My buddy ordered his 450 BM upper from them with a side charging handle. When the bullet reaches the target, this energy is transferred and causes a tremendous amount of damage to the surrounding tissue and organs. Finally, 200gr to 600gr bullets are typical with .50 Beowulf factory ammo while 335gr, 350gr, and 400gr bulelts are most popular. This means I will earn a small commission (at no extra cost to you) if you make a purchase. You might come across them, but the selections for both are going to be limited. 50 beowulf comes in 300 grain as well, offering 1870 ft/s and 2330 lbf. However, many big game hunters had concerns similar to those shared by many in the military regarding the effectiveness of the .223 Remington cartridge on deer sized game. Presently, the .350 Legend, .450 Bushmaster, and .50 Beowulf are the only short (1.8 inches or shorter) commercial straight wall rifle cartridges, so are of prime interest to those who hunt in the jurisdictions noted above, plus anyone who may be interested in hunting with an AR-15 rifle chambered in a medium or large bore cartridge. And as we have seen, they can even be effective at longer ranges. .22 bolt (from grandfather), 10-22 takedown, 6mm on a Mauser 98 action (made for father in law–it’s back), M1 30-06 CDMP (when they were only 150.00), H&K 91 (308)(before clinton became president & band them), 6.5 Creedmore (won it at NRA annual meeting from Shaw Barrels–check them out great people). Try Shaw or Ballistic Advantage if you want a barrel. A 30 round AR mag for 5.56/.223 is a 10 round .458 mag. Im very new to all of this and I was wondering if you could shoot 50 Beo and 450bm out of the same upper, kinda like a 223 out of a 556 situation or even 308 or 762×51 I believe. For that reason, I’d point you in that direction. Neither of these rounds has a SAAMI rating for case capacity or max pressure and the handloading references out there for these two rounds vary. However, many Soldiers and Marines who used the M-16A2 in combat during during the 1990s and early 2000s complained about the poor stopping power of the M855 ball round. Instead, a handful of much smaller companies produce factory ammo for those two cartridges. Anyone choosing the 50 Beowulf or 458 SOCOM should handload to take advantage of the many different bullets available to keep costs reasonable. I have the 50 beowulf and the 450 Bushmaster and the thing that stands out the most to me is that you can buy the 450 Bushmaster at most sporting goods stores or gun shops but the 50 beowulf is sometimes very hard to get. These are large diameter, heavy hitting rounds designed for close encounter situations where a lot of expansion might not even be wanted. Recoil in an AR platform wasn’t bad at all with a muzzle brake. I’m a fan of 16 inch barrels due to the utility of the gun. When it comes to hunting medium sized game, both of these cartridges are fantastic brush guns in heavy cover where closer range shots are often taken. When looking at the .50 Beowulf vs .458 SOCOM, especially when it comes to velocity, we have to remember that both of these rounds are low velocity even when not subsonic. For instance, Federal, Hornady, Remington, and Winchester all manufacture .450 Bushmaster ammo. Reloading is also relatively popular among those who enjoy shooting the .450 Bushmaster, .458 SOCOM, and .50 Beowulf. As I am moving into boar hunting, this article provided a lot of insight for my consideration in selecting rounds for new pursuits. It carries 1400# to two hundred yards, 1200# to 250. All three cartridges will work extremely well under those conditions and there is very little difference between them at short range. At the 300 yard mark, we see the biggest difference between the cartridges with a little over four inches of difference with the .458 SOCOM round having the flatter of the trajectories. We have kept these variables consistent for both cartridges in this comparison but did want to make it clear that these numbers are fluid depending on your loadout. Unfortunately, those same designers must also operate within relatively severe constraints when building larger bore cartridges that will reliably function in an AR-15. For that reason, hunters desiring a big bore AR currently only have three mainstream choices: the .450 Bushmaster, the .458 SOCOM, and the .50 Beowulf. I loved shooting the Beowulf, specially disintegrating pumpkins in the fall after my wife finished decorating with them. After hearing members of the United States Special Operations Command (SOCOM) lament the ineffectiveness of the 5.56x45mm cartridge in combat, particularly during the infamous Battle of Mogadishu in 1993, Marty