Feasibility of an AR180B in .458 SOCOM?

Nerwy

Nerwy

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Hey folks,

This is an idea I've had for a while. Do you guys think that the internals (bolt carrier, recoil springs & gas system, bolt would probably have to be custom) of a Canadian AR180 would be able to handle the power of .458 SOCOM? Also curious if anyone has already tried this.
 
It's not impossible, but you'd have to size up most the the specs to fit .45 like the bolt, barrel, and gas block. Ejection ports may be fine as is to fit the brass.
 
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I was keen on this awhile back. was able to source new brass, dies, projectiles, even a bit of loaded ammo but project fell apart because I couldn't source a barrel or the appropriate bolt (same bolt face as 308 win - .473")
 
find an AR barrel in the caliber you seek.

ensure it has the same gas length as the rifle you are going to use.

ensure diameter of barrel at the the gas block is 0.75" (or be prepared to ream the 180 gas block).

confirm bolt face diameter. if a 223 or 7.62x39 diameter then bolts are available. if .473 (ie, bushmaster, socom, i think legend) then send to a gunsmith to open it up a bit (or put it on a lathe and do it yourself). careful w grendel as the bolt face recess is a bit deeper than standard on some versions.

tune it. i.e., perhaps you need an adjustable gas block, or a recoil buffer. find mags that work.

pay $5 every time you pull the trigger.
 
If you are not able to do it yourself, herron arms can do it.

I personally wouldn't spend the money on that platform and start with something better
 
Brian46 said:
If you are not able to do it yourself, herron arms can do it.

I personally wouldn't spend the money on that platform and start with something better
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I don't completely disagree, but the appeal of .458 SOCOM is its compatibility with AR-modularity and many AR-type parts, especially the magazines. Other platforms in .458 would be neat, but they would probably take so much more work that there are likely cooler caliber conversions at that point.
 
Nerwy said:
I don't completely disagree, but the appeal of .458 SOCOM is its compatibility with AR-modularity and many AR-type parts, especially the magazines. Other platforms in .458 would be neat, but they would probably take so much more work that there are likely cooler caliber conversions at that point.
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If it uses standard 556 mags then you'll be limited to 556 mag capacities... you'd only get what, 2 maybe 3 rounds in a mag? 5 or 6 in a LAR mag?
 
Suther said:
If it uses standard 556 mags then you'll be limited to 556 mag capacities... you'd only get what, 2 maybe 3 rounds in a mag? 5 or 6 in a LAR mag?
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this. while you might be able to source dedicated 458 mags, they're hard to find and folks usually ask $125 or more for them. add the price per round and/or unavailability of large pistol primers for reloading and it makes it unviable IMHO. have you considered going down the 6.5 Grendel route at all for something a little different?
 
NR length 458 SOCOM barrels are unobtanium in Canada (And in general- they don't make a lot of sense. Nobody is running .458 in an 18.5"+ barrel in the states, really). I was the one that initiated a run on them with TNA a few years ago, that eventually got passed on to MRA. From the first email I send TNA to actually being able to purchase a barrel/bolt was about a year and a half, and there was a decent amount of demand back then (Enough to justify a custom run at least). Now that we're limited on firearm platforms that use AR barrels, I'd think it would be tough to justify another run.

I'm assuming the goal would be to keep it NR- probably easier to find a shorter barrel, but then you're supposed to tell the government about it. Hell with that.

Suther said:
If it uses standard 556 mags then you'll be limited to 556 mag capacities... you'd only get what, 2 maybe 3 rounds in a mag? 5 or 6 in a LAR mag?
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5 rounds of single stack .50 Beowulf/.458 SOCOM is about 15 rounds of double stacked .223/5.56. A 5 round AR mag gets you 2 rounds of .458, and a LAR mag would probably be good for 3, lol.
 
Nerwy said:
I don't completely disagree, but the appeal of .458 SOCOM is its compatibility with AR-modularity and many AR-type parts, especially the magazines. Other platforms in .458 would be neat, but they would probably take so much more work that there are likely cooler caliber conversions at that point.
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ACR is by far the easiest to convert since it is a multi cal rifle.

