Thread: 458Short: Is there room?

Well I just finished turning a couple of 10.5" brls for my latest creation. The 458Short. It is based off the 50AE case. The shorter case will lend itself to a subsonic role having a good load density. Plus the upper end a 350g Hornady RN should run about 1550fps. The 300g Rem HPs look like 1700fps. Not bad for the short case I hope to break in the brl thursday & see what the upper limits are before I dell into the subsonic role
Here is a pic with the 350, 405 & 500g bullets.
The ones with the rebated rim are 50Beowulf cases shortened giving the use of a 7.62x39 bolt.

Wow this looks interesting Ron!

Thanks! I just finished puting the upper together. Its rather basic but I like the KISS principle. Plus I have never been much on optics since most of my shots never excede 50yds. Yea the brl is a little bright but by the time the hogs see it, it "will" be too late!

Nice looking blaster! Can we see the bolt? I'd like to see how it looks.When will you test fire it.

Here is a pic. Not the best but you can see how I open it up until the only thing left is the locking lugs. I run this sytem with my 50AE & 440Corbon. I admit it looks scary but I have never had a bolt related failure or any other failure for that matter. Ive been at it for over 10yrs. The first key to this is the bolt. I start start with a MPI bolt. This provides a bolt with no flaws. Second the case runs at 35Kpsi max & third, the minimal taper & short shoulder/case do not produce much back thrust. Put all this together & the bolt will last as long as any other bolt. For the faint of heart you can use the 50B brass shortened to 1.285 and a 7.62x39 bolt. I hope to test it thursday time permiting.

Thanks for the picture. You're right.....it does look scary.

Well I just got back from the range. The 458short will push the 300g Rem HP to 1800fps from a 10" brl. The 350SP ran 1630fps & the 405Rem SP did 1430fps. All this from a 10" brl! Not to bad for a short fat case & a short brl. Headed out but I hope to get a beter report tomorrow. Later, Ron

What advantages does the 458short offer over the 458 SOCOM? I'm very interested in this.

Originally Posted by SGT.Cap

What advantages does the 458short offer over the 458 SOCOM? I'm very interested in this.

Did you read his first post?

The shorter case will lend itself to a subsonic role having a good load density.

Originally Posted by Strycnine

Did you read his first post?

The shorter case will lend itself to a subsonic role having a good load density.

Thats cool. Someone was looking for a big bore subsonic round & this design fit the bill. Less room to get a better consistency with lower powder charges.

These are some high performance loads for the 458Short. Its not just for subsonic loads.
Alright, I started with a LotherWalther SS 14twist blank. The brl I am running is 10" long. The #s are as follows
std reloading disclaimer
50Boewulf brass cut to 1.285
300g Rem 30g W296 WLP 1.85 OAL low 1657fps high 1681fps COLD These were brl break in rounds. Shoot one clean one for 20 total.

300g Rem HP 30g LilGun WLP 1.85 OAL low 1784fps high 1802fps. Very light marks on the case. Went up 1 grain to 31g & got a good extractor mark NO GO, 1886fps. In conclusion I would run 30g for hunting purposes & 28g for practice.

350SP 31g RL7 WLP 1.85 OAL low 1612fps high 1622fps COLD Went up to 33g for 1627fps Very consistant but unburnt residue in brl. Should have used CCI 350s Still need to find max.

350SP 27.5g LilGun WLP 1.9 OAL low 1618fps high 1639fps light marks on case. Went up to 28.5g & good marks on case. NO GO Again I would run the 27.5 for hunting & use 25.5g for practice.

405Rem SP 26g LilGun WLP 2.25 OAL Only fired one. NO GO Need to back down a grain & try again 1457fps This one put a hurting on me

50AE case 1.285
300Rem 32g W296 CCI350 1.85 OAL low 1753fps high 1771fps COLD but geting close. The W296 might break 1800fps also.

300Rem 35g RL7 CCI350 1.85 OAL low 1630fps high 1646fps COLD I dont like RL7 with the lighter bullets. To much unburn residue.

350SP 31g RL7 CCI350 1.85 OAL low 1637fps high 1652fps COLD Still need to find max. The CCI 350s realy helped with velocity & residue.

Thats all I have for now. I plan on geting a 16twist & cuting a 16" tube to see how much better it will do.