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Posted: 12/27/2011 7:57:01 PM EDT
So I may be going on a backpacking trip this summer and naturally I started thinking about what firearm should accompany me on my trip. Is it possible to build a lightweight big bore AR carbine to take the place of a big ass revolver or an 870 slug gun. Possible trip destinations are in grizzly habitat......
I was thinking somthing simple: - ACE stock - Upper with carry handle - Lightweight barrel - Fiber optic or night sights - Good sling I'm sure sombody on here as built something similar. |
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So I may be going on a backpacking trip this summer and naturally I started thinking about what firearm should accompany me on my trip. Is it possible to build a lightweight big bore AR carbine to take the place of a big ass revolver or an 870 slug gun. Possible trip destinations are in grizzly habitat...... I was thinking somthing simple: - ACE stock - Upper with carry handle - Lightweight barrel- - Fiber optic or night sights - Good sling I'm sure sombody on here as built something similar. As the owner of a .458socom, a lightweight barrel is in fairyland only. I would think the size of the bore would make it impossible. Add that the ammo is hella heavy and any idea of "lightweight" goes out the window. |
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So I may be going on a backpacking trip this summer and naturally I started thinking about what firearm should accompany me on my trip. Is it possible to build a lightweight big bore AR carbine to take the place of a big ass revolver or an 870 slug gun. Possible trip destinations are in grizzly habitat...... I was thinking somthing simple: - ACE stock - Upper with carry handle - Lightweight barrel - Fiber optic or night sights - Good sling I'm sure sombody on here as built something similar. It would be lighter if you shortened it That's about the only way to do it. |
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Like this? It's my hunting carbine for bear and wolf country. I would highly recommend it for a backwoods carry gun. It is very light and compact. You will notice that the sling is set up for African carry, but I rarely use it since it's so easy to carry due to the short barrel length and relatively light weight. I also have an Eberlestock pack that it rides in without the bottom portion of the gun scabbard unfolded. It remains completely hidden and there is no indication that I have a rifle in my pack, yet it is quickly accessible. I have a cheap Simmons 2.5x shotgun scope on it, but it has held up very well and it's perfect for this rifle. I would recommend using Remington 385 JHP bullets as the spitzer shape allows them to feed very reliably. I have also modified the magazine to allow the big cartridges to slide out the front a little easier. http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b12/wirebrush/beo.jpg ETA- the barrel is relatively light since it's about .850 diameter, but it has a .500 inside diameter so the barrel wall thickness is about that of an ultralight .223 barrel or less. That's about what my .458 looks like.... |
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SBR it. http://www.sbrammunition.com/assets/458_SOCOM.jpg Or build a folding SBS 870 or Mossberg, it might be lighter. http://www.prestonmoore.com/images/1shot.jpg http://i645.photobucket.com/albums/uu178/cal50/sbs/IMG_1676.jpg Folding stock shotguns are pretty hot as well.... |
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Like this? It's my hunting carbine for bear and wolf country. I would highly recommend it for a backwoods carry gun. It is very light and compact. You will notice that the sling is set up for African carry, but I rarely use it since it's so easy to carry due to the short barrel length and relatively light weight. I also have an Eberlestock pack that it rides in without the bottom portion of the gun scabbard unfolded. It remains completely hidden and there is no indication that I have a rifle in my pack, yet it is quickly accessible. I have a cheap Simmons 2.5x shotgun scope on it, but it has held up very well and it's perfect for this rifle. I would recommend using Remington 385 JHP bullets as the spitzer shape allows them to feed very reliably. I have also modified the magazine to allow the big cartridges to slide out the front a little easier. http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b12/wirebrush/beo.jpg ETA- the barrel is relatively light since it's about .850 diameter, but it has a .500 inside diameter so the barrel wall thickness is about that of an ultralight .223 barrel or less. That is pretty much exactly what I am building next. Wirebrush, you must be in the western 1/3 of MT if you hunt in grizzly and wolf country, whereabouts??? I'm by Kalispell. |
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Similar build, sub in a CTR stock and a vented Mk10 hand guard. Also opt for the GDMR style gas block to shave a few more ounces. I would use a pepperpot muzzle brake as these are about the lightest. Two point sling from Blue Force.
Or you can look at the Beowulf piston operated set up, new for SHOT That is a nice set up from Wirebrush. |
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Rossi ranch hand in .44 mag, and a tax stamp.
