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I agree with Tinker that the 458 Win Mag is not a cartridge well suited to double rifle use! As he states there are folks that have been shooting double rifles chambered for rimless, and belted rimless cartridges for years without a problem. I know who Tinker is referring to that uses a 458WM double rifle to take several elephant without a glitch to date. IMO, however, it is simply a matter of time.

Simply look at this from a dangerous game point of view. The rimless cartridge presents a problem sooner or later in a double rifle, and adding a belt to the mix simply exacerbates the chance of a problem with not only failing to eject/extract, because of a broken pawl leaving an empty in a chamber when you need to reload in a real hurry. In addition the actual loading of the chambers is not simply a drop-in situation, but must be forced over the spring loaded pawl for each chamber negating a simultaneous dropping in two cartridges in the chambers, costing precious time in the re-load in the middle of a fight for your life.

A broken pawl can actually jam the action so the barrels can't be closed, by falling between the extractor and the extractor seat on the barrel.

The double rifles can be bought at a discount simply because of the chambering being for a belted rimless cartridge. Many think this is because of the very high pressure of the cartridge, but a quality double rifle so chambered is built to work fine with the pressure, but reliability at critical times is the worry, for most, and for me always.

With the 458WM chambering all is not lost, however, because it is very easy to re-chamber to 450NE 3 1/4 inch, and rimmed cartridge that was designed for double rifle use, and will do anything that the 458WM will without the worries of the belted-rimless cartridge. In a small double rifle used for deer/elk/moose hunting the belted rimless cartridge is not a real worry, because if something happens all that is lost is a shot at a goaty old deer, but with a elephant, or cape buffalo closing on you fast, stands to have a very different outcome!

Others may do as it suits, it’s a free country at least for now, but I’ll stick with the 470NE over the 458 Win Mag in a double rifle!

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..........Mac >>>===(x)===>
DUGABOY1, and MacD37 founding member of DRSS www.doublerifleshooterssociety.com
"If I die today, I have had a life well spent, for I've been to see the Elephant, and smelled the smoke of Africa!"

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