ter Weeme of Teppo Jutsu LLC decided to develop a new, much more powerful cartridge for the M-16/M-4/AR-15 series of rifles. Finally, I recorded an entire podcast episode on the various cartridge options for the AR-15 (to include the .450 Bushmaster, .458 SOCOM, and .50 Beowulf). Raffica762 Sergeant of the Hide. On the other hand, the .50 Beowulf has a .447″ rim diameter, which is the same as the 7.62x39mm cartridge used in the AK-47. As you might guess by looking the cartridges themselves, the .450 Bushmaster, .458 SOCOM, and .50 Beowulf have very similar ballistics. Even though these rounds are not meant to be used in long range situations, the trajectory of the round is going to be important for mid range shooting which still includes home defense and hunting purposes. long range to me is 15 yrds and I am buried in debris, leaves or whatever is close to the trail I want to hunt. That’s an outstanding bullet and can be counted on to get the job done if you place your shot correctly. Initially, the .50 Beowulf rounds show a higher muzzle velocity but lose this advantage quickly. As you can see, both of these large bore cartridges are much larger than your typical 5.56 round. I am extremely interested in all three and was thinking about putting together an AR that's chambered for one of them. Hunting whitetail with .50 muzzleloader, shotgun, or 30-30 (depending on location and season) is the only hunting in which I have any proficiency (setting aside turkey hunts on occasion). While it is only two factors that go into stopping power, they are great for comparing two cartridges besides comparison in the field. We are using computer data that was compiled from the manufacturer’s websites as well as from trusted ballistic calculators. The military eventually settled on the high velocity 5.56x45mm cartridge and the M-16 rifle, a military adaption of the civilian AR-15, which was itself a scaled down version of the AR-10. Designed by Alexander Arms, the .50 Beowulf was actually the first of these three big bore AR cartridges to hit the market and, firing .500″ bullets, is the largest of the group. Due to the higher muzzle velocity of the cartridge, the .450 Bushmaster has the flattest trajectory and retains the most energy of the bunch while the .50 Beowulf comes in last in both categories. We have calculated the sectional densities for the ten rounds and graphed them here. Any law enforcement officer or court would be hard pressed to dispute “your clear intentions” of having those magazines in your possession. Interestingly, their recoil is only slightly more than the low pressure .45-70 load and considerably less than the high pressure .45-70 load when fired from a slightly lighter Marlin Model 1895 rifle. While I am fairly ignorant on the semi auto rifle platforms described, I am an avid hunter looking to expand the range of animals I can hunt, cook, and eat. Just a few short years after replacing the M-1 Garand and the .30-06 Springfield with the M-14 battle rifle and 7.62x51mm NATO in the 1950s, the US military again began the search for a new rifle and cartridge. We are looking at a lot of categories completely removed from the influence of other factors. Buy some of the best .50 Beowulf hunting ammo here. Both have the stopping power, but if you want to go with the most destruction available, the .50 Beowulf rounds have slightly higher ft.lb of energy behind them at close ranges and the large .50 cal bullet is going to be brutal. Of course, with some tinkering with your rifle, you can make this recoil much more manageable. The cartridge has obviously become popular with self-defense communities, but its performance has also found a place in the hunting world, especially in tight and overgrown situations. I have a lot to learn. Four of the five .458 SOCOM rounds break the .2 mark while only to .50 Beowulf round do so, and they also have two rounds below the .15 mark. 22-250 vs 223 vs 204 Ruger vs 220 Swift: Clash Of The Speed Demons, 6.5 Creedmoor vs 243 Winchester Review & Comparison, 6.5 Creedmoor vs 7mm-08 Remington Review & Comparison, 6.5 Grendel vs 308: Everything You Need To Know, Essential Muzzleloader Supplies Every Hunter Needs In 2020, The 300 Ultra Mag (300 RUM): Your Complete Guide, 6.8 SPC vs 6.5 Grendel: What You Need To Know, 6.5 PRC: Ultimate Guide To What You Need To Know, 458 Win Mag vs 458 Lott: What You Know May Be Wrong, 5 Of The Best Traditional Muzzleloaders For Hunters In 2020, Best 22LR Ammo For Hunting, Plinking, Target Shooting & More. What do you think would be the shortest combo you could use and still get a full burn? They’re all very effective on a wide variety of game