TheDeacon 168 Posted October 31, 2014 Report Share Posted October 31, 2014 A colleague is in the midst of a nasty divorce and is emptying his safe of things to raise lawyering cash to defend himself. One of the items for sale is a NIB .458 SOCOM AR upper with all the available perks. The price is low enough I can afford it and the idea of field portable light artillery is interesting to say the least. I did a bit of homework and the fact that Mr. Rumore of Tromix had a hand in it is a large plus in my opinion. But is it practical or just a range toy for alternate weekends? The stumbling block so far is that ammo is at least $2 a round, so range trips can get pricey in a hurry. You guys are a good sounding board for things like this and your thoughts and opinions are wanted. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
james lambert 3,059 Posted October 31, 2014 Report Share Posted October 31, 2014 All the big bore AR rounds are quite expensive, I shoot Beowolf. They are THUMPERS and great for knock down power at relatively short range. reloading brings the cost down to manageable, but your initial purchase of brass will hurt a bit. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Carsner86 18 Posted October 31, 2014 Report Share Posted October 31, 2014 Sure would put a hurting on a pig or 2 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
magsite20 1,664 Posted October 31, 2014 Report Share Posted October 31, 2014 like Jim said is what I heard from my bro in law with one it's really kind of a semi auto 45-70 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Shandlanos 1,470 Posted October 31, 2014 Report Share Posted October 31, 2014 A colleague is in the midst of a nasty divorce and is emptying his safe of things to raise lawyering cash to defend himself. One of the items for sale is a NIB .458 SOCOM AR upper with all the available perks. The price is low enough I can afford it and the idea of field portable light artillery is interesting to say the least. I did a bit of homework and the fact that Mr. Rumore of Tromix had a hand in it is a large plus in my opinion. But is it practical or just a range toy for alternate weekends? The stumbling block so far is that ammo is at least $2 a round, so range trips can get pricey in a hurry. You guys are a good sounding board for things like this and your thoughts and opinions are wanted. Depends on barrel length and any practical application you have for it. If it's a rifle length barrel, and the price is decent, I'd probably go for it - or if it's shorter and you have an SBR lower. But your ammo budget also comes into play. Like all those big-bore rounds, it's great for reloaders and guys with a lot of money - sorta shitty for those who can't afford to buy a lot of expensive new ammo and don't have reloading equipment and experience. Bullet selection is pretty decent in .458. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Long Shot 1,287 Posted October 31, 2014 Report Share Posted October 31, 2014 The great thing about 458 compared to 50 Beowolf is verity of available bullets. With 50 it's much more limited. Mags wok with no modification. Basically 45-70 ballistics in an AR. Great hunting caliber for pigs and deer at limited range. If you don't already reload, this is the perfect excuse to get started. Go for it as long as the price is right. Worst that could happen is you sell it and get your money back. 4 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Spacehog 2,218 Posted October 31, 2014 Report Share Posted October 31, 2014 If it is a great price, then yes pick it up, but you really have to ask yourself, "what am I going to use it for?" If it is a range toy, then it is going to be expensive to feed (unless you reload). It is a great hog round, but so are 7.62x39 and .308, for much cheaper. If the draw is.. It's a .458 Socom, and not many people have one, I totally get that too. Bottom line is if you want it and got the cash, pick it up. If you are uncertain, I would pass. JMHO. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
magsite20 1,664 Posted October 31, 2014 Report Share Posted October 31, 2014 would make a great suppressed rifle, even at subsonic big heavy bullet has stopping power. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
