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450 Bushmaster vs 458 SOCOM vs 50 Beowulf
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May 10, 2024
0:00 Intro 1:22 History of the 450 Bushmaster vs 458 SOCOM vs 50 Beowulf 7:23 Cartridges Sizes 9:30 450 Bushmaster vs 458 SOCOM vs 50 Beowulf Ballistics 11:35 Wind Deflection 12:02 450 Bushmaster vs 458 SOCOM vs 50 Beowulf Recoil 13:13 Ammo Selection 14:58 Rifle Selection 16:17 450 Bushmaster vs 458 SOCOM vs 50 Beowulf: Which one is right for you? To learn more about popular hunting calibers like the .450 Bushmaster, .458 SOCOM, and .50 Beowulf, visit: https://huntingguns101.com/optin1615146914565?utm_source=YouTube&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=HG101&utm_term=YT&utm_content=450vs458vs50 In this video I talk about how the .450 Bushmaster, .458 SOCOM, and .50 Beowulf compare to each other. Though most hunters and shooters would probably agree that Modern Sporting Rifles chambered in .223 Remington are great for varmint hunting, general plinking, and even more serious target shooting, using the little cartridge on larger game is a very contentious subject. The AR-platform is the most popular style of rifle in the United States and offers many inherent advantages for hunters, so designers have made many attempts at building more powerful cartridges for the AR-15 over the years. Unfortunately, those same designers must also operate within relatively severe constraints when building larger bore cartridges that will reliably function in an AR-15. For that reason, hunters desiring a big bore AR currently only have a handful of choices: the .450 Bushmaster, the .458 SOCOM, and the .50 Beowulf. All three cartridges are solid performers and there is quite a bit of overlap in their capabilities. That being said, each has different strengths and weaknesses that you should be aware of before purchasing one. In this episode, conduct a detailed comparison of the 50 Bushmaster vs 458 SOCOM vs 50 Beowulf so you can make an informed decision on which cartridge is best for your particular situation.
View Video Transcript
0:00
Hi there, I'm John McAdams, founder of the Big Game hunting blog
0:03
And in this video, I'm going to do a detailed comparison of the 450 Bushmaster, the 458
0:08
Socom, and the 50 Beowulf cartridges. Though most hunters and shooters would probably agree that
0:14
modern sporting rifles chambered in 223 Remington are great for varmint hunting, general plinking
0:19
and even more serious target shooting, using the little cartridge on larger game is a pretty
0:23
contentious subject. Now the AR platform is the most popular style of rifle in the United States
0:30
and it offers many inherent advantages for hunters. So, designers have made many attempts at building more powerful cartridges for the AR-15 over the years
0:39
Now, unfortunately, those same designers must also operate within relatively severe constraints
0:44
when building larger bore cartridges that will reliably function in an AR-15
0:49
So for that reason, hunters desiring a big bore AR currently only have a handful of choices
0:55
the 450 Bushmaster, the 458 Socom, and the 50 Beowulf. Now all three are solid performers and there's quite a bit of overlap in their capabilities
1:04
That being said, each has different strengths and weaknesses that you need to be aware of before
1:08
purchasing one. So in this episode, I'm going to do a detailed comparison of the 450 Bushmaster
1:14
versus the 458 Socom versus a 50 Beowulf so you can make an informed decision regarding which one is best for you
1:21
As usual, we will start with the history of these cartridges. Now the story of the 450 Bushmaster, the 458 Socom, and the 50 Beowulf all start with the 223 Remington and the AR-15
1:33
Just a few short years after replacing the M1 Grand and the 30-06 Springfield with the M-14 battle rifle and the 7.62 by 51-millimeter NATO cartridge in the 1950s
1:45
the U.S. military again began the search for a new rifle and cartridge
1:49
They eventually settled on the high-velocity 5.56 by 45-millimeter cartridge and the M-16 rifle
1:57
Derived from the 223 Remington, the original M-193 ball load for the 5.56 cartridge fired a 224 caliber 55 grain full metal jacket bullet at 3,250 feet per second
2:11
The rifle and cartridge suffered through some major teething problems during the Vietnam War
2:16
but modifications to the rifle and the propellant used in the cartridge eventually solved most of those issues
2:22
Now, NATO conducted extensive testing after the Vietnam War in an effort to supplement and eventually even replace the 762 by 51 millimeter NATO cartridge
2:31
with another standardized rifle cartridge for the members of the alliance. They ended up settling on the Belgian SS109 variant of the 5.56 cartridge
2:41
