Wilson Combat logo 2Whether you’re hunting Hogzilla, Godzilla or Bigfoot, there’s a good chance your standard caliber AR-15 just isn’t going to cut it.  You need something with a big enough “Thump” to take down even the biggest and most worthy opponent.  That’s exactly why Bill Wilson of Wilson Combat started his Wilson Combat .458 SOCOM Project.  The pairing of the .458 SOCOM round with the AR-15 platform creates a devastating combination that will give you that one shot one kill power you need when hunting big game….or Yeti’s.  You can choose to either upgrade your existing AR-15 by purchasing the .458 SOCOM conversion kits which consist of the barrel, BCG, Flash Hider, Adjustable Gas Block and Gas Tube or you can just purchase the complete Wilson Combat .458 SOCOM upper receiver.  You can check out some pics below.  Follow the link at the bottom of the article to go to the Wilson Combat site.  

Wilson Combat 458-socom

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Think of the .458 SOCOM as a .45-70 in a modern AR platform weapon. It’s capable of firing 250gr through 600gr bullets, however is best suited for bullets in the 250gr – 400gr range for hunting.  It’s at it’s very best when firing the purpose built Barnes 300gr TAC TX bullet in the 1750fps – 1800fps velocity range.  However the SOCOM will also fire 500gr – 600gr bullets subsonic for tactical purposes.  Building the .458 SOCOM takes only the following “unique” parts: Barrel, bolt and extractor. However Wilson Combat is optimizing their .458 SOCOMs by also adding their new adjustable gas block and straight gas tube as a standard feature. Having the ability to adjust your gas volume allows the end user to fine tune their carbine for a specific load.  In addition minor machining has to be done to the ejection port opening of the upper receiver to allow clearance for the larger cartridge case.  The SOCOM feeds flawless from many standard unmodified 5.56 AR magazines, however Wilson Combat has found the Lancer L5 AWM magazine to be optimal.  The standard 20rd magazine holds 7 rounds and the 30rd holds 9.  One really nice attribute of the SOCOM is the fact that it doesn’t require a long barrel to achieve its optimum performance level, very little can be gained with a barrel length over 16”.  In our opinion the .458 SOCOM has several design and performance advantages over the .450 Bushmaster and the .500 Beowulf, two of which are improved functional reliability and the use of a standard AR magazine.

Wilson Combat 458-socom-5You purchase your choice of Wilson Combat .458 Complet Upper or .458 Build Kit at WilsonCombat.com.