The three primary big bore AR15 cartridges have been with us for quite a few years now and I thought it would be interesting to compare the .450 Bushmaster, .458 SOCOM, and .50 Beowulf as of 2023.
.450 Bush/ .458 SOCOM/.50 Beowulf
Im going to compare similar ammunition offerings, ballistics, and availability. Comparing the rifles themselves seems almost null since these are primarily about AR15s and are going to be awfully similar. Instead I will just be looking at the amount of rifles available
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I managed to find three similar loads to compare ballistics on. .....
.50 Beowulf Alexander Arms
- 300 gr ballistic tip
- 1700 fps bringing 1925 ft/lb energy
-$50 / box from Midway
.458 SOCOM Underwood Ammo
- 300 gr ballistic tip
- 1900 fps bringing 2404 ft/lb energy.
- $55 / box from Midway
.450 Bushmaster Hornady Black
- 250 gr ballistic tip
- 2200 fps bringing 2686 ft/lb energy.
- $40 / box from Midway
Something I noticed while trying to find 3 similar loads to compare was that 458 Socom had the most amount of variety for projectiles.
Okay so how do these really compare downrange? Within 100 yards, from what I've seen, I don't think there is much difference in these cartridges. All of them are going to hit like a sledgehammer. Rubber hits the road when you take these cartridges to their max effective range which is about 200 yards. Using my Strelok app I plugged in the manufactuers information for a 200 yard shot on a hog, 10 mph wind, with 6 power Vortex dead hold BDC
First is .50 Beowulf arriving with 964 ft/lb energy
Second is the .458 SOCOM. It arrives with 1366 ft/lb energy
Lastly, the .450 Bushmaster arriving with 1361 ft/lb energy.
I was surprised to see how affected by wind the 50 was. Both 45 caliber cartridges seem fairly similar to me. You be the judge if these numbers mean anything to you for a 200 yard shot. Seems like most people I know using rifles like these are much closer range and would yield very little difference between each other.
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As far as availability and cost... I did some digging across various retailers online and here's what I found....
- 50 Beowulf has middle of the road cost, hit/miss availability, least options for reloaders.
- 458 SOCOM has perhaps best variety of bullet selection, poor availability, and the highest cost
- 450 Bush has the lowest cost, best availability, not so much variety, and the unique option for reloaders to use low cost 45 ACP bullets
Lastly, looking at RIFLES currently listed on Gunbroker....
- 50 Beowulf approx 200
- 458 SOCOM approx 30
- 450 Bushmaster approx 800
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In summary, its safe to say that 450 Bush is easily the most popular, cheapest to shoot, and perhaps better performing. It also is the only one of the three to be found in bolt / break actions
458 SOCOM seems to be without a doubt fading. It would seem its caught in between the two other rounds without enough attributes to draw the industry towards its future.
The 50 Beowulf has surprised me in its growing popularity. Ammunition and rifles have become more common now by manufacturers side skirting the Beowulf trade mark by calling their rifles or ammo 12.7x42mm. It would seem the 50 has its own special draw despite its similarity to 450.... because hey, its a freakin 50!
What's INGOs experiences and thoughts on the AR15s three big bore cartridges?
.450 Bush/ .458 SOCOM/.50 Beowulf
Im going to compare similar ammunition offerings, ballistics, and availability. Comparing the rifles themselves seems almost null since these are primarily about AR15s and are going to be awfully similar. Instead I will just be looking at the amount of rifles available
--------------------------------------
I managed to find three similar loads to compare ballistics on. .....
.50 Beowulf Alexander Arms
- 300 gr ballistic tip
- 1700 fps bringing 1925 ft/lb energy
-$50 / box from Midway
.458 SOCOM Underwood Ammo
- 300 gr ballistic tip
- 1900 fps bringing 2404 ft/lb energy.
- $55 / box from Midway
.450 Bushmaster Hornady Black
- 250 gr ballistic tip
- 2200 fps bringing 2686 ft/lb energy.
- $40 / box from Midway
Something I noticed while trying to find 3 similar loads to compare was that 458 Socom had the most amount of variety for projectiles.
Okay so how do these really compare downrange? Within 100 yards, from what I've seen, I don't think there is much difference in these cartridges. All of them are going to hit like a sledgehammer. Rubber hits the road when you take these cartridges to their max effective range which is about 200 yards. Using my Strelok app I plugged in the manufactuers information for a 200 yard shot on a hog, 10 mph wind, with 6 power Vortex dead hold BDC
First is .50 Beowulf arriving with 964 ft/lb energy
Second is the .458 SOCOM. It arrives with 1366 ft/lb energy
Lastly, the .450 Bushmaster arriving with 1361 ft/lb energy.
I was surprised to see how affected by wind the 50 was. Both 45 caliber cartridges seem fairly similar to me. You be the judge if these numbers mean anything to you for a 200 yard shot. Seems like most people I know using rifles like these are much closer range and would yield very little difference between each other.
-------------------------------------------
As far as availability and cost... I did some digging across various retailers online and here's what I found....
- 50 Beowulf has middle of the road cost, hit/miss availability, least options for reloaders.
- 458 SOCOM has perhaps best variety of bullet selection, poor availability, and the highest cost
- 450 Bush has the lowest cost, best availability, not so much variety, and the unique option for reloaders to use low cost 45 ACP bullets
Lastly, looking at RIFLES currently listed on Gunbroker....
- 50 Beowulf approx 200
- 458 SOCOM approx 30
- 450 Bushmaster approx 800
---------------------------------------
In summary, its safe to say that 450 Bush is easily the most popular, cheapest to shoot, and perhaps better performing. It also is the only one of the three to be found in bolt / break actions
458 SOCOM seems to be without a doubt fading. It would seem its caught in between the two other rounds without enough attributes to draw the industry towards its future.
The 50 Beowulf has surprised me in its growing popularity. Ammunition and rifles have become more common now by manufacturers side skirting the Beowulf trade mark by calling their rifles or ammo 12.7x42mm. It would seem the 50 has its own special draw despite its similarity to 450.... because hey, its a freakin 50!
What's INGOs experiences and thoughts on the AR15s three big bore cartridges?
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