Craig Boddington was the senior contributing editor of our modern gun and ammunition caliber dictionary. Craig was involved in the development and testing of many of these and writes from first hand experience. This dictionary was written exclusively for Wholesale Hunter with unique information found nowhere else.
GUN CALIBER DICTIONARY
Rifle
458 LOTT
The 458 Lott was developed by Jack Lott in 1971. It is essentially a full-length version of the 458 Winchester Magnum, using the 375 H&H case necked up with a straight taper and 2.8-inch case length. The 458 Lott solves the problem of compressed powder charges required to reach full velocity in the shorter 458 Winchester Magnum case. However, the 458 Lott requires a full-length (375 H&H) action, while the 458 Winchester Magnum was designed to be housed in standard (30-06) actions. The 458 Lott became a popular wildcat and was added to the Hornady line in 2002. The 458 Lott is considerably faster and more powerful than is possible with the 458 Winchester Magnum, propelling a 500-grain bullet up to 2300 feet per second, thus more than adequate for any game that walks. Adding to its versatility, lighter-recoiling and readily available 458 Winchester Magnum ammunition can be fired in a 458 Lott chamber with absolute safety. — Craig Boddington