$450+ $200 tax stamp+ $75 engraving+ $75 synthetic furniture+ $50 new sights+ $50 for metal follower, springs, and safety plug. + $25 SP Sling + $33 50 rd Remington 230gr Sp (Walmart) = $960ish Light. Accurate. Easy to feed. Or $1,500- plus for - heavy semi auto bigbore AR that is long. |
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My .50Beowulf only weighs about 7# or so. Easy to carry. I think you can build a pretty darn light big bore, but recoil will make it not so fun to shoot a lot. You have a real purpose for it though, so you aren't going to be going to the range everyweekend to blast 50rds out of it anyways. One plus for the folding stock shotgun would be that you can use big nasty slugs OR stick birdshot in it for getting game, or bait, depending on how you look at it...
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Like this? It's my hunting carbine for bear and wolf country. I would highly recommend it for a backwoods carry gun. It is very light and compact. You will notice that the sling is set up for African carry, but I rarely use it since it's so easy to carry due to the short barrel length and relatively light weight. I also have an Eberlestock pack that it rides in without the bottom portion of the gun scabbard unfolded. It remains completely hidden and there is no indication that I have a rifle in my pack, yet it is quickly accessible. I have a cheap Simmons 2.5x shotgun scope on it, but it has held up very well and it's perfect for this rifle. I would recommend using Remington 385 JHP bullets as the spitzer shape allows them to feed very reliably. I have also modified the magazine to allow the big cartridges to slide out the front a little easier. http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b12/wirebrush/beo.jpg ETA- the barrel is relatively light since it's about .850 diameter, but it has a .500 inside diameter so the barrel wall thickness is about that of an ultralight .223 barrel or less. That's exactly what I was thinking! Nice carbine Wirebrush. |
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.50 Beowulf or 458 Socom pistol FTW! In all seriousness though, I was surprised when I got my Beowulf barrel and assembled the gun that my .50 Beowulf was lighter than my 7.62x39 AR and weighs about the same as my 9MM AR, all three with 16" barrels. It all depends on what stock, hand guard and accessories you decide to run on your rifle.
Fred R. |
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IIRC, Marty (Teppo Justu) said that Magnum Research was working on a .458 Socom version of the BFR revolver, but I don't know if anything came of it. I think a reasonably light Socom upper for hunting would be a great addition to my collection, but I definitely would not be burning up a lot of ammo at the range with it.
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i would have no problem taking my 450bm,but i think i'd dump the scope and use iron sights as finding a charging bear in the scope might be difficult
pete |
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Like this? It's my hunting carbine for bear and wolf country. I would highly recommend it for a backwoods carry gun. It is very light and compact. You will notice that the sling is set up for African carry, but I rarely use it since it's so easy to carry due to the short barrel length and relatively light weight. I also have an Eberlestock pack that it rides in without the bottom portion of the gun scabbard unfolded. It remains completely hidden and there is no indication that I have a rifle in my pack, yet it is quickly accessible. I have a cheap Simmons 2.5x shotgun scope on it, but it has held up very well and it's perfect for this rifle. I would recommend using Remington 385 JHP bullets as the spitzer shape allows them to feed very reliably. I have also modified the magazine to allow the big cartridges to slide out the front a little easier. http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b12/wirebrush/beo.jpg ETA- the barrel is relatively light since it's about .850 diameter, but it has a .500 inside diameter so the barrel wall thickness is about that of an ultralight .223 barrel or less. That is pretty much exactly what I am building next. Wirebrush, you must be in the western 1/3 of MT if you hunt in grizzly and wolf country, whereabouts??? I'm by Kalispell. I hunt in the area between Deer Lodge and Lincoln as well as the Southwestern corner of the state. Grizzly and wolves have been seen fairly frequently in both areas. A bowhunter was charged by a Griz last fall in one of the areas I hunt. |
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So I may be going on a backpacking trip this summer and naturally I started thinking about what firearm should accompany me on my trip. Is it possible to build a lightweight big bore AR carbine to take the place of a big ass revolver or an 870 slug gun. Possible trip destinations are in grizzly habitat...... I was thinking somthing simple: - ACE stock - Upper with carry handle - Lightweight barrel - Fiber optic or night sights - Good sling I'm sure sombody on here as built something similar. I've been dreaming of this exact same concept for about 4 or 5 months now. My plan is for a 10.5" barrel (pistol length gas) in a general Mk18 config, maybe with a DD RIS II rail, light and aimpoint/eotech. Maybe I'll stick with irons though to save weight. But the concept is the same. It should be much easier to get off 10 aimed shots in rapid succession with rifle than with any kind of handgun. 300gr TTSX should do the trick for bear medicine. Just gotta find where I can get a 10.5" barrel with pistol length gas. Everywhere I've looked seems to be tied up with something else and either won't respond to my emails, or too busy to build me one. Haven't seen any used ones come up lately either without having to buy the farm as well. |
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I've always been intrigued by the big-bore ARs. Those rounds would certainly suffice for whatever you may encounter. That said, this is my preferred woods gun: http://img716.imageshack.us/img716/7990/marlin1895gs.jpg I put a shell holder on the butt stock as seen here: http://www.grizzlycustom.com/pageimages/rm_grizzly_custom_marlin_1895G_1_400.png And added a set of XS ghost rings. Relatively light, extremely powerful, very reliable. This is a personal preference, it just "feels right" to have a lever gun and revolver in the woods. I have carried and hunted with an AR and Glock 20, but I found the experience to be less enjoyable. I attribute some of that to the gear I had. That thing is beautiful.... |
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I have a 14.5 inch .458 SOCOM with an integral brake to bring it out to 16 inches.
