Test drove my new 450 Ultra Magnum on a WA bull.

[smack]

I finally got to having my 450 Ultra Magnum built several months ago( .375 RUM necked up to .458) I had it built on a Rem700 action. Went with a fluted, 26" , 14 twist Lilja, #7 contour. Used a Wyatts center feed extended mag box along with a Greybull stock, 4 port Muscle brake and a shilen trigger. Had Benchmark Barrels do the build. Dave Kiff at Pacific Tool and Gauge did my reamer and RCBS did the custom dies. Did a bunch of load development with the 370gr CEB BBW#13 Non Conventional hollow points but ran out and decided to get a bunch of the Speer 350 gr HotCores and they shot half MOA out to 300 yards if I did my part. I will defiantly be shooting the CEB's in the future when I get a bunch more. With the tip they are 6 times the cost of the HotCores.

Drug the setup up on the mountain and crushed the first bull I ran into, the shot was across a deep canyon @ 300 yards. It was a steep down hill shot, had a picture perfect hold off the bipod in the prone. The bull was side ways to me and head down feeding when he took the hit with a Speer 350gr HotCore with a muzzle velocity just shy of 2800 fps. The bullet entered high in line with the pocket about 8" down from the spine and stopped just in the hide at the bottom of the rib cage on the off side. It flat CRUSHED!!! him, he dropped in his shadow and didn't even twitch. 9 hours later I had the last quarter to the truck and the headlights pointed towards home.

The rifle when it first arrived pictured with a loaded 450 Ultra Mag cartridge. 370gr CEB BBW#13 Non Conventional Hollow Point with the hi BC polymer tip and yes, they feed from the mag box like glass.

The Muscle brake with a extra port machined in the top and a set screw installed by Benchmark Barrels.

The 450 Ultra Magnum (Left) Compared to a 500 Jeffery on the right.

A closer look at the CEB 370gr Non Con.

The rifle zeroed and ready for the field.

My first test media for the cartridge.

I had to rope fat boy off to a tree, to keep him from falling off the mountain. It was allot steeper than it looks, I know!

The recovered bullet weighed 248.4 grs

If I do my part the rifle is way close to a half MOA package, not bad for a big bore super magnum.
This is the norm for a 200 yard group with the 350gr Speer HotCores. The 405gr Remington bullets even shoot tighter but have a way low BC and I don't feel they will hold together good enough at the velocities I'm pushing them at for big game. I had to try the 405's out. I had read they can't handle 458 Win Mag velocities, it's just not true. I'm pushing the 405's on top of 90gr of Benchmark and using several different powder charges during testing and still touching them all at 100 yards. Should make a good Groundhog load come spring .

I have a bunch of Barnes 300gr Tipped TSX's on the way, Im going to see how fast I can get them going and definitely try them on Groundhogs .

 

[trebark]

Nothin' quite like using an elephant gun on an elk.

There is no such thing as being 'under gunned'. that is a really nice shootin' stick you have there.

 

[ICANHITHIMMAN]

What the BC of the bullets you made? Is anyone making a bullet to realy push the potential of your rifle. Or did you not build it with the intention of pushing its limits?

Jon

 

[royinidaho]

Outstanding my friend!!!

Pretty much "non conventional" all the way around.

I like your thinking 'out of the box'.

 

[smack]

What the BC of the bullets you made? Is anyone making a bullet to realy push the potential of your rifle. Or did you not build it with the intention of pushing its limits?

Jon

Jon,

First off I didn't make any bullets. Cutting Edge Bullets ( CEB ) is at the top of the .458 custom game or big bore bullet game for that matter. I think you would be surprised at what you consider " Pushing it's limits" compared to what I consider pushing its limits. 300 yards is a chip shot, I can only think of one big game animal I have shot under 300 yards in 10 years or so. That's Western hunting. This rifle and chambering are still in the developmental stages. Once I decide on my powders, then I will have CEB do a custom run of high BC all copper bore rider bullets. I will decide on the precise bullets weight after some bench time with the rifle in the spring, I have other builds in the works for the time being. Let me know if you have any other ideas or components that have not been covered or considered to " Push it's limits "


Just having fun, I had the recoil lug pinned on this rifle so when Lilja finishes my .338 barrel . I'll have Benchmark chamber it in .338 Edge and screw it on, switch barrel it.

