How's .458 SOCOM For Big Bear Defense ?

[dpast32]

Hello Guy's,


I'm looking for a few opinions as to wether anyone else feels that the .458 SOCOM, combined with a 16" bbl'd AR would serve the purpose for big bear defense up in Alaska, or anywhere else where the big bears are found ? A friend of mine is preparing to move up to Alaska, & asked me as to which gun(s) he should use for both big game hunting & possible animal defense. I know many guys up there prefer a .375 H&H for brown bear & moose, but my friend already has a Browning BAR ( Stalker style model ) in .338 Win. Magnum. I told him that his .338 may be all he really needs, depending on if he's backed up by a guide, or on his situation in general. He also wants to pick up an RRA AR in .458 SOCOM, as an all around camp gun in case of any bear problems. Would the .458 SOCOM be adequate defense for the big bears at reletively close to moderate range ?? Any thoughts or opinions will be very much appreciated. THANKS

dpast32

[PIGtooth]

YES! emphatically yes! We did a ballistics gelatin test at 100m not too long ago with the .458 socom and the RRA receivers, needless to say I was impressed. I'll look for photos of the shoot to back up my statement but please believe me when I say the .458 will kill anything alive and mad that you are too. I was also impressed with the limited muzzle rise and low flash signature. The recoil is comparable to a 20ga and with proper technique, rounds impact in tight groups with less effort than I expected. The draw back to the caliber is price and weight.

[Al in Mi]

if he rolls his own, take look at the 450 Bushmaster and the Barnes 325gr Buster bullet.

[Mr blasty]

if he rolls his own, take look at the 450 Bushmaster and the Barnes 325gr Buster bullet.

Just curious why you recommend 450 Bushmaster over the 458 Socom? It's my understanding that they have nearly identical ballistics, but the 458 has far more bullets available to choose from as well as being able to use standard mags and has better feeding ability's due to the case design.

[SHIVAN]

A backup to a lever WinMag, around the camp gun for bear? 12ga mag with slugs.

Love the 458 SOCOM, but the 12ga would be more versatile for the described role.

[GJM]

For defense against grizzly bears, the "school" solution is either a Marlin Guide Gun with hard cast bullets, or an 870 with Brenneke slugs. I would far prefer either to any AR, as they are easier to bring from condition three to firing. The defender needs to be morally sure the bear is actually charging and not bluffing, so the requirement is to shoot perhaps one warning shot, and one or two shots, not engage in a fire fight.

[Artos]

Check out the the 500 Alaskan too....

[JMatthews]

As far as the 500 S&W, I like the X frame Smith designed for it. I would definitely prefer to have a sidearm as a back up for a just in case scenario. It gives you some depth of options in the event you find you are not completely dedicated to keeping your long gun with you all of the time. Look also at the .460 S&W. Some of its ballistic properties are superior, plus the ability to use .454 and .45 colt makes it very versatile. I believe the 500 has more energy, but from what I can recall, I think the .460 gets better penetration because of its speed.

.458 socom vs. .450 bushmaster. A previous post mentioned ammo availability. As far as loaded ammo is concerned, I like the .458. I've observed that there are consistently more distributors keeping .458 in stock. A while ago I checked and Hornady was the only company making any .450 Bushmaster.
The Rock River is probably the better choice of platforms as compared to Bushmaster for a couple of reasons.

While the 870 may be easier to go from condition 3 to 1, I like the capacity of the AR better. Also, you can more easily carry backup mags and reload quicker with the AR platform.

Not a firefight, but I have heard horror stories about not being able to bring a bear down and taking multiple shots or three people emptying entire shotgun tubes before bringing animals down. Not to turn bear fighting into a combat scenario, but I might be concerned about the possibility of running out of shots with a still function and still angry bear.

[Al in Mi]

Just curious why you recommend 450 Bushmaster over the 458 Socom? It's my understanding that they have nearly identical ballistics, but the 458 has far more bullets available to choose from as well as being able to use standard mags and has better feeding ability's due to the case design.

just another option was all.

When I was big bore AR shopping 3 or so years back, 458 brass was scarce and 50 Beowulf even scarcer, so I opted for the 450B and haven't regreted it.

as some of the other guys have noted, a shotgun with good slugs, or one of the Marlin Guide guns could be a better choice.

[tpd223]

Although I have never lived there, folks I know who have prefer manually operated rifles and shotguns for reliability reasons.
Things can get weird when it gets as cold as it does in Alaska.