The Boss of the .458 calibres: The .460 Weatherby Magnum

[JoevR]

Hierdie was my herlaai-ervaring met die .460 in 'n Weatherby Mk V geweer in 2008. Baie akkurate geweer, maar ek het dit verkoop vir die volgende redes:

1. Geen ystervisiere. 'n Geweer vir gevaarlike wild op kort afstand behoort goeie ystervisier en korrel op die loop te he.

2. Die magasyn laai moeilik, jy moet die rondte hard, reg van bo in die magasyn druk om in te gaan.

Die kaliber is egter die "Big Bore" herlaaier se droom in terme van verskeidenheid koeels deur verskillende vervaardigers.  Dopkapasiteit is ook groot genoeg om enige tipe koeel, bv die lang vir gewig 500 gr Barnes X koeel (wat die .458 Win Mag se beperkte dopkapasiteit probleem net vererger) te skiet.

Ek sal graag wil hoor of enige lid op die forum hierdie kaliber gebruik het vir die jag van grootwild.

Groete
Joe

HANDLOADING THE .460 WEATHERBY MAGNUM

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"The .460 Weatherby Magnum is a cartridge both slated and feared by those who do not understand it and who have not used it extensively."
Pierre van der Walt, International Big Bore Cartridge Load Data Collection, Zimby Books Publisher, Pretoria.

A spin-off from the introduction of the Firearms Control Act was that a lot of firearms were offered for sale by owners disinclined to comply with the Act's stringent requirements. The supply side of the used rifle market was flooded; prices dropped and good firearms could be acquired at very reasonable prices. When I was offered a Weatherby Mark V rifle in .460 Weatherby calibre, in almost new condition, I hesitated at first. I recalled having read stories of horrendous recoil, resulting in the shooter flinching to the extent that it is impossible to hit anything. I checked the ballistics of .460 Weatherby factory ammo in my 2008 Gun Digest: 500 gr. bullet at 2700 ft/s at the muzzle. Impressive, just as Roy Weatherby intended it to be when he placed the cartridge on the market back in 1958. However, the Somchem Ballistic Data Manual (November 2004) contains the following data:

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The Somchem data shows a muzzle velocity of +/- 300 to 400 ft/s less than that of factory ammo. The Somchem data appeared to be more "shooter friendly", so I decided to acquire the rifle to see for myself how it performs with S365.

I used a Hornady full-length die set to load 500 gr. Hornady round nose soft bullets, with the start load of 110 gr. S365.

One tin of Somchem powder weighs 500 gram (g.), and 1 grain (gr.) equals 0.0648 gram. Thus one tin of Somchem powder contains 7716 gr. (500 / 0.0648 = 7716). This means that if you load 70 .460 Weatherby cases, one tin of S365 is finished! (7716  / 110 = 70).

I was happy to find Federal 215 primers for the handloading project. The following paragraph comes from the book titled "Weatherby: The Man. The Gun. The Legend." by G. and T. Gresham, Cane River Publishing, U.S.A. 2007 fifth print:

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I also got hold of a Lee Factory Crimp Die, and I crimped the cases on the cannelure with this die. Lee does make the factory crimp die in various big bore calibers, but as special order items. The crimp counters bullet setback in the case, as the cartridge hits the front of the magazine box under recoil as the rifle is fired. Bullet setback reduces the internal volume in the case, which can lead to dangerous pressure in the rifle's chamber.


The Weatherby Mark V rifle came with a Leupold Vari X III 1.75 - 6 x 32 mm scope fitted, no iron sights and a factory fitted muzzle brake. I fired the first shots with the rifle from a standing position, resting it on shooting sticks. The recoil was manageable, so I decided to shoot a 3 shot group at 50 metres from the bench:

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Needless to say, I am satisfied with the 11.8 mm group at 50 metres.

Down-loading of the .460 Weatherby to 2300 - 2400 ft/s with 500 gr bullets reduces recoil, lowers chamber pressure and shortens recovery time between shots. The .460 Weatherby provides all the power you need, without having to equal factory ballistics.