large bore AR's

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kyhunter

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Hey gys quic question for you AR aficianados out there. Im looking at building and AR platform in the near future. Ive owned .223 and .22 AR's in the past and enjoyed them but they soon left as I just couldnt fall in love with them. Im interested in the larger bores such as .300 BLK/AAC or maybe .458 socom or .50 beowulf or alaskan.

Might questions are as follows.
I want a round that is well established and wont be dissapearing.
I dont need a 600 yard range or any of that jazz just something that hits fairly close for hunting.
I dont want to break the bank on building a 3000 dollar rifle to beat up a little

so what are the pro's cons of this.

I handload so ammo availability factor isnt a huge deal, but long case life and easy to size/form cases are a plus.
 
Have you ever considered the AR-10? DPMS makes some of the better ones, and has an ultralight model that's only 8 pounds. Then you can shoot real rifle calibers.
 
when i finish my current build im gonna start on a .300 blackout.

it ballistics are very similar to 7.62x39 and can easily be reloaded with a large variety of weights (110 to over 200) it can be loaded both super sonic and subsonic so its a great round to suppress (my eventual goal) plus its a .30 cal that can be carried in a 30rd mag


i considered doing a large bore .458 or .50 but decided against it since i already have a .45-70 and the build would cost more and ammo would be more than the marlin.
 
Hands down I believe the 6.5 Grendel is the best medium bore round available in the AR15.

I owned a .50 Beowulf for several years and shot many pigs and a few deer with it. It works great, but it's no fun to shoot at the range and I spend more time at the range than out hunting.
 
Warden wolf I have but I already have two bolt .30-06's and a .308 just isnt in the cards. Im kind of just facinated by the large bore high energy effeciency aspect.
 
Large bore, .458 SOCOM. If you mean larger bore than .223, the 6.8 SPC is a great cartridge and ideal for medium game. Lots of good ammo and even Walmart is stocking the new Federal Fusion 6.8.
 
I'd love and plan on eventually getting a .50 Beowolf AR... just cause it's a big boy gun and makes really big holes in things... I mean it was designed to stop cars at checkpoints... what's not to love??? Johnny
 
6.5 grendal is the next best thing to a AR10 in 308. It has a long reach and works in an AR15 lower. However, the round is a little expensive if your not reloading. Wolf makes ammo in this cartridge. Unknown if it will be any easier to find in the future.

300bllk is a great round for inside 200 yards. lots of energy for kill mid-sized game. This round is established and will be around for a while, but the jury is still out. Lots of ammo manufacturers make it now and you can shoot the Hornady 300 whisper in the 300blk chamber. It is popular now, but it is still a new round.

The 6.8 SPC is loved by many. There are a lot of AR owners that hunt with it. It seems very established. Better range than the 300blk and the energy down range is good.

The big .400 cal rounds are very cool, i would love to have one. However i think they are a novelty in my opinion. I personally dont enough disposable income to warrent investing in any of those calibers. Expensive, not readily availalbe, etc.

Other than the obvious 223 and 22lr, the top three are the only others i would consider. For long range precision, 6.5. For defense 300blk. For a little of all 6.8 spc II.
 
thanks again for your input guys ill do a little more research. I do like the 300 blk due to mag and case specs being based of .223. gotigers Im kinda into the novelty aspect of them as well. Its what makes them fun. I was looking at large bore lever guns in .44 mag or .45 colt and after seeing the prices I figured I could come close to building an ar of sorts for the prices and have a neat project. I want something with a 16ish inch barrel I can handload for that takes a relatively large "slower" moving cartridge. Its just something id like to have since all I have ever owned were .30 cal rifles and a 5.56.
 
gotigers nailed it.

Couldn't have said it better.

I went with the 300 BlkOut just because everything is standard .223/5.56 AR except the barrel. It is not a 30.06/.308 Win, but then its a light AR weapon. AR10s are heavy/bulky/expensive/nice... But I have .308/7.62s and 30.06s....

The 6point8 Spec II looks very fine.... The 6.5G, long range shots, here I come. The whopper 45s and bigger, yea :D

Which one first?
 
The most fun, readily convertible rounds are 300blk & 458 socom; particularly, if you have or will be using a suppressor. If you're looking for sub-500yd calibers, look no further.
 
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I watched a demonstration on Future Weapons of the 50 Beo and can only say WOW!

For stopping power at close range this thing was stupendous. At very low angles of incidence, it smashed through the hood of a test car tearing into the engine compartment items underneath.

Specific of purpose is how I would classify it. If you have heavy targets in close proximity, this is your specific AR platform.


I defer to the rest here on the other AR chamberings.


