HI JEFF.

I will personally take your third option, the .450 N.E. 3.25" as I have just bought a Sabatti in that caliber. My reasons are fairly simple, there is a great choice of projectile weights in the .458 diameter, fairly soft recoil compared to a .458 and the best part of all is that the Sabatti is well priced, in fact under priced based on the quality that I have seen. Yes, it's not a H&H but I could never afford one of those so why go without.

Why would a 450 3 1/4 have less recoil than a 458 unless you load them back.

Greame Wright's book has 450 loads regulated @ 2125 fps with a 480 grain projectile.

Hornady has the 458 @ 2150 with a 500 grain projectile.

So I dont think there would be any difference between them for recoil unless you reduce one.The other thing that amazes me is the 458 gets a lot of critics for poor penetration and the like but the 450 3 1/4 is everyone's darling yet they use the same wieght bullets at the same velosity.