.458 SOCOM

[mrblond]

any one running one of these uppers? I am thinking of getting something to replace my 556 upper on my AR and want something with a bit more punch and 458 seems to be a very good choice from what I am reading.

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[KalamaMark]

I seriously considered going that route, but by the time I crunched all the numbers... 300 Blackout made much more sense for me. Heavy, hard hitting subs, relatively flat shooting Supers, cheap brass and bullets.. I'm still a .45 fan, but when I get the hankering I'll get out the Guide Gun and thunk some 405 grain chunks downrange.

 

[jluck]

Research ammo availability and cost before buying the upper. The socom is a bad donkey but cost prohibitive to own IMO. Maybe things will change in a few years.

 

[TwinStick]

Do it! Then invite me to the range with you so I can shoot it.

 

[mrblond]

yeah, I have been looking at dies for it but it seems not all dies are fitting the brass right and factory ammo seems hard to find and it costs alot.

 

[dirtyd]

These calibers scare me, very interested to see which ones stand the test of time. In this category you already have the .300 blackout, .450 Bushmaster, .458 Socom, .499 Lwr, and the .50 Beowulf. I'd feel safer with 6.5 or 6.8 in an alternative AR upper.

 

[coctailer]

Kapnkrunch made me want an AR pistol in .50 Beo.

Insane right?

 

[jluck]

What about the .416 hushpuppy?

 

[usagi]

this is an easy one to answer.

if you want more punch from an AR, go 300 blackout.

there is no reason to go 458 socom except for the pure novelty factor.

a friend of mine has a 458 socom upper. commerical ammo has not been available for years, so you have to handload your own. recoil is brutal, similar to shooting 12ga slugs. needless to say, it rarely gets out of the gun safe.

416 hushpuppy is even more ridiculous, your projectile choice is incredibly limited compared to 458 socom. and what about brass, let alone commercial ammo. barrels?

 

[TwinStick]

Ugh, just by a Barret .50 BMG and keep your .556 AR.

 

[Greg500sw]

I would go the 300 blk route.

 

[gundogr]

any one running one of these uppers? I am thinking of getting something to replace my 556 upper on my AR and want something with a bit more punch and 458 seems to be a very good choice from what I am reading.

I did went RRA midlength. Everything peep here say uhh mgr is true.

 

[gundogr]

Sorry Mmmm me try again. I first went 300BLK supersonic 125 Noslers with loads from Nosler (emailed them) they shoot consistent and straight sweet little lightweight deer rifle I made my own brass from 223s. And was pretty easy. Nothing bad to say about it other than you need to know you're range if in open country.

The RRA mid length is truly awesome. I did find done brass by avoiding and being patient. Very hard right now to find bullets though in the preferred ,300gr though. Not to be deterred I had some 405 hard cast from.my 45/70 loads and found done pretty loads with some i4198. I punch one berth large hole at a hundred yards with five rounds at about 1465fps. That is about 350fps faster than the original 45/70 trapdoor loads that have killed everything in the western plains including griz n buffalo. Good enjoy ghost h for me. Kicks like a 308.

 

[gundogr]

Sorry about the typos. Dang new phone spell checker. Anyway I like them.both. really fun guns in 458 and 300 blackout. And I will be hunting with them this Fall.

The SOCOM recoil is heavier but certainly manageable for me. I know that is all relative. And it kicks about like my 308 bolt action 180 grain handloads.

The blackout recoil is about like a243 or 7mm-08 to me. Hope it helps everybody.

 

[mrblond]

Well, I went a different rout. I picked up a RRA 20 inch upper and just got a SCAR 17 if I need more firepower

 

[Mr Smith]

6.5 grendel is another option...

stays supersonic out past 1000 yards and hits like a 7.62.

spendy though. runs about $1 per round.

 

[gundogr]

6.5 grendel is another option...

stays supersonic out past 1000 yards and hits like a 7.62.

spendy though. runs about $1 per round.

Yeah the Grendel has great ballistics. Too bad you have to deal with A. Arms to get one. If I were going to get a dedicated hunting AR for deer it would be the 6.8. Lots of ammo availability supported by major vendors and the ballistics are really good.

As I said, I wanted a thirty caliber but not an AR10 (of course now DPMS and others are making them lighter) they always seemed like 12 pounds once you get a scope on it and mag in it…

The Blackout ballistics are decent if you are short ranging it and/or know your range to compensate. I like being able to use the range of 30 caliber bullets to fit what I want to do. It would be great if I could fit in more powder though (hehe).

And the 458 is just plain cool especially since I already reload for my 45/70. If it weren't for that the ammo availability would definitely put me out on it. And I was pleasantly surprised with how well the heavy stuff shoots. I did have some 300 grain HP that I shot in it to break it in but ran out so I can't speak much that but all the research I have put together is telling me they deserve a serious look to improve bullet drop since 300 grains hitting anything should do the trick… just got to hit em. Anyway, I hear from vendors that as we get closer to the hunting seasons they will become more available. I hope so, there are guys trying to get $3 per round for 458 SOCOM reloads out there…. dang!

The 450 bushmaster (two of my friends own) are truly accurate, good ammo availability (thanks to Hornady FTX). And, did I mention they were accurate? man, I have been impressed with them. If it weren't for me reloading, that would definitely be the way I would go for short range elk and deer. (don't tell my friend I have a crush on his bushmaster though)….

 

[ebusa]

The big bore uppers are great!

Its nice to be able to hunt big game, deer especially in this platform.

I've have a .450 bushmaster 16" (in display pic) for 3-4 years now.

Tons of fun hunting with it using a 2 point sling which allows you to wear it vs carry it. Hands free when u need to glass, etc...

Light, accurate, powerful...

 

[jluck]

Yeah the Grendel has great ballistics. Too bad you have to deal with A. Arms to get one.

You've been out of the loop. Grendel went SAMMI and there are tons of people making Grendel barrels every bit as good as Alexander Arms without the BS customer service. Just stay away from Satern and stoner, They have pulled some real shady stuff in the Grendel world lately doing the cartridge no favors.

 

[gundogr]

Well that is nothing but good news on the grendel. You are right about their cs and the fact they didn't want to release any specs on the ammo and build do you had to buy everything thru them turned me away. Tio much doggie do.

My requirements for my non-5.56 ARs were to keep as much as possible to the standard parts and magazines. So my only options were what I chose based on that and the above mentioned nice to haves. And who told my friend about this thread?? I figured he'd bring pictures. Haha those bushies ARE sweet.