Known in the U.S. military as the M-855, the new NATO ball load fired a 62-grain full-metal
2:48
jacket bullet at 3,025 feet per second. Often referred to as quote-unquote green tip ammo because
2:54
of the green paint on the bullet, the U.S. Air Force, Army, Navy, and Marine Corps
2:59
formally adopted the M-855 along with the updated M16A2 rifle during the 1980s
3:05
Now, the M-855 bullet incorporated a steel penetrator, which markedly improved the penetration
3:11
capabilities of the round compared to the old 55 grain M193 load. Now by and large, those who use
3:17
the M193 in combat generally considered the terminal performance of the bullet adequate, though not
3:23
necessarily great. However, many soldiers and Marines who use the M16A2 in combat during the 1990s
3:30
and early 2000s really started complaining about the poor stopping power of the M855 ball round
3:36
Now, civilian interest in the AR-15 and the 223 Remington cartridge really grew over the years, especially for varmint hunting and target shooting
3:45
However, many big game hunters had concerns similar to those shared by many in the military regarding the effectiveness of the 223 Remington cartridge on deer-sized game
3:55
Now, these issues led to the development of several larger caliber cartridge featuring heavier bullets designed to still function in AR-15 rifles, like the 300 blackout, the 65-grindle
4:06
the 6.8 Remington SPC, the 450 Bushmaster, the 458 Socom, and the 50 Beowulf during the 1990s and
4:14
early 2000s. So of those, we'll start with the 450 Bushmaster. Colonel Jeff Cooper described a
4:20
rifle he called the Thumper in some of his writings. Basically, he thought that an ideal hunting firearm
4:26
was a semi-automatic rifle, 44 caliber or larger, that was capable of taking game out to 250 yards
4:32
The 223 Remington obviously did not fill the need for a heavy-hitting Big Boar cartridge
4:38
However, Tim Legender of LaMag firearms decided to build a hard-hitting 45-caliber cartridge
4:44
developed using a cut-down 284 Winchester case designed for use in an AR platform
4:50
and he called the new cartridge the 45 professional. Leginder licensed the cartridge to Bushmaster who in turn collaborated with Hornady in bringing the project to market Hornady and Bushmaster made some sloth light modifications to the 45 professional and they released the new cartridge as the 450 Bushmaster
5:08
The new straight-walled cartridge functions in the AR-15 platform, and pushing a .452 caliber 250 grain bullet at 2,200 feet per second
5:18
delivers the bone-crushing performance out of an easy-to-handle-simmy auto rifle, just like Colonel Cooper originally envisioned
5:26
Now, the 458 Socom came on the scene via a slightly different route
5:32
After hearing members of the United States Special Operations Command, or Socom, lament the ineffectiveness of the 5.56 cartridge in combat, especially during the infamous Battle of Mogadishu in 1993, Marty Turwim of Tepu Jutsu LLC decided to develop a new much more powerful cartridge for the M16 M4-A-R-15 series of rifles
5:56
He used a lengthened 50 Action Express case with a rebated rim down to .473 inches from .515 inches
6:04
as the basis for the new cartridge and he loaded it with a .458 caliber bullet
6:10
Firing a 300 grain bullet at 1845 feet per second, the 458 Socom does pack a heck of a punch
6:17
into a relatively small package and it still functions very well in the standard AR platform
6:22
with a variety of barrel links. Now last but certainly not least is the 50 Beowulf
6:27
Designed by Alexander Arms, the 50 Beowulf was actually the first of these three
6:32
Big Boar AR cartridges to hit the market and firing 0.5.00 caliber bullets is the largest of the group
6:40
Like the 458 Socom, the 50 Action Express is the parent case of the 50 Bayowulf
6:45
However, the Beowulf has a much more heavily rebated rim down to 0.447 inches instead of 0.473 inches
6:53
for the 458 Socom, and similar to the 450 Bushmaster is a straight wall case that headspaces
6:59
off of the case's mouth instead of the shoulder like the 458 Socom
7:03
Now, even though it shoots larger diameter bullets than the 450 Bushmaster and the 458 Socom
7:09
the 50 Beowulf is still roughly comparable to those two cartridges in terms of power
7:14
So for instance, one popular load by Alexander Arms fires a 350 grain bullet at 1,771 feet per second
7:21
All right, now we'll talk a little bit more detail about the relative sizes of these cartridges
7:27
The 450 Bushmaster, the 458 Socom, and the 50 Beowulf do share many similarities, but there are some obvious differences between them as well
7:35
So first, all three are very similar in overall length. 2.26 inches for the 450 Bushmaster and 458 Socom and 2.255 inches for the 50 Beowulf
7:45
