Anyone Running a 50 Beowulf?

[x101airborne]

I think I have finally gotten my old man on the casting train. He has recently asked me to put together a 50 Beowulf upper for him and he wants to run cast boolits for piggys after seeing what my 44's are doing. I have looked in the group buys section and have seen a couple that are current and may work. Problem is, I have ZERO experience with the 50 Beowulf and am concerned with the over-all-length of the cartrige. I have no idea what it is, is my concern. I was thinking in the 400 grain range and a HP would be the bees knees, but if anyone has any tinker time with this one or any words of wisdom, please feel free to suggest. My dad's barrel slugs at .4992.

This thing ought to bring some pain on impact!!!!

[Harter66]

Has to be someone. I've a few pieces (6-7) of brass. I read something about it some time back, I was left believing that it shared basicaly OAL w/ the 223,6.8,30AR,etc, but required a different magazine due to dia issues. I know this really isn't any help. The brass I've is from Alexandria (sic)Arms, they may have a guide or links IIRC they are a little like SSK that way.

[Frozone]

I use MiHec's 501385HP on top of 30-33g of LilGun or 40-44g of RL7 for 1500 - 1670 fps. OAL 2.100"
This is the solid point version but he makes a HP too: http://www.mp-molds.com/shopping/pgm-more_information.php?id=14&=SID
You need a rather round nose to feed the cartridge, large meplats tend to bind up and the barrels don't have a long throat.

The LEE 440 is also very popular in the wulf but I don't use it, so I have no load data for it.
Try http://www.beyond556.com for more info on the wulf.

The best mags I found are the black SS ARstoner from midway. You don't need to modify the mags at all they work fine as is.
BUT if you use the Stoners, you can grind the follower flat and get an 11 shot mag instead of a 10.
Avoid the PMags and such. The Pmags have a v shaped divider at the front. This won't work with the wulf, but if you remove it, the follower will come up too far in front and the last round will jam.

[x101airborne]

WHAT???? REALLY???? only one person running a wulf?

[BD]

It's because we're practical.

.450 Bushmaster. It's about brass, boolits and availability.

BD

[greywuuf]

I run a wuuf, I just don't cast for it as of yet, seems kinda like a pain with the short OAL and the VERY short throat. I was truly suprised at how deeply I have to load the Speer 325 jacket HP's to keep em from jamming in the lands.

[Lloyd Smale]

I have a beo. I fooled around a bit with cast but reniers are cheap enough when a guy can get them to keep me happy. Mine shot cast ok but does much better with the plated renieers. It isnt a gun i go out and shoot 500 rounds out of in a day. A couple thouand reniers last me a year or so. By the way the solid and hp are both great game bullets. The hp opens up like theres no tommarow and doesnt shed much weight. I was pleasantly surprised with there performance. I picked one out of a sand bank the other day that was flattened right out like a 50 cent piece but only lost 20 grains of weight.

[x101airborne]

Man, that must be a mean hollow point. I will look into the reniers. May be an interesting alternative. I am going to help someone with a hog nuisance and only wish i had that rifle up and gunning.

[Lloyd Smale]

we shot 4 pigs in one day with the beos. All with the reneer hp and not one of them took more then a dive into the dirt

[BD]

The following is based on my own opinion. It has no basis other than my own experience.

The .50 Beos is an excellant cartridge, a little bit outside of the mainstream, but very effective.

However, if your goal is a practical large bore cast boolit shooting AR platform, the beo is about like entering a motocross on a Sportster. The .450 Bushy is the 45/70 in an AR.
BD

[Frozone]

Man, that must be a mean hollow point. I will look into the reniers. May be an interesting alternative.

A second option is "Berry's Manufacturing". They do a .50 350g copper washed soft lead slug that is all the Reineers are.
They don't make a HP but I doubt you need one. They are a little easier to deal with than Reineer is.

.45 cal bigbores are like belly buttons everyone has one. If you can't handle a .500 then stay home! You don't belong in the field.
Just MY opinion ;-)

Oh yeah, and while, at the moment, Alexander Arms is shipping on time (believe me it's a surprise). The are not exactly reliable.
Brass from Starline is the way to go. Beowulf LEE dies have had a bad rep in the past but they are Much better than in previous years.
You can even get a LEE FDC (rifle type) for the wulf, look on 'Gun Broker', it's custom made and ~ $20.
CH dies are well recommended BTW.
I think either Redding or Hornaday is making wulf dies too.

