Irrational desire

If you can get it for cheap enough why not? Buy it enjoy it then sell it or pass it down. Pics when you bring it home.

Can't be 1940s, .458 came out in 1956.

A Magnum Mauser action? Are you sure? That would be a huge catch.
The .458 is a short Magnum and most are in standard length actions with Magnum bolt face.

A Magnum Mauser action is longer. Not essential for .458 etc, but we can hope.

Ya know, you might just need that rifle.
Think about it...
If there ever was some weird “zombie apocalypse” and it affected cattle, one could be in serious trouble should those cows become carnivorous and mean. That .458 might just be the thing to have.


It could happen...

You need that rifle. Pass it by and it will fester and rot inside you, gradually hollowing you out and sending you on a moral and physical death spiral that will do irreparable damage to those you love and your community. Whatever the store wants for it is a small price to pay to avoid the chaos, pain and destruction that will travel in the wake of you passing it by. You have been warned.

redneck2 said:

Now, I keep thinking about it. Since there is currently a distinct lack of elephant or Cape buffalo in northern Indiana, I have zero use for it. Still, seems like a great price on a beautiful rifle.

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Hey now, check out the thread about capacity. You've go to be prepared for anything & everything. A Yellow Stone grizzly could hitch a ride to Indiana and charge at you, carry a refrigerator in front of him for cover. Your going to need some serious penetration. I hope it had a high capacity mag in case rhino and elephant escape from the zoo at the same time your dealing with the grizzly.

I am such a sucker for vintage sporting units including old-school competition outfits of all calibers.

In fact, it would seem more so as I get older than my past infatuation with military surplus.

If I don't already know there is a special Garand on a table, I can walk right past but let me see a well sporterized Mauser, Springfield and the like and I will lock-up fast enough to tumble anyone following me.

Bought a large ring Mauser built 90% into a sweet .404 Jeffrey with epic Safari sights and HAD to have it for absolutely no rational reason whatsoever.


Todd.

redneck2

Since there is currently a distinct lack of elephant or Cape buffalo in northern Indiana, I have zero use for it.

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Every time I see something about having an "elephant gun" in the U.S. I think of Groucho Marx as Capt. Jeffrey Spaulding in the movie "Animal Crackers" saying: "One morning I shot an elephant in my pajamas. How he got in my pajamas, I don't know".

So you never know. You could run into an elephant some day and with this rifle you would most definitely have a use for it!

If you want the rifle, go get it. Shoot it, enjoy it. If it no longer interests you at some point sell it or pass it along to someone else.

I saw a 1917 rechambeted for .458 Lott. Couldn’t pass it up. Now I too am ready for elephants. May I recommend a slide on butt pad? Take it from one who knows. You’ll need one

If you buy it then you will no longer have to participate in the what caliber for bears/boars. That should be plenty for taking down Yogi or a slab of bacon.

redneck2 said:

So, I accidentally stopped in at the LGS, just in case something needs rescuing. Perusing through the used rifle rack I notice a larger than average bore. Pull the rifle out. It’s a DWM .458 WM with a Mauser magnum action.

Beautiful condition. Little very minor scuffing on the outside of the bore end of the barrel. Straight grain walnut stock in extremely good condition. Overall, very nice for what I’m assuming is a maybe 1940’s-60’s rifle.

Has a Leupold VX-III 1-4 scope, perfectly fitting for this rifle.

Now, I keep thinking about it. Since there is currently a distinct lack of elephant or Cape buffalo in northern Indiana, I have zero use for it. Still, seems like a great price on a beautiful rifle.

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You need that gun like a hole in the head, make sure you post pictures.

What is the biggest caliber you have ever fired? Recoil is going to be significant. Some folks are more sensitive to recoil than others. I am sensitive, got nothing to prove. I would not enjoy shooting a .458 Magnum. If you would enjoy it, buy it and vaporize as many whitetails as you can. Look at the cost of ammunition and make your decision.

Pat Riot said:

Ya know, you might just need that rifle.
Think about it...
If there ever was some weird “zombie apocalypse” and it affected cattle, one could be in serious trouble should those cows become carnivorous and mean. That .458 might just be the thing to have.


It could happen...

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A .22 Mag works fine...

I assumed anything based on a belted case would be magnum. If not, I’m not sure what the definition of a magnum action is

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The 375 and 300 H&H magnums use extra long cases and require either an extra long magnum action or a standard long action has to be modified to make them work. There may have been others back in the day but those 2 are the only common ones still being used.

Winchesters line of 300, 338, and 458 magnum cartridges were specifically designed to work in a standard long action rifle. As are the other belted magnums. I'm not aware of anyone currently building a true magnum action anymore. There probably are, but I just don't keep up with such things that much. What Savage calls a long action might qualify as magnum length. They are a lot longer than Remington/Winchester/Ruger etc.

Most current production rifles in 300 and 375 H&H are using standard long actions and machining away a bit of metal to make the loading/ejection port a little longer as well as modifying the magazines. That adds quite a bit to the cost of these rifles since they are basically factory custom rifles. Rugers new 375 Ruger is actually a tiny bit more potent than the 375 H&H, but is short enough to fit in standard long action rifles keeping costs down.

If the price is right why not. I'd have no use either, but the scope is worth $300. If you handload you could go anywhere between mild 45-70 loads up to full power loads. And factory ammo while not cheap can be had for around $50/box. Compared to a lot of elephant cartridges that often sell for $100+/ box that is reasonable.

Strange to me. Winchester had been making .300 and .375 H&H Magnums for years. I don't know if they are considered modified standard actions, but they were apparently satisfactory. So they didn't need to bring out the short Magnums.
The .458 Winchester Magnum could have been what we now get as .458 Lott.
Maybe they wanted to be able to sell ammo for other makes of rifle.

If you’ll shoot it then go for it.

Handloading is your best bet. Make that .458 shoot like a .45-70.

If your posting here it means you want it and are just looking for a nudge to get it. So go get it,you will be sorry if you don't!!!!!!

Escaped elephant in Wisconsin
Escaped elephant in St. Louis.

It could happen in Indiana.

One of the more bizarre occurances in American history happened because nobody in East Tennessee had a rifle big enough to kill an elephant. Go for it.

Oh, do be whimsical!

Swinging the big bat has advantages to it.
Um, not to your shoulder though...