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Old June 22, 2017, 10:52 AM   #63
stagpanther
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Join Date: March 2, 2014
Posts: 11,654
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I have been watching this thread with interest considering I'm a recent/ new 458 SOCOM owner. These are just my experiences/ observations and are not a criticism of any of the posters.
First I want to mention the shipping problems some of you are having. I don't doubt what you say. If you have flown on an airline recently and it's taken multiple planes to get you across the country, you often go the opposite way you are traveling, to get to a bigger hub or to get to a plane that goes to your destination. Any shipping that travels by air is subject to the same frustrations. Even ground shipping has to go to hubs, which may or not be in your direction initially. That said, I live rural and other than groceries, we buy everything online. It all makes it in 3 - 5 days, with Priority Mail often making it in two. My UPS and FedEx guys are here 2 or 3 times a week. They even leave "Adult Signature Required" stuff because they know me and know it's safe at my place. I don't even look at the tracking emails. Sounds like a new form of OCD is being obsessed with tracking packages. Call Dr. Phil.
So I want a 458. I start doing my research, starting of course, at the 458 SOCOM forum. Before internet forums, I never knew all the problems I wasn't having. I remember when forums first started and I discovered that reloading 44-40 was problematic, even though it was my favorite caliber and I'd been reloading it without "issues" since 1976. After reading the 458 forum, they almost talked me out of trying one but I plunged ahead. The brand prejudice at that sight bothered me a little. A lot of forums are run by people with something to sell so they might not be the most objective. I also can't register there because they won't take my hotmail email address that I've had since the internet started. So after reading about all the problems and fixes and how hard it was to reload, I didn't want to have $1000 in an upper that I'd have to tune and play with a lot.
So I bought a Radical Firearms 458 SOCOM complete upper on sale for $450. When it came, I disassembled it to look for any obvious problems and clean the barrel before I fired it. Only thing I could find was the gas key was probably not staked to a lot of peoples satisfaction. I love the Panzer muzzle brake. I mounted an old, but high quality, 4X scope (from the 1960's), popped it on a mil spec carbine lower I built on an Anderson receiver that I keep around just to test different upper builds. I used a Colt USGI 20 round mag, as suggested on the 458 forum.
I bought some factory ammo from Underwood and Great Lakes, to get shooting quick and generate a brass supply. Went to the range, sighted in at 25 yards, checked it and made one adjustment at 50, then moved to 100. My first three shots with Underwood using 300 grain Nosler Ballistic Tip duplicated your photo. First shot took out the X and the next two where overlapping holes an inch away. The Great Lakes used 300 grain Hornady JHP's and weren't quite as accurate, two inch group.
It never failed to cycle and all empties rolled out on the table to my right, from a standard size ejection port, a foot and a half away. Nice to not chase expensive brass. One problem not related to the upper. At around 40 rounds my buffer came apart. It was a no name buffer and the plastic plug wasn't pinned, that's what came out. And this lower has had a lot of 5.56 shot through it. I had a spare Colt H buffer and it worked fine, till I got another quality buffer with a pinned plug.
I have 56 rounds through it without a hick up. I'm just a paper puncher and this is just a fun gun, so I won't need more than 100 rounds of ammo. I did buy Imperial Sizing Wax, which should work nicely with my 44-40's too. A range buddy likes the rifle and wants to take it to Missouri, hog hunting. I'm going to build a dedicated lower for it.
So I got into 458 SOCOM for half price and no drama or hand wringing. All the reviews
of this upper on Joe Bob's and Primary Arms have been positive. Some forums won't allow you to say anything good about Radical Firearms and will delete your post. Same haters didn't like my AR Stoner side charging upper, but it has been a great upper and I got a side charger for $200 less than the nearest competition. If yours has a problem, send it back. I've never known Midway, Joe Bob's, or Primary to ever refuse a return.
I have another Radical 5.56 upper, that has worked fine. I like the aesthetics of their handguard and, as I said, the Panzer muzzle device sold me on their 458.
Que the nattering nabobs of negativism.
Thank you Mr. Sunshine

In case you haven't figured it out--I like building these things and figuring them out--including the loads. I do listen to what people have to say in forums--But I've been doing this long enough to know that what I experience may not match up to what they do. I've only had a couple of builds that ultimately didn't turn out to be great shooters--and that's usually because I chose to go the cheapo route on the barrels--so no surprises or disappointments there.

I can already tell this one is going to end up being a hunter and going into the woods under some pretty harsh conditions--my requirements might be different from your's.
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"Everyone speaks gun."--Robert O'Neill
I am NOT an expert--I do not have any formal experience or certification in firearms use or testing; use any information I post at your own risk!
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