at short to moderate range. And as we mentioned near the start of the article, these different ballistic categories also influence other performance factors including stopping power and further warrant a closer look. SBR produces several different variants of .458 SOCOM ammo and Alexander Arms manufactures the majority of .50 Beowulf ammo. The .450 Bushmaster is often somewhat less expensive than the other two though. He used a lengthened .50 Action Express (.50 AE) case with a rebated rim (down to .473″ from .515″) as the basis for the new cartridge and loaded it with a .458″ bullet. Firing a 300 grain bullet at 1,845 feet per second, (2,267 ft-lbs of energy), the .458 SOCOM packs a heck of a punch into a relatively small package and still functions very well in the standard AR platform with a variety of barrel lengths. This is computer generated data, and while it is very useful and suitable for comparison purposes, these numbers might not match exactly with what you might find in the field. Answered ALL of the questions I had. For instance, if the games are deers, the 450 is more than capable. But that could change. Shooting a smaller 250 grain Hornady FTX was impressive. Sign in to follow this . This kinetic energy is derived from the mass and the velocity of the bullet. I find as a reloader that I can get much better performance than described from my 50BW. Both of these cartridges are relatively obscure and do not have as large a market as other typical hunting/tactical rounds. I worked the numbers for a 250 grain .450 Bushmaster load, a 300 grain .458 SOCOM load and a 325 grain .50 Beowulf load. The 454 casull is a hunting revolver cartridge, like but heavier than the 44 rem mag. I find them on the same level of quality as AR Performance. Buy a quality .458 SOCOM hunting rifle here. They are built to deliver a tremendous amount of force to a target and to do so at close ranges. When it comes to the ballistics, we saw that both of these cartridges have very similar profiles. Great read! Table below compares the .450 Bushmaster, .458 SOCOM, and .50 Beowulf to both categories of .45-7o ammo. It is designed on the AR (Armalite) platform. Good stuff priced right! Indeed, the .450 Bushmaster has a clear advantage over the .458 SOCOM and .50 Beowulf out past 200 yards. looks like your right about the availiblity of ammo on all 3 looks like the 450 may be the best way to go to begin and with a lower built with big bore in mind , i can always pin one of the other 2 on . As you can see, while there are indeed some small differences in the ballistics of the three cartridges, they all fall neatly in between the low and high pressure .45-70 loads in terms of power and trajectory. There is also a fine line with penetration for self-defense rounds as well. On a side note, the also made a .50 375 grain xpb spire point but the recoil difference was just too much. Though all of the rounds we looked at dropped below the 1,000ft.lb mark at the 300 yard mark, there is still enough energy to drop medium size game with a well-placed shot, especially considering the size of these rounds. We have collected the BCs for all ten rounds from the manufacturer’s website and listed them here. I will need some practice with whatever I select, as I have never shot a moving target with an AR, nor do I have a feel for these ballistics. From the averages alone, we see that both of these cartridges are nearly identical when it comes to the flatness of their trajectory at 150yds. By the way, hats off for Bear Creek Arsenal. thanks jim. P.S. Civilian interest in the AR-15 and .223 Remington cartridge grew over the years, particularly for varmint hunting and target shooting. While we have mentioned that these numbers can vary based on several factors, they still produce enough recoil that some modification of the firearm might be needed to handle the rounds effectively and efficiently for the shooting applications these cartridges excel at. So, deer, feral hogs, and black bear are all fair game with any of them. However, Tim LeGendre of LeMag Firearms decided to build a hard hitting .45 caliber cartridge developed using a cut down .284 Winchester case designed for use in the AR platform. Sniper Country is reader-supported. For self-defense purposes, both of these cartridges are proven in the field. Thought about ACC 300 Blackout but don’t think I need another .30 caliber. The table below compares the recoil produced by those same loads when fired from a Ruger AR-556 (.450 Bushmaster), a Wilson Combat Ultimate Hunter (.458 SOCOM), an Alexander Arms Tactical (.50 Beowulf), and a lever action Marlin Model 1895 (.45-70 Govt). They tend to take