Which .458

[rickiesrevenge]

I'm building a .458 on a short action m1999. Magnum bolt face and a mag box that allows 3.1" loaded ammo. Seriously considering a 458 B&M if I can make it happen. I have a .458x2" reamer on hand already so that is tempting. Honestly I will likely never make it to Africa but I live in Alaska and can see the rifle getting used for grizzlies a lot.

Are there any other .458" cartridges that I should consider?

 

[Boyd Brooks]

I built a 450 Marlin in a bolt rifle! Boyd’s stock and Ceracoted makes it a great all weather tool.

 

[hoytcanon]

My latest .458 is built on a Ruger M77 Mark II Stainless action. It started as a 7mm Rem Mag, but I rebarreled it with a 20" Jury #4 and added NECG sights and mounted a Leupold VX-R 2-7X33 IR scope and an Alaska Arms Coffin floorplate to get four rounds down. In my opinion, just go with a SAAMI .458 Win Mag... it gives you the most options.

 

[rickiesrevenge]

Cant fit a 458 into a 3.1" mag box so its not an option.

450 marlin would be a good option except mthe fact that getting brass or ammo is super tough these days.

 

[BlueFlyer]

Just go with the 458 B&M, looks ideal for your action length.
The 458WSM is another option, but ballistically inferior to the B&M.

 

[Hunter4752001]

Bertram still makes 450 Marlin brass. I think one of the members on this site was negotiating to become their new US distributor.

 

[Flewis]

Just cut down 458 wm to your length. 450 marlin has a different belt.

 

[hoytcanon]

Cant fit a 458 into a 3.1" mag box so its not an option.

450 marlin would be a good option except mthe fact that getting brass or ammo is super tough these days.

I load the 350 RN to 3.070" in my .458 WM. There are 400 grain bullets that you can load to 3.100", since you are considering the much shorter .450 Marlin, it shouldn't matter if you seat the 500's deep either. Another good choice for a 3.100" .458 WM is the 300 grain TSX designed for the .45-70, but you can also do the 350 TSX to 3.100"... don't worry about SAAMI specs, you are building a custom rifle.

I have built a .450 Marlin and shot a number of bears with it, but that is not how I would go with your project.

 

[Hunter4752001]

Which is why the 450 Marlin was so designed. The longer belt means you can't accidentaly chamber a 450 Marlin in a standard H&H chamber. A.shortened standard 458 case could be catatrophic if accidentaly fired in 375 H&H etc.

 

[hoytcanon]

Which is why the 450 Marlin was so designed. The longer belt means you can't accidentaly chamber a 450 Marlin in a standard H&H chamber. A.shortened standard 458 case could be catatrophic if accidentaly fired in 375 H&H etc.

In that case Darwin rules and we all win.

 

[Grumpy gumpy]

In that case Darwin rules and we all win.

But then an innocent rifle could be damaged …….
Don’t care about the Darwin award nominee ….think of the rifle…..
Gumpy

 

[Grumpy gumpy]

Oh, and to the O.P. , go the B&M if you can
Gumpy

 

[Flewis]

With a 3 inch overall length it would not chamber or even 2.8. The 375h&h has a lot of taper.

 

[Hunter4752001]

@Flewis makes a good point about the taper on a 375 H&H case.

Out with the calipers and measured at the approx case length of the 450 Marlin. Sort of close but only so much can be judged from theory. Time to get empirical. I grabbed an old 458 Win Mag case from the scrap bucket. Trimed it down to the 450 Marlin length 2.090". Full length sized in a 450 Marlin die and inserted a 325g Flex Tip projectile. Crimped with a Lee collet die. (no powder or primer)

Tried feeding it into my 375 H&H. No Go. I can confirm that a 458 x 2" will NOT chamber in my 375H&H. YMMV.