458x2" American

[TauPhi111]

I'm not sure whether "this is a long shot" or "this is a shot in the dark" is the better pun for this question that I bet few, if any, people can knowledgeably answer, but here it goes...

Does anyone here shoot the 458x2" American and if you do, what brass do you cut down and do you find you have to neck ream?

For those of you who have no idea what I'm talking about, the 458x2" American is basically a 458 Win Mag cut down to 2"...essentially a 45/70 better suited for bolt action rifles. I'm highly considering building a purpose built, Ohio-legal deer rifle chambered for this round. I originally intended to build the gun in 450 Marlin, but brass for that cartridge seems fairly non-existent today. On the other hand, the American can be made from any belted magnum brass based off of the 375 H&H, so brass is no issue.

My idea was inspired by this dude's gun
YouTube
except my version might turn out to be a 12" barreled "pistol" with a brace and suppressor

 

[DangerRanger]

I've been really interested in that exact setup. But was leaning toward the 450 marlin or 458 socom and getting a .308 bolt. while 450 marlin is tougher to come by it seems a little easier to deal with for work on the reloaders end.

If i remember correctly from brief research on the 458x2 you can use almost any of the belted mag cases, 458 win, 300 win, 7mm rem 338 win. (although this might be wrong)

 

[TauPhi111]

I've been really interested in that exact setup. But was leaning toward the 450 marlin or 458 socom and getting a .308 bolt. while 450 marlin is tougher to come by it seems a little easier to deal with for work on the reloaders end.

If i remember correctly from brief research on the 458x2 you can use almost any of the belted mag cases, 458 win, 300 win, 7mm rem 338 win. (although this might be wrong)

If you want to use a 308 bolt face, then I'd def go with the SOCOM. The Marlin uses a magnum bolt face. Moreover, brass is nearly impossible to come by. The American is nearly the exact same cartridge but it uses a standard belt for headspacing. Yes, it can be made from any belted magnum brass, but the thing I'm worried about is the need to neck ream.

 

[DangerRanger]

I have a magnum bolt so I would need a 308 if I do the socom... but it’s a much easier road to what I want to do


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[TauPhi111]

I have a magnum bolt so I would need a 308 if I do the socom... but it’s a much easier road to what I want to do


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Oh gotcha. In that case I'd do the American then. I was looking for 450 Marlin brass and it seems like it is very rare to find anymore. I'm not sure if/when Hornady is going to make more. With the American, brass is not an issue in the slightest as long as you have a method to cut and trim.

 

[rickiesrevenge]

I'm going to build a 458x2" this winter. I'm going to cut down 458 mag brass since I've got a couple hundred cases that a buddy gave me. He also gave me a bunch of 400gr x bullets and a pile of cast bullets. Mine will be an XP-100 with a 14" barrel. I've got the reamer, barrel, 450 marlin dies, brass, and bullets. Just need to spin up the lathe and put it together.

Aaron

 

[TauPhi111]

I'm going to build a 458x2" this winter. I'm going to cut down 458 mag brass since I've got a couple hundred cases that a buddy gave me. He also gave me a bunch of 400gr x bullets and a pile of cast bullets. Mine will be an XP-100 with a 14" barrel. I've got the reamer, barrel, 450 marlin dies, brass, and bullets. Just need to spin up the lathe and put it together.

Aaron

That is freakin awesome! Please keep me posted on the build!

 

[rickiesrevenge]

Will do. Might get to start on it Tuesday after work. Have to decide if I just want to add this barrel to an existing gun or build a dedicated 458.


Aaron

 

[rickiesrevenge]

Shot some light loads through my gun yesterday. Need to load up some 400gr bullets and see how bad it kicks

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[TauPhi111]

Sweeeeet! Let's see some pics of the gun! I was really gung ho into this idea, but then I bought a new bow to the tune of $1800 and the 350 Legend came onto the scene which would let me hunt deer here in Ohio with my AR, so the idea has been moved to the back burner for now. But maybe seeing yours will respark the fire.

 

[rickiesrevenge]

Just got back from the range. Target was 100 yards. 400gr Barnes x, a2200, cci200, and win 458mag brass trimmed back. Nothing spectacular but one group just under 1" and one at 1.5"

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[TauPhi111]

Very nice. So back to my original question - do you need to neck ream your brass to get the bullets to seat properly? I'd imagine the brass to be thicker where you trimmed it than at the mouth of the brass at it's original length.

 

[rickiesrevenge]

I didn't ream. Just trimmed it back.

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[rickiesrevenge]

Here's a picture of my gun. XP100 with a 15" mcgowen 14t barrel, fat bastard brake, leupold 2.5-8x pistol scope

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[TauPhi111]

That thing is awesome!

 

[rickiesrevenge]

Thanks. The 350 legend makes sense in a lot of ways.

Aaron

 

[TauPhi111]

Yeah now I'm torn. What I want is something short and nimble that I can take deer with in Ohio either in thick woods or across a field. The straight wall constraint really puts a damper on things, otherwise I'd just use my 300 BLK. The 458x2 seemed like an ideal bolt gun choice, but the Legend offers the same capability with less recoil. It'll likely come down to what reloading bullets come out specifically for the round, preferably something pure copper.

 

[rickiesrevenge]

What all copper? Hornady XTP will kill deer just fine

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[TauPhi111]

I just like all copper bullets for game and I'm hoping someone makes some higher BC bullets that are better for shooting out to 300 than pistol bullets.

 

[rickiesrevenge]

Cutting edge makes a 150 and 160 that are pretty good. I have a buddy who uses them in his 357max's and has shot deer out to 400+

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