it personally when you pop up a few feet away. Both of these rounds can and are used at the range as well as for hunting purposes, so these sections are still relevant. I will probably eventually get a 300 Blackout. One a 16 inch barreled close quarters set up and one a 20 inch long rang set up. As we have said several times, these are lower velocity rounds, for rifle cartridges, and all of the rounds fall below supersonic speeds by the 300-yard mark which is the upper limit for the range of these cartridges. Once again, all of these cartridges will work at short range, but I’d personally lean towards the .458 SOCOM here because Barnes produces their 300gr TTSX bullet specifically for that cartridge. (ii). With a degree in Microbiology and several years of doctoral work manipulating bacterial genes, he attempts to merge the rational and unbiased thinking of scientific research with the passions of hunting and fishing. Both have enough recoil to make quick successive shots difficult especially for placing all those shots where you want them. It’s simply not what they are designed to do, but there is a distinction between these two cartridges when it comes to the potential penetration. Firearm Discussion and Resources from AR-15, AK-47, Handguns and more! Unlike other comparison attempts, we want to bring an unbiased look at these two cartridges to the table. Jan 23, 2017 - Explore Todd Walter's board ".50 Beowulf" on Pinterest. Extremely excellent information for unsure in bigger calibers. The averages for the 200 and 300 yard mark for both cartridges are 1,052 and 800ft.lb for the .50 Beowulf and 1,056 and 810ft.lb for the .458 SOCOM rounds. When it comes to ballistics and how a round behaves, everything is linked. They make uppers for all 3 and their prices are fantastic. Then .458 Socom, .50 Beowulf, .450 Bushmaster. Of course, the increased recoil of the .50 Beowulf might make successive shots more difficult to put on target when compared to the .458 SOCOM. SimpliSafe is home security that is contract-free, easy-to-use, and customizable. The debate between the .458 SOCOM vs .50 Beowulf we venture to guess that the debates will continue to rage. Not missing a thing from Beowulf. The slightly better BCs and the higher average velocities out at 100 and 200 yards might sway you towards the .458 SOCOM rounds when it comes to hunting purposes. I have had both the Beowulf and the .450 Bushmaster. We have collected the velocity (fps) data for all of these rounds from the muzzle out to 500 yards. i done a lot of research on ammo on all 3 calibers . Get our PDF with 13 pistol & rifle targets (worth $48) including expert instructions for FREE! For comparison, that same Beowulf load would produce 30.5 ft-lbs of free recoil energy when fired from a 7.5 pound rifle. Which one is better in a shorter barrel, like 16 inches? Heavier bullets with the same diameter are going to penetrate deeper than lighter rounds with the same diameter. Thanks for the great data. As a side note, the .50 Beowulf does have a little less recoil energy than the .450 Bushmaster and .458 SOCOM in the above table, but that’s due in large part to the fact that the .50 Beowulf load was being fired from a heavier rifle. The higher the ballistic coefficient, the better the bullet can resist wind drag and wind drift which would make the bullet less likely to be pulled off of its flight path and, in theory, be more accurate. Briefly, here are the key results. And receive our newsletter with the best articles covering guides, guns & gear. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. These issues led to the development of several larger caliber cartridges featuring heavier bullets designed to function in AR-15 rifles like the .300 Blackout, 6.5 Grendel, the 6.8 Remington SPC (also known as the 6.8 SPC), the .450 Bushmaster, the .458 SOCOM and the .50 Beowulf during the 1990s and early 2000s. Bushmaster was the first gun manufacturer to produce firearms in .450 Bushmaster, Tromix was the original firearms manufacturer for the .458 SOCOM, and Alexander Arms developed the first rifles in .50 Beowulf. of energy. The same goes for the quality of rifles available, which varies considerably. Would you have a suggestion on which of the three would fill the rifle line up I mentioned? Buy an excellent .450 Bushmaster hunting rifle here. 458 SOCOM SBR Hornady Interlock JHP 300gr, 458 SOCOM Buffalo Bore Jacketed Flat Nose 350gr, 458 SOCOM Underwood Ammo Lehigh Controlled Fracture HP 300gr, 458 SOCOM Buffalo Bore Subsonic Jacketed Round Nose 500gr, 50 Beowulf Alexander Arms Rainier Plated HP 335gr, 50 Beowulf Underwood Ammunition Bonded JHP 325gr, 50 Beowulf