I am looking at purchasing a big bore AR for hunting medium game and plinking. I have a 300 Blackout but after shooting it, the gun has me addicted to “bigger bore power” and I want a true “thumper”. I have read about the .450 Bushmaster, .458 Socom, and the .50 Beowulf. It seems to be a toss up on which caliber is better, or which has better support and longevity.
I understand the ~200 yd limit on these calibers.
Here is what I have found from searching and this is my comprehension of the info. Please correct me if I’m wrong.
450 BM is the only SAAMI cartridge out of the three.
All three cartridges are about equal in energy but the 450 has a little more energy.
458 Socom feeds in regular AR mags.
458 has more bullet selections for reloading but the ammo costs more.
458 has head spacing off the shoulder.
Ammo is easier to find for the 450 BM and it is cheaper.
Those are the main differences that I found doing my research but I have a few more questions.
Will all three work with regular AR mags?
Does the straight walled 450 BM and the 50 Beo or the tapered neck of the 458 Socom feed better in semi autos?
I want something that will feed and operate flawlessly with factory mags. Ammo costs are not a big concern since I will buy 50 or 100 rds that then just reload the cases. I do care about availability of the reloading parts. I am more or less looking for a fun gun that has kick, something that will be great to shoot at the gun range, and has knock down power for the occasional hunting. This will be a low round count gun.
The 50 Beo is a turn off since I can only get the upper and ammo from AA. I was thinking about the 450 BM but I do not know about what mags it takes and if the cartridge feeds well. I do not see a problem with the taper headspace for reloading since I resize all my brass and the “fewer” bullet selection doesn’t seem like that big of a problem since I will more than likely pick a weight (200gr-300gr) and stick to it.
Anyone out there with some real world experience that can help with my selection.
Thanks
I have a .450 bushy. I read on the .450 bm forum where the polymer sig mags that come in the 2 pack with connector worked well and they were cheap at the time so I bought some. I’ve had no problems with them and the .450, and have had few problems with the factory bushy mag.
Sorry but since these mags worked I’ve never tried anything else. I don’t see the sig mags for sale anywhere anymore. The funny thing about them is that while they work great for my .450 they are complete suck at 5.56x45.
If you’re wanting to just throw any mag or a pmag at a .450 you’ll have to do a little carving on the follower.
I’m interested in hearing some experienced opinions on the subject as well.
After my online research, and not having had the chance to fire any of the three,(anybody in SouthernVA have one of these?) I’m thinking 458 because of the shouldered case and wide range of available projectiles.
It seems that any big bore will be scarce right now due to the current insanity, unless you buy second hand.
It’s been awhile since I’ve looked into it, but I believe the 450 BM uses a .452" bulltet and the 458 SOCOM uses a .458" bullet. Not much difference in diameter, but at one time, a big difference in construction.
.452" bullets are used in pistol calibers, primarily in the 45 Colt and are/were constructed to expand at at pistol velocities (about 1000 fps). Bullets of this construction are very soft at rifle velocities.
.458" bullets are made for rifle calibers such as the 45-70 and 458 Winchester Magnum. They range from soft for expansion in low velocity 45-70, to heavy construction to hold together better at the higher velocities of the 458 Winchester Magnum and for deep penetration.
With the popularity of the 454 Casull and the introduction of the 460 Ruger, manufacturers may have started offering .452" diameter bullets of heavier construction.
As far as reloading goes, the tapered case of the 450 BM is probably more forgiving than the 458 SOCOM with it’s small shoulder. However, the 450 BM headspaces on the case mouth and a rolled crimp for heavy loads should not be used. A heavy roll crimp can be used with heavy loads in the 458 SOCOM without trouble
If your state allows it, 223 Remington is quite fine for medium game. If you don’t want to even use your 300 blogout, I imagine you just want something that’s more fun.
I suggest you learn how to reload, buy reloading gear, and build a 458 SOCOM upper. Barnes has really re-popularized the cartridge with introducing a .458" TSX.
Most 458 bullets can easily be swaggered down to .452 so they will work with the 450 BM.
I do handload so that’s not a problem.
The one thing that tells me to go with the .458 Socom is it most definitely takes standard AR mags. But I am not real impressed that the 458 has the shoulder and is necked down. I was liking the 450 BM because it was a straight walled case. Thus is easier to find, and has low pressure so the case will last longer.
You sound like someone who has never done any bullet swaggering. If you are an experienced and well equipped bullet swaggerer you might consider it “easy” but if not you are going to need expensive bullet swaggering dies and a dedicated bullet swaggering press. You could probably buy a 458 SOCOM upper and reloading dies for not a whole lot more money. Forget bullet swaggering. Decide if you want to shoot .451/.452 bullets or .458 bullets. That decision settles the 450 BM versus 458 SOCOM question.
If you are just looking for something different the 450 Bushmaster will provide what you want and is an easier and cheaper proposition than 458 SOCOM.
I think they are trying to say it’s “swaging” not “swaggering”.
My $0.02 is that bullets like the 300gr XTP, while not ballistically sleek, are about perfect for the use. Seems to me there are more 452 bullets that are suitable than 458.
Where in Southern, VA? My girlfriend lives in Page County (sorta in the middle of nowhere), I have a .50beo you can shoot.
Just my quick opinion on the subject, AA says it’s not a good bench gun, mine is pretty damn consistent at 100 yds (2 MOA on FMJ) for a heavy bullet. I haven’t tried it at 200 yet, but based on the AA expectations I was pleasantly surprised.
Bushmaster, get a Bushmaster. Why not? Because the old Bushmaster which no longer exists failed to stake some gas keys? Colt failed to stake some gas keys. Wilson doesn’t make a 450 and they ain’t going to. Get a Bushmaster.
