In fact, outside of the first 100-yards, the differences are effective entirely negligible. The 458 SOCOM is more powerful and has a longer range, making it an excellent choice for hunting larger game or for military and law enforcement applications. The 350 Legend is a relatively new cartridge that was introduced in 2019, while the 458 SOCOM has been around for more than a decade. You dont have to invest in special, proprietary buffer weights or springs. Lets go straight to .45 caliber and get some work done! The 300 Blackout, on the other hand, was developed by Advanced Armament Corporation (AAC) in 2009. Another factor to consider is penetration. I & II; Gun Digest Big Fat Book of the .45 ACP, Gun Digest Book of the AR-15, Gun Digest Book of the AK and SKS, Gun Digest Book of the Glock and Gunsmithing: Pistols and Revolvers, among other titles. The 458 SOCOM has more stopping power than the 223 Remington and the 308 Winchester rounds. In short, the .458 SOCOM round will likely stick around for a very long time. On the other hand, the 458 SOCOM offers similar ballistic performance to the 450 Bushmaster with heavier bullets. It is also more effective than the 50 BMG at close range. Smaller game will be obliterated the .458 SOCOM round, though. Your email address will not be published. Since the SOCOM 458 is the heavier bullet compared to the Winchester 308, it is more likely to claim that the former has more bullet drop and arch when shot in long-range shooting games. But each of these had its own set of issues. Heavy bullets with strong energy from a compact semiautomatic weapon was the goal, not blazing speed or long-range accuracy. From complete uppers to barrels and boltsTromix has literally everything you could want for a .458 SOCOM build. The 308 is a very accurate round, but it lacks the power of the 458 SOCOM. For hogs, coyotes, and general pests you cant go wrong with either one. Last, but not least, is the .50 Beowulf. Usually rounds like the 223 Remington are preferred for varmint hunting as it has low recoil, is very flat shooting, and inexpensive. Glancing only at those numbers, it doesnt seem like much of an advantage. Check out. Sure, you can find drum magazines, smaller magazines that hold 20 rounds or fewer and even 40 round pMags . The 458 SOCOM is a relatively new caliber that was designed for use in AR-15 rifles. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. It also offers a large variety of other bullet types and can use regular gi metal 556 mags and some of the regular 556 polymer mags. The 300 Blackout has a maximum case length of 0.750 inches and a diameter of 0.308 inches. Patrick Sweeney is the author of many of Gun Digest books' best-selling titles, including Gun Digest Book of the 1911, Vols. The .458 SOCOM comes back with a certain amount of authority, and you dont want to be crowding the scope when you touch off one of the robust ones. If you are looking for a versatile cartridge that can be used in both semi-automatic and bolt-action rifles, then the .308 Winchester is a great option for you. However, the 458 SOCOMs recoil is manageable for experienced shooters and is necessary for the cartridges power. Ever wonder just how big a bullet we can hurl out of the standard AR-15 package? These rounds were designed for pistol use and didnt perform as well at subsonic velocity while suppressed. The 458 SOCOM cartridge fires a 0.458 bullet diameter which is more common than you might think as it is used by rounds such as the .45-70 Government, 458 Winchester Magnum, 450 Marlin, 460 Weatherby, and 458 Lott. The Wilson Combat Billet Upper Receiver is a solid billet upper with an enlarged ejection port perfect for that .458 brass. Whether youre looking to take down big game or compete with the best of the best, the 458 SOCOM is a great choice. The 458 SOCOM is a large-bore cartridge that is suitable for hunting large game such as deer or hogs at short distances. Check out our Best Large-Bore Hunting Rifles. The 450 Bushmaster (or 450 BM) was developed by Tim LeGendre of LeMAG Firearm. I may earn a small part of the sale from links to any products or services on this site. This is where calibers like the 458 Socom and 300 Blackout come into play. Reloading isnt difficult. The 350 Legend was introduced in 2019 by Winchester. Another great 16-inch contender is the Brownells AR-15 .458 SOCOM Barrel. The 450 Bushmaster is a straight-walled cartridge while the 458 SOCOM has a slight shoulder. Part of this decision came down to cost, as the .458 round required changing only two parts. I have to point out that, unless youre shooting at steel plates that are both rifle-rated and placed 