The bolt face on my 30AR is .492 and the chamber pressure is way higher than anything the 458 can produce. Herron arms did the work
 
bushmaster has much better ballistics than socom and more ammo and magazines out in the wild. grendel is an easy way to get a bit more oomph out of a 180 - i've built one and am quite happy with the result.

interesting to hear that someone has an acr (which is an expensive 180, hey?) running 30 rar - talking a bolt face out to .492 doesn't leave a lot of meat to hold the lugs on when you start hitting it with big dog pressures. i'm looking at a new build which will be either a 30GR (a grendel necked up to 30 cal) or a 30BR (basically a 1.5" 308). if i go with the 30BR i'd rebate the rim to .473 to keep a bit more strength in the bolt. 30GR doesn't have enough case capacity to get me into trouble, but 30BR can take 35 grains of powder ...
 
Don't those garbage rifles fall apart from shooting like 20 rounds of .223?

Don't think they would even survive chambering a round of .458 lol...
 
the radium king said:
bushmaster has much better ballistics than socom and more ammo and magazines out in the wild. grendel is an easy way to get a bit more oomph out of a 180 - i've built one and am quite happy with the result.

interesting to hear that someone has an acr (which is an expensive 180, hey?) running 30 rar - talking a bolt face out to .492 doesn't leave a lot of meat to hold the lugs on when you start hitting it with big dog pressures. i'm looking at a new build which will be either a 30GR (a grendel necked up to 30 cal) or a 30BR (basically a 1.5" 308). if i go with the 30BR i'd rebate the rim to .473 to keep a bit more strength in the bolt. 30GR doesn't have enough case capacity to get me into trouble, but 30BR can take 35 grains of powder ...
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Custom bolt made from s7 steel and proof tested. It also functions with 450 bushmaster. Both rounds feed from the same magazines so it is a true quick change rifle

30AR has a case capacity of 44 grains

Remington originally advertised the acr as being available in 30AR before it's release, however the acr and cartridge was released without it ever materializing. Instead of waiting, I had Herron arms make it possible
 
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Brian46 said:
Custom bolt made from s7 steel and proof tested. It also functions with 450 bushmaster which has a slightly smaller rim size. Both rounds feed from the same single stack magazines so it is a true quick change rifle

30AR has a case capacity of 44 grains

Remington originally advertised the act as being available in 30AR before it's release, however the act and cartridge was released without it ever materializing. Instead of waiting, I had Herron arms make it possible
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cool. presume 44 grains total, back down to say 35 with a 150gr bullet installed? so kinda close to the 30 br - a short 308? i was going to lap the bolt and re-treat if possible to get as much strength as possible. good to hear that it is workable - gets you 308 performance from a mini-action. wonder if when all said and done you are out the same $ as a $3.5k apc308 or whatever.
 
the radium king said:
cool. presume 44 grains total, back down to say 35 with a 150gr bullet installed? so kinda close to the 30 br - a short 308? i was going to lap the bolt and re-treat if possible to get as much strength as possible. good to hear that it is workable - gets you 308 performance from a mini-action. wonder if when all said and done you are out the same $ as a $3.5k apc308 or whatever.
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The apc is way more than 3.5k and the platform is way heavier and bulkier.

Also not available until recently. I have had the acr for years and it was converted immediately after purchase
 
lerch641 said:
https://www.acrforum.com/threads/458-socom.3775/

Relevant thread on converting/building a .458 ACR
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The cartridge doesn't interest me to be honest.

I picked the 30ar and 450 bushmaster as it could be done with the same custom bolt and mags. All you need is two quick change barrel assemblies and you can swap calibers in under a minute without any tools.

Another option is 7.62x39 and 50 Beowulf as they share the same bolt but you would need different magazines for each caliber. The whole dual use magazine thing with the RCMP and Beowulf is something to consider.
 
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