Buffalo Bore 458 SOCOM 300gr Barnes TSX – Fierce Hunting Load

Description

The Buffalo Bore 458 SOCOM 300gr Barnes TSX is the load that answers the question of whether an AR platform rifle can hunt anything that walks North America. A 300 grain tipped monolithic copper bullet at 1901 fps carries roughly 2407 ft-lbs, and it does that out of a sixteen inch barrel from a rifle that weighs about what a carbine weighs.

• Buffalo Bore 458 SOCOM 300gr Barnes TSX Overview
• 458 SOCOM Hunting Ammo Ballistics
• Why The 300 Grain Tipped TSX Bullet Works On Game
• Specifications
• Rifles That Shoot This Lead Free AR Platform Big Bore Load

Buffalo Bore 458 SOCOM 300gr Barnes TSX Overview

Buffalo Bore item 47A is part of their Hunting and Sniping line. It loads the Barnes Tipped Triple Shock X at 300 grains and pushes it to 1901 fps, measured in a Wilson Combat rifle with a sixteen inch barrel. Twenty rounds per box.

The 458 SOCOM cartridge was developed to give the AR-15 platform a genuine big bore option without changing the lower receiver, the magazine well or the buffer system. A barrel, a bolt and a modified magazine follower are the whole conversion.

What came out of that project is a short, fat, 0.458 inch cartridge that throws heavy bullets at moderate speed. It is the ballistic cousin of the 45-70 Government, delivered semi-automatically.

Buffalo Bore does not chase catalogue numbers. The velocities they publish come from real rifles with real barrels, which is why their figures sometimes look lower than a competitor printing test barrel data. In the field the Buffalo Bore number is the one that holds up.

458 SOCOM Hunting Ammo Ballistics

At 1901 fps a 300 grain bullet produces about 2407 ft-lbs, using grains times velocity squared divided by 450437. That is more muzzle energy than a 30-30 Winchester generates and it arrives in a bullet nearly twice the diameter.

Trajectory is what you would expect from a heavy, blunt projectile. The polymer tip on this 300 grain tipped TSX bullet helps more than it looks like it should, tightening the ballistic coefficient enough to make two hundred yard shots reasonable with a zero set correctly. Past that, the drop curve gets steep quickly.

Recoil in a semi-automatic rifle is firm but far from punishing. The gas system absorbs a share of it and the rifle weight absorbs more, so most shooters compare it to a light 12 gauge slug load rather than to a magnum rifle.

Why The 300 Grain Tipped TSX Bullet Works On Game

The Barnes Tipped Triple Shock X is turned from a solid bar of copper. There is no lead core and no jacket, so there is no joint that can separate. On impact the polymer tip is driven back into the hollow cavity and the nose peels into four sharp petals that stay attached to the shank.

Because it is one piece, this monolithic copper expanding ammunition typically retains ninety five percent or more of its original weight. A conventional cup and core bullet at this velocity can shed a third of its mass, and the fragments that come off do not contribute to penetration.

The grooves cut into the shank are not cosmetic. They give displaced copper somewhere to go as the bullet engraves the rifling, which keeps pressure and bore fouling down at a diameter where both can climb fast.

One practical bonus: a lead free bullet satisfies the regulations in California and in the growing list of areas that restrict lead ammunition for hunting. If you hunt where that applies, this 458 SOCOM hunting ammo solves the problem without dropping down in performance.

Specifications

Rifles That Shoot This Lead Free AR Platform Big Bore Load

Any AR-15 or AR-style rifle correctly barrelled and bolted for 458 SOCOM will run this load. That covers uppers from Wilson Combat, Rock River, Radical and a long list of smaller builders, plus bolt actions and single shots chambered for the round.

Twist rate is worth checking. Most 458 SOCOM barrels come in at one turn in fourteen inches, which stabilises a 300 grain bullet comfortably. Slower twists intended purely for heavy subsonic bullets can work too, but a barrel maker will tell you faster than a forum will.

Feeding is usually reliable with a standard AR magazine and the follower most SOCOM builders supply. If your rifle has been fussy with round nose bullets, the pointed profile of this lead free AR platform big bore load often feeds better rather than worse.

For hunters, the practical envelope is inside two hundred yards on deer, black bear and hogs, and honest work on elk at closer range. This monolithic copper expanding ammunition penetrates far beyond what the energy figure alone suggests.

Monolithic Copper Expanding Ammunition Availability

This Buffalo Bore 458 SOCOM 300gr Barnes TSX is in stock and ships from our Collegeville, Pennsylvania shop. MAG5 Firearms is a family owned FFL dealer, and orders normally leave within one business day.

If you want a heavier bullet in the same chambering, look at the Buffalo Bore 458 SOCOM 350gr JFN. For the same Barnes bullet design in a lever gun, see the Buffalo Bore 30-30 Win 150gr Barnes TSX, and for another heavy woods rifle load try the Buffalo Bore Heavy 35 Rem 220gr JFN. Published load data comes from Buffalo Bore Ammunition.