458x2 american rifle build

[colonelsanders]

Collected up a bunch of bits and pieces to put this rifle together.

Ruger No. 1 Tropical 458 win mag barrel.

Remington 798 Mauser action (made by Zastava) and a magnum bolt body.

Doumolin Mauser 3 position Winchester style wing safety.

A rather disappointing commercial hinged bottom metal (seems like pot metal to be honest).

Doumolin spring and magazine follower

The barrel got cut back to 20 inches and timed for installation since Ruger shrink fits their sights and I couldn't get the front sight off.

More to follow as time allows.

[RustyReel]

Keeping an eye on this one as a 458x2 is on my wanna-do list. Nice to know a Ruger #1 barrel has enough meat on it to rethread for a large ring Mauser. Looking good.....

[cainttype]

Kind of a coincidence, but I also have a used Ruger #1 Tropical 458 WM barrel stored with the same intention...eventually. I plan to keep the sights, though, and hopefully refit the quater-rib for an IER scope.
My 458x2" on a Rem 600 action is a favorite toy. Built by a master, she's a beauty. Almost too pretty to shoot...ALMOST!

[wlc]

I have a friend with one and I like it a lot. Been thinking about getting one built for awhile now. I'll definitely be watching this.

[colonelsanders]

Made some good progress this evening.

[cainttype]

Cool. You're gonna love it.
Mine is throated deep enough to handle long heavy projectiles, sorta like the 458 WM. If (when, hopefully) I get to moving on #2 it will be throated mainly for the shorter 350-400 grainers that I shoot the most of.
Thanks for sharing the build.

[colonelsanders]

Got the barrel mounted and timed. Finished off headspacing the rifle and I temporarily mounted the quarter rib. I did indeed intend to use the ruger sight mout to mount an eer scope.

[cainttype]

Looks like a good weekend coming to range test a new toy... I have a BIL in the Baytown area. Not exactly sure where he spends range time, but the two of you may run into each other sometime. You couldn't ask for a better shooting partner.

[colonelsanders]

Worked on the feeding aspects a bit, need to open the feed rails a bit at the very front and soften the viciously sharp edge on the head spacing shoulder. I popped the barrel back off and put a small (1/32") radius on the entrance to the chamber to stop the chamber mouth from machining my brass.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PpABWpUuS8E

[colonelsanders]

Had my brother send dow his 458 win mag brass and cut all of it down to 2" using the part of the 458 barrel I cut back as a case gauge.

Made up three dummy flat point rounds and they actually fed pretty well. Just a few more tweeks and ill be good to go.

Also ordered a boyds nutmeg prarie hunter stock for this gun, so by the time it arrives ill have some test loads mage up and be ready to light it off.

http://youtu.be/JM0aqXrQO40

[justashooter]

now you done gone and started it again. i've got a gew98 action tuned and jeweled in the 50's, an a&b barrel in 458 wm, a parker hale stock, some crossbolts, sight parts, and not enough time. i should just send it all to you...

[oldsagerat]

Found a Ruger 77R short action that had been a 350 Rem Mag. Rebarreled it in 458x2, a.k.a. 458 American. No changes needed to the magazine was a big plus. Got a 458x2 trim die
and cut off every 7mm Rem Mag case i could find. Now I have a 45-70 with large gonads. What i like is that i can shoot cast at any velocity I want, or 350 grain J-word hollow points
at high velocity. I can thump jack rabbits or whack elk. Used brass is readily available
in the form of all the magnums that nobody wants any more. Click, bang, reload!

[StrawHat]

Had one that was built on the Remington 722 action. Sold it years ago but have thought about another.

Enjoy them, they are usually good shooters.

Kevin

[jroc]

Great build, great pictorial and it is going to be one great rifle. Can't wait to see it with a stock. One question is that a CBX engine in pic#4 of the first set of pics. I had a '78 and an'80 CBX also had a '79 GS1000 suzu. Don't know why I'm still alive. All 3 were scary fast and at that age I feared nothin. Not trying to change your thread but seen that motor and it brought back memories. jroc

[colonelsanders]

That is a spare motor for my 78 cbx. Another project....

[colonelsanders]

Got some loads made up and finally got my stock in. Boyds chesnut laminat that i am currenlty inletting. 25 400 grain jacketed flat points and 25 400 grain spitzers next to a 45-70 case

[warboar_21]

Very nice. I was attempting to do this same thing a few years ago and dropped it. My donor rifle is a M44 Mosin. I saw a guy turn one into a 450 Marlin so I figured I could go with the 458x2" since it's easier to find brass for a standard magnum.
I have the Boyd's stock, 458 barrel, donor rifle with bent bolt. Now all I need is a reamer and some new sights and some local to do the work for me.

[Bull Shoals]

You might try 49 gr of 4198 under a Speer 400 gr soft nose. Took moose with it and it grouped s holes touching at 100 yds. This was out of a Rem 600 re built .

[ballistim]

I'm waiting to see if anyone shortens a .458x2 chambering to .458x1.8" as is now legal for deer hunting in the lower part of the state I live in. Many are using the shortened case in a full length 45-70 chambered gun but wonder if accuracy wouldn't be improved in a properly cut chamber & throated for cast. Same thing would be interesting in 444 if brass ever becomes available since heavy cast designs for .44 mag would probably work well. Sorry, didn't mean to hijack thread but I thought this might apply to the subject.

[kens]

458x2,, would that feed OK thru a Enfield P14 action?