Rechamber #1 to .450 Nitro Express?

[AZDAVE]

@wiskey1 For your first question yes you can cleanup the 458WM with a 450NE reamer no problem. The advice to have a gunsmith do it on a lathe is very sound. I know several that can help if you don't already have someone in mind? If you are looking at getting a nice stock set and willing to do the work to fit it or have it done I an also point you in the right direction? Then last I currently have several take off Ruger #1 stock and forearm's that are the ruger plain but functional. I will send you one set so that you can get your rifle out and shooting till you decide if you want to tart you shooting iron up a bit PM me with an address and I will get one set headed your way for nothing. If you make it to DSC and the AH dinner you can share a beer with me and call it good. If not just drink a beer with a buddy of yours named Dave and that will also work. Here is a couple #1's I restocked as an idea.

 

[sestoppelman]

I bought a custom No. 1 in .404 Jeff a while back that upon close inspection revealed a number of hairline cracks around the pistol grip. Seller offered to buy it back but I kept it and found another buttstock from a member of another forum and fit it myself, not too difficult but time consuming. So far it has held up fine. Its not quite as pretty as the first stock but attractive enough. The rifle shoots great btw, with its heavy Krieger barrel.

 

[Whiskey1]

AZDAVE- Thank you. The above post is a shining example of why this is the only forum that I dedicate any of my time to! If you know a smith who has done this type conversion before I'd enjoy having his contact information. My local rifle smith is unknown but talented. However, he'd be plowing new ground adjusting for the different rim thicknesses and doing the safety modification, etc. Those three custom stocked No. 1s of yours are exquisite. I won't make DSC this year but there's a good bourbon in N. Ga. for you anytime! PM inbound...

 

[Dr Ray]

here's some inspiration:

Very nice indeed.

 

[Whiskey1]

CHANGE IN PLANS! Dropped the #1 off today to my gunsmith with the replacement stock AZDAVE donated. And ordered an adjustable Express sight along with a rechamber to.....wait for it......450 RIGBY. Also modding the safety a touch and adding a Pachmayer Decelerator Sporting Clays recoil pad. I decided to try to have built the most "workmanlike" single shot dangerous game rifle I could. When finished it will be fitted with a small variable Leupold in QD rings. Handloaded with 350 grain bullets at 2700 and 500 grainers at 2150-2200 it will be one rifle that could reasonably handle anything from pronghorn at 300 yards to the Big Five at 30, I hope! Time will tell. Thoughts? Suggestions? Advice?

PS- Many thanks to AZDAVE for the stock.

 

[AZDAVE]

Like the plan. You will have to let us know your impressions of the 450 Rigby in a #1. That is a great round.

 

[tarbe]

Just curious why the large 450 Rigby case if you are only looking for 2,150 to 2,200 fps with the 500gr?

You are leaving a lot of case capacity going unused.

Unless you think in the future you will want to crank it up?

Or maybe, like me, you think "450 Rigby" just sounds too cool to pass up!

You can get your 2,200 fps with less powder and recoil using a smaller case, if that is all the higher you think you'll want to go.


Tim

 

[Whiskey1]

Just curious why the large 450 Rigby case if you are only looking for 2,150 to 2,200 fps with the 500gr?

You are leaving a lot of case capacity going unused.

Unless you think in the future you will want to crank it up?

Or maybe, like me, you think "450 Rigby" just sounds too cool to pass up!

You can get your 2,200 fps with less powder and recoil using a smaller case, if that is all the higher you think you'll want to go.


Tim

Pretty simple- The lower muzzle velocity keeps pressures really low which insures ease of extraction and long case life. Couple that with the fact that to load a single shot rifle smoothly bottle-neck cartridges are a real benefit- it is much easier to start a .458" bullet into a .589" chamber than into a chamber for a straight walled cartridge. Finally, there are many reports that indicate the extra speed may be detrimental to bullet performance.

I'm also thinking I may choose the 550 grain at 2200...And .450 Rigby is a cool inscription to have on one's barrel....

 

[tarbe]

Pretty simple- The lower muzzle velocity keeps pressures really low which insures ease of extraction and long case life. Couple that with the fact that to load a single shot rifle smoothly bottle-neck cartridges are a real benefit- it is much easier to start a .458" bullet into a .589" chamber than into a chamber for a straight walled cartridge. Finally, there are many reports that indicate the extra speed may be detrimental to bullet performance.

I'm also thinking I may choose the 550 grain at 2200...And .450 Rigby is a cool inscription to have on one's barrel....

