New Lead Slinger

A C Richards

A C Richards

Joined
Apr 14, 2006
Messages
3,816
I have been wanting a thumper for about a year now. This was the next on my short list. It is a .458 Socom RRA upper and S&W lower with a magpul stock and limbsaver pad. 600 bullets and 150 rds of brass. Ready for some new glass. Have to save up for that one.

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Just loaded the first work up.

25 rds each of 300gr hdy JHP and 325 gr FTX in a load ladder. .
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Man these are big projectiles The bullet alone is larger than a 9mm cartridge.

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R-L 9mm round, 325gr HDY FTX .458, 45 ACP round
 
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The 458 SOCOM with 300 gr matches the 300 factory loads in my 45-70. I use either Corbon DPX [Barnes] or Nosler. Just got a 300 lb red deer with the DPX .Great performance !! I'm stuck with single shots but rarely need more than one .This one was a rarety as it started to run just as I squeezed off.

That FTX photo , that looks like lipstick on the tip .Is it just for girls ??
 
Yup lipstick boolets. At least it isn't GREEN. The recoil is reported to be PUNISHING. It is about the same as a 12ga shooting 3" slugs. I have not shot it as of yet. Have to wait till Friday. Took me till yesterday to get the gold, er ammunition. Was sick all weekend.:barf:
 
My Browning 1885 is about 8 lbs with scope. Barrel has been shortened to 22" which reduced it to that weight. Anyway last deer I got with that gun I started to raise the rifle but the movement made him stop and look at me .I didn't dare move more so I shot with butt Under my shoulder .I held on tight and the recoil made the scope just touch my glasses !! I would never had used a load greater than factory ! Performance though is much better than people think , who have never used one. A Barnes bullet on a 300 lb red deer went through both shoulders smashing lots of bones on the way. That's at 100 yds. What does the SOCOM weigh ?
 
It weighs about 7.5 without the scope. So probably close to 8.5 with. Yea that 300 grain Barnes TTSX does a number. It performs well out to 200yds. I hope to keep it to within 100 though. I pulled the scope off my AR10 and mounted it on the SOCOM. So I will do some sight in and load work at the range on Friday. Will report how she does.
 
Then with about the same weight as my Browning the recoil will be mild . Not punishing at all !!
 
Mete, I think that is going to depend on the load. I will find out tomorrow though. At least with the 2 loads I am working up. Also I am not a speed nut. Moderate accurate loads are fine for me.
 
I'm talking about the Corbon DPX - 300 Barnes at 1900 fps. Remember that the 45-70 is very effective regardless of velocity.No need to go higher especially if the cartridge/rifle of the SOCOM has limits.When I saw the effect of the load on that 300 lb red deer ,a whitetail is not a big deal !!
 
I agree. Speed is not required. That 300gr bullet will do some very heavy damage and the TTSX will expand down to 1000fps. I have read that it is recommended to aim for just behind the shoulder. This way there will be minimal meat damage. The only thing i was thinking about is there is probably a sharper impulse with the SOCOM loads. It has only 16" to get up to the 1900fps rather than the 20 or 22" on a typical 45-70. So the recoil will be a bit more. Just speculating here. I will find out shortly.
 
Interesting round. I like it, but, I like some more velocity for the range advantage. I run a couple 223s, a 6mm Remington, a 308 and a 338 Win Mag. My brother in law has a brand new "used" 416 Ruger in his sporting goods shop, I keep thinking about getting. Cranks out a 350 grain bullet at 2400+fps. Guy bought it and fired it 3 times and traded it back in. My 338 lets you know you fired it. I might not want that 416 much more that the first owner. LOL
 
I have a .223, .308 and .338wm for distance shooting. But still I would not take a shot over 300yds unless I had practiced a lot for it. I normally don't shoot over 200yds anyway. I picked up this gun for hogs under 150. I know I can take anything I need or want out to 175 and 200 if I really want to. The big heavy bullets a good for brush busting if I have to. So this gun fills the niche.

I did go to the range this am. I was very happy with the general performance of the SOCOM. It fired flawlessly. I did not find a load that grouped well enough to talk about. I was actually surprised at the recoil. It was not any worse than my .308. Actually pleasant to shoot. Now this was with the 300gn and 325gn bullets. If I go up to the 405 or higher it might change. Over all a nice day slinging lead.
 
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The recoil should not be as bad as a shotgun shooting slugs, let alone 3 inchers.

I think you will be surprised how much felt recoil that action and inline barrel soaks up.

I would bet a cold tasty beverage (if we ever meet up), that it won't be any worse than a .30-06 bolt gun, and might even be better than that.


I remember, a while a go, we were shooting a 45-70. The owner was a tiny old man. He had taken the recoil pad off his rifle (because his brother called it a sissy pad). We were shooting factory loads (which for 45-70 are pretty mild). The old timer got out the Buffalo Bore ammo and we shot a bunch. It really kicked like a mule (with a steel but plate).

The old man, weighing 85 lbs insisted on shooting the Buffalo Bore ammo, sitting down (against my and his kid's advice). I caught him before he went flat on his back (still in the chair).
For a guy my size, standing up, they were like a punch in the shoulder. The old man could not use his right arm for about a week.
 
Much of recoil problems arise from not having good firm pressure against the shoulder. The gun getting a running start and bouncing off your shoulder can cause some serious pain. I was basing my assessment of the expected recoil on what I was reading. Well I guess my idea of heavy recoil is much different from theirs. I had a Mossberg 835 ultra mag. One of the first 3 1/2" 12ga pumps. I took some 3 1/2" magnum turkey loads with an extra full choke out to pattern. That was a pretty hard wack, even more than the 00 buck and slugs we used in the Navy. That is what I was expecting. Not the nice impulse I experienced. It was not even a sharp recoil but a push. I saw a guy on Youtube whacking himself in the nose with the Socom. He must have not had a good purchase on the gun. Also the .458 is known as a scope killer. Several owners have gone through 3-4 different optics after tearing them apart. Though I have yet to see a Leupold or other high end scope take a dive. I really like this platform. Once I find a load my rifle likes and final glass all will be well.
 
With shotguns you get all the recoil right up front. With most rifles you spread it out over a slightly longer period of time, it's hard to perceive the time difference but it's pretty easy to feel. I shot one of the very early 50 Beowulf's in a lightweight carbine setup and did 10 rounds over a couple minutes. Punishing, bruising, but with a recoil pad rather than the bare (and sharply checkered) plastic it would have been reasonable. One of these days I'll buy or build a big bore upper. Probably a 458 like yours, just makes the most sense as a reloader.
Nice new hog gun, that's for sure. Good hunting.
 
Yea this is turning into a great platform. Took it back out to the range shot 50yds again with great results.
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5=5shot strings. Since the PEPR is now working properly it tightened things up. These were 325gn HDY FTX bullets on top of h110 and lil-gun. The lower right hole is the first cold shot of the string. I cleaned and allowed the rifle to cool between strings. 300gn JHP did not shoot as well. But then the 325's will do everything the JHP's can.

The recoil is actually moderate. Almost mild. Once I get the JHP's dialed in it will be great. I think you would love it.
 
The gun show was in town this weekend and I happened to see some .458 SOCOM ammo. Very impressive.
 
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