Now, the AAR 15 can only accommodate cartridges up to 2.26 inches long, so all three go over
7:51
right up to the limit of what will fit in the rifle. Now, at 1.7 inches long, the 450 Bushmaster does have a longer case length than the 458 Socom at 1.575 inches
8:02
and the 50 Beowulf at 1.65 inches. The 450 Bushmaster and the 458 Socom both have a 0.473 inch rim diameter, which is the same as
8:12
other popular cartridges like the 30-06, the 308, the 270, etc. Now, on the other hand, the 50 Beowulf has a 0.447-inch rim diameter
8:21
diameter, which is the same as the 7.62 by 39mm cartridge used by the AK-47
8:28
Now, both the 450 Bushmaster and the 50 Beowulf are straight-walled cartridges, while the
8:32
458 Socom has a very small shoulder. Now, each cartridge also uses different diameter bullets
8:39
0.452 inches for the Bushmaster, 0.458 inches for the Socom, and 0.50-0-0 inches for the
8:46
Bayowulf. Most 450 Bushmaster ammo typically has bullet weights in the 158 to 300 grain range
8:53
with 250 and 260 grain bullets being the most popular. The 458 Socom uses 200 to 600 grain bullets
9:00
with 250, 300, and 350 grain bullets being the most common. And finally, 200 to 600 grain bullets
9:07
are typical with 50 Bayowulf factory ammo, while 335 grain, 350 grain, and 400 grain bullets are the
9:15
popular. Now finally, while they are all generally loaded to similar pressure levels, the 450
9:21
Bushmaster is the only Sammy certified cartridge of the bunch, and it has a maximum average
9:26
pressure of 38,500 PSI. Now, as you might guess by looking at the cartridges themselves
9:33
these three cartridges do have very similar ballistics. In fact, they are all roughly comparable
9:38
to the 4570 government. Now 4570 ammo covers a pretty wide range of power. On one end, we have
9:44
low-pressure ammo safety use in the old trapdoor Springfield, while on the other extreme we have
9:50
much higher pressure, quote-unquote, magnum ammunition designed for use in modern rifles like the Marlin 1895 or the Ruger number one
9:58
So with that in mind I thought it would be appropriate to compare the 450 Bushmaster 458 Socom and 50 Beowulf to both extremes of 4570 ammo So specifically I compared a 250 Hornity FTX load in 450 Bushmaster
10:12
a 300-grain Jacketed Hollow Point load in 458 Socom, and a 350-grain Alexander Arms-X-T-P-P-Lode in 50 Beowulf
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compared to 405-Grain Remington Corlock and 350-Grain Buffalo Boar loads in 4570 government
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And of those two, the 405 grain of Remington Coralacht more or less duplicates the original loading of that cartridge
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and it is safe to use in the trapdoor Springfield, while the Buffalo Boar load is a much higher pressure, quote-unquote, magnum load
10:43
And this stuff is for Alexander Arms, Buffalo Boar, Hornady, Remington, and Southern Ballistic Research
10:49
factory loads with 150-yard zero. Now, while there are indeed some small differences in the ballistics of these three cartridges
10:56
they all fall pretty neatly in between the low and high pressure 4570 loads in terms of power and trajectory
11:02
Now, due to the higher muzzle velocity of the cartridge, the 450 Bushmaster has the flattest trajectory
11:08
and it retains the most energy of the bunch, while the 50 Beowulf comes in last in both categories
11:13
Now, indeed, the 450 Bushmaster has a clear advantage over the Socom and the Beowulf out past 200 yards
11:20
Heck, it even has a slightly less arcing trajectory than the high pressure 4570 load
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though not as much kinetic energy. Now that being said, when you consider that they are all designed to be hard-hitting cartridges
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at short to moderate range, there isn't a tremendous difference between them
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Now, the same holds true when you're comparing how much a 10 mile an hour crosswind impacts
11:39
those same loads out to 300 yards. So once again, the 450 Bushmaster load outperforms all the others in terms of windrift and
11:46
the 50 Bayowulf comes in last. However, they're all very similar at normal hunting ranges
11:52
And let's be honest here, these cartridges are all designed for you. use at shorter range, so wind deflection is less of a concern here than it is with other cartridges
11:59
that are better suited for longer range work. Now let's talk about recoil, though. And so to do
12:04
this, I compared the recoil produced by those same lows when fired from a Ruger AR-556 in 450
12:10
Bushmaster, a Wilson Combat Ultimate Hunter in 458 Socom, and Alexander Arms Tactical in 50 Beowulf
