Big Bore AR-15s

[milltownhunter]

this week both my ups came in first is a 450 bushmaster 16'' bushmaster second is a 50 Beowulf 16'' alexander cant wait tp take out to the range the alexander look better built bought the 450 so I could shoot 45 acp bullets cheaply and 50 for hunting will be using the 450 for hunting and a lot of big bore plinking

[dogmower]

there's a company (sorry forget the name) that is coming out with an ar-10 platform rifle that shoots, essentially, a rimless 500 smith and Wesson. sounds like a great combination.

[rockrat]

Big Horn Armory

[Whiterabbit]

there's a company (sorry forget the name) that is coming out with an ar-10 platform rifle that shoots, essentially, a rimless 500 smith and Wesson. sounds like a great combination.

Great Shots Newsletter
Starline is now making .500 Auto Max brass cases. The .500 Auto Max was designed by Big Horn Armory for use in their AR500 rifle, which is based on the AR-10 sized platform.

The .500 Auto Max is essentially a rimless .500 S&W Magnum. It is a very versatile cartridge and can handle anything from prairie dogs to pachyderms to Peterbilts - truck stopping power in a platform weighing less than 10 pounds.

The .500 Auto Max uses the same reloading dies, shell holders & load data as the .500 S&W Mag, with the exception of requiring a taper crimp instead of the standard roll crimp. This is due to the Auto Max headspacing off of the mouth of the case instead of the rim.



https://www.starlinebrass.com/brass-...rder_now_36137

[BHuij]

IMO the prize goes to 458 SOCOM for balance between convenience (more convenient than 50 Beowulf) and power (more power at close ranges than most 30 cal).

I was planning on building a 300 BLK for shooting cast subs, but I'm now considering doing 458 SOCOM instead.

[Whiterabbit]

what criteria do you use to define convenience? brass availability? bottleneck reloading? availability of projectiles? variety of projectiles?

Something you might be weighting heavily might be a non-issue for someone else.

[Smoke4320]

what criteria do you use to define convenience? brass availability? bottleneck reloading? availability of projectiles? variety of projectiles?

Something you might be weighting heavily might be a non-issue for someone else.

458 Socom... for me it was the availability of many weights/styles and molds of 45-70 sized projectiles plus preferring bottleneck cases

BHuij
I have both and both have their places and jobs .. If you want stupid quiet and power to kill a deer at 100 yds (NOE 247) the Blackout all the way ..
the 458 Socom at subsonic is not that quiet but still packs a huge wallop and at Sonic is not that bad shooting recoil wise but oh so deadly at the other end

[Lloyd Smale]

Ive got a 50 beo and like it. Ive killed deer, pigs and my wife killed a 1500lb Asian water buffalo with it. Now as to whats the best one I don't know or really care. there all powerful they all kill well. theres plenty enough good molds available for 452 458 and 501 bullets. to be truthful I don't full much with cast in mine. Deer, bear, and pigs can be killed quite handly with reineer plated bullets and they shoot better then any cast load ive found in my gun and are a heck of a lot cleaner and a 1000 of them will last a while in a gun like that. I'm not one of those "because I bought it and I'm so smart it has to be the best one" type of guys. to be honest I have shot more then a 100 rounds out of the 450 or 458. I sure wouldn't sell my 50 to buy one and if I had one of the 45s I wouldn't sell it to buy a 50. Bottom line is if you found any of them lacking in the hunting field in the US youd better look in the mirror not at the gun. Hardest to find and most expensive thing with any of them is brass. the 450 has a slight edge there. Other then that pick the one you like the sound of the name and go hunting.

[sass2924]

I’ve got a 458 Socom and echo everyone else’s positve comments. If you decide to build one, go with Tromix. They sell barrels, bcg’s marked uppers etc.

[pmer]

https://sotaarms.com/component/jshop...2/460?Itemid=0

Check out the price on this upper. $480.00 hopefully in a week or two I can put in an order for something like this.

I have a heads up for this manufacturer. I bought one of these in 458 socom and about 50 rounds through it.

I haven't been able to shoot cast with it because it has a tight chamber. A loaded case neck measures .485 and a fired case neck measures .486. A round loaded with a cast boolit goes about .487 so I'm out of luck unless I neck turn. It has a short throat too.

They took a look at it and said they fixed it. Went home and fired a couple cases and still have the same numbers. Might be a case of "it's built to out spec" and good luck going on here.

Just a fyi with sota arms. To be fare they haven't got back to me with my findings on the second batch of fired cases.