[Hang Fire]

I know the US military is now using the .50 Beowulf in the AR format for check points etc. IIRC, article said unlike the 5.56 x 45, the Beowulf totally wrecks an engine block in short order.

http://www.google.com/#pq=us+noe+using+.50+beowulf&hl=en&sugexp=gsis%2Ci18n%3Dtrue&cp=15&gs_id=3b&xhr=t&q=us+military+now+using+.50+beowulf&pf=p&sclient=psy&source=hp&pbx=1&oq=us+military+now+using+.50+beowulf&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&gs_sm=&gs_upl=&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.&fp=2ea25270560d40fb&biw=960&bih=459

And Sarah Palin has one for lesser critters.

http://www.google.com/#sclient=psy&hl=en&source=hp&q=sarah%20palin%20has%20a%20.50%20beowulf&pbx=1&oq=&aq=&aqi=&aql=&gs_sm=&gs_upl=&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.&fp=2ea25270560d40fb&biw=960&bih=459&pf=p&pdl=3000

[Lloyd Smale]

anohter option for really big stuff is the belt mountian punch bullets. My wife shot a 1600 lb water buffalo with the beo using that bullet and it blew through both shoulders.

[Mark-II]

Necro~


I've been trawling for information on this. I have an AA entry level upper and I'm using a gas checked Lee 440 sized to .501 and seated with the first band exposed and given a light taper crimp. I have a new set of LEE dies, of which I've only had trouble with the sizer scraping the brass if I don't guide it into the die.


I've been testing lil gun in .5 grain increments from 28 to 30.5.


Right now the sweet spot seems to be 29.5gr. I shot a 5 shot string at about 90m with irons, which is about my limit with my eyes. Results were 4 connected holes in the paper and the 5th about an inch and a half low.


i hope to shoot a more lengthly test of this load this weekend.


on another note I just bought a vltor A5 stock system for my rifle. It does seem to help with the recoil, which becomes quite punishing as you approach and exceed 30 grain charges.


id like a 45 cal upper next. For myself it will be the 458 SOCOM. There is no source for 45 Bushmaster brass in Canada that I've found, so I've not even entertained sourcing an upper. I've already bought a few hundred socom cases and Questar can bring in RRA.


i understand the bushmaster requires modified mags as well, and with our silly mag laws that might be a dicey proposal to bring up here, with no domestic source.

[Jupiter7]

Necro~


I've been trawling for information on this. I have an AA entry level upper and I'm using a gas checked Lee 440 sized to .501 and seated with the first band exposed and given a light taper crimp. I have a new set of LEE dies, of which I've only had trouble with the sizer scraping the brass if I don't guide it into the die.


I've been testing lil gun in .5 grain increments from 28 to 30.5.


Right now the sweet spot seems to be 29.5gr. I shot a 5 shot string at about 90m with irons, which is about my limit with my eyes. Results were 4 connected holes in the paper and the 5th about an inch and a half low.


i hope to shoot a more lengthly test of this load this weekend.


on another note I just bought a vltor A5 stock system for my rifle. It does seem to help with the recoil, which becomes quite punishing as you approach and exceed 30 grain charges.


id like a 45 cal upper next. For myself it will be the 458 SOCOM. There is no source for 45 Bushmaster brass in Canada that I've found, so I've not even entertained sourcing an upper. I've already bought a few hundred socom cases and Questar can bring in RRA.


i understand the bushmaster requires modified mags as well, and with our silly mag laws that might be a dicey proposal to bring up here, with no domestic source.

Move up in platform and look into the 45Raptor before settling on a 45 cal.

http://www.45raptor.com/45RAPTOR/

[Mark-II]

....ugh, now I need an AR10 too... LoL

I'd have to look into component and magazine availability to Canada first. Between ITAR and our own laws it might be difficult.

the only reason I got into the Beowulf was finding a used upper online, brass inexplicably being stocked by one dealer, and mags having come into the country for the 5.56 shooters to legally be able to exceed our 5 round mag limits for semi auto centrefires.