Whiskey1

You may find this not to be true, but my 42 years of using No 1 rifles says that when you want a fast reload, you don't try to "thread the needle", rather, you drop the cartridge down onto the "loading ramp" and just slide her on in. No aiming required!

Speeds over 2,200 are not an issue with the proper bullet. CEB, Northfork, Swift A-Frame and Barnes X are four that come immediately to mind that will handle velocity above 2,150 to 2,200.

Pressures will be lower in the larger case, providing you choose the proper powder. And the Rigby would be a better choice than any smaller case if you do want the option to go with bullets up to 600gr.

Are you stuck on .458 caliber? Guys have done No 1 in 500 NE. 570gr bullet at 2,200 at 40k psi can be done with today's modern propellants! Plus you have a rim!

One nice thing about the .458 is bullet selection/availability. You can shoot targets and deer with 300 and 350gr, and go all the way up to T-Rex killing 600gr.

 

[Whiskey1]

Tarbe,

I only have 24 years experience with No. 1s and like you have found that the cartridge does not need to be "threaded" into the chamber. I have also found when using pointed bullets and cartridges with large bases you can almost "throw" them in the direction of the chamber and they will end up in the right place!

I am aware of the capability of some of the bullet brands to hold together at higher velocities and plan on using the Barnes in 300-350 grains at a pretty high velocity in this rifle. I don't care for the mono-metal bullets for my use on buffalo as very occasionally it seems the hollow point will strike bone, get pinched closed, and thus fail to open. I intend to experiment with A-Frames and Weldcores to begin with and I believe both of those bullets see the most use in .450 Nitro, .458 WM, and .458 Lott. I think the Lott is perfectly capable ballistically though I don't care for the belt, the pressures, or the straight case design. 2200 fps is my initial target velocity. Once I have found a load at that speed that I like I will likely experiment with heavier bullets. In any event many of the big five have fallen to .450 and .470 NE...Low pressure, ease of extraction, and long case life are all good reasons in my mind to underload the cartridge a bit.

I am stuck on .458" as this is a rechamber from .458 Winchester Magnum. I'm aware I could have chosen to recamber and rebore to a larger caliber or I could have rebarrelled the rifle to anything I wanted. I may do that in the future. The expense associated here is a $42 reamer rental and a few hours shop time with my gunsmith.

Availability of a wide variety of projectiles is one of the great benefits of the .45 caliber rifles for sure.

I appreciate your thoughts. Keep em coming.

 

[ChrisG]

@wiskey1 For your first question yes you can cleanup the 458WM with a 450NE reamer no problem. The advice to have a gunsmith do it on a lathe is very sound. I know several that can help if you don't already have someone in mind? If you are looking at getting a nice stock set and willing to do the work to fit it or have it done I an also point you in the right direction? Then last I currently have several take off Ruger #1 stock and forearm's that are the ruger plain but functional. I will send you one set so that you can get your rifle out and shooting till you decide if you want to tart you shooting iron up a bit PM me with an address and I will get one set headed your way for nothing. If you make it to DSC and the AH dinner you can share a beer with me and call it good. If not just drink a beer with a buddy of yours named Dave and that will also work. Here is a couple #1's I restocked as an idea.

View attachment 206172

Those are gorgeous! Now you just need to have someone checker them up! I think an nice Fleur de Lis would look great on them!

 

[IvW]

450 No 2 NE would be another good choice. The case is very strong and a full 3.5 inches long.

I also however love the 450 Rigby.

Both are great calibers

 

[ChrisG]

CHANGE IN PLANS! Dropped the #1 off today to my gunsmith with the replacement stock AZDAVE donated. And ordered an adjustable Express sight along with a rechamber to.....wait for it......450 RIGBY. Also modding the safety a touch and adding a Pachmayer Decelerator Sporting Clays recoil pad. I decided to try to have built the most "workmanlike" single shot dangerous game rifle I could. When finished it will be fitted with a small variable Leupold in QD rings. Handloaded with 350 grain bullets at 2700 and 500 grainers at 2150-2200 it will be one rifle that could reasonably handle anything from pronghorn at 300 yards to the Big Five at 30, I hope! Time will tell. Thoughts? Suggestions? Advice?

PS- Many thanks to AZDAVE for the stock.

I have a single 500 grain .458 Hornady interlock I could donate! It came in a partial box of 400 grain .416 interlocks I bought off Gunbroker.com for plinking!