The 458 Lott is a great round and I love it. Depending on the rifle and load it can vary from nice to a real handful. My first experience firing the Lott was with my bone stock Ruger #1 w/iron sights and full factory 500 gr loads. That combination got your attention real quick! It was way more than the 416 Rigbys I was used to shooting. The #1 has a reputation of accentuating recoil and the stock "pad" is crap. The full Lott loads in this rifle did indeed recoil. You got a little "stinger" running down your arm after shooting it!

With a scope and a slip on pad the #1 became much more friendly. With 450gr loads it was fun! I recently acquired a Ruger RSM in 458 Lott and a it is definitely more user friendly! I would say the felt recoil of the RSM is at least 15% less than the #1. With reduced loads I have shot ground squirrels and rock chucks with great results...you know you have shot a big bore but are NOT pounded. With full 500 gr loads it is still very controllable. However I would do field position contortions VERY carefully with full loads!

John