voonman 133 Posted October 31, 2014 Report Share Posted October 31, 2014 (edited) The great thing about 458 compared to 50 Beowolf is verity of available bullets. With 50 it's much more limited. Mags wok with no modification. Basically 45-70 ballistics in an AR. Great hunting caliber for pigs and deer at limited range. If you don't already reload, this is the perfect excuse to get started. Go for it as long as the price is right. Worst that could happen is you sell it and get your money back. Not true..Maybe if you made this comment 6-7yrs ago..i would say yes..but in todays market the .50 cal bullet is widely available in about 40-50 various bullet types.And more than likely you probably wont even need more than 9 different types if you are the average hunter...currently you have 50 cal bullet manufacturers such as.. Barnes..Ranier,,Guncrafter Industires..Sierra..Winchester..Hornady...Powerbelt..Harvester..Buchanon Ammunition...Speer Gold Dots..Woodleigh Bullets..Cast Performance Bullet Company..Hunter Supply Bullet Company..ETC..These are just to name a few..there are more out there making 50 cal bullets that can be reloaded in either your 500 Smith&Wesson Magnum.. 50 Beowulf or 50 Action Express..Also take in consideration that if you dont reload .458 Socom New Factory Ammo is about $30-$40 more for a box of 20 than the 50 Beowulf..here is a link http://www.midwayusa.com/find?dimensionids=9958 ..That is one of the big reason why i didnt not go with 458 socom because it is very over priced for a big bore competitor against the 50 beowulf..The balistics are almost the same except i would say 50 beowulf has a slight advantage it being slightly a larger projectile.,.And also the the standard 556 mags have to be slightly widened at the feed lips for it to feed and function in the 50 beowulf which would probably take you less than 15 seconds to do per magazine https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqduhDe8mDo Edited October 31, 2014 by voonman 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Long Shot 1,287 Posted November 1, 2014 Report Share Posted November 1, 2014 The great thing about 458 compared to 50 Beowolf is verity of available bullets. With 50 it's much more limited. Mags wok with no modification. Basically 45-70 ballistics in an AR. Great hunting caliber for pigs and deer at limited range. If you don't already reload, this is the perfect excuse to get started. Go for it as long as the price is right. Worst that could happen is you sell it and get your money back. Not true..Maybe if you made this comment 6-7yrs ago..i would say yes..but in todays market the .50 cal bullet is widely available in about 40-50 various bullet types.And more than likely you probably wont even need more than 9 different types if you are the average hunter...currently you have 50 cal bullet manufacturers such as.. Barnes..Ranier,,Guncrafter Industires..Sierra..Winchester..Hornady...Powerbelt..Harvester..Buchanon Ammunition...Speer Gold Dots..Woodleigh Bullets..Cast Performance Bullet Company..Hunter Supply Bullet Company..ETC..These are just to name a few..there are more out there making 50 cal bullets that can be reloaded in either your 500 Smith&Wesson Magnum.. 50 Beowulf or 50 Action Express..Also take in consideration that if you dont reload .458 Socom New Factory Ammo is about $30-$40 more for a box of 20 than the 50 Beowulf..here is a link http://www.midwayusa.com/find?dimensionids=9958 ..That is one of the big reason why i didnt not go with 458 socom because it is very over priced for a big bore competitor against the 50 beowulf..The balistics are almost the same except i would say 50 beowulf has a slight advantage it being slightly a larger projectile.,.And also the the standard 556 mags have to be slightly widened at the feed lips for it to feed and function in the 50 beowulf which would probably take you less than 15 seconds to do per magazine https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqduhDe8mDo Well that's cool, Bullets were a factor when I was looking at them but it appears that's changed. It doesn't seem like that long ago but it does fly by. Kind of a ford vs Chevy sort of thing now ain't it. I decided on neither. Thanks for posting the info on 50 bullets. A buddy of mine just asked me today for some help getting set up to reload for his 50 Beowolf so that's good stuff. Couple of quick searches and there's a bunch O boolits out there for it. Hope the the day I quit learning is the day I die. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ronin38 2,117 Posted November 1, 2014 Report Share Posted November 1, 2014 I'd say if you can afford it, grab it! Maybe in a year or three, after your buddy gets everything settled, you could end up doing him a huge favor and sell it back to him if you don't like it after all. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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