FYI

Wilson Combat has a fair number of their SS 5.56 barrels on sale for under $200.

I only have one WC barrel, a fluted 16" & after I finally got a bolt fitted to it, it shoots very well & cleans easily.

With 77gr IMI Razorcore, the 1st 5 shots after initial sight-in went into well under an inch with 3 of them cloverleafing. My handloads do just a bit better.

Even though the barrel has intermediate gas, with a Sprinco Standard (white) spring & an H1 buffer, it's a tad over-gassed to my preference, throwing brass to just forward of 3 o'clock..............I'd really be happier with it closer to 4 o'clock, but it is reliable & doesn't seem to be beating up the brass, so I may just leave it alone, or I may put on an adjustable gas block.

They chamber the barrels VERY TIGHT (short) on headspace, so you may have trouble finding a bolt to fit & they do not offer a fitted bolt to buy with the barrel.

Of 6 or 7 bolts that I had on hand, none would headspace.........all were too tight to chamber a GO gauge. But it would take a -.002", not a -.001" so between .001-.002" short.

So I had to stone the lugs on a bolt to get it to fit................after that, it's been perfect.

The chamber of the barrel was nicely done as was the rifling & the finish, both inside & out on the barrel, was very good.

$200 for a quality SS barrel is not too bad.

MM

I got a tactical hunter 7mm-08 while back. Aero Precision BCG works fine. Pretty barrel and shoots great.

Keep trying to talk myself into a 300 Hamr barrel.

I strongly recommend against a WC .458 SOCOM barrel. It is not a legit reamer (reverse engineered).

MUCH BETTER OPTIONS/companies if you seek that caliber...

I talked my self into it. I have an early RRA "Operator" in .223 Wylde that is so heavy I don't use it much. This seemed like a good move.

A 16" Ranger .300 HAM'R barrel, LW stock, LW free Float forearm and othe misc pieces are on their way. So are ammo, cases and mags.

Wish me luck.

Going to take out the HAM'R's older brother this weekend - the 7.62x40. It's tits with the 125gr Sierra PH.

You are going to like that HAM'R.

I’d get a HAMR if I didn’t have so much good hunting ammo stockpiled with my ARP 6.8. It’s splitting hairs for me, though I talk myself off a HAMR constantly.

One of my buddies has a WC 7.62x40. It shoots very well and is an interesting cartridge. I am, however, surprised MM is endorsing these barrels. Considering he's had issues with them in the past. From what I've seen from WC, though, they seem to shoot well..

I've had good luck with the various BRT gas-reducing parts (gas block inserts etc), esp compared to adjustable gas block aside from the Larue and Noveske on/off style gas blocks. The click adjustable gas blocks I've used all seem to eventually clog with carbon and induce an undergassed condition. Just my experience...

One of the very highly respected guys over at Sniper's Hide (Padom) is highly endorsing the RCA adjustable gas key that they make.

I haven't tried one yet, but I might..............simply change out the BC, but you do have to take the BCG out of the gun to adjust it.

RCA is a great company to deal with & everything else I've used from them has been top shelf

MM

RCA Adjustable Gas Key BCG

Our chamber is the one that will work with new production unsized Starline cases. P, T & G worked with us to optimize the chamber. Current production cases are larger than Marty's original chamber in a couple areas.

Mr. Wilson,

Yesterday, I ordered the 223 WYLDE, SUPER SNIPER, 20", FLUTED, CROWN, STAINLESS, together with gas block and tube. Are all the 223/556 BCGs made to the same specs, or is there any that will work better with this barrel?

Thanks,

I'm not Mr. Wilson but any 223/5.56 Bolt Carrier will fit, but not all bolts may fit according to how the chamber was reamed.
Go back & read my post at the beginning of this thread.

MM

I've read your post. Thanks. Also, I was familiar how tight the Wilson chambers could be. Just asking the Source as he is posting here

I can tell you a little more about my experience.................

I've built around 25 - 30 AR's & have used a variety of barrels & bolts, all from well recognized sources; I don't mess with junk.

The one & only Wilson barrel I've used is the only one I've ever had an issue with finding a bolt that would correctly HS.

The 1st barrel that I got from Wilson, had the issue............a GO headspace gauge would not allow the bolt the close (actually 6-7 bolts), nor would it close on several brands of NEW factory brass or loaded ammo with any of the bolts.

I talked to Wilson CS & they acknowledged that their barrels/extensions were tight but in spec & even if the bolt would not close on a GO gauge, it was still OK..............IMHO, not closing on a GO gauge with a bolt that is in spec means that the barrel in not in spec.

So they sent me a 2nd barrel that was the same.

So I measured the bolts that I had on hand & selected the one that was the closest to fitting & stoned the lugs on the bolt to get the HS to where the bolt would close on a gauge that was GO +.001". After that it's worked just fine in several range sessions.

