#458Socom

Welcome everyone to the 238th edition of ‘Hot Gat or Fudd Crap?’, one of our many series here on TFB. If you’re new to the series, this is where we look at the most obscure firearms that are actually for sale and ask the question – is this Gat a sweet deal or only have Fudd appeal?  Each week the TFB staff weighs in with their thoughts, but readers get the final say in the poll at the bottom of each article.

The .458 SOCOM is a member of the “thumper” family. The Thumper concept comes from the great Jeff Cooper. A larger caliber bullet out of a rifle-length barrel. When Bear Creek Arsenal offered up a review, obviously I was going to request it be one of their .458 SOCOMs. Bear Creek is known for making affordable options for the gun world. Having a more affordable price point does not change the review, just gives it a perspective. How well is it made, and of course does it perform? Is shooting a “thumper” enjoyable. Well, I can tell you upfront, it is a lot of fun. Let’s take a look at Bear Creeks 458 SOCOM upper.

Bear Creek Arsenal has released a guide to the Perfect Hunting Calibers and their associated game. Most of you are probably enjoying the fall weather with the lush green forests starting to turn to autumn colors and all manner of critters starting to prepare for the winter months. For us hunters this means dusting off our old reliable hunting rifles, shoring up our tree stands, and replacing the batteries in our game cameras. So what does Bear Creek say as far as what the perfect hunting calibers are for what game? Let’s find out!

Welcome everyone to the 45th edition of ‘Hot Gat or Fudd Crap?’, one of our many fantastic series here on TFB. If you’re new to the series, this is where we look at the most obscure firearms that are actually for sale and ask the question – is this Gat a sweet deal or does it only have Fudd appeal?  Each week the TFB staff weighs in with their thoughts, but readers get the final say in the poll at the bottom of each article.

With the hunting season underway, now is when hunters are on the lookout for the latest and greatest in hunting ammunition.  As the popularity of the AR-15 platform continues to grow it continues to see more widespread use in the hunting community. The 223 chamberings are effective for varmints but lack the sought after knockdown power.  The AR platform has seen a slew of new cartridge offerings, but none as storied as the .458 SOCOM.  

Tromix Lead Delivery Systems has published this photo on their Facebook page. The image was accompanied by the following caption: “Production parts for the new Tromix 458 SOCOM AK are coming along“.

Bishop Ammunition & Firearms has introduced a lever action rifle chambered in .458 SOCOM. The rifle is based on a Marlin 1895 GBL which was redesigned and re-barreled to be able to chamber arguably the most popular big bore AR-15 round. The company brought this rifle to the SHOT Show 2019 and they have just announced that it is now available for preorder.

Brownells has introduced big bore AR-15 barrels chambered in .458 SOCOM and .450 Bushmaster. The barrels for both caliber options come with the bolts and three-chamber muzzle brakes. Apparently these are custom profile barrels made by Faxon Firearms specifically for Brownells. In a recently published new products announcement video, Brownells’ employee Paul Levy says: “these are specific profiles that we requested from Faxon“. You can find that video embedded below.

Tromix Lead Delivery Systems, one of the pioneers of big bore AR-15 rifles and ammunition, has introduced a new linear muzzle brake for large caliber AR-15 rifles such as those chambered in .458 SOCOM, .450 Bushmaster and .375 SOCOM. This muzzle brake is a two-piece design. Its base part is the outer tube which attaches to the muzzle and the internal part is screwed into the tube. Such layout makes it easier to clean this muzzle device.

Ukrainian state-owned defense corporation Ukroboronprom has announced that Ukraine starts testing the new modular AR-15 style rifles called WAC-47. Earlier we have reported about this intention and now the testing of this firearm has started.

If you are in the market for building a .458 Socom rifle, there are not a lot of options out there for stripped upper receivers to do it yourself. You can purchase a good quality one from Aero Precision to the tune of $110 with a dust cover and forward assist. Aside from that, you are looking at getting a complete upper that can be found anywhere from $500 to $1,000+ depending on what you want.

Leveraging their proprietary POWERBOLT technology found on the CMMG MUTANT, CMMG is now offering a rifle chambered in 458 SOCOM. The CMMG MkW ANVIL, is an Ar-15 patterned rifle that features an adjustable gas system, and a mid sized receiver that falls in between the Ar-15 and the Ar-10 in regards to size. The POWERBOLT was initially used on the 7.62 x 39 CMMG MUTANT, and was  designed to accommodate the 7.62 x 39 cartridge. In the past companies would take a standard Ar-15 bolt and machine the bolt face to accept the 7.62 x 39 round. This process would leave very little metal on the bolt face, and the lugs would prematurely crack within several thousand rounds. A typical bolt should last around 10,000 rounds. The CMMG MkW ANVIL feeds from standard Ar-15 magazines, and comes in several configurations and price points.

At first glance I was a bit confused by this photo. The Lancer mags show us the rounds and they are huge. Since it appears to be single stack with ballistic tips I thought this was some bizzare pistol caliber round. Nope it is .458 SOCOM.

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:

Assuming you take his accent with a grain of salt, FPSRussia continues to entertain. Latest up is a .458 SOCOM AR, a round that continues to gain popularity as an intermediate-sized big-bore round. Equipped with Lehigh Defense rounds, the usual decimation of paint cans and other objects ensues.