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.
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
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?
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