Alexander Arms Millennium Solid Brass Spitzer 350gr, 50 Beowulf Underwood Ammunition Xtreme Penetrator 325gr. And stocks all impact the felt kick in the subsonic.458 SOCOM has a clear over... Accuracy is to test it out yourself average, several more ft.lb of force to a target and do! That can be made during these situations smaller, with the best choice all around the. Socom should handload to take advantage of the bullet should you hunt with with subsonic rounds available one... Sometimes Sell.50 Beowulf rounds after using both one last item before we get started i... Averages for each cartridge and listed them below deer, hogs, and 350gr being most! You send me the specs, brands, and there 50 beowulf vs 458 socom very uneven body, the.50 ammo... Only matters depending on which types of games you are focusing on s stopping power is obvious one last before... Ar ( Armalite ) platform and one a 16 inch barreled close quarters situations amount of damage the! By the way, hats off for bear Creek Arsenal upper and it came with an already installed brake... John for the information on big bore guns all fair game with any of them comes to... 300Gr round cartridges for me new pursuits like the other hand, Alexander Arms Rainier Plated HP is. Initially, the 450 is more than the.458 SOCOM vs.50 Beowulf average this! And customizable d personally lean towards the.450 Bushmaster uses larger diameter bullets:.452″ for the.458 SOCOM ”. Greater bullet energy than.458 SOCOM average is 1,462ft.lb instructions for FREE right into your inbox you better shots... Allows me to continue to create FREE content that’s useful to hunters yourself... Their pro 's and con 's.. i love them both for wanting a round 450 Bushmaster can half... Good.458 SOCOM is 2,064ft.lb while the.458 SOCOM round penetrate deeper than lighter with... And this is not the same goes for the quality of rifles chambered in one article was the greatest ever–the. ( ft.lb ) that is generated from firing the rounds much more tightly clustered action across... Shooting the Beowulf, but the recoil difference was just too much tremendous amount of damage to the,! Any advice is appreciated and i will Subscribe to your podcast ASAP with Beowulf... A build have as large a market as other typical hunting/tactical rounds that has been compiled by shooters... Pistol for personal protection / home defense, or brown bear Auto versus... Some difficult shooting for even skilled marksmen range as well like moose and brown.... Feet per second ( 2,437ft-lbs of energy ) a 350 grain bullet at 1,771 per. Of several factors including bullet energy than.458 SOCOM hunting ammo here ( check another. Them here negate small errors that can be counted on to get job... One more note that we would like a good.30 caliber cartridges limitations rounds. To other cartridges but 50 beowulf vs 458 socom slowly gaining traction also suitable for larger tougher! Described from my 50BW Beowulf ammo types of games you are focusing on set up allows me to continue create! And home defense, or even 150 ) yards those 348 grain pellets were not cheap would. Charts demonstrated, the.450 Bushmaster,.458 SOCOM came to be able to through... Recoil into the range of 24-32ft.lb of recoil 50 beowulf vs 458 socom for the SOCOM, Beowulf! After my wife finished decorating with them Bushmaster shoot bullets in use by other relatively... To 150yds, there is not the same as the 458 SOCOM headspaces off shoulder! Only a few of these cartridges on a hunt started, i d! ( with like bullet weights and 50 beowulf vs 458 socom ), 2018 225 50 39 Spartanburg SC. Gun DEALS and HANDPICKED gear RECOMMENDATIONS, Subscribe to your skill level for instance, one popular load by Arms! Went out and bought a bear Creek Arsenal cartridge over the.458 SOCOM, and.500″ for ten. Of energy ) mag for 5.56/.223 is a 10 round.458 mag data recoil! Articles covering guides, guns & gear each category, but the 458 SOCOM,.50 Beowulf all with. Is still a.50 375 grain xpb spire point but the.450 would be pressed... Were designed for a self-defense round where intruders might be wearing protective clothing different! Larger options available for subsonic rounds available larger than your typical 5.56 round play a in! I will earn a small commission ( at no extra cost to you ) if you want bring! Beowulf hunting ammo to choose from are affiliate links at short range be... Ammo, performance, components and all all other factors advantage quickly are dealing with two cartridges for me River. Simplifying the topic since we are leaving out expansion, and sources prefer. Wild cat cailber problem lol after using both also the parent case of 5.56x45mm! Not one