Hello all. I'm thinking of putting together as my next project, a heavy caliber or "Thumper" (to borrow Col. Jeff Coopers Terminology) AR-15 Variant rifle. In doing so, I am debating / weighing the pros and cons of the 3 heaviest calibers available for the AR platform, those being the .50 Beowulf by Alexander Arms, the .450 Bushmaster (by Bushmaster, obviously) and, the .458 SOCOM. I would like for any/all of you to share both your thoughts, opinions, experiences, etc. on these three calibers, both the pros and cons of both. Also, any experiences / opinions / knowledge of the benefits and drawbacks of each options in as far as concerns: 1. cost of upper 2. cost and availability of ammo 3. ballistic performance 4.special mag needed or standard AR, and anything else that may be pertinent when considering between the three. I would like to put out there that, while by NO MEANS would I consider myself a skilled handloader, I am set-up to handload, I have all the basic equipment, only I have not found the space or time required, as of yet, to begin actually handloading my own ammunition, as I am still reading books, watching instructional videos, and building as much of a knowledge base as possible, before I actually, physically begin to process and produce live ammunition. But I do know that when dealing with calibers such as these, having the ability to handload would be a major consideration, and I do have / will have that ability (soon). So, there it is.....the .50 Beowulf vs. the .450 Bushmaster vs. the .458 SOCOM......what would you choose and why? What are your experiences and impressions if you have any, and, what advice as far as which direction to proceed would you offer? Thanks to everyone in advance for any help, information, stories, experiences, and knowledge they can share in helping me make my decision.

Don't have experience with these but I'd get a Beowulf come on man .50 cal all the way. I believe the .50 fits in a standard ar mag

 

 

Sent from my hidden under ground bunker between Taco Bell and the dry cleaner

The 458 SOCOM is the best of the three. Works in both the subsonic and suppressed worlds. Uses standard magazines (same as 5.56). Availabilty across several vendors. Better bullet selection for reloading. Beowulf is a proprietary platform.

How many .50 Beowulf or .458 SOCOM rounds can you get in a NJ legal AR mag pinned to 15?

I was this close > < to buying a .458 SOCOM last year, but really thought about the following:

 

- My firearms are tools, what purpose will this serve?

- If ammo becomes difficult to source, can I shoot it?

- If reloading components become difficult to find, how will I reload it (brass and projectiles)?

 

Fast forward to today and really happy I didn't buy that dedicated upper. I looked at it this way as well, the AR15 platform is just that, make the most reliable and effecient system for my .223. I tweaked my rifle to fulfill it's objective (just a tool) and created a world to service it well (reloading, testing, and repair). If I really want a big f'n hammer, get a true .50 cal.

 

No doubt, It's sure nice to play with specialty tools If you get a SOCOM, can I shoulder it and smile with giddiness?

But of course.......I'm always happy to share my toys with fellow members. I wish I knew someone with ANY ONE of these so I could personally field test them myself. AS far as having a tool, I'm pretty happy with my "completeness" (is that a word) in my ability to outfit all my ar's in 5.56 for whatever be the tactical/hunting need. If I had 20K to spare, I most DEFINATELY would be shouldering a Macmillan Tac-50 or a Barrett, but, I also like the idea of having the heavy hitting caliber of the Fifty (or .450/458) in a platform that doesn't weigh 30 lbs and can utilize standard AR mags (even if I just have to replace the follower as with the 450 Bushmaster).......Man it is a TOUGH decision!

I am thinking about the same thing for an ar build. Either is just a novelty so I might as well just the the 50 because its a 50. If I get a 458 I will still want a 50 just because

But of course.......I'm always happy to share my toys with fellow members. I wish I knew someone with ANY ONE of these so I could personally field test them myself. AS far as having a tool, I'm pretty happy with my "completeness" (is that a word) in my ability to outfit all my ar's in 5.56 for whatever be the tactical/hunting need. If I had 20K to spare, I most DEFINATELY would be shouldering a Macmillan Tac-50 or a Barrett, but, I also like the idea of having the heavy hitting caliber of the Fifty (or .450/458) in a platform that doesn't weigh 30 lbs and can utilize standard AR mags (even if I just have to replace the follower as with the 450 Bushmaster).......Man it is a TOUGH decision!

