.458 socom

[blarby]

GOT MY UPPER TODAY !

So the big bore rifle debate for me is over.

Now, to work.

I need your help if you reload this caliber.

Im most interested in cast lead.

What moulds/bullets do you use ?

What powders ?

Special tricks ?

Im putty in your hand with one exception... im not going to that other casting site !

Im SO STOKED !!!!

 

[jmorris]

"Magnum" pistol powders and large pistol primers are what you want.

Do you want supersonic loads or heavy bullet subsonic loads?

 

[blarby]

Supersonic all the way.

I have no intention of supressing this. I want it for all of the other reasons this combination exists.

I've been rather depressed at the availability of components.....

About all I can find are lee dies, and they've gotten some rEaLlY bad reviews. Normally I take that in stride, as I'm a lee guy- but the details i'm getting from other lee users are very depressing.

Can anyone verify the truth of the lee dies/ 458 issue ? I swore i'd never buy another lee rifle die set, but any functioning port in a storm....

Ideally I would like to cast pile drivers, but even the moulds and sizing dies I would need for my saeco are backordered into the friggin stoneage.

But hey, at least I got the upper ! * clubs deer with it*

 

[horsemen61]

I'd love pics

 

[aklaunch]

I am curious what type of muzzle brake you have on that honker?

Additionally why do you want to foul your bore up with lead?

 

[jmorris]

I have used Lee dies for years and they work fine.

I shoot mainly 405's and 500's, using the Remington jsp's and my cast 500 grain Hi-TEK coated bullets from a Lee mold.

I have used powders from HS-6 to H-110.

Set a notice at Midway and they will send you an email when it gets in. They carry brass, dies, bullets and molds that will work.

 

[MichaelK]

I just got my 450 Bushmaster upper, so I'm in the same boat as you, though I'm in the .452" section instead of the .458" section.

I'd suggest Lyman's 330 grain hollow point. Note though that it's a flat-base bullet without a gas-check.

For my rifle, I just ordered Lee's 300 grain flat-nose. It's supposed to have a gas-check, but what I want to do is make a hybrid swage-cast hollowpoint. I'll cast and lube it first, then swage in the hollowpoint. Swaging should convert it into a flat-base.

BTW, cast bullet posts over at www.450bushmaster.com seem to indicate that ported AR barrels do not like gas-checks (or cast in particular) because the bullet base is getting deformed as it passes over the gas port.

Good luck!

 

[MCMXI]

About all I can find are lee dies, and they've gotten some rEaLlY bad reviews. Normally I take that in stride, as I'm a lee guy- but the details i'm getting from other lee users are very depressing.

You could buy Lee or Hornady dies from Amazon. I bought Hornady dies for my .450 Bushmaster and I'm pleased with them. Hornady's .450 BM set has four dies including a taper crimp die.

These are in stock. (Added in edit: Sorry, the Hornaday dies aren't in stock.)

http://www.amazon.com/Lee-Precision...id=1394235500&sr=8-1&keywords=.458+socom+dies

http://www.amazon.com/Hornady-458-S...id=1394235539&sr=8-2&keywords=.458+socom+dies

I just got my 450 Bushmaster upper, so I'm in the same boat as you

I got one recently too.

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=742199

I shot a few rounds of the Remington 260gr AccuTip load with good results and ordered 100 rounds of the Hornady 250gr FTX load from Midway this afternoon. I plan to reload for it but wanted the Hornady stuff to see how the accuracy compares to Remington. I also have some Barnes 270gr XPB bullets on the way to try.

 

[jmorris]

If bullets under 250 grains are what you want to shoot that would be good reason to sell the 458 and buy a 450. .452 projectiles generally cost less and are more plentiful than .458.

 

[bldsmith]

2 great references for loading info, Teppo Jutsu website and 458socomfroum.com.

My favorite load is using h110 and the 300gn barns ttsx. Very accurate and boy those petals in the ttsx are devastating. Barnes is the only company that has published any 458 socom data. Hope fully about June SAAMI will recognize the socom as a mainstream caliber. Then things will start to loosen up.

