Just got my latest Rifleman yesterday and read the article on the AR 15 big three -- .450 Bushmaster, .458 SOCOM and .500 Beowulf. For some reason I have never paid much attention to these, but seeing the .500 in the light of a .50-70 government on an AR platform gave me a new perspective.
Anyone here shoot any of these three? What's your experience?

its a neat round -- SEVERELY rebatted rim.

of the lot, i strongly prefer the 458 socom - great bullet choices, reasonable cost, and good for anything in NA

Jeffe, that rebatedf rim sure looks goofy. Are you aware of any instances in which it was an issue regarding feeding or extraction? I love the half-inch rounds.

Bill,
price .500 ~400gr bullets compared to rem 405gr ...

all else being equal, they are nearly the same round, and since we can't take semi-autos to most countries, the .458 makes a ton of sense

Bill, they're lots of fun to shoot, and make a decent Deer round from tree stand range. I've owned the Alexander Arms Beowulf, but I imagine the others are just as fun.

I've used the 458 socom for several years and enjoy it. Within its range limitation, it's effective for deer and hogs.

After evaluation, I chose the socom as the best for my purposes. It uses .458 bullets, same as my 45-70, simplifying my bullet inventory. It doesn't require special magazines, just standard AR mags (I use Lancer), also simplifying inventory.

Availability of ammo didn't play any part in my decision. I bought a large supply of brass from Starline; I've never bought any factory ammo for the rifle and probably never will. I think of it as a wildcat, but with factory brass.

Understand that I'm not implying the socom is the best of the three main AR thumpers, just the best for my criteria.

Thanks fellas. Y'all make sense!

quote:

Y'all make sense!

That's scary right there :-)

The 458 SOCOM matches the 45-70 load I use --factory , 300 gr @ 1850. I use the Barnes . A fine deer rifle and I've used it on deer upto 300lbs.

Not used on game yet but have shot my 458-S a lot. Building a pistol at the present. Lots of fun having a semi - 45-70.

I'll sell you a AA .50 Beowulf upper plenty reasonable, whatever that is these days, and you don't have to use an FFL. I think I shot it 3 times.

FWIW, I like the .450 Bushmaster that I have, very accurate, but have not tried the .458 Socom.

I really like the sounds of the Beowulf and have 50cal moulds already, now to find an affordable upper and get some starline brass and I'll be good to go!

On a "fun scale" they are probably the same. That extra .042 bore slightly wins the "cool scale" by a hair. If I didn't reload I would say SOCOM just because of the vast variety of ammunition being loaded for it. Bullets of all weights, materials and purposes. Lots of good stuff for the 50 too but what I see looks disproportionately expensive. Probably a matter of volume sales. As a handloader, if the Beowulf was .510 instead of .500 I would have been a little more interested.

From a hunting standpoint they do the same thing very well. It's almost a Chevy/Dodge/Ford kind of choice.

have owned all three-
if buying for the first time now--

458 Socom

Just curious why would you choose the Socom over the Bushmaster?

Bushmaster has cheaper ammo from 2 major manufacturers compared to none for Socom. Bushmasters ballistics are equal or slightly better, so I am puzzled why you would choose the Socom.

Only speaking for me but I agree. The Bushmaster operates at higher pressure and has a more rebated rim. Minor issues but everything else is so close they stand out more than otherwise would be the case. Ammo cost doesn't matter to me as I handload.

As for the rebate issue, 30 round PMags and some other high capacity mags tend to droop when fully loaded and can fail to feed. I've had this happen with 5.56, much less rebated rims.

That said I'm sure I'd be just as proud of the Bushmaster if I had bought one instead of my SOCOM.