It would seem that our family farm has become overrun with elephants! Or dinosaurs! Not really sure, but my dear older brother is in the mood for a .458 Win mag to play with. Both Savage and Remington make bolt guns in .458. Ruger also makes a #1H Tropical in .458. The problem as I see it is ammo availability-or lack there of. Not too many outlets for .458.

No, he isn't planning any Safaris, probably just a hapless whitetail or 2. I'm trying to talk him "down" to a 375 H&H, as ammo is much more available.

So how about it? I know we all have mouseguns on this board, but any elephant guns???

I have a Ruger No 1 in .416 Rigby.  I reload the ammo (to say money... I guess).[BD]

Get one, you'll love it.  Just think what the guys at the club will say when you slip that baby out of the sack!

The real issue isn’t ammo availability, its ammo cost.  You might suggest he check this out before buying the rifle.

Not much fun having a gun that you can’t afford to shoot.

Yeah, I pointed out to my brother that .458 ammo, if you can find it, is commercially around $40-70  per box, whereas Sportsman's Guide has Remington 375 H&H "plinkers" for around $1 a pop. I also pointed out that Hornady Heavy Magnums in 375 exceed the .458 in muzzle energy.

He doesn't reload, but he knows I do, and keeps hinting about a very large buck that is hiding out on our farm...I wonder what he is getting at?

Fired a 458 Win Mag once.  Actually wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.  But I didn't go back for seconds.  Felt similar to 12 ga 3" mags in a lightweight shotgun.  

I passed on a chance to fire a .460 Weatherby
once.  I was about 16, weighed about 115lbs
soaking wet, and had read the reloading manuals,
etc.  Didn't see much point in going through
with it!

458?, let him try a 45-70 loaded hot, he may change his mind, he may not. But I know 45-70 is easy to find, heck I sell it.[smash]

SFC(ret) Rew E. Williams
All glory to the infantry!!

May i suggest the 577 Tyrannosayr, check around [url]www.accuratereloading.com[/url] for more info, take a look at the video section.

Thanks tuukka! After watching one of the video clips of a guy firing the .577 (and almost removing his dentures in the process), I'm damned happy my brother doesn't have net access. He'd probably get a terminal chubby over it...or worse, he'd make me fire it first.

Hard to believe some people whine over 30'06 recoil.

There is one fact to face with these big guns: Sooner or later, unless you are filthy rich, you will start to reload for them.

In that regard a .458 Winchester is a pretty good deal. Cases are easy to find and can be made up (fireformed) from nearly any 2.5" magnum case like the 7mm Rem, 300 Win, etc..

45 caliber bullets are everywhere, including good cast bullets, and the .458 takes to cast bullets and reduced loads like it was made for them. IN fact, the top velocities attainable in a .458 are well within the best performance range of good cast bullets, saving you LOTS of money.

The .458 also has a reputation for good accuracy, if you can handle the rifle. It can be loaded to 45-70 levels quite easily for practice loads.

My "elephant" rifle is a Winchester M-70 375 H&H, and all of the above comments apply to the great Holland & Holland as well.

My dear brother bought a .460 Weatherby Magnum last spring. Even with porting, it's one mule-kicking SOB. I've fired exactly one round through it.

After he shoots all the $4/round ammo he has, we're gonna reload it. Takes 500gr. bullets and about 100 grains of powder. Sheesh.

40MIKE

I've never been able to afford any of these "elephant hunter" calibers so I don't know much about them.  Please be gentle if I'm asking a stupid question.  Growing-up, I heard the 45-70 often mentioned as the holy grail of rifle calibers.  The 30-06, the army switched to, was often maligned as being underpowered.  Are these rounds, like the 458 Win mag, really that much better at taking down large animals than a 45-70 to justify the extra cost of the ammo and rifles?

Also, do you guys know of any cheap way to get into a 45-70, besides the NEF rifle?  It seems you can find cheap C&R's in every foreign caliber, but it's a no go for 30-06 or 45-70.z

I don't know what you consider cheap, but the Marlin 1895 is a Best Buy in my book. It is a sturdy, workhorse rifle (or carbine, depending on model) that will handle heavy 45-70 loads with ease. The price is right, too, usually around $400, or even less if you look around. The Marlin is in my rack, and I really like it.

If you want the greatest power from the 45-70 you are gonna have to handload, but if you hunt animals larger than mule deer at ranges under 200 yards it is a good choice. I don't hunt anything that big, but it's nice to know the power is there if I ever need it.