I also asked Wilson if they could/would supply a matched barrel & bolt....................they said that they would not.

I think that most people just put a gun together & don't check the HS for lack of having tools or don't know how or don't think it can be a problem.

And it may not be.................except when the bolt will only close on certain factory ammo, which by standard, is all supposed to be below GO gauge dimension for HS; then it's a BIG problem IMO.

However, when a bolt slams home with the force of the recoil spring during firing / loading, that force can & will crush fit ammo that is a bit long for the chamber of the barrel.................but that's not how it should be & is not acceptable to me.

If Wilson is going to maintain that kind of policy & practice, then they should surely provide the option of providing a fitted bolt when purchasing a barrel.

After I advised them that I had resolved the issue, they did say that if I had not, that they would have taken the bolt & barrel & adjusted the HS as required.

I think Wilson is a standup company & I have 2 of their 1911's but I don't agree with their philosophy or AR barrels headspacing on 5.56 /223 Wylde.

But I'd surely love to hear Mr. Wilson himself address the issue here.

MM

I will admit we did have an issue with setting our chambers to min HS for awhile, but this was corrected some time back and we now set the HS to min +.002" which I believe to be industry standard. Why they wouldn't send you a matching bolt/bbl I can't explain, but I'll make sure this won't be the case in the future.

All of our bolts are 9310 and to true MilSpec so should fit with any bbl that's within HS spec. I routinely switch bolts doing testing (usually 5.56 or 300 HAM'R) and have never had an issue with HS.

My bitch has always been that Wilson Combat took Marty .458 SOCOM design AND NAME... and built the chamberings WITHOUT Marty's approval.

IF WC had built a modified variation and called it .458 Wilson Combat (or whatever)... I would never have raised the topic here or on .458 Socom Forums.

Not questioning if they shoot well... or if your nuance changes helped/hurt... moreover the lack of respect I see for Marty.

I own six .458 SOCOMs...

All are legit chamberings from Tony or Thomas.

Thank You for the response, Sir.

What is the timeframe that you made the change to your chambering practice?

The timeframe for the barrel in question was October 2021 & the person that I corresponded with was Randal Robinson.

I'm glad to see that you've changed your practice to be more aligned with industry standard as it is definitely a better move for the mass market for barrels.

Doing minimum HS might be fine, so long as you would advise people of that & offer/provide a matching bolt, however, given the really large array of ammo manufacturers of 223/5.56 ammo, many from outside the US, that could still be a problem............I've actually measured some factory ammo at zero HS +.001" which, of course, is not as it should be.

At any rate, as I noted in my OP, the barrel I got from your company is a quality barrel in all respects with regards to finish, inside & out, with good cleanability, & it shoots very well.

After sighting the scope, the 1st 5 rounds with IMI 77gr Razorcore went into about 3/4". I haven't bothered to work up a better, fine tuned load as that kind of performance with a factory round is perfectly sufficient for my needs.

Again, thank you for your kind response.

MM

I really don't like being accused of something I didn't do by someone who doesn't know the facts!!!

That said, Marty, Tony and I have always gotten along well.

Here is a portion of an email conversation with Marty from May 16, 2013 when we were trying to get the cartridge submitted to SAAMI for acceptance.

"Attached are the cartridge dimension drawings for the .458 SOCOM as well as the reamer. Again, to avoid the issues that nearly killed the 6.8 SPC, I would recommend staying with the original cartridge dimensions but considering adjusting the reamer dimensions such that we have full cross compatibility with all the rifles and ammunition. Let me know how else I might assist in the SAAMI submission process or if you have any other questions."

Best regards

Marty


I also went back through emails where the standardized chamber dimensions were being discussed with CIP and SAAMI on Dec 9, 2019, this was a comment from Tony:

"I have a bunch of different .458 SOCOM prints and I think we can easily agree on the case dimension area of the print (they are all about the same), but the lead/throat number are all over the place. That is what needs to get sorted out."

Tony Rumore
Tromix

FYI the only difference between a Tromix and WC chamber is the lead/throat area, Tromix is slightly longer. Where this whole mess started was with the dimension of the case/chamber just below the shoulder. Marty's original chamber # is .533", Tromix and WC are at .537" (both min #s), the Starline case # is .536" (max #). As you can see a MAX dimension Starline case with a .536" diameter won't fit into an original MIN dimension chamber of .533" !!!

There is a LOT more historic info in numerous emails between Tony, Marty, CIP, SAAMI and me, but I don't feel these should be shared here....

Well played sir! I’ve got two of your lightweight 6.8 stainless 16” barrels. They’re excellent.

Thank you for your response, Mr. Wilson. I will go with the nickel-boron one for this build.