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and a lever-action Marlin Model 1895 in 4570. Now, I do recognize that this is not a true
12:24
apples to apples comparison, which is impossible since those four cartridges are not all available
12:29
in the exact same rifles. So I did my best to compare rifles of a similar weight, but consider
12:34
these recoil figures to be an approximation. Now that being said, the results are still interesting
12:39
Now, recoil is pretty comparable between the 450 Bushmaster, the 458 Socom, and the 50 Beowulf
12:45
Now, interestingly, their recoil is only slightly more than the low pressure 4570 load and
12:50
considerably less than the high pressure 4570 load when fired from a slightly
12:54
lighter Marlin 1895 rifle. So for comparison, that same Beowulf load would produce 30.5 foot
13:02
pounds of free recoil energy when fired from a 7.5 pound rifle that is closer in weight to the
13:08
rifles used by the Bushmaster and Socom cartridges in this comparison. All right, now let's talk about
13:14
ammo selection. Of the 3, the 450 Bushmaster is by far the most common, but it still can't hold
13:19
a candle to cartridges like the 223 Remington or the 308 Winchester. Now the 458 Socom and the
13:24
Bail Wolf are not Sammy certified and no major ammunition companies produce ammo for them
13:30
Instead, a handful of much smaller companies produce factory ammo for those two cartridges
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For instance, Federal, Hornady, Remington, and Winchester all manufacture 450 Bushmaster ammo
13:40
SBR produces several different variants of 458 Socom ammo and Alexander Arms manufactures the
13:46
majority of 50 Beowulf ammo. Additionally, Black Butterfly and Buffalo Boar both produce 450 Bushmaster and 458 Socom ammo
13:54
while Inceptor, Great Lakes, and Underwood all sell factory ammo for all three cartridges
14:00
Now, other companies sometimes sell 50 Beowulf ammo listed as 12.7 by 42 millimeter cartridges as well
14:08
Now, during normal times, ammunition is usually pretty expensive for all three, and that, of course, only gets worse during ammo shortages
14:15
The 450 Bushmaster is often somewhat less expensive than the other two, though
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Now, reloading is also relatively popular among those who enjoy shooting these three cartridges
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So unfortunately, they all shoot bullets in use by other more well-established cartridges
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For instance, the 454-Casul, and the 460 Smith & Wesson all use 0.452 caliber bullets like the Bushmaster
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while the 50 Action Express and the 500 Smith-Awesson use 0.50-0 caliber bullets like the Bail Wolf
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However, the 458 Socom does have a little bit of an advantage in this category since it uses 0.458 caliber
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bullets like the 4570, 450 Marlin, 458 wind mag, etc. Now, just like with ammo, rifle availability for those three cartridges is very uneven
15:02
And the same thing goes for the quality of rifles available which really varies considerably Once again the 450 Bushmaster is the most widely available and multiple companies produce good rifles in that cartridge
15:14
On the other hand, only a couple of companies make firearms chambered in 458 Socom and 50 Beowulf
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Bushmaster was the first gun manufacturer to produce firearms in 450 Bushmaster
15:25
and Tromix was the original firearms manufacturer for the 458 Socom, and Alexander Arms developed the first rifles in 50 Bayowulf
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all of those companies still make very good quality firearms and or upper receivers chambered in their
15:39
respective cartridge. Now in addition to Bushmaster, Ruger also produces their semi-automatic
15:45
AR-556 in 450 Bushmaster. CVA produces their single-shot hunter and scout rifles in the
15:52
cartridge as well. And the same thing goes from Mossberg, Savage, Christensen Arms, and Ruger with
15:57
their bolt-action Patriot 110 Mesa, Ridgeline, American Ranch, and gun sites. scout rifles. SBR and Rock River are both known for making really good quality rifles in
16:09
458 Socom. Now on the other hand, Alexander Arms remains the primary source of rifles in
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50 Bayowulf. So which one is right for you? Now, as I previously discussed, the 450
16:21
Bushmaster, the 458 Socom, and the 50 Bayowulf all offer performance roughly comparable to the
16:27
4570 from an AR platform. They are all very effective on a wide variety of game at
