SOCOM

SOCOM is an acronym which refers to United States Special Operations Command or one of these related topics:

Weapons

Video games

375 SOCOM

The .375 SOCOM round is a custom developed round created by Tony Rumore of Tromix Lead Delivery Systems. Cases are formed from .458 SOCOM run through a custom .375 SOCOM sizing die.

History

The .375 SOCOM is a fairly new cartridge, designed by Tromix in 2013. Taking a .458 SOCOM cartridge case and sizing the neck down to .375 caliber, resulted in a hard hitting AR-15 compatible cartridge, that has a considerable velocity and range advantage over the .458 SOCOM as well as other big bore AR-15 cartridges. Unknown to most, the .375 SOCOM has a sizeable case capacity, nearly 60 grains, that is on par with the .308 Winchester. Typical .375 SOCOM loads will launch a 200 grain bullet 2400+ feet per second from an 18" barrel. In a short barrel suppressed subsonic application, the .375 SOCOM can be made to easily cycle the AR-15 action, using fairly fast burning propellants such as Trail Boss. This can be problematic with the .458 SOCOM when barrels are shortened below 12".

Typical powders for the .375 SOCOM include AR-Comp, AA2520, VV N530, VV N135, VV N140, IMR4895, Varget, Reloader 15, and H4895. Powders intended for the .458 SOCOM should not be used in the .375 SOCOM due to their burn rate being too fast for the .375.

.458 SOCOM

The .458 SOCOM (11.63×40mm) is a moderately large round designed for a specialized upper receiver that can be mounted on any AR-15 pattern lower receiver. The 300-grain (19 g) round offers a muzzle velocity of 1,900 ft/s (580 m/s) and 2,405 ft·lbf (3,261 J).

History

Inspired by the lack of power offered by the 5.56 NATO cartridge used in the M4 carbine and the M16 rifle, the .458 SOCOM came about from informal discussion of members of the special operations community, specifically Task Force Ranger's experience that multiple shots were required to neutralize members of the opposing force in Mogadishu during Operation Gothic Serpent. Marty ter Weeme of Teppo Jutsu designed the cartridge in 2000 and Tony Rumore of Tromix was contracted to build the first .458 SOCOM rifle in February 2001. Tony Rumore fired the very first round of .458 SOCOM ammunition in the Tromix shop located in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma on February 16, 2001, at 8:30pm.

The project sponsor set forth a number of specific requirements that led to the ultimate design as it stands right now: The cartridge had to fit in the M4 carbine platform and magazines and be capable of firing heavy-for-caliber projectiles at subsonic velocity using suppressors. During the developments phase, various other cartridges were considered and proposed to the project sponsor, but rejected as not meeting all the requirements. The cartridges considered were 7.62×39mm, 9×39mm Grom, .45 Professional (which has since become the .450 Bushmaster), and .50 Action Express. At the time, the .499 LWR cartridge was still in development phase and had not been chambered commercially.