The .458 Express is a .458 diameter (caliber

Caliber

In guns including firearms, caliber or calibre is the approximate internal diameter of the barrel in relation to the diameter of the projectile used in it....

) cartridge developed in South Africa

South Africa

The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...

. It is also referred to as the .458 3-inch.

Other .458 cartridges are the very popular .458 Lott

.458 Lott

The .458 Lott is a .458 caliber belted hunting cartridge designed as a replacement for the less powerful .458 Winchester Magnum. It is based on the full length .375 H&H Magnum blown out and shortened to...

, .458 Winchester Magnum

.458 Winchester Magnum

The .458 Winchester Magnum is a belted, straight-taper cased, dangerous game rifle cartridge. It was introduced commercially in 1956 by Winchester and first chambered in the Winchester Model 70 African rifle. It was designed to compete against the .450 Nitro Express and the .470 Nitro Express...

 and 450 Watts. Weatherby made the .460 Weatherby which is still one of the fastest commercial cartridges available on the market in this category.

It must be remembered that there a vast number of .458 cartridges on the market. At Rhino Bullets at http://www.rhinobullets.co.za/ several .458 Lott

.458 Lott

The .458 Lott is a .458 caliber belted hunting cartridge designed as a replacement for the less powerful .458 Winchester Magnum. It is based on the full length .375 H&H Magnum blown out and shortened to...

 and .458 Winchester Magnum

.458 Winchester Magnum

The .458 Winchester Magnum is a belted, straight-taper cased, dangerous game rifle cartridge. It was introduced commercially in 1956 by Winchester and first chambered in the Winchester Model 70 African rifle. It was designed to compete against the .450 Nitro Express and the .470 Nitro Express...

 owners write about their experience. The .458 Express is largely unknown outside South Africa! Hardly any writers give comprehensive reports and ballistic tests for the cartridge. In the Reloaders Nest at www.reloadersnet.com a couple of reports can be seen of the .458 Express.

This unique cartridge

Cartridge (firearms)

A cartridge, also called a round, packages the bullet, gunpowder and primer into a single metallic case precisely made to fit the firing chamber of a firearm. The primer is a small charge of impact-sensitive chemical that may be located at the center of the case head or at its rim . Electrically...

 originated in Africa

Africa

Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...

, accommodating harsh African conditions. It has a broad spectrum of reloading options and is capable of long-range, flat trajectory shooting, or close-up Big Five

Big Five game

The phrase Big Five game was coined by white hunters and refers to the five most difficult animals in Africa to hunt on foot. The term is still used in most tourist and wildlife guides that discuss African wildlife safaris. The collection consists of the lion, African elephant, cape buffalo,...

 hunting shots, using the heaviest of bullets

Bullet

A bullet is a projectile propelled by a firearm, sling, or air gun. Bullets do not normally contain explosives, but damage the intended target by impact and penetration...

 available in this caliber

Caliber

In guns including firearms, caliber or calibre is the approximate internal diameter of the barrel in relation to the diameter of the projectile used in it....

.

Development

A range of .458 caliber cartridges have been developed since the 1950s; the .458 Express being developed in 2000 . The .458 Express is developed in South Africa by Professor Koos Badenhorst of Haenertsburg

Haenertsburg

Haenertsburg is a village situated on the edge of the Great Escarpment in the Limpopo Province of South Africa, on the R71 road between Polokwane and Tzaneen....

 in the Limpopo province

Limpopo

Limpopo is the northernmost province of South Africa. The capital is Polokwane, formerly named Pietersburg. The province was formed from the northern region of Transvaal Province in 1994, and initially named Northern Transvaal...

 of South Africa

South Africa

The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...

.

The case

The .458 Express uses a straight wall belted case as seen in the .458 Winchester Magnum

.458 Winchester Magnum

The .458 Winchester Magnum is a belted, straight-taper cased, dangerous game rifle cartridge. It was introduced commercially in 1956 by Winchester and first chambered in the Winchester Model 70 African rifle. It was designed to compete against the .450 Nitro Express and the .470 Nitro Express...

 (458 Win Mag). The case length is 2.99 inches (75.9 mm) compared to the 2.5 inches (63.5 mm) of the .458 Winchester Magnum

.458 Winchester Magnum

The .458 Winchester Magnum is a belted, straight-taper cased, dangerous game rifle cartridge. It was introduced commercially in 1956 by Winchester and first chambered in the Winchester Model 70 African rifle. It was designed to compete against the .450 Nitro Express and the .470 Nitro Express...

 and the 2.8 inches (71.1 mm) case of the .458 Lott

.458 Lott

The .458 Lott is a .458 caliber belted hunting cartridge designed as a replacement for the less powerful .458 Winchester Magnum. It is based on the full length .375 H&H Magnum blown out and shortened to...

. See "Cartridges of the World - 10th Edition"

Case Capacity

The volume of water contained in a .458 Express case is 111 gr compared to the 103 grains of the .458 Lott

.458 Lott

The .458 Lott is a .458 caliber belted hunting cartridge designed as a replacement for the less powerful .458 Winchester Magnum. It is based on the full length .375 H&H Magnum blown out and shortened to...

 and 92 grains of water in the .458 Winchester Magnum

.458 Winchester Magnum

The .458 Winchester Magnum is a belted, straight-taper cased, dangerous game rifle cartridge. It was introduced commercially in 1956 by Winchester and first chambered in the Winchester Model 70 African rifle. It was designed to compete against the .450 Nitro Express and the .470 Nitro Express...

case.

Reloading the .458 Express

See the domain www.458express.com for more detail on reloading this caliber. S335 a South African propellant is shown in reloading table, with various bullet weights! For more information contact the developer of the .458 Express at info@458express.com

Caliber

.458 diameter bullets are used in the .458 Express. The .458 Express is described by Dr. K Robertson in "Africa's Most Dangerous". He is also the author of "The Perfect Shot".

Permission

All rights for publication was obtained from Prof. Koos Badenhorst as the developer and architect of the .458 Express.

The .458 Express Story

ISBN 978-0-620-42754-8 Author: Werner Booysen. In this book the history of the .458 Express, development of the caliber and other interesting information are discussed.

External links

• http://www.458express.com
• http://www.rhinobullets.co.za
• http://www.capebuffalo.co.za