Tony Rumore built it. Very light, handy and accurate. Love it. |
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Backpaking calls for somthing small/light. A good 7.5" bigbore AR would fill the bill. This one is a 50AE. I would build one in the cal of your choice. http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g61/ron458/50AEComp.jpg That thing is sweet and would be perfect for backpacking! Please tell me more about it. Did you build it yourself? Maybe I need to look into what is required to get a SBR in Denverstan. |
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It is entirely possible to build a fairly lightweight .458 SOCOM. My .458 Woody uses a .900 barrel under the handguards to a midlength gas block at .875 inch, then .750 inch to the rifle length distance for the front sight, then .730 to the muzzle. The barrel is 20 inches and has a wood stock and forend, which are not light. The entire rifle with 2-7x Leupold scope only weighs 9.5 pounds, and if I remove the scope and add a carry handle rear sight it only weighs 8.5 pounds, and remember, that is with a heavy ass wood stock. If you put on a lightweight stock (not the ACE SOCOM stock, it is very heavy) then you can very easily get the weight down to 8 pounds. Use a 16 inch barrel the same profile as mine and you can likely shave off another 4 ounces. So, it is not some figment of one's imagination to build a lightweight .458 SOCOM.
My 12.5 inch .458 SOCOM SBR has roughly the same barrel profile but wears the ACE M4 SOCOM long stock (rifle buffer and spring) along with the DD 12 inch lite rail (which is really not all that light) and it weighs in 9.4 pounds with scope, 8.4 pounds with carry handle, so you can see, that ACE M4 SOCOM stock is not a lightweight stock. |
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I've always been intrigued by the big-bore ARs. Those rounds would certainly suffice for whatever you may encounter. That said, this is my preferred woods gun: http://img716.imageshack.us/img716/7990/marlin1895gs.jpg I put a shell holder on the butt stock as seen here: http://www.grizzlycustom.com/pageimages/rm_grizzly_custom_marlin_1895G_1_400.png And added a set of XS ghost rings. Relatively light, extremely powerful, very reliable. This is a personal preference, it just "feels right" to have a lever gun and revolver in the woods. I have carried and hunted with an AR and Glock 20, but I found the experience to be less enjoyable. I attribute some of that to the gear I had. I like the way you think... |
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Backpaking calls for somthing small/light. A good 7.5" bigbore AR would fill the bill. This one is a 50AE. I would build one in the cal of your choice. http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g61/ron458/50AEComp.jpg That thing is sweet and would be perfect for backpacking! Please tell me more about it. Did you build it yourself? Maybe I need to look into what is required to get a SBR in Denverstan. Yes, Ron is in the business of building stuff like that I looked into bigbores a while back, & looked into ballistics & decided the .50 Beowulf had the most energy. Then looked into best projectiles for grizzlies. Barnes recommended handloading their muzzleloading projectiles. I think the 275 grain made the most energy. They also make a 325 grainer. To make a lightweight .50, you could use a Cav Arms lower to shave a pound, then use a lightened carrier (JP) & light buffer, but you would have to reduce the gas. If you had Ron build you one he could tune the gas to run the lightweight components. As for optics, I would use a Trijicon. I would like a TA33 or tripower. I messed up an Aimpoint T1 quickly with my .50, but my tripower holds up great. |
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Backpaking calls for somthing small/light. A good 7.5" bigbore AR would fill the bill. This one is a 50AE. I would build one in the cal of your choice. http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g61/ron458/50AEComp.jpg That thing is sweet and would be perfect for backpacking! Please tell me more about it. Did you build it yourself? Maybe I need to look into what is required to get a SBR in Denverstan. Yes, Ron is in the business of building stuff like that I looked into bigbores a while back, & looked into ballistics & decided the .50 Beowulf had the most energy. Then looked into best projectiles for grizzlies. Barnes recommended handloading their muzzleloading projectiles. I think the 275 grain made the most energy. They also make a 325 grainer. To make a lightweight .50, you could use a Cav Arms lower to shave a pound, then use a lightened carrier (JP) & light buffer, but you would have to reduce the gas. If you had Ron build you one he could tune the gas to run the lightweight components. As for optics, I would use a Trijicon. I would like a TA33 or tripower. I messed up an Aimpoint T1 quickly with my .50, but my tripower holds up great. For something like that, 3X optics is way too much magnification. Try a TA44... 1.5X is FAST and the extra magnification just makes the image pop a little. |
