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  1. #1
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    Default 450 Bushmaster 458 Socom 50 Beowulf



    I'm in major research phase.

    Anybody using any of these monsters?

    I just finished yet another AR lower and have a stripped upper collecting dust. Just can't bring myself to spend money on anything else 223/556.

    I also already have 300BLK. I'm leaning more towards the .45's The .50 is of little interest to me but someone else might be interested in it.

    In my research I landed at Tromix who is apparently an early pioneer in the .458 Socom world. https://tromix.com/

    The prices drove me to into further research. Landed at ARF.com and they blasted brands such as Bear Creek, Radical, & KAK because these manufacturers apparently fully remove the bottom lug like pictured below. So my hope of grabbing a $90 BCA barrel kind of went out the window





    As opposed to this Tromix barrel



    Apparently Hornady teamed up with Bushmaster to create the 450 Bushy, and my Hornady manual has the load data available whereas the Socom data is kind of hard to find.
    It appears to me at this point that 450 Bushy is more common and has "saami" specs, whereas 458 Socom still seems like a wildcat. BUT damn that bottlenecked Socom cartridge looks sexy and allegedly functions fine out of most unmodified AR mags, compared to the straight-walled Bushy that is more finicky.

    Anyway, chime in if you got .02 cents - The price which would include yet another caliber and reloading dies means I may or may not dip my toes in the water
    Last edited by ExFlyinguy; November 18th, 2019 at 03:24 PM.
    "It seems that the Constitution is more or less guidelines than actual rules"
    My feedback: http://forum.pafoa.org/showthread.php?t=305685

  2. #2
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    Default Re: 450 Bushmaster 458 Socom 50 Beowulf

    Have had all 3. Shot thousands of rounds of big bore Ar. What do you want to know. Btw the 450 Bushy is the best of the 3 you listed.
    www.Steelvalleycasting.com is your new home for coated bullets and custom ammo.

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    Default Re: 450 Bushmaster 458 Socom 50 Beowulf

    Quote Originally Posted by DucatiRon View Post
    Have had all 3. Shot thousands of rounds of big bore Ar. What do you want to know. Btw the 450 Bushy is the best of the 3 you listed.
    Thanks Ron!

    Do you concur with the posts that I read on ARF.com about staying away from barrels that have had the bottom lug removed? From what I've read the chamber pressures on these big bores is even less than .223, so is it that big of a deal? *ETA: I was wrong above about the price of a BCA .458 barrel -it's actually $51.99 as I write this for the 18" mid-length gas

    Why do you rate the Bushy as the best? From my research it betters the Socom in ballistics, but reviews seem to favor the Socom slightly with reloading. It headspacing on the shoulder as opposed to the rim and also feeding because of the bottleneck.

    Do you have any barrel/bolt manufacturer recommendations?
    Last edited by ExFlyinguy; November 18th, 2019 at 03:25 PM.
    "It seems that the Constitution is more or less guidelines than actual rules"
    My feedback: http://forum.pafoa.org/showthread.php?t=305685

  4. #4
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    Default Re: 450 Bushmaster 458 Socom 50 Beowulf

    People like Socom because of the bullet selection. Its a 458 rifle bullet. All the other stuff is blah blah blah. It and the 50 are low pressure and shorter range.

    The 450 does use and odd dia pistol bullet. 452. But has better range and ballistics over the other 2. And factory ammo is well over 2k fps with a 250 grain bullet.

    I did not build my 450. Bought one brand new from Bushmaster. Never even bothered to look at the lugs. Just shot the shit out of it.

    My 50 upper came direct from Alex Arms and the 458 is a Wilson combat build.


    450 compares to the 460 S&W mag as the 50 Beo compares to a 500 S&W mag. Almost exact load data.


    Yes i have a lot of big bore stuff.

    Btw the 50 Beo has been surpassed by the 500 Auto Mag.


    I have a 460 Revolver that runs a similar 450 load and I can tag man sils at 500 yards with it. About 14' drop at 500.

