Marty Ter Weeme of Teppo Jutsu LLC designed the .458 SOCOM ammo. Manufactured mainly by Southern Ballistic Research (SBR) Steinel Ammunition Inc and occasionally by Buffalo Bore and Black Butterfly, the 458 SOCOM ammo design is widely used by game hunters.
The need to replace the 5.56 NATO cartridge used to fight in the ‘Battle of Mogadishu’ in 1993 arose when the Special Operations Command noticed that the fighters from the opposing side were hardly affected when shot. A cartridge with a higher impact force, able to knock down an opponent with a single shot, was the answer to the problem. This birthed the .458 SOCOM ammo.
Steinel Ammunition made the first .458 SOCOM ammo in 2001, designed to comfortably lodge in the M4-Carbine, a specific request from its sponsor. The caliber is a rebated rim bottleneck with 300 grains, giving it a supersonic muzzle velocity that amplifies the effect of its impact.
In appearance, its parent case is made from .50AE, the bullet diameter is 11.63mm, the neck is 12.32mm, the shoulder has 13.74mm, and a rim of 12.01mm. The rim’s thickness is 0.041 inches. Altogether, the entire length of a caliber from the .458 SOCOM ammo is 57.40mm.
The .458 SOCOM isn’t fit for long distances, but where it lacks in space, it covers adequately in power, able to knock down large animals for hunting with just one shot.
The .458 SOCOM ammo is the ideal ammo to use for hunting and Barnes Bullets manufacture its version of 300gr TTSX bullets specially for this caliber.
