.458 socom?

The #1 community for Gun Owners in Indiana

Member Benefits:

  • Fewer Ads!
  • Discuss all aspects of firearm ownership
  • Discuss anti-gun legislation
  • Buy, sell, and trade in the classified section
  • Chat with Local gun shops, ranges, trainers & other businesses
  • Discover free outdoor shooting areas
  • View up to date on firearm-related events
  • Share photos & video with other members
  • ...and so much more!
  • cg21

    Master
    Rating - 100%
    25   0   0
    May 5, 2012
    4,549
    113
    First off I see it is a legal cartridge in Indiana .. it is legal on public land correct? Also how is it as far as whitetail hunting ?

    Really wanted a .300 blackout but a trade came along for this one and I don’t want to miss out on a good deer rifle.
     

    d.kaufman

    Still Here
    Staff member
    Moderator
    Site Supporter
    Rating - 100%
    128   0   0
    Mar 9, 2013
    14,721
    149
    Hobart
    458 socom is legal on public land in rifle platform. Just google indiana deer legal calibers or grab a hunting fishing guide from a local Wal-Mart. 458 socom was temporarily disallowed last year but changed it back right before rifle season. 458 will drop the deer in their tracks
     

    d.kaufman

    Still Here
    Staff member
    Moderator
    Site Supporter
    Rating - 100%
    128   0   0
    Mar 9, 2013
    14,721
    149
    Hobart
    Here's a screenshot from the dnr hunting fishing guide regarding public property

    vzbt39.jpg
     

    cg21

    Master
    Rating - 100%
    25   0   0
    May 5, 2012
    4,549
    113
    Thanks missed the last sentence that said public or private land for that list of calibers.

    Now that the legality is cleared up.
    how does everyone feel about the cartridge itself for deer hunting?
     

    42769vette

    Grandmaster
    Industry Partner
    Rating - 100%
    52   0   0
    Oct 6, 2008
    15,222
    113
    south of richmond in
    Thanks missed the last sentence that said public or private land for that list of calibers.

    Now that the legality is cleared up.
    how does everyone feel about the cartridge itself for deer hunting?


    If you get a shot at a deer with a 458 SOCOM, and the deer does not die right away as a result, you will not be able to blame the caliber. When the bullet is placed correctly the deer will fold. Like any other caliber if the bullet is placed incorrectly, it will not work.

    The 458 SOCOM is a fine (arguably the best) Indiana whitetail round.
     

    d.kaufman

    Still Here
    Staff member
    Moderator
    Site Supporter
    Rating - 100%
    128   0   0
    Mar 9, 2013
    14,721
    149
    Hobart
    If you get a shot at a deer with a 458 SOCOM, and the deer does not die right away as a result, you will not be able to blame the caliber. When the bullet is placed correctly the deer will fold. Like any other caliber if the bullet is placed incorrectly, it will not work.

    The 458 SOCOM is a fine (arguably the best) Indiana whitetail round.

    Exactly. Shot placement is everything. I hunted with 458 for 2 years. Took 2 shots over those 2 years and got 2 deer. First maybe got 15ft after the shot. 2nd dropped on the spot. Great round for deer.
    Only reason i quit using it is beacuse the public lands near me have been overrun by inconsiderate hunters. I now have private land, but its within city limits, so i hunt with a crossbow now.
    Only bad thing about the 458 is ammo cost and availability
     

    cab32

    Plinker
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Sep 24, 2018
    5
    1
    ROCHESTER
    Thanks missed the last sentence that said public or private land for that list of calibers.

    Now that the legality is cleared up.
    how does everyone feel about the cartridge itself for deer hunting?

    The 458 SOCOM Is a fun to shoot cartridge in the AR platform. The recoil is moderately heavy by AR standards and factory ammunition is expensive. It delivers acceptable accuracy and good energy for deer hunting. This along with the large bore hole increases kill efficiency with adequate placement. Reloading helps the cost but has some unique quirks in this round. CAB
     

    Mgderf

    Grandmaster
    Site Supporter
    Rating - 100%
    43   0   0
    May 30, 2009
    17,878
    113
    Lafayette
    The 458 SOCOM Is a fun to shoot cartridge in the AR platform. The recoil is moderately heavy by AR standards and factory ammunition is expensive. It delivers acceptable accuracy and good energy for deer hunting. This along with the large bore hole increases kill efficiency with adequate placement. Reloading helps the cost but has some unique quirks in this round. CAB

    Welcome to Ingo!
    That is a great first post. Looking forward to reading more of your musings.

    Would you mind extrapolating on the reloading quirks you speak of regarding the .458 SOCOM?
     

    Reagan40

    Sharpshooter
    Rating - 100%
    3   0   0
    Dec 30, 2013
    437
    28
    too far from nature
    I love the .458 socom. I built an AR awhile back. Then I built a bolt action to take to Canada to hunt bear. I shot a 350 lb black bear and it didn’t go far. There is a thread about that trip around here somewhere. I love shooting it and it is what I use for firearms season in Indiana. I reload, which is a good idea if you get into this caliber.
     

    cab32

    Plinker
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Sep 24, 2018
    5
    1
    ROCHESTER
    Welcome to Ingo!
    That is a great first post. Looking forward to reading more of your musings.

    Would you mind extrapolating on the reloading quirks you speak of regarding the .458 SOCOM?

