Palladin8

Does anyone out there have one of the three calibers? I have been thinking about getting a marlin guide gun in 45/70 until I started looking into these calibers. I think they would actually work better for what I am intending to use them for (heavy brush hunting for wild boar) I like the compactness of the 16" M4 carbine style and the semi-auto for faster follow up shots.
Any info you can provide would be much appreciated.

Thanks

Sorry had this in the wrong area the first time

gmil6184

I have not had a chance to shoot any of them but the first time i heard of and saw the beowulf the first thing i thought was that this would be the perfect woods rifle for deer/black bear/hogs. I'm sure all three would work just fine, my vote would be for the beowulf because it sounds the coolest haha

RugerM77.270

I would stick with the 45-70 because of the ammo availablility. It may not look as cool on paper but its true potential is brought out in handloading.

Palladin8

Well I have always liked the 45/70. It's a great caliber but I am looking for a big bore semi auto. They are all very similar to the performance of the 45/70 but with the added advantage of being semi auto. I reload so ammo availability isn't really an issue for me. The dies for either the .458 socom or .50 beowulf are actually pretty easy to find and no more than any other set of dies on Midway.

BigTiny

I have a .45-70 Marlin XLR, and i have been thinking about getting a Beowulf. Last year I sold a bunch of guns and don't currently have a semi-auto. I want something that is good for everything, and the Beowulf looks as good as any.

Palladin8

Yeah it's pretty impressive but the more I look into them I am really liking the .458 Socom due to it using rifle bullets and not the pistol bullets like the beowulf. Either way I think they are both great guns.

Adirondack Hunter

i agree, .45/70 is the best, while it is a lever gun, if your shootin in thick brush, you only need one shot and a heavy bullet like that as long as youre sighted in, and you make a good, responsible shot, youll kill that ole piggy. the .450 bushmaster from what i ehar is a great caliber, but also the availability/cost of ammo SUCKS one hornady is the only one that makes .450 bm (as to my knowledge) which goes along with the cost, and unless you get your ammo at a big name outdoor store, chances are theres not gonna be any out there. the .50 beowulf is the same way. and as for the .458 socom...............i dunno never heard anything about it

if your really lookin for somethin with a punch grab any shotgun and use slugs, thats about as good a brush gun as you can get imo, as long as you dont mind the weight.

RallySoob

I've heard the .458 socom is great. Does it take special mags or will the standard .223 mags hold them? I'm about to buy a .458 RRA upper for my spare RRA lower

Palladin8

"The 450 bushy is a shortened 284 win case firing a .452 dia. bullet"
That's the one thing that this cartridge has going for it. The availability of the .284 cases are actually better than the other two cartridges. I reload so finding the brass for the three big bores is the only problem. I have looked on several websites: midway, graf & sons, brass world etc. etc. and could not find any of the Socom or Beowulf in stock. All is on back order and who knows how long it will take. I wasn't able to find the Bushmaster brass either but there is plenty of .284 out there that a simple turning on a lathe to cut them to the right OAL and you are all set. I am still leaning towards the Socom but the search for brass has kinda made me reconsider.

gunner870

I have the 50 Beowulf, whaked a deer. Oh, and three hogs all at once.