I'll go ahead and throw in a vote for the .458 SOCOM. I know that ammo price is one of your issues, but reloading isn't as bad as it sounds.
Using Midway, these are the prices:
100 pieces of brass, $78.99
100 Remington 300 grain JHP bullets, $32.99
1lb IMR 4198 powder, $23.49
1000 Winchester large pistol primers, $30.51
.458 SOCOM Lee 3-die set, $30.99
Lee Breech Lock Hand Press Kit, $39.99
The only things I would recommend beyond that list for basic reloading is a small powder scoop (but a spoon with also work), a decent electronic caliper (which any well-equipped shop may already have), and an electronic powder scale (also not too pricey). But setting those things aside, let's run the numbers on the stuff above.
Your first 100 rounds costs you $236.96, or $2.37 per round. That's only a little cheaper than your $3 a round estimate. It's comparable to a $50 box of 20 rounds.
But then you've got the equipment. .458 SOCOM brass will last at least 4-5 reloadings without needing to be trimmed, usually. You've got 1000 primers and enough powder to last you about 200 rounds. And the dies and hand press are already paid for. So buy another 100 Remington bullets and your next 100 rounds cost you $32.99 or $0.33 per round.
Even assuming you had to buy a new primer, new piece of brass, more powder and a new bullet for each round, you're looking at about $1.27 per round.
That's not too expensive in my book, and I'm a fan of the .458 SOCOM. Loading a hundred rounds using the Lee Hand Press isn't too taxing, because you're unlikely to blaze through that many rounds. It's a hard hitter.
Weight can be an issue, though. My bush rifle (although I've moved out of southeast Alaska where big brownies were an issue and back to Kentucky where nothing is big enough to warrant a .458) is a 10.5" barreled SBR AR15 in .458 SOCOM. It's a lot of fun, handy in the woods, and puts deer down hard. I took a four-point buck this year, and I hit him much lower and further back than I'd have preferred. (Not exactly gut-shot, but disappointingly close.) Without hitting his heart or a solid lung shot, he still only ran about 25 yards before he dropped from blood loss.
Even with a 16" barrel, I don't think you're talking that much more weight. My rifle is configured with a 10.5" barrel, Magpul MOE stock and grip, A2 carry handle upper, and with a 5-round magazine (unmodified 20 round magazine, with the cartridges single-stacked), it weighs 6 lbs, 12 ounces. I think that you could probably get a 16" barreled rifle at around the 8 lb mark. That's without optics, but with a 5-round load.
Hope that information helps. You may still go with the Blackout, but the SOCOM ain't a bad cartridge!
Aaron