 

[ICANHITHIMMAN]

I guess I made some assumptions about the bullets thinking you made the points for them. I realy like this idea.

 

[smack]

I guess I made some assumptions about the bullets thinking you made the points for them. I realy like this idea.

I imagine that it can be argued that this cartridge can't do anything that some factory offering can't already do. That wasn't the purpose or origin of the cartridge. I was shooting one of my .375 Ultra Mags one day, which I feel with the right bullet can take anything on the planet. I was holding a piece of 375 RUM brass and thought , I should neck this bad boy up to .458 diameter. So I called Dave Kiff at PTG right there on the range and ordered the reamer. Things just fell into place when time permited over the next year of so.

Same goes for my next project/ build, I had PTG already do a reamer for me based off the .338 Ultra Magnum case. I had Dave neck the .338 RUM down to 6.5 and put at 40 degree improved shoulder on it. I'll try that on some groundhogs this spring and if the barrel has anything left of it this next fall I'll try it on mule deer and elk. Just some tinkering at the bench and in the reloading room. It's just what I like to do.

 

[ICANHITHIMMAN]

Dang 6.5 RUM sound like a monster. I started a thread awile back trying to find some high BC bullets in 6.5mm that were bigger than 140g. I didnt have any luck, I wanted to try to improve the terminal performance of my 264win. What bullet are you thinking of trying in that?

 

[royinidaho]

My thing @ the moment, to get bullets to approach my needs and wants includes making my own brass tips and retipping conventional bullets after removing the plastic tips. The process increases bc quite a bit and the weight nearly 10 grains.

I like CEB's approach with the non conventional innovation of inserting one's own tips or loading the same bullet both ways. Pretty nifty.

I'm in a similar boat as you regarding my 375 Am (Chey Tac improved and necked down). What kind of hoops does one have to jump through to get CEB to do a special run of a prototype bullet?

The final product I envision would be a boat tail high bc bullet hollow point with a meplat of somewhere around 0.2". I'd insert my own brass point of a special design for the bullet.

Any thoughts.....

 

[ICANHITHIMMAN]

Roy
Would you be able to do that with a 6.5mm 140g ACCUBOND?

 

[smack]

CEB told me they can do whatever I wanted, I think it was a min 500 piece run? I'll have to check back on that. I still have a ways to go before I get to that point. For the heavier 6.5 bullet I was going to go with CEB in a all copper, have them do a specific weight bullet for me somewhere in the 162-168 range.

If I had to go with a factory bullet in 6.5, hands down it would be the 140 Accubond. 99 percent of the game I have taken since their arrival has been with the Accubond in one caliber or another. From .257- .375. It would be creator they marketed a .458 Accubond!

 

[ICANHITHIMMAN]

CEB told me they can do whatever I wanted, I think it was a min 500 piece run? I'll have to check back on that. I still have a ways to go before I get to that point. For the heavier 6.5 bullet I was going to go with CEB in a all copper, have them do a specific weight bullet for me somewhere in the 162-168 range.

If I had to go with a factory bullet in 6.5, hands down it would be the 140 Accubond. 99 percent of the game I have taken since their arrival has been with the Accubond in one caliber or another. From .257- .375. It would be creator they marketed a .458 Accubond!

Well I dont know you but if you want to go halvs on a run I'm in. I would love to try some of the bullets you just mentioned.

Jon

 

[25 Otter]

That's just too cool! What a sledge hammer.

 

[flyin lizard]

A 6.5 x 338 something on a woodchuck , you GOTTA post video of that hit