Hornady 458 Win Mag 500gr DGS Solid – Powerful Safari Ammo

Description

The 458 Winchester Magnum was Winchester’s attempt to put big bore African performance into a standard length action, and for close work on the largest animals alive it still does the job. The Hornady 458 Win Mag 500gr DGS Solid is the solid load for that rifle. Five hundred grains of non expanding copper clad steel jacketed bullet leaving at 2140 feet per second with 5084 foot pounds behind it.

• What Superformance adds to an old cartridge
• Full specifications
• Solids, and why they exist
• Honest notes before you buy
• Practice, recoil and regulation
• The bottom line

What Superformance adds to an old cartridge

The original 458 Winchester Magnum had a reputation for inconsistent velocities, largely because the short powder column and compressed loads of the era did not always burn the same way twice. Hornady’s Superformance propellants address that directly, and the Hornady 458 Win Mag 500gr DGS Solid delivers its rated velocity consistently rather than as an optimistic average.

That matters more than it sounds. On dangerous game the difference between 2000 and 2140 feet per second is not really about trajectory, because these shots are close. It is about penetration depth and about knowing that the Hornady 458 Win Mag 500gr DGS Solid will do the same thing every time you pull the trigger.

Full specifications

• Caliber: 458 Winchester Magnum
• Bullet weight: 500 grain
• Bullet: DGS non expanding solid with a copper clad steel jacket
• Muzzle velocity: 2140 from a 24 inch barrel fps
• Muzzle energy: 5084 ft-lbs
• Ballistic coefficient (G1): not published by Hornady for this load
• Case: reloadable boxer primed brass
• Quantity: 20 rounds per box
• Part number: 8585

Look at how the energy holds. The Hornady 458 Win Mag 500gr DGS Solid carries 5084 foot pounds at the muzzle, 3924 at a hundred yards and 2996 at two hundred. Even at two hundred yards it is still producing more energy than most 30 caliber magnums make at the muzzle, which is the entire point of a big bore.

Solids, and why they exist

A solid does not expand. That sounds like a disadvantage until you consider an elephant, where the bullet may need to travel through several feet of muscle and heavy bone before reaching the brain or the spine. An expanding bullet loses mass, slows quickly and can deflect. The Hornady 458 Win Mag 500gr DGS Solid keeps its original diameter and drives straight.

This is why solids remain the standard for elephant, hippo and rhino, and why they are the traditional choice for a follow up on a wounded buffalo going into cover. The copper clad steel jacket on the Hornady 458 Win Mag 500gr DGS Solid resists deformation far better than a conventional gilding metal jacket, which is what keeps the bullet on course.

Honest notes before you buy

This is expensive, specialized ammunition made in small quantities. Budget for practice rounds as part of the trip rather than treating them as optional. A hunter who has fired twenty rounds of the Hornady 458 Win Mag 500gr DGS Solid in the year before the safari is in a completely different position from one who has fired three.

Do not use a solid on plains game or on anything without thick hide and heavy bone. The Hornady 458 Win Mag 500gr DGS Solid will pass through a soft skinned animal leaving a small wound channel and a long tracking job, which is the opposite of a clean kill. Carry an expanding load for that and reserve this one for what it was built for.

Practice, recoil and regulation

The 458 Winchester Magnum recoils severely, somewhere north of sixty foot pounds in a typical rifle. Nobody shoots a box of the Hornady 458 Win Mag 500gr DGS Solid in one sitting and comes away better for it. Shoot two or three rounds at a time, from the field positions you will actually use, and stop before form breaks down. Dry fire does most of the real work.

If you shoot a double rifle, check regulation with the Hornady 458 Win Mag 500gr DGS Solid specifically before you travel. Doubles are regulated to a particular load and a different bullet or velocity can open the barrels up badly. Bolt guns are more forgiving but will still shift point of impact between solids and softs, so shoot both and know the difference.

The bottom line

For elephant, hippo and buffalo follow ups in a 458 Winchester Magnum, the Hornady 458 Win Mag 500gr DGS Solid is a consistent, hard hitting and widely trusted solid. You can read more about the bullet design at swiftbullets.com, or browse the rest of our stock on the MAG5 Firearms ammunition page.

MAG5 Firearms keeps the Hornady 458 Win Mag 500gr DGS Solid in stock and moving, and we are glad to talk through bullet choice before you order. If you are working up a load for a new rifle, a single box of the Hornady 458 Win Mag 500gr DGS Solid is a sensible place to start.