    The other 2 hit 200yrds nice but worthless after that.
    Last edited by DucatiRon; November 19th, 2019 at 12:49 AM.
    www.Steelvalleycasting.com is your new home for coated bullets and custom ammo.

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    Default Re: 450 Bushmaster 458 Socom 50 Beowulf

    My 458 runs in all standard mags but reloading is all but a must.

    My friend has been chasing different mags and followers since getting his 450,
    But he can walk into most any store and grab a box of ammo.

    Eventually getting a big bore can and the 458 will cycle subs without
    Blinking while the 450 will be doing load development for many months
    To cycle subs

    It comes down to current and projected use/needs. List all your pros
    And cons

  6. #6
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    Default Re: 450 Bushmaster 458 Socom 50 Beowulf

    Quote Originally Posted by DucatiRon View Post
    The 450 does use and odd dia pistol bullet. 452. But has better range and ballistics over the other 2. And factory ammo is well over 2k fps with a 250 grain bullet.
    I've seen some bullet vendors advertise their .45ACP as .452 diameter. I'm pretty sure I've shot some out of my 1911s.

    One bullet supplier for pistol and rifle/carbine loads would make 450 Bushy more attractive, assuming a 230g slug wouldn't be too light for the long gun.

    I may or may not have some lowers waiting for a reason to be milled...

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    Default Re: 450 Bushmaster 458 Socom 50 Beowulf

    Quote Originally Posted by 85MikeTPI View Post
    My 458 runs in all standard mags but reloading is all but a must.

    My friend has been chasing different mags and followers since getting his 450,
    But he can walk into most any store and grab a box of ammo.

    Eventually getting a big bore can and the 458 will cycle subs without
    Blinking while the 450 will be doing load development for many months
    To cycle subs

    It comes down to current and projected use/needs. List all your pros
    And cons
    Thanks for your input Mike.

    For me it's just a novelty thing. Cant hunt with either in PA (in a AR) and I'm not much a hunter anyway.

    Probably highly unlikely that I will ever get a can big enough for that caliber. Already have 4 cans for smaller stuff. I probably need to start investing more in actually shooting the things I have as opposed to buying more guns that require more investment in ammo & reloading dies but it's an itch I cant get away from without investigating

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    Default Re: 450 Bushmaster 458 Socom 50 Beowulf

    Quote Originally Posted by Sgt.K View Post
    I've seen some bullet vendors advertise their .45ACP as .452 diameter. I'm pretty sure I've shot some out of my 1911s.

    One bullet supplier for pistol and rifle/carbine loads would make 450 Bushy more attractive, assuming a 230g slug wouldn't be too light for the long gun.

    I may or may not have some lowers waiting for a reason to be milled...
    I've come across many posts in other forums that say they use .45acp pills for plinking in the .450 Bush

  9. #9
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    Default Re: 450 Bushmaster 458 Socom 50 Beowulf

    Quote Originally Posted by ExFlyinguy View Post
    I've come across many posts in other forums that say they use .45acp pills for plinking in the .450 Bush
    Yes at low velocity a 45 ACP or 451 dia bullets can be used. The .452 MAG bullet has a thicker copper jacket. Hence 452. the standard 451 bullet I would doubt will hold up to over 2k velocities. Call Hornady tech for speed conformation on that 451.

    452 is standard dia for lead 45 acp. Not jacketed.
    Last edited by DucatiRon; November 19th, 2019 at 05:41 PM.
    www.Steelvalleycasting.com is your new home for coated bullets and custom ammo.

  10. #10
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    Default Re: 450 Bushmaster 458 Socom 50 Beowulf

    Btw my 450 eats 225's just fine. I run the same bullet in that and my 460. Same powder charge also.

    Just watch box count when you buy bullets. 200 grain are 28 for box of 50 and 225 grain are 33 for box of 100.


    Never had an issue with any 3 of my factory Bushmaster mags for function btw.
    Last edited by DucatiRon; November 19th, 2019 at 05:42 PM.
    www.Steelvalleycasting.com is your new home for coated bullets and custom ammo.

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