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Backpaking calls for somthing small/light. A good 7.5" bigbore AR would fill the bill. This one is a 50AE. I would build one in the cal of your choice. http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g61/ron458/50AEComp.jpg That thing is sweet and would be perfect for backpacking! Please tell me more about it. Did you build it yourself? Maybe I need to look into what is required to get a SBR in Denverstan. I built it for hog hunting in the marsh ponds here were the grass can be as high as your chest & shots run 3-10 feet. Needed somthing that is very fast handling & plenty of horsepower. She can kick out the 300s @ 1600fps+.(working on some custom 1700fps 240-275g loads) With 7K+ psi at the muzzle I felt a comp would go along way to taming muzzle rise so I made one to try out. The comp will get a workout this thursday. I have done some playing with the 50AE. This one is my youngest sons. It's a custom 12.5" setup with car gas. With a 300g Speer GD I can run 36g lilgun averaging1840fps. |
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Well the comp will come off of the 7.5" 50AE. I would rather deal with recoil than the blast that i get from that beast. Going back to my cone type FH. It directs the blast away from the shooter.
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Well the comp will come off of the 7.5" 50AE. I would rather deal with recoil than the blast that i get from that beast. Going back to my cone type FH. It directs the blast away from the shooter. What comp is that and do you know if it would fit a factory threaded Beowulf? |
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Well the comp will come off of the 7.5" 50AE. I would rather deal with recoil than the blast that i get from that beast. Going back to my cone type FH. It directs the blast away from the shooter. What comp is that and do you know if it would fit a factory threaded Beowulf? Its a one-off piece that he made. Quoted:
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Backpaking calls for somthing small/light. A good 7.5" bigbore AR would fill the bill. This one is a 50AE. I would build one in the cal of your choice. http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g61/ron458/50AEComp.jpg That thing is sweet and would be perfect for backpacking! Please tell me more about it. Did you build it yourself? Maybe I need to look into what is required to get a SBR in Denverstan. I built it for hog hunting in the marsh ponds here were the grass can be as high as your chest & shots run 3-10 feet. Needed somthing that is very fast handling & plenty of horsepower. She can kick out the 300s @ 1600fps+.(working on some custom 1700fps 240-275g loads) With 7K+ psi at the muzzle I felt a comp would go along way to taming muzzle rise so I made one to try out. The comp will get a workout this thursday. I have done some playing with the 50AE. This one is my youngest sons. It's a custom 12.5" setup with car gas. With a 300g Speer GD I can run 36g lilgun averaging1840fps. http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g61/ron458/50AE-1.jpg |
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I've always been intrigued by the big-bore ARs. Those rounds would certainly suffice for whatever you may encounter. That said, this is my preferred woods gun: http://img716.imageshack.us/img716/7990/marlin1895gs.jpg I put a shell holder on the butt stock as seen here: http://www.grizzlycustom.com/pageimages/rm_grizzly_custom_marlin_1895G_1_400.png And added a set of XS ghost rings. Relatively light, extremely powerful, very reliable. This is a personal preference, it just "feels right" to have a lever gun and revolver in the woods. I have carried and hunted with an AR and Glock 20, but I found the experience to be less enjoyable. I attribute some of that to the gear I had. Pardon my Newbness. But what is this? |
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Similar build, sub in a CTR stock and a vented Mk10 hand guard. Also opt for the GDMR style gas block to shave a few more ounces. I would use a pepperpot muzzle brake as these are about the lightest. Two point sling from Blue Force. Or you can look at the Beowulf piston operated set up, new for SHOT That is a nice set up from Wirebrush. I am extremely interested in a piston Beouwlf!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Any pictures we can see? I will 100000% order as long as the come in 12" barrel length! |
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Pictures soon. But SHOT starts Monday, and I bet that AA is going crazy trying to get everything ready and shipped!
Pics after SHOT. |
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