Not the best photo but I finally assembled my .458 SOCOM rifle. Bring on the velociraptors! Now to figure out how to get some range time.

Displaying toys we in the southern hemisphere cannot have.
Droll, very droll.
Go ahead rub it in, here's the salt....
Photos pumpkin old mate or it didn't happen
Nice rifle btw, not that I'm jealous or anything.

Pumpkinslinger ,,,,,, Boys and their toys ,,,, ain't life great ,,,

dhc4ever wrote:

Displaying toys we in the southern hemisphere cannot have. Droll, very droll. Go ahead rub it in, here's the salt.... Photos pumpkin old mate or it didn't happen Nice rifle btw, not that I'm jealous or anything.

Yeah...that hurts mate. Great rifle Punkin...looking forward to the range results mate.

Pkslinger, looks great! What barrel did you use? What twist rate? Do you plan to shoot subs?

Here is more salt!

Very nice. I like a story with a happy ending. All the best...
Gil

Wish....

Slim, it's an AR Stoner upper w/ 16" barrel, 1-in-14" twist (Midway had it on sale for $400). The lower is an Aero Precision with a S&W parts kit. Magpul stock and handguard, Ergo grip. Enidine buffer. Will have a Limbsaver recoil pad soon. Burris scope and mount.

Eventually I'll try some subsonic loads. First loads will be Hornady 325 grain FTX.

thanks for the update, Pklsinger. If you are going to do subs for hunting, I would investigate Maker's 500 grain Subsonic. Subsonic hunting is all about mass which is the only way to increase KE. These bullets are like a mechanical broadhead that turns into a rotor-rooter on impact.

makerbullets.com/prodd...od=458500S

Thanks for the info Slim! I'd been wondering about which bullet would be best for subsonic. I knew it would have to be pretty heavy to be effective.

I disagree.....having played with subsonics quite a bit....its not about mass,its about expansion with ENOUGH penertration...... eg I use a really cheap cast 151grn hp .308...it looks and preforms like a winchester power point .22lr just a whole heap bigger. I can get out to 13mm/ 1/2" expanded projectile whick will cause maximun sized hole..... the guys who are serious about it use Lehigh projectiles which are expensive but made to do the job....on impact you are basically using a rifle to create the wound channel of an arrow...it cuts a hole through animal WITHOUT the shock trauma we are used to getting.
I head/neck shoot sheep at 30-40 yards and so far we have only recovered one single projectile...they go straight through.
a lot of folk were using something like a 220grn matchking subsonic....hoping for it to tumble...with mixed results,sometimes it did,other times not so much.
if you miss your mark by a small margin you will create a pencil through n through wound and just piss animal off.
the ONLY thing subsonic has got over a supersonic loading is less noise....the ONLY THING....Ive had enough failures to realise Im kidding myself if I think they are a good thing.resently shot a 94kg tame pig at close range twice.in neck.it was fat,very fat...a very heavy projectile MAY have got in deeper,but not much,the first shot aimed behind ear didnt go in deep enough to work,the 2nd went a tad low,through n through the jaw..then I put in a supersonic 123grn barnaul and job done...felt like a big pillick. looking at terminal damage the subsonic rounds had very narrow wound channel.
where they are GREAT is for plinking,small game at close range and finishing off shots,you dont blast your ears or scare other game off.
would I shoot a goat or fallow deer with them???
at sub 50 yards,broadside on yes.
there are people who have done the hard yards and dial up/rangefind blah blah blah who CLAIM to be headshooting deer at 200 yards (look at trajectory and make up own mind) yes its possible BUT if you deflect aim by say 1 1/2" and hit jaw by going low,or neck without hitting bone...that animal will be gone before you can follow up and finish it off. hit in same place with a soft supersonic load...it will be decapitated or at least immobilised and will expire before recovering.
KE will be sweet stuff all in practicle terms no matter what you do. this is the hardest part to get your head around
you DONT GET ANY SHOCK factor...NONE AT ALL.... 12ga buckshot is similar,if you miss the vital bits...you have a follow up job on your hands.

Thanks for the input Elvis! Actually I don't foresee doing much hunting with subsonic loads but it'd be nice to have one in the tool kit. A friend of mine in TX got me interested in the subsonic stuff because he had a pig problem on his 5 acre lot and wanted something to thin them out without disturbing the neighbors too much.

Right now I'm leaning toward finding the most accurate 300-350 grain hunting load that I can come up with. I've got some 300 HP, 300 FP, 325 FTX and 350 RN bullets to play with. I'd like to try the Nosler 300 ballistic tip too. With a 4 day weekend coming up I might get a chance to shoot this thing.