 

You have your basics covered, understand the complete picture of potentially owning a specialized "tool" in the box, and looking for that little extra. Based on that, get the SOCOM!

 

Worst part is you get it, shoot it, make me (others) wish I didn't analyze the situation so much (hahahaha), realize it's more of a pain in the ass, sell it for par or small loss. Since you already know that you're going to have to reload for this caliber, you will probably start reloading for your standard caliber AR's as well and that's a win! As BlueLineFish referenced, if you get it and realize you really want a true .50 cal experience, sell it and move on (not like you laid out .50 cal money to only realize you don't like a .50 cal).

 

You can read further here:

http://458socomforums.com/

How many .50 Beowulf or .458 SOCOM rounds can you get in a NJ legal AR mag pinned to 15?

 

If I remember correctly, I think it's 3-1 (.223-.458) ala 5 SOCOM to a 15 round mag.

If I remember correctly, I think it's 3-1 (.223-.458) ala 5 SOCOM to a 15 round mag.

 

So a 10 round SOCOM mag (which one might think would be NJ legal) would look an awful lot like a 30 round 5.56 mag?

So a 10 round SOCOM mag (which one might think would be NJ legal) would look an awful lot like a 30 round 5.56 mag?

 

There's whole discussions about that online. People wanted magpul to tweak their 30 round mags and rebrand them to .458 SOCOM, but didn't go anywhere. Start here: http://www.teppojutsu.com/458.htm The video under terminal performance is great. "See I need this, just carry the upper and some bullets in my bag and switch out if I ever need it"...."Yeah, you never know when you have to shoot through a masonry wall".......... "where's my damn credit card".

 

I knew I shouldn't have opened this thread, bad news, haha.

what sucks is to hold 15 rounds you need illegal 40 round ar mags. Try explaining that to the court. We need 458 branded mags

If you engraved the mag 458 socom. Would that make the requirements?

 

Any 15 round 40s&w mag will hold in excess of 15 rounds if 9 mm and probably feed. What's the difference there? Just the name on the magazine.

 

 

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Doesn't matter what they say on the side of the mag. If they can fit more then 15 rounds and feed them into a SA gun, it violates the law. Technically would apply to rounds the mag was not even intended or designed to use. Makes sense, otherwise mag companies could use creative labeling to get around the law, as in 5.56 shooters buying 10 round "458 socom" mags. If someone would make a .458 socom mag that was incapable of feeding 5.56, that would do it!

Well, the 50 GI and 50 baeo may not be legal far longer... will find out tomorrow.

Well, the 50 GI and 50 baeo may not be legal far longer... will find out tomorrow.

 

I thought they were banning things based on Muzzle Energy? Isn't this below the threshold?

I assume a .308 is not a heavy enough round for you to consider? I really enjoy having both a 7.62x51 AR-15 and also .308 bolt action that can share ammo. There is a much wider selection of .308/7.62 AR-15's than .458 and .50.

I assume a .308 is not a heavy enough round for you to consider? I really enjoy having both a 7.62x51 AR-15 and also .308 bolt action that can share ammo. There is a much wider selection of .308/7.62 AR-15's than .458 and .50.

 

Would be an AR-10 at that point, but I have an OBR 7.62 coming and I'm very eager! Great platform with a great round.

Well I've already got my bases covered with the .308 platform, both in tactical Bolt Action and in battle rifle......PTR-91....(yes, NJ Legal version) which is much mess finicky (in my experience) on the .308 than the AR platform......this is why I wanted the "Thumper" in .450/.458/.50...........Ah...decisions, decisions....

You didn't buy it yet?