Good luck and welcome to the big bore obsession.

 

[blarby]

I'd love pics

Ask and ye.......

 

[redneck2]

I had a .458. Sold it, so I don't remember the loads exactly. Most all recommendations were H-110/WW-296. If you're going with 500 grain bullets, whatever the fastest IMR powder is also worked.

I've got some stuff printed off. PM your address and I'll mail whatever I have. I'm not gonna need it

You will be surprised at the nominal recoil for such a hard hitting rifle.

 

[blarby]

2 great references for loading info, Teppo Jutsu website

That is good info right there !

Just dl'd all of their reloading specs- and they have quite a few.

seem to indicate that ported AR barrels do not like gas-checks (or cast in particular)

I was wondering about this one, too.

Thankfully the obturation should be all about done by the time it hits the port- but with a GC you aren't going to be seeing much bump up anyway. My biggest fear would be shaving into the port, wouldnt take long to plug it.

Thankfully I had a chance to try some cast in a much smaller diameter in the upper to the left, and didn't have too much/any issue with it.

I could see crappy bullets turning this into a nightmare, and I certainly wouldn't be firing any jacketed after cast in the same session....that port would get stuck in a shot or two, I reckon.

 

[blarby]

Ok, so $160 later, 40 factory rounds are inbound.

At least I'll have some brass to work with.

This die choice needs to happen soon, as $4 a pop for shipping from halfway across the continent is an epitomic statement of why reloading is so important.

 

[horsemen61]

Gotta love the fact that you can roll your own for Much cheaper and 4 dollars a pop ouch

 

[blarby]

4 dollars a pop ouch

Capital OUCH on that one.

 

[MCMXI]

so $160 later, 40 factory rounds are inbound.

Yikes! I thought $1.58/round was pricey for the 100 rounds of Hornady .450 BM 250gr FTX that I ordered yesterday.

 

[blarby]

Ok, so the Hornady dies are inbound....

 

[MCMXI]

The Hornady dies work great for my .450 BM but I was wondering if the 458 SOCOM crowd is using Lee's .45-70 Govt factory crimp die or other .45-70 crimp dies. The .450 BM set from Hornady has four dies including a taper crimp die. I assume that the 458 SOCOM headspaces off the shoulder unlike the .450 BM that headspaces off the case mouth. I can't use a roll crimp die for that reason.

 

[jmorris]

I don't crimp my 458 socom loads.

 

[blarby]

If the crimp die works the same as my other lee crimp dies, i'm not sure a 45-70 would work.

I wasn't planning on significant crimping, but it is something to consider.


I'm also continuing my research on cast lead. I wish there was someone here who has done it.

I know that I will end up doing it in any event, but someone who has stepped on a few of the landmines themselves would certainly help my confidence level.

I've never really considered a purchase for this long( may of last year ), and had it fall so suddenly in my lap- now that I have my red-dot on it, i'm suddenly worried about how to go about feeding it safely.

I will say this : Thats one heck of a feed ramp. It looks like it has been custom cut from a standard locking lug. They did an amazing job, im very satisfied with the workmanship...but it looks like you could parallel park a 57 chevy in there !

 

[jmorris]

I'm also continuing my research on cast lead. I wish there was someone here who has done it.

As I noted in #6 I cast for mine.

This is a photo of one of my 500g bullets next to a 240g 44, 150g 308 and 9mm round.

 

[blarby]

Ok, finally got to shoot it yesterday- and zero in my red dot.

The reputation for recoil on this upper is undeserved, in my opinion.

More than .223 ? / yes. Thats not difficult to do.

However, every single rifle I and my wife own hits the shoulder harder than this.

What I was not expecting was the surge forward from that bolt slamming home. Not bad, just not anticipated. Seems similar to a 1st generation high pressure air paintball gun, actually.

Shot very well with 250g /monoflex.

Now I have some brass to play with, and all of the rest of the components should be trickling in.

 

[jmorris]

I don't think they recoil bad at all compaired to many other centerfire rifles.

 

[horsemen61]

Hey jmorris what are you coating them bullets in?