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short to moderate range. Now, as a general rule, if you'd feel comfortable hunting it with a 4570
16:38
then you can probably hunt it ethically with any of these cartridges as well. So deer, feral hogs
16:44
and black bear are all fair game with any of them. And with the right bullets, they are suitable for
16:48
larger and tougher game as well. Now, especially when chambered in a handy, short-barreled
16:53
semi-automatic rifle, they are all absolutely deadly on a wide variety of game at close range
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and they offer hunters a pretty fast follow-up shot. And that is why all three
17:03
are fairly popular for feral hog control, and all three are also excellent choices for home defense
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use. However, don't confuse any of them, even the relatively high-velocity 450 Bushmaster
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with a flat shooting, a long-range cartridge on par with the 7mmington Magnum or the 300 Wind Mac
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They're all fairly specialized cartridges best suited for hunting situations involving shots at less
17:25
than 250 or maybe even 150 yards. Now finally, the 450 Bushmaster and the 50 Baylor
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Wolf are also somewhat popular with hunters in the Midwest who are restricted to using cartridges
17:37
with straight-walled cases during deer season. So do you primarily hunt deer-sized game to include
17:43
feral hogs that ranges under 200 yards? All three will work extremely well under those conditions
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and there's not a lot of practical difference between them at short range. In fact, I think they are
17:54
all great cartridges for deer hunters. Go with the 450 Bushmaster if you want to use a bolt-action
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rifle or if you want a little bit wider variety of hunting ammo to choose from
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Now, do you want to hunt larger game animals like elk, moose, or bear? Once again, they'll all work at shorter range, but I would personally lean towards the 458
18:13
SOCOM here because the excellent Barnes 300 grain TTSX bullet is available for that cartridge
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That is an outstanding bullet and it can be counted on to get the job done if you place your
18:24
shot correctly. Now, what if you hunt in a state like Indiana or Michigan that restricts rifle
18:30
deer hunters to using straight-walled cartridges. The 450 Bushmaster and the 50 Beowulf are usually permitted in those states, and they are
18:38
more than powerful enough to get the job done during any conceivable deer hunting situation
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Between those two, the 450 Bushmaster is more popular because ammo and rifles are both
18:49
less expensive and easier to obtain, once again, during normal times. Now even though they have slightly different pros and cons, the 450 Bushmaster, the 458
18:58
Socom and the 50 Beowulf are all great rifle cartridges, especially for hunters fond of the AR platform
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Now, while the differences between them are relatively large in a couple of areas, there's
19:08
also quite a bit of overlap in their performance, and they're all really good choices for
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a wide range of hunting tasks. Get a nice rifle, chambered, and the cartridge you think fits your needs the best, learn
19:20
to shoot it well, use quality bullets, and you will be well prepared for most common
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hunting situations. Now, if you enjoyed this video, then please make sure you support you support
19:28
to my YouTube channel right now. Just click that red subscribe button below to make
19:33
sure you don't miss out on any of my new videos on hunting gear reviews, cartridge
19:37
comparisons, and more. Now for more detailed information on popular hunting cartridges
19:41
and what they're best suited for, click on the link in the description below or go to
19:46
Hunting Guns101.com and sign up there to get a free ebook I have written on the best
19:52
hunting calibers. Now I'm going to turn it over to you guys. Which cartridge do you
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prefer the 450 Bushmaster, the 458 Socom, or the 50 Beowulf. What game have you successfully
20:03
taken with them and what ammo do you like to use with them? Let me know by leaving a comment
20:07
on this video right now. Thanks for watching. Have a great day and good hunting
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