100 yards away, you shouldnt be shooting steel with any .458 SOCOM load. With tons of options to choose from, you can really dial in what you want. If you move up to 500 grains, you can go for all the gusto, and generate some 1,300 fps out of a full-length barrel for a power factor of 650. Developed in 2000, the 458 SOCOM was an upgrade for the standard M4/M16/AR-15 family of rifles. Next up, the case. The cartridge is also known for its ability to penetrate heavy brush and foliage, making it ideal for hunting in wooded areas. If I don't fire that round to eject it it almost takes an act of god to extract that round just using the charging handle, it feels like the round is stuck in the chamber or like it's to small, firing that round it rejects fine and chambers another round fine. In conclusion, the 350 Legend and the 458 SOCOM are both excellent cartridges that serve different purposes. A total of five rounds competed for a coveted spot among Spec Ops 7.62x39mm, 9x39mm Grom, .45 Professional, .50 Action Express, and, of course, .458 SOCOM. Faxon 16" Gunner Big Bore AR-15 Barrel, .458 SOCOM. But magazines can vary. We'll only use the information provided according to our privacy policy. Restricting the maximum overall length of a cartridge to 2.26 and demanding kinetic energy values over 2,000 ft-lbs means that bullet design must take a back seat to external ballistics. You can also get different types of .308 Winchester ammunition that have different ranges. Hunters, on the other hand, saw the round as the perfect tool for big game. The energy stats for the .308 Winchester all fell in a fairly tight window. Typically, longer and heavier bullets will have a higher BC as they can resist wind drift more efficiently. A lengthened 50 Action Express, or 50 AE, was utilized for the 458 SOCOM with a case length of 1.575. CMMG Magazine MKW-15 .458 SOCOM 30rd Modified To 10rd Hi-cap Md: 48AFC44 After extensive testing of magazines on the market for 458 SOCOM the Lancer L5 Advanced Warfighter Magazine was the top choice due to the polymer body and steel feed lips. If you are using a heavier bullet, the range will be shorter. The 350 Legend is a relatively new cartridge that is designed for less recoil and a comfortable shooting experience, making it a great choice for hunters and shooters who want a versatile cartridge. It also boasts a threaded muzzle so you can throw on your favorite suppressor. The 300 blackout is another great all-around caliber. The trajectory and long-range accuracy of the .308 Winchester can be hard to compare to the .458 SOCOM, largely because the few manufacturers of the SOCOM rarely provide this information. The lightest-weight ammunition (if we can consider something that tips scales at 140 grains as light) leaves your immediate vicinity at more 2,400 fps, depending on barrel length. If you need a caliber for hunting large game animals, then the 458 Socom would be the better choice. The 300-grain (19 g) round offers a supersonic muzzle velocity of 1,900 ft/s (580 m/s) and 2,405 ftlbf (3,261 J), [1] similar to a light .45-70 but with a much smaller case. It does not come with a forward assist. you a link to reset your password. Whichever one you choose, make sure that you do your research and pick the right bullet weight and type for your needs. our in-stock .308 ammo for sale by clicking here, The Best Self Defense Ammo Ballistic Testing. Although the 458 SOCOM has slightly higher case capacity, the lower bullet weights fired by the 450 Bushmaster generally surpass those fired by the 458 in terms of muzzle velocity. The final difference between the 45 70 and 458 is their maximum chamber pressure as established by SAAMI. Luckily, the lower came with a stock on it that has a rubber recoil pad, because cushioning rubber is a handy thing to have on a rifle chambered in .458 SOCOM. A .458 SOCOM cartridge with a heavier bullet (up to 600 grains) would also make a solid guide gun or bear protection rifle. Tyler Freel. One reason is the high bullet weights in subsonic rounds. The SOCOM round can fire bullets within a 200-600 grain range, though 250gr, 300gr, and 350gr factory loads are the most common. Our bad. If youre interested in lower-cost fun thumping, then you can use coated bullets and load subsonic. However, the 458 SOCOM is actually a very different cartridge. In terms of penetration, the SOCOM measures higher at 0.204 compared to 0.175 for the 450 BM. Our Sitemap. For most AR owners, you dont have to purchase a whole new weapon to adopt the .458 SOCOM. The average velocity was just shy of 1,900 fps, over 800 fps slower than the average .308 Winchester. In contrast, the 308 