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Posted: 4/20/2026 12:13:29 PM EDT
| Got a silencer to use with my 458SOCOM so now I need to load up some rounds. What expanding bullets are good for a 16” barreled AR? And load info would be nice as well. Thanks |
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Originally Posted By HEATH223: Got a silencer to use with my 458SOCOM so now I need to load up some rounds. What expanding bullets are good for a 16" barreled AR? And load info would be nice as well. Thanks |
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Really out of my league here.. but trying... I can't think of anything in the 300+ grain range that's gonna expand reliably at 1000 fps or less. It's not what you asked for, but a non expanding bullet with a wide, flat nose will do a surprising amount of damage. The key is wide flat nose, preferably with a sharp shoulder. If you want expanding, you ve got a nontraditional answer: find the heaviest expanding handgun bullet you can get your hands on. Load them to 1000 fps and call it good.. look for bullets doing well in hit 45 Colt loads... Yeah, there are various 300 grain xtp, flex tips, etc... these are often loaded to 1700+ fps. Not sure how well those are gonna do at 700, 800, impact velocities when that subsonic load is out there at 90, 125 yards or more. The above is speculation, but it's a well intended educated guesstimate... Bullets rarely perform well when used outside their design envelope.. subsonic 458 sorts looks a lot like hit 45 Colt when you look at impact speeds. Extrapolate accordingly |
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Look at Maker bullets. Their bullets will expand way lower than most any other bullet made. I have personally tested their .338 HV REX which is listed as a high velocity bullet, but they expand fully down to a measured MV of 950 fps in water filled milk jugs at 50 feet. For your uses I would be looking at their 400-500 gr. bullets since I know they can be driven down to below super sonic MV without much trouble at all. If you are wanting cheap blasting bullets, look at Powder Coated bullets from various suppliers. ACME has a really interesting 576 gr. FN PC bullet that should work fine but I have no personal experience with this bullet nor any bullet through a suppressor. |
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Take a look at Lehigh Defense. They have .458 offerings in 300 & 305 gr. weights. |
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Something you might want to investigate is the Hornady 410 gr. Subsonic bullet. Midway has these bullets on sale often (as in now) as seconds and they are a lot of fun to shoot and easy to load. I have loaded and shot a lot of them and function is 100% and accuracy is very good. My subsonic load for this bullet is with Re#7 and function is 100% in all my rifles from 6.750” to 28 inches, but I have not shot it through a suppressor or tested for expansion, so you’d need to test for your uses. But…the price is great and they do pack a punch whether they expand or not. Here’s a link but the bullet looks nothing like the picture. They look like the 325 gr flex tip only a bit longer in the body. |
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Beware speaking with a sharp tongue as you are apt to cut your own throat.
My name is John Wick, you killed my puppy, prepare to die.
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Maker Bullets. Paul loves coming up with special projectiles for these atypical calibers. Lehigh used to make some good ones, but under their new management, they have dropped some of the 'esoteric' offerings. Hammer Bullets make some interesting stuff as well, like their 447 gr Stone Hammer. Hawk Bullets - they don't look as 'sexy' as some of the others, but with thinner jackets, they would expand relatively well at lower velocities. |
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