    Thank you.
    My 458 is a home build on an Anderson lower using an aeroprecision 458 upper receiver and a Tromix barrel so it may be that my initial problems with reloading for it have something to do with my build. Most of my dies are Lee so I naturally got Lee dies to reload the 458. and used the supplied Lee shell holder. Initially, I could not get the shoulder resized far enough with my set up and most of the rounds jammed, so I skimmed a few thousands off the top of the shell holder and that solved the jamming problem, I was using relatively soft plated bullets for plinking loads and these required using the expander die however the thin walls of the case combined with the shape of the Lee powder thru expander caused bulging of the neck at the junction with the case shoulder and again jams increased. This problem was eliminated by using a lyman M die. The bullets had a flat non-beveled base which tended to tip and make the neck asymmetric. This problem was solved by using a Hornady seater die which has a floating sleeve and is a superior set up for keeping the bullets in alignment. Finally uniformity and therefore reliability of my hand loads improved with the addition of a lee factory crimp die to remove the expanded area of the neck. So after years of using mostly Lee dies, I am loading the 458 with a Lee sizer with modified shell holder, Lyman M die, Hornady seater and finishing with a lee factory crimp. The plus is that the hornady seater is so much better in design, and not very expensive that I am beginning to use them for seating in other rifle cartridges. CAB
     

    dak109

    Expert
    Rating - 100%
    5   0   0
    Jun 26, 2009
    1,184
    83
    Brown County
    IMHO it is too much gun for whitetail. I shot one deer with it last season and had to throw away both front legs. Yes shot placement was a bit more forward than I prefer.
    Hand loaded 325gr Hornady's were devastating. Accurate as all get out from the bench. There is a learning curve when loading them. I had a bunch that I crushed the shoulder on. I will be looking into the above mentioned dies.
    i went back to the 44 mag. And will be playing around with the 357 mag also this year.
     

    midget

    Master
    Rating - 100%
    6   0   0
    Apr 2, 2010
    1,619
    38
    Leo
    I took my largest buck to date with a 458 socom. Subsonic 500gr load. It decimated the chest, the heart was destroyed and the lugs were jelly. This being said, the deer still ran for a bit. Shot placement is key, but sometimes freak things happen.
     

    gunselman

    Sharpshooter
    Rating - 94.1%
    32   2   0
    Dec 18, 2008
    622
    2
    Indy
    I have been deer hunting with a 458 SOCOM since pistol caliber rifle rounds were introduced in Indiana. I had a 16" Rock River Arms upper. It ran just fine and was capable of sub-MOA 3 shot groups at 100 yards. I ended up getting rid of that upper and built a 10.5" 458 SOCOM upper using a Southern Ballistic Research (SBR) barrel. That upper actually shoots better than my 16" upper did! I hunt both public and private land and never have shots over 150 yards. So the trajectory of this round is good enough for me. I am utilizing 300 JHP bullets for the majority of my hunting. They are cheap and they work. I have an amazingly handy little rifle that doesn't kick more than a 20 gauge shotgun and is super easy to hike with. It may be a little to much gun as others have stated. But it works and it works well.
     

    cg21

    Master
    Rating - 100%
    25   0   0
    May 5, 2012
    4,549
    113
    I have been deer hunting with a 458 SOCOM since pistol caliber rifle rounds were introduced in Indiana. I had a 16" Rock River Arms upper. It ran just fine and was capable of sub-MOA 3 shot groups at 100 yards. I ended up getting rid of that upper and built a 10.5" 458 SOCOM upper using a Southern Ballistic Research (SBR) barrel. That upper actually shoots better than my 16" upper did! I hunt both public and private land and never have shots over 150 yards. So the trajectory of this round is good enough for me. I am utilizing 300 JHP bullets for the majority of my hunting. They are cheap and they work. I have an amazingly handy little rifle that doesn't kick more than a 20 gauge shotgun and is super easy to hike with. It may be a little to much gun as others have stated. But it works and it works well.


    i have the full length upper from sbr. Recoil is definitely there, what type of stock do you have? I have the basic cheapo 6 position from psa
     

    gunselman

    Sharpshooter
    Rating - 94.1%
    32   2   0
    Dec 18, 2008
    622
    2
    Indy
    i have the full length upper from sbr. Recoil is definitely there, what type of stock do you have? I have the basic cheapo 6 position from psa

    I use a Magpul UBR.

    I have heard horror stories about cheap stocks collapsing under the recoil of the 458; this isn't something i wanted to deal with. The UBR while heavy in weight does help balance out a 458 SOCOM AR. My 16" RRA was front heavy when i had my Magpul CTR on it. The switch to a UBR really helped with balance in the hands.
     

    ghuns

    Grandmaster
    Rating - 100%
    2   0   0
    Nov 22, 2011
    9,308
    113
    Love mine. Like others have said, it's deer hammer.

    Right after I built mine, my son shot a little 4 point during youth season. Shot was at about 75 yards. Deer was quartering towards us. Hornady 300 grain HP entered just in front of the right should, traversed the entire length of its body, and came to rest just under the skin on the left rump. That deer took about 3 steps. When I opened it up, just about everything inside was jello. Recovered bullet weighed 285 grains.
     

    cg21

    Master
    Rating - 100%
    25   0   0
    May 5, 2012
    4,549
    113
    The sbr brand upper is really light even rifle length. Will begin my search for a stock I am thinking fixed stock is going to be best.
     
    Top Bottom