What really is a Big Bore AR ?

AR/M4 Beyond 5.56/.223
1

JUST MY OPINION…OK ?

  1. .45 caliber and above

  2. cartridge OAL at least 2 inches or longer

  3. weighs at least 7 lbs. stripped

  4. has a recoil that lets you know you really have fired a “Big Bore AR-15” type rifle

i just want to tickle your funny bone guys, but i consider .30 cal. a pipsqueak, certainly NOT a “Big Bore”, unless taken in this context:

“big bore”: bummer*, creep*, deadhead*, deadwood, downer*, drag*, drip*, drone, dull person, dullsville, flat tire*, grind, grunge, headache, lump, meatball, nag, nudge, pain, pest, pill*, soporific, stuffed shirt*, wet blanket*, wimp*, yawn*

i just lost my four legged best friend and need some cheering up…, so humor me OK ?

2

Fairly good point, but this forum also encompasses the AR-10, LR-308, SR-25, AP4, LAR-8, Bushmaster 308, etc, etc…

Which gets us to the 500 Phantom, 260 Remington, 243Win, 300RSAUM, 338 Federal, etc.

I think bigbore AR-15’s are 458 SOCOM, 50 Beowulf, 50AE, 440Corbon, and 499LW - personally.

3

How about any AR style rifle that fires any Rifle cartridge larger in bore diameter than 5.56 / .223???

4

i agree ! but you left out the Bushmaster .450…, if I were not such a reloading nut, i would buy an upper , but that means dies, bullets, powder, cases, i got plenty of primers, and 20 or so new mags…, i’ll just stick with what i have.

5

Sorry to hear that.

6

thank you…, 4 weeks ago today was his last full day on Earth, born on Easter Sunday…, died 11 years later on Easter Sunday :frowning:

7

I’m in no way trying to pass this off as official, but here is what I consider to be rifle bore size categories.

Classification of ‘Bullet Diameter in Relation to Bore Size’

small bore: .17-.25 (encompassing .17, .20, .22/.224, .227, .243(6mm), and topping out at .257).

medium bore: .264-.375 (encompassing .264, .267, .277, .284(7mm), .308, .310, .312, .321, .323(8mm), .338, .348, .355, .358, .366, and topping out at .375)

big bore: .409-.600 (encompassing .409, .416, .423, .458, .468, .475, .483, .494, .499, .500, .505, .510, .576, .585, .620…)

I probably left out a few bullet diameters but what im saying is that you cant really consider the 6.8spc or 7.62x51 to be big-bore.

8

7.62x51 is “big bore” in relation to that which it is compared. Namely 5.56/.224. The standard bore of the AR family.

In other words, this forum’s name is a misnomer that uses a two word phrase rather than a 20 word sentence to explain what will be discussed.

The 50AE ballistically pales in comparison to the 7.62x51, yet the 50ae carries a bigger bore in the AR family.

As I said, “Big Bore” is a misnomer – all it means is any thing over 5.56/.224.

9

thank you for this interesting comparison, i agree with your analysis

10

So is .50 Beowulf a rifle cartridge ? :wink:

If it is why is .500 S&W a handgun cartridge :cool:

11

.50beo is a rifle cartridge because it was designed for a rifle…500s&w is a pistol cartridge because it was designed for a pistol.

A .30-06 Contender barrel doesn’t make the .30-06 a pistol cartridge by classification. Having an AR chambered for 9mm doesn’t make 9mm a rifle cartridge, conversely.