458socom ???

I played with the SOCOM quite a bit several years ago and never did get any satisfactory results. Biggest problem was fouling in the chamber, often after one or two shots. Even had feeding issues with jacketed.

Life got in the way and everything went into the safe until just recently.

Now I've been told that the SOCOM is very sensitive to bullet shape and that there is a "SOCOM bullet". I can't find any specific info but it does look like most of the ammo offered for sale have very similar bullet shape.

Can anybody shed some light on this for me? Anybody have success with cast in the 458SOCOM? Any favorite boolit? Any pet recipes to share?

I sure would like to get this working. It's really a fun cartridge if you don't mind getting beat up with recoil! :holysheep

Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
Jerry

With no testing whatsoever I loaded a magazine full with MP 462 Hammers (very wide meplat). The entire magazine shot flawlessly.

It was my buddy’s gun and I was wondering if I liked it or the 450 bm better. They both were great.


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My first socom was a locally made low cost version and I constantly fought with feeding issues and getting cast to work. The throat was too short and too tight. I had to load short OAL's or use boolits that have smaller diameter ogives compared to the front band.

What helped for feeding was modifying the feed lips of a magazine. Take a mag and grind the feed lips back. This let's the rim of the cartridge clear the magazine earlier in the feeding of the next round. I
could dump the whole mag after that.

I finally got a Tromix barrel and bolt and swapped out the offending parts. It's more cast friendly and feeds good. But it's a tack driver with either barrel.

If you are getting jams with the cartridge stuck at a angle try the magazine mod. You will be able to tell right away.

Where I worked a few years ago we sold an upper. I think it was at our inhouse gunsmith more than with the guy that purchased it. It seems all are different. He came up with one factory load that worked and no hand loads. Reading was the problem.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by gunseller

Where I worked a few years ago we sold an upper. I think it was at our inhouse gunsmith more than with the guy that purchased it. It seems all are different. He came up with one factory load that worked and no hand loads. Reading was the problem.

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Yup, all my off brand could shoot was 300 grain jacketed. It basically had a "no turn match chamber". I gave it back hoping he could he could fix it but no luck on that.

My hunch is that if the OP gets it to feed that would go a long ways. The mag mod let me shoot 400 grain WFN with no problems feeding in the off brand.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by sukivel

With no testing whatsoever I loaded a magazine full with MP 462 Hammers (very wide meplat). The entire magazine shot flawlessly.

It was my buddy’s gun and I was wondering if I liked it or the 450 bm better. They both were great.


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The upper I was using was Bear Creek with unmodified Pmags.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...b1156c2556.jpg


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Here are some 0.458 300/gr, 350/gr and 400/gr copper jacketed bullets recently swaged.
These have a 0.250" meplat basically used in a 45-70 lever action rifle.

These all cost less than $0.10 each to make since I already had the copper jackets from years ago.
The last picture shows the 400/gr bullet made using a 40/S&W case for a jacket, cost probably less than $0.05 each to make.

I just wanted to share these results for those who shoot the SOCOM.

Attachment 323625Attachment 323626Attachment 323627Attachment 323628

I have a Rock River upper I picked several years ago and it is fantastic. Have not tried cast too much because of huge stash of Rem 300JHP and 405 JSP. Real buck hammer! GW

I have never owned a 458 socom, but full lead taco has been on rumble with what he calls the moab, 458 socom with a noe 600 grain bullet. Its subsonic and cycles an ar15. Sounds like I could use up my tons of lead way faster with it.

https://rumble.com/v10lvqv-600-gr-45...-shooting.html

Accurate Bullet design 46-350S

Approximate weight in clip-on wheel weight alloy: 350 grains

Attachment 323653

Thanks for the replies everyone. I think the magazine mod should be first up on the agenda... and that Accurate 46-350S looks like just the ticket. I'm pretty sure I see one in my future.

Thanks again guys
Jerry

Quote:

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Originally Posted by KYCaster

Thanks for the replies everyone. I think the magazine mod should be first up on the agenda... and that Accurate 46-350S looks like just the ticket. I'm pretty sure I see one in my future.

Thanks again guys
Jerry

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A local commercial loader uses 46-350S for his SOCOM loads. I know this for certain because I go to his shop and cast up a batch whenever he needs them. We decided on this arrangement because I can't legally cast them and sell them to him since I have no FFL. He buys Lyman #2 alloy from Rotometals and I cast them in his mold and properly heat-treat them.

My Rock River loves hornady 500 gr. Rn. Sp. The recoil can be a bit much but live able. I found that most heavy cast bullets require the nose section to be sized to a smaller diameter than cast.

Attachment 323696Attachment 323697

Here is a custom 375 grain that I drew up on the old Mountain Molds website and had him cut for me. I think he's out of business now. The bore rider is small enough so powder coat doesn't interfere with fit in the bore. it's easy to keep the front band off the lands and I crimp against the front band.

Attachment 323698Attachment 323699

I modeled it off this old Lee 405? grain HP that I think is discontinued. That pic with the mold is borrowed from CB. The 375 grain shoots good with that powder.

I use the following 2 molds:
https://noebulletmolds.com/site/prod...59-354-fn-bu5/
https://noebulletmolds.com/site/prod...59-500-sp-bp2/

I use H110 with the 459-354's (come in at 360gr after pc)
4227 with the 500's suppressed

I built mine using an Aero upper, Tromix barrel, Faxon bcg with Tromix bolt.
I use 100% stock Lancer 458 socom mags. I have not had a single issue.
https://cmmg.com/magazine-mkw-15-458-socom-lancer-10rd

I would recommend you make a chamber cast or even better a pound cast and start working from there. Tromix I do believe was the originator but there are several built by others with reverse engineered reamer specs. Without hopefully getting flamed but you play with enough and you may see small variances in throats. A black sharpie and time basically plunk testing was done by me. And when you get to bench be very reserved in powder increases, like .1-.2 moves are what I did. I/we had several loads that were seemingly fine shooting super and a .2 increase on same everything started flattening primers, YMMV?

I, too, have been trying to find a reliable cast and PC'd boolit for my 458 Socom with Tromix barrel and bolt. Still working on it. Got frustrated and bought a box of .458 Berry's plated projectiles in the mean time.

My go to lightweight bullet for regular shooting with my SOCOM is the NOE HTC 354 FN. With the PC coating and a GC they come out to 360 grs. and they shoot great and function great out of my RRA SOCOM upper. I was looking for a more pointed bullet for the SOCOM but wanted a flat tip for magazine loading. It has a crimp groove for loading in a 45-70 but it works great in the SOCOM. I also do load it in the 45-70 and it is awesome in that cartridge also.

Below is the bullet coated in HiTek with the GC applied.

Attachment 323797


I started liking PC better with my rifle bullets so the bullet with PC and a GC a sized. Also the bullet loaded on both the 45-70 and the .458 SOCOM.

Attachment 323798



For a heavier bullet in the SOCOM I use the NOE 500 gr. spire point. Easy to cast and coat and feeds and shoots great in my SOCOM

Bullet coated in HiTek


Attachment 323799


And coated in PC and loaded in a case


Attachment 323800


And finally, to go really heavy I use the NOE MOAB mould. It will cast a 600 gr. solid or a 570 gr. HP with the HP pin installed in the mould.



Attachment 323801