Wilson Combat .458 Socom

[GJM]

Bill Wilson went to Africa this summer, and shot almost everything with a WC AR in .458 Socom. Using a Barnes 300 grain at about 1,800 fps, he reported excellent results in harvesting a diverse bag of animals. That led to discussing my ongoing quest for the "ideal" Alaskan defensive long gun around big bears. Bill spec'd a lightweight .458 Socom for my use, including a 14.7 battle pinned to 16 inches, billet upper and lower, and a two stage trigger. Here is the .458:




I wasn't able to get the rifle, ammo (AK has shipping restrictions on ammo) and opportunity to shoot it until this morning. Recoil is about like .308 in a Tikka bolt action, and that was with just a Rogers butt stock, that has just a hard recoil pad. It weighs just over six pounds bare, and will be a great weight and size to carry in the field. Of course, it has all the AR benefits of BUIS, easy sling mounting, flashlight mounting, etc.

Here is the results from some fast shooting at 10-50 yards. Very nice to see those large .45 caliber holes. I also shot eight inch plates at 100, and it rocks them hard.

[Wondering Beard]

Would you say that it's the semi auto version of a 45-70 lever action rifle?

[Chuck Haggard]

I'm surprised he could get a semi-auto rifle into Africa.


My one worry would be reliability. None of the large bore ARs that I have yet seen have been reliable.

[GJM]

Would you say that it's the semi auto version of a 45-70 lever action rifle?

.45-70 lever gun terminal ballistics in an AR delivery system.

[BCL]

I have no need for this where I live and most likely can't afford the rifle or the ammo, but I certainly want one. Seems like it might be the ideal candidate for the perfect Alaskan rifle. Did Bill happen to mention how big the animals were?

[GJM]

I'm surprised he could get a semi-auto rifle into Africa.


My one worry would be reliability. None of the large bore ARs that I have yet seen have been reliable.

Chuck, I am comfortable with how the Barnes bullet will perform terminally, so my testing is very much confirming reliability.

So far, 100 percent with the serious ammo loaded with Barnes bullets, and the practice ammo loaded with Hornady bullets. The magazines are Lancer, tuned specially by Wilson for their rifles, and marked .458 Socom. The Barnes bullets have a very favorable shape for feeding, while the Hornady are more a flat point. Bill says if it feeds the Hornady, the Barnes are 100 percent.

[GJM]

I have no need for this where I live and most likely can't afford the rifle or the ammo, but I certainly want one. Seems like it might be the ideal candidate for the perfect Alaskan rifle. Did Bill happen to mention how big the animals were?

Little thru Cape buffalo.

[LittleLebowski]

Needs can.

[GJM]

Needs can.

I decided not to set it up for a suppressor, as I wanted minimum length and weight, and believe noise on a warning or aimed shot, based on past experience, might help stop a bear.

Here is the Hornady practice load, note the flat profile:



Here is the Wilson serious load, with the Barnes 300 grain:



Here is my wife shooting her first fast string with the .458 Socom.

https://youtu.be/c91onbQvy30

[Luke]

Looks pretty serious in the video. I had no idea these things kicked that hard.