far more handy, a dandy Beast Fighting rifle! Hmmm...............But bullets available were not up to "Speed" so to speak, not for buffalo/hippo or elephant......... Not Yet!

It was May of 2007 before the first 458 B&M finally arrived, dies and reamer had taken longer than expected........... First rifle had 20 inch barrel, since we were still trying to figure out what the cartridges could do, I went with 20.......... Which equaled and in some cases went slightly beyond 458 Win. We had pretty decent bullets back then, I favored 450s in the rifles and they did great with that weight.

By 2007 JD had helped me discover CNC Machined bullets, this solved the .500 caliber issues completely. Later in 2007 I found myself in Zimbabwe testing many of these bullets, made by Lehigh at the time. I had a pretty decent solid in the 50 B&M, which had now graduated to full length at 2.250 inches, because I now had bullets that would handle those velocities. I was shooting a 510 gr Solid in the 50, with its 18 inch barrel at 2125 fps. This bullet proved itself on a couple of elephants that year and several buffalo.

The Platform was now mated with a Cartridge and Bullets that indeed could be that very short, very fast handling rifle needed to Take on the Mighty Beasts of the Earth. Not only that, but it was light enough and short enough to not be such a damn burden on those long long days in the field.

The various .500 caliber B&Ms and of course the 458 B&M were used for this purpose for the rest of my hunting days, I never went to the field again with a 24 inch 10 lb musket........ all of them were retired, later many sold...... I still have one Custom Shop Win M70 458 Lott that I took 4 elephants with and several buffalo, I sitll have the #13 African Edition 458 Lott, although I whacked that barrel to 22 inches and added NECG Barrel Band front.......... I still have my Lion Rifle, Win M709 458 Winchester 22 inch gun, and a newer Win M70 458 Winchester that I cut to 20 inches and put NECG Barrel band on as well...........

My favorite 458 is my Bastogne 18 inch Gun Kote finish 458 B&M........ It served up everything needed, from impala to elephant and all in between, hippo and buffalo........ in a 7.5 lb package 38 inches overall length and pleasure to work with all day in the field...........

No it has nothing to do with the Cartridge, but the combination of the Platform, Cartridge, and most important the Bullet! It takes all three to be successful...........

But, without doubt, Building a new rifle can be a pain in the ass, you also have to consider you have to Hand Load for this as well........ If you do not hand load, and you don't care for a custom build, then by all means get yourself a Winchester M70 458 Winchester and call it a day, you won't come up short, literally....... but you would benefit from whacking it down a little to gain some handling ability, and a bit easier to work with all day in the field...........

My 20 inch 458 Winchester.............Shorter, but it is a little heavy still, but I won't be taking it out anyway...........

DSCN3527-X3.jpg
 
Well, if one can ONLY choose ONE Rifle/Cartridge, then I would not really disagree with that statement, you can come out very well with a good ole 458 Winchester and never need for more, or even less....... Did not expect that eh?
My 20 inch 458 Winchester.............Shorter, but it is a little heavy still, but I won't be taking it out anyway.....

DSCN3527-X3.jpg

Well... that was a mouth full... when it comes to posting, I am more Dr.Seuss than Shakespeare...

I 100% get messing around to make things work for you, and the reasons for doing so are your own. I have been going the Carbine route with funky cartridges for decades, they just work for the way I hunt in the areas I hunt and for the game I hunt.

I just made one of your "RAT Guns" in a .375 WSM to take for PG in March. My Ruger M77 Mark II Stainless Carbine .458 WM is an all around carry when guiding for bears, light, quick and handy, with a heavy payload. They make sense to me.

20240622_064727.jpg


Continue building and experimenting, it advances the whole data base available to the shooting community.
 

Forum statistics

Threads
58,066
Messages
1,246,632
Members
102,648
Latest member
Kerry19345
 

 

 

Latest posts

Latest profile posts


#plainsgame #hunting #africahunting ##LimpopoNorthSafaris ##africa
Grz63 wrote on roklok's profile.
Hi Roklok
I read your post on Caprivi. Congratulations.
I plan to hunt there for buff in 2026 oct.
How was the land, very dry ? But à lot of buffs ?
Thank you / merci
Philippe
Fire Dog wrote on AfricaHunting.com's profile.
Chopped up the whole thing as I kept hitting the 240 character limit...
Found out the trigger word in the end... It was muzzle or velocity. dropped them and it posted.:)
 
Top