Wilson Combat .458 SOCOM Rifle
Wilson Combat recently announced a reintroduction of the .458 SOCOM to the company’s rifle line. Currently, the company is offering several different models chambered for the cartridge. Here is a look at three of them:
- Rifle456 – This rifle has a 14.7″ barrel with a 1:22″ twist. It uses a mid-length gas system with a low profile block, and comes with the company’s TRIM rail. A Rogers Super-Stoc and single stage trigger are standard. Folding sights are included. The MSRP is $2,844.95.
- Rifle471 – According to Wilson Combat, this is the shortest possible AR for suppressed use that is not an NFA rifle. It has a 14.7″ barrel with a permanently attached Rapid Thread muzzle brake. Both the brake and the 14″ rail are designed to seamlessly work with the company’s Whisper suppressor. The MSRP is $2,605.00.
- Rifle394 – A version of the Recon Tactical, this rifle uses a 16″ stainless steel barrel with a 1:14″ twist. The bolt carrier group is NP3 coated and the upper and lower has a Mil-Spec hard coat anodized finish. Wilson Combat uses a four pound, single stage trigger and adjustable stock on this gun, plus also includes quick detach sights. The MSRP is $2,814.95.
Popular with many AR shooters, the .458 SOCOM is said to offer ballistics similar to the venerable .45-70 Govt cartridge while still using standard AR magazines. For example, Wilson Combat loads a round with the Barnes 300 grain TAC TX bullet to 1,800 fps. Some might call that a thumper. For comparison, Winchester’s .45-70 Super-X 300 grain HP is rated at 1,880 fps.
An advocate of gun proliferation zones, Richard is a long time shooter, former cop and internet entrepreneur. Among the many places he calls home is http://www.gunsholstersandgear.com/.
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now you need a revolver in 458 socom and you have the alaska package.
i am just dreaming, here in germany the government do not trust the people.
From reading up on thumpers, I'm seeing that 600 grains is the upper limit for the AR, not so much in pressure or recoil but just that performance deteriorates if you push above that. I had been set on Beowulf for a while because I figured you could get the heaviest-possible bullet out of the largest caliber, and thus get the most energy downrange under the sub-sonic velocity limit of suppressed fire. With performance peaking between both .450 and .50 at 600 grains, though, the .458 has better ballistics, if just slightly so. Other advantages are choice of bullets and the ability to use existing .45 caliber suppressors. So I'm glad that .458 is getting some attention again, because it's really cost-prohibitive as a toy until you're really fiending for yet another odd AR chambering. Now I'm hoping a company like Lee comes out with a 600-grain .458 mold the way they did a 230-grain .308, specifically designed for subsonic Blackout.