I just got off the phone with Paladin (TP555) and Tycen (fltmedic1sg) from .458 Socom Forums to refresh my memory.

You were pushing the .458 SOCOM hard back then (2013).

It WAS BASED ON A REVERSE ENGINEERED REAMER that you had PTG make.

That model is long gone from WC now... with the .458 HAM'R replacing it (which I am totally OK with BTW (JUST DON'T STEAL MARTY's 458S DESIGN!!!)), but to claim you had any positive influence in the development of the cartridge is horse chit.

I will not argue with you Bill... I bought two of your TR-458K-SR16S-14 .458 SOCOM Build Kit, 14.7" Recon SRs back in 2013.

After learning the TRUTH about of the reverse engineering... AND having major drama with your chamberings I disposed of them.

You were lambasted on 458socomforums.com for this crap... as well as you AR-15 Africa Safari nonsense... LOL.

NON LEGIT .458 SOCOM reamers

Build guns... build great guns... but don't steal valor!

Page 3 of the link above...

No reverse engineering went on, we only changed a diameter dimension (.533" to .537" below the neck) so factory new unsized Starline .536" cases would fit the chamber!!!

There is NO bad blood between Marty, Tony or I, ask them

What's this crap about .458 and Africa??? My grandson and I both shot Cape Buff and other game with SOCOMS.

Timeframe was mid 2021 through Mar 2020

Toxic internet troll whom we call CashlessQueen.

If you want to post on 24hr Campfire you will need to up the game as liars and trolls will abound.

Good Luck, Bill.

I suggest having plenty of Gifs to SMASH the losers.

Who said memes?

Bill,

Still lovin the 300 HAMR rifle you sold me and the 6mm ARC I built from WC parts with one of the original 6ARC barrels that Tressa found for me.

Mrs Walter took possession of the 6ARC which lives on my WC lower and although she hasn’t killed anything yet, she’s probably 200+ rounds into it and loves it.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year and please pass my regards to Tressa.

Did you mean mid 2021 to Mar 2022?

Typo?

MM

Tony is on this forum... he can stand your credit...

Easy as pie.

You went to Africa with ALTERED AR-15... SINGLE SHOT AR-15s

Are fugging kidding me...

You are Bill Wilson... Master Gunsmith and FFL... and you went to Africa with single shot AR-15s.

Good God man...

Think on the depth and breath of that stupidity.

FUGG...

Burns is dry humping for relativity...

He renamed the very obscure cartridge known as .308 Winchester... to 308 Wyoming Arms.

Is there a difference?

Fugg no... JUST EGO

.458 SOCOM... is exactly .458 HAM'R

.308 Winchester... is exactly Wyoming Arms.

Toxic poster.

Litterally the worst of the worst on the internet.

If you want to post here, Bill, you better be ready to SMASH this kind of poster.

It's easy (because he is a dumbazz) but not for everyone because he won't ever stop being TOXIC.

THAT fugged SAMMI... as well as all of the legwork of Marty and SBR.

Come clean on all of the malfeasance on 2013

Nice of you to step in fat boy...

Bill Wilson NEEDS YOU...

Without you and your bullchit... Wilson Combat is nothing?

I actually respect WC in everything BUT the .458 SOCOM fiasco...

That... is CRAP and will not stand.

Wyoming Arms and Jeff Lisey (don't Google)... different topic for a different day.

Toxic poster whines.

The link above was a huge call-out of the the whole reamer debacle...

Marty invented the chambering in 2000...

MUCH skulduggery has occurred since.

http://teppojutsu.com/458faq.html

I have paid a royalty to Marty for every .458 SOCOM chambering I have built.

I stand by my original post below.


-------------------------------------

In addition... I support Tromix...

Tony permitted me to buy a .375 SOCOM reamer (his invention and rights are protected) because we were making bolt guns et al (something he did not want to mess with).

Tony, Thomas and Tycen have my respect.

Wilson Combat does not (regarding the .458 SOCOM).

John Burns is a snake oil SALESMAN...

As simple as I can say it.

Semi-auto rifles are not legal for hunting in S Africa. Do some research and you will find where Randy Luth (DPMS) did the same thing.

I know...

You took a bolt 9,3M and blocked SA .458...

Why didn't you build a bolt .458?

Or a double rifle in .458...

You are Bill Wilson after-all... That would have garnered huge love. A Bill Wilson double rifle... dude... you missed a golden opportunity.

Cash, are you familiar with what has been going on with NULA?

He may be a step ahead of you.

Or three...

Let us know how this works it, considering the same here. I have a RRA in 223 wylde chambering, is really sweet, but need something heavier. Looking at 6x45 and 6.8, but thinking the 300 is what I really need. DJones videos are compelling. Hard to beat anything .308.

Maybe I really just want a new rifle.