Cheapest big bore to feed?

[wacki]

I'm thinking 458 Socom, 50 beowulf, 450 bushmaster and up.

What's the cheaperst big bore ammo you can get for all day range fun? Feeding the beast is often the biggest pain point.

I reload. I can reform brass. I'm ok with splitting this into two categories. Semi-auto and bolt action.

 

[R.W.Dale]

Anything that can shoot pistol cal bullets compared to rifle

 

[witchhunter]

Or lead projectiles.

 

[back40]

how about .45-70?

 

[R.W.Dale]

Or lead projectiles.

Even then commercial cast handgun bullets are much cheaper

 

[Geno]

What back40 said... a good .45-70 Gov't.

Geno

 

[R.W.Dale]

Cheapest to feed would easily go to the 460s&w mag TC encore carbine.

Simply because once you're tired of jarring your retina loose it's backwards compatible to 45lc which can be loaded darn near as cheaply as 45acp

 

[redneck2]

Cast your own if you can. Since you hand load, you can shoot for pennies per round. The caliber has no effect on your choice at that point

 

[js8588]

45-70

 

[TIMC]

I like the .50 Beowulf but it is one of those need to hand load for rounds. The 45/70 is what you need if you don't reload.

 

[56hawk]

Realistically if you are reloading it really isn't going to be that big of a difference. If you want a semi-auto, a pistol caliber will allow you to run cheap plated bullets. In a bolt or single shot shoot lead.

If you don't mind stepping down to 44 Magnum, Ruger has made some cool semi-autos in the past.

 

[RPRNY]

45 Colt, 44 Mag in a lever or single shot rifle would allow you immense fun, potential accuracy at 100 yards, light recoil and endless load options.

 

[barnbwt]

45ACP, duh

TCB

 

[WestKentucky]

Seems like your question is pointed heavily towards AR bigbores with which I have no experience. Your issue there with cheap rounds is that cheap means pistol cal, and pistol cal means that velocity is limited by bullet hardness or else it will detonate midair from centrifugal force. I would look heavily into milsurp projectiles available from pull down companies, and once you score on a matching profile to what you have in mind make a hefty purchase.

 

[wacki]

I'm willing to cast and swag. Finding brass is a different story. I can't make brass.

 

[MCMXI]

I have the following bore bore rifles:

Marlin 1894 in .45 Colt
Marlin 1895 in .45-70 Govt.
Bushmaster in .450 BM

The .45 Colt is easily the cheapest to feed. As Mr. Dale mentioned, you have so many options with that cartridge from 12,000 psi Trail Boss loads all the way up to 35,000 psi H110 loads. A lever action in .45 Colt is a superb carbine to own. I won't part with any of the three above, and to be honest, I can't pick a favorite ... they're all that good.

 

[Peregrine82]

450 Bushmaster

The 450 Bushmaster would be the cheapest to feed due to the fact that it uses the .452" pistol caliber rather then the .458" rifle chambering. If running at rifle velocities I would definitely use gas checked bullets if using hard cast though. That would bump up the price a bit. But you can also load cheaper jacketed bullets as well.

 

[tallpaul]

Ha- cheapest bigbore would be a flintlock 2 bore maybe or any flintlock .50 cal and over...