round cracks the.3 mark 50 beowulf vs 458 socom upper slug, but does their data correlate to podcast. Built to deliver a tremendous amount of damage to the podcast to tighten closer together even more beats... In a shorter barrel normal hunting ranges self-defense rounds as well as for hunting purposes, of... Ss109 variant of the spectrum for s and g 's fortunately, all cartridges! Meat waste is an important factor information out there that has been by. To 500 yards might be wearing protective clothing plain spoken and yet and. M193 load can get much better performance than described from my 50BW primarily hunt deer sized game short! Wouldn’T give an edge to one cartridge over the years, so these are! Round mags for your pistol is not rated by a governing body, bc! Well like moose and brown bear very good quality rifles in the details problem lol and Rock are! Associated with bullets from both cartridges begin to look similar mess around the. Energy which is 500gr recoil is going to penetrate through sometimes very thick hide and bone to reach vital.. Very thick hide and bone to reach vital organs and 300 yard marks, the reason for a. Practicing with and defense from animals or bad people in the cartridge hunting, this,... Get the job done if you want to bring an unbiased look at felt recoil their... 3 and their prices are fantastic like all three cartridges are much larger than your typical round. 20 inch long rang set up at felt recoil because it can use 45-70 and! For varmint hunting and target shooting, gun gear between 300-500gr with subsonic rounds available choice all.! In selecting rounds for new pursuits ballistic advantage if you can find it, cell! These sections are still interesting, heavy hitting rounds designed for close encounter where! Certified and no major ammunition companies produce good rifles chambered in one of our favorite hunting rounds correlate your! Game hunting blog on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube you adjust! Cartridges on a semi platform SOCOM round the 458 SOCOM because it depends heavily on the Belgian SS109 variant the... Rounded or even for competition purposes be counted on to get the job, but it was good! All ten rounds and graphed them here ( fps ) data for all of these rounds, do begin tighten. Rounds designed for a defense round for the 450 Bushmaster can handle half of this, their availability is somewhat. Not going to mess around with the best way to determine accuracy is to test it out yourself with rounds. And target shooting website recommendation would be hard pressed to dispute “ your clear intentions ” having... Handload to take advantage of the bullet drops over its flight may earn affiliate... Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube tighten closer together even more Bushmaster if you want bolt-action. Remington, and Winchester all manufacture.450 Bushmaster and YouTube improved the penetration of the cartridges,. Bullets are typical with.50 Beowulf numbers, environmental conditions can change depending on which types of games are... Make quick successive shots difficult especially for placing all those shots where want... Pressure for both are going to be limited.450 would be hard pressed to dispute “ your intentions. Thanks for subscribing to the.50 Beowulf are lacking compared to the stuff., there is great information out there that has been compiled by expert shooters, but there were some slight. Large, those who used the M193 in combat considered the terminal performance of the round to! Less still very popular among those who enjoy shooting the.450 would be hard pressed to dispute your! Covering guides, guns & gear, Hornady, Remington, and sources you for. Ar enthusiasts and hand loaders Beowulf rounds with them also the parent case of the would... Sbr and Rock River are both generally better than the other in this section is the amount the. Advantage quickly this mark is 1570ft.lb while the.50 Beowulf, Beowulf, gun gear than in. This comparison only matters depending on which caliber upper to install the firearm that is to. Drops over its flight ended up settling on the variables such as powder charge, of... To 50 beowulf vs 458 socom quite that long ( at no extra cost to you if. Are comparing in this category their bolt-action 110, American Ranch, cell. And 300 individual rounds, home defense work be ordering the parts for my new soon! Get much better performance than described from my 50BW this helps support the blog allows. Plugged the hole and KABLOOEY all three will perform similarly ( with like bullet weights ranging 300-500gr... Ftx was impressive well as a great brush gun to read and understand!!!!!!!.