Winchester came about in 1952, decades earlier than the birth of 458 SOCOM. The .458 Winchester Magnum is a belted, straight-taper cased, Big Five game rifle cartridge.It was introduced commercially in 1956 by Winchester and first chambered in the Winchester Model 70 African rifle. Oh, hey, theres a complete rifle on the end of the rack with a shot-out bore. Now that we have looked at the short answer, we can look closer at each cartridge, their ballistics, and see how the two cartridges compare in-depth. Although, the rest is difficult to spot if you are a novice in the shooting community, considering their marginal terminal ballistics in the shooting range. The .308 Winchester, while carrying a smaller, narrower bullet, has a longer profile. I love my .458 but it is very expensive to feed! LeGendre cites Lt. Col. Jeff Coopers writings on the Thumper concept as his inspiration for creating the 450 BM. We already have an account registered for email address The .458 SOCOM ( 11.6340mm) is a moderately large round designed to work in an AR-15 platform. We dig that this is more or less a one-stop shop. For example, there is some .308 Winchester ammo that is designed for long-range shooting and has a range of about 1000 yards. With this, the 308 wind over the 450 SOCOM. The 458 SOCOM has an effective range of about 200 yards. As AR ammo favorites, the 458 SOCOM vs 308 Winchester are both powerful and efficiently proven by the military for decades, but one of them is better than the other. If you are using the cartridge for target shooting, energy is not a massive concern. Learn how your comment data is processed. This is achieved by installing a 458 bolt and barrel. The .458 is like any other bottlenecked rifle cartridge, so youll have to lube cases for resizing. The larger bullet creates more tissue damage, which means that the 458 Socom will likely have more stopping power than the 300 Blackout. And although the 308 could stomp over the 458 SOCOM in the distance, the 458 would stomp on the 308 for bullet weight and will take down just about any target you wish to hunt. The 458 SOCOM is a great all-around caliber. Get 12 Issues a year of the country's best firearms writing. CMMG Magazine MKW-15 .458 SOCOM 30 Rounds Modified To 10 Rounds Hi-cap Md: 48AFC44. And they usually do. .45 Professional fell short due to the availability of materials needed in construction. (Yes, Virginia, ammo used to be cheap enough that you could wear out a barrel just by shooting.) Let's explore .458 SOCOM -- its origins, what it's used for, and some guns and gear capable of handling this big bore. There is no overlap is speeds; in fact there is a gap. Barrels were enlarged, running a 1:14 twist or 1:18 twist. When it comes to hunting, many people debate what the best caliber is. It uses large pistol primers and slow-burning pistol powders or fast-burning rifle powders. :). Free Shipping Ends on Monday - 17 APRIL. What is recoil like? The next step was to decide how much of a case neck to provide and what kind of case capacity, all while keeping one idea in mind: It had to hit like the news of an impending IRS audit. The gel shot used a ballistic-tip hollow point. When comparing these two cartridges, you cant help but notice the size differences between the two. They planned to take the .50 AE casing and modify it to fit their needs. Born and raised in Austin TX, Alfred has been shooting guns since he was 18. .308 vs .338. The 458 SOCOM cartridge fires a 0.458" bullet diameter which is more common than you might think as it is used by rounds such as the .45-70 Government, 458 Winchester Magnum, 450 Marlin, 460 Weatherby, and 458 Lott. Both rounds utilize a rebated rim design, meaning their rim is narrower than their cartridge base. The 300 AAC Blackout (300 BLK) was developed by Advanced Armament Corporation (AAC) in an attempt to create a round that could be used in both AR-15 rifles and pistols. However, with recoil this heavy, most shooters wont be able to discern any major difference between the two. The most popular 45-70 factory ammo is typically loaded with 325 gr, 350 gr, 405 gr, and 500 grain bullets while 250 gr, 300 gr, and 350 gr are the most popular for 458. The 458 SOCOM is typically favored for feral hogs thanks to its bottle-neck cartridge design and the devastating 300 gr Barnes TTSX bullet that was specifically designed for this purpose. The 458 Socom was designed in 2000 by Tony Rumore of Tromix Lead Delivery Systems. Feel free to reach out to us or read our affiliate disclosure and privacy policy. Pick the handguard back off the bench, install, align, tighten. 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