This is not the video I was talking about, but gives an idea of the power available here:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMsy3Y7R7no



This IS the VIDEO!



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0CrUARlmqso


The 458 and the 50 Beo generate interest personally as I shoot a 500 S&W and more power is addicting.
The idea of having this stuff (400 gr projectiles) fly out of an AR is intoxicating.
 
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You realize, bigdaa, that Future Weapons always spins whatever it is they show as the best thing ever. You could get similar performance out of 5.56 just by swapping to AP ammo. The problem is that a car engine is very difficult to stop immediately. It's easy to make it so it will never start again, but stopping it once it's running is another matter. Nothing short of a 12 gauge slug will have the power to deliver an almost instant death blow to a running engine.
 
I've been around long enough to know spin.

Having said that, you can't deny power and those two rounds have just that. Plus, they are jacketed so they offer better durability than the available military slugs.

I believe the muzzle energy of the 50 is gonna be around 3K lbs. Certain slugs can be in the 3k+ area, but may generally be found in the sub 3K neighborhood.

The AR platform is the significant consideration here. Two push pins and next thing you know, you are packing a 50 for close quarters.

While you don't have to take the Show with but with a grain of salt, you can't discount out and out power.

Did you know that out of that 500 S&W of mine, I can match energy readings at the muzzle with a 7.62X51 NATO round?





One caveat: Both the Beo and the Socom are as expensive as heck. You'll pay 2-3 bucks and more a round easy.
Reloading? Yes, but even the slugs cost a bunch.
 
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I personally went for the 6.8 spc II as my medium game AR round and love it. Since it sounds like you are looking for a .30 cal+ round though I would say you should take a close look at the .458 Socom. Like the .50 Beowulf, the round puts enormous power in the AR package, and at least when I was pricing things out, .458 bullets were a good bit cheaper than comparable .50 bullets.

Wilson Combat offers this kit:
http://shopwilsoncombat.com/458-SOCOM-Build-Kit-16-Heavy-Barrel/productinfo/TR-458K-HB/

which looks like it would be a reltively cheap way to build up a .458.
 
Ifyou are going to hunt and dont mind reloading the 7.62 x 40 Wt is the answer at least to me it is.
http://wilsoncombat.com/new/762x40-project.asp

Ballistic Performance Comparison7.62x40 WT (16” barrel)
110gr: 2534FPS Muzzle Velocity and 1569 Foot Pounds of Energy
125gr: 2463FPS Muzzle Velocity and 1684 Foot Pounds of Energy
150gr: 2200FPS Muzzle Velocity and 1612 Foot Pounds of Energy

5.56 Nato (16” barrel)
55gr: 3150FPS Muzzle Velocity and 1212 Foot Pounds of Energy
62gr: 3000FPS Muzzle Velocity and 1239 Foot Pounds of Energy
77gr: 2750FPS Muzzle Velocity and 1293 Foot Pounds of Energy

7.62x39 (16” barrel)
123gr: 2320FPS Muzzle Velocity and 1470 Foot Pounds of Energy

6.8 SPC (16” barrel)
110gr: 2550FPS Muzzle Velocity and 1594 Foot Pounds of Energy

300 BLACKOUT (16” barrel)
125gr: 2275FPS Muzzle Velocity and 1436 Foot Pounds of Energy
 
7.62X39 is the cheapest to shoot and packs a serious punch. I have a Remington R-25 (DPMS LR308 in .308) and it is a big heavy gun and I had no idea what I was getting into when I ordered it.
 
I have a 450 Bushmaster. very accurate out to 200 yards. It's called the Thumper and does indeed Thump. I'm very happy with it. It is my go to gun for deer hunting in my brush filled woods. 250 grain bullet. muzzle velocity about 2200FPS.
 
I have a 450 Bushmaster ( the Thumper ) which is a very good large game rifle for short range (200 yard) hunting. I love it. It is very good in the dense woods that I have. very accurate out to 200 yards, and I can attest that it does indeed "thump!"
 
I love the 458 SOCOM,It's one of the funnest rifle's I have. Very accurate,my handloads shoot well under MOA at 100,and it flat rolls feral hogs.
The negative is ammo,unless you are a handloader,most can't afford to feed the big bore caliber AR's.
It is an easy caliber to reload,and as long as you're not pushing the upper limits with powder charges,the brass last a long time-10+ loadings.
Starline is the only mfg of 458SC brass,and if you don't buy from them,you'll pay more for it.
I shoot 300gr,325gr,350gr,and 405gr bullets out of mine. The recoil is mild,until you get to the 405gr and bigger,then it wakes up and becomes a thumper.
 
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