,50 Beowulf 440 Lee Cast bullets

[skidder]

Anybody got a place to start for a .50 Beowulf hand load with 440 grain Lee bullets?

[jmort]

This may help - not cast but may be better than nothing

420 DG steel tip Power Belt Alliant RL-7 45.0 1450
444 Power Belt copper coated, flat nosed lead Alliant RL-7 44.0 1450

[Frozone]

Everything you need to know about loading for the Wulf is HERE, well almost everything anyway.

[Tracy]

I just put a 'Wulf together, and my initial load of 30 grains of 2400 under the Lee 440 cycles the action, doesn't lead noticeably and doesn't display adverse pressure signs in my rifle. YMMV, standard disclaimers apply.

[dhopson]

This Wulf thread is pretty old. Just wondering if anyone has come up with some Lil-Gun or RL-7 loads for the Lee C501-440-RF? I cast boolets for most other cals, but I am just starting for the Wulf. Thanks - Dave.

[Greg S]

Just looked at AA load data and their data stops using LG for anythhing above 350 grains and sticks with RL7 AND 1680 from there and up. Alot of data is available as Frozone points out.

[Jared]

I use RL7 with the Lee bullet in my Beowulf. I don't have my notes handy but I am using 42.0 or 43.0 gr for 1550 out of my 16" barrel. Accuracy runs sub 2" for 5 shots at 100 yards.

[rockrat]

My experience mirrors Jared. My powder charge of Re-7 is just a bit higher and I have a 24" barrel on mine. Accuracy is about the same as Jared, velocity higher of course though

[Henri311]

Just ordered the Lee 440gr mold, and looking for Recent load data all I find on the net is old data.

[altbrewer]

This thread is rather old, as are all others I looked at. Not much data out there on cast bullets for .50 Beowulf. I am a new caster/reloader, although I did quite a bit of reloading with my Dad back in the 60's. Just inherited his equipment and got the bug again.

Anyhow, based on threads I saw, I got the Lee 501-440 die and began casting. Today I just tried my first results. Not looking for accuracy, just safety, considering my load data was from the web. I was pretty pleased.

I used a load found on castboolets.com, RL-7. I used 42 grains rather than the recommended 43. Bullets were unsized, and lubricated by hand with a stick of bullet lube I found in my Dad's stuff (probably 20+ years old). All the brass looked great - no evidence of overpressure. Impact was a little low at 25 yards, but that could well have been me, with my old eyes and generic flip up sights.

One bit of data I could not find on the web was bullet seating depth. I came up with 2.10" OAL, based on taking the difference in the length of the Lee 501-440 boolet from the published length of the 500 grain Hornady FP/XTP and subtracting that from the 2.165 OAL in the Lyman handbook for that load. At any rate, I am alive and my rifle is intact, so I guess I was okay. I will ignore any flames for being stupid, but I thought that was the best data I had.

It was with great trepidation that I shot my first reloads in something like 55 years, especially with no published data from the major manufacturers, but I found the data here on castbullets to be reliable for me. Now to begin getting my skills back and fine tuning this load.

[mehavey]

It isn't the LEE 440, but is it Tom Ellis's ACCURATE 50-440G, Cast #2/Sage gas check.

Last time I messed w/ it was two years ago using Hodgdon's H110, and overloaded
it a bit (40ksi) and so backed off/played with the plated Rainier 335s for awhile/

Your question brought it back to mind though, so I went back to QUICKLOAD
for a 2nd look, calibrated off my 500S&W for burn rate adjustment, and loaded
in the 25,000ksi range just to start. Vihtavuori N-110 gave me best fill/burn/velocity
on balance, so that's what got loaded -- just five rounds for check.

Good enough to stay . . . (LABRADAR velocities -- SD ±2.5fps (I do love V-N110)

[lavenatti]

While the site mentioned by Frozone is long gone, never forget the wayback machine....

http://web.archive.org/web/201610102...ets-13-powders

Looks like a lot of the site was saved.

[cwlongshot]

This is the ONLY bullet I was able to make shoot well in my H&R 500 S&W!!! I used 5744 powder, it dumped deer like a Mike Tyson KO!

CW

[TCoggins]

I just shot some of the Lee 440 grain bullets in my Beowulf tonight. Powdercoated then gas checked. 42.0 grains of Reloder-7. 2.100" COAL. Three shot group at just under 1-1/4" at 100 yards. Only shot one group, so I don't know how consistent it is, but I'm pretty pleased with the results so far.

[Al_Bundy]

I just shot some of the Lee 440 grain bullets in my Beowulf tonight. Powdercoated then gas checked. 42.0 grains of Reloder-7. 2.100" COAL. Three shot group at just under 1-1/4" at 100 yards. Only shot one group, so I don't know how consistent it is, but I'm pretty pleased with the results so far.

Man i might have to switch to RL7, how fast were they going? magnum primers? which gas checks did you use?

[TCoggins]

Don't know how fast they were going, don't have a chronograph. I am using large pistol magnum primers. Gas checks are Gator gas checks, from NOE Molds.

Gave my shoulder a good workout. Recoil therapy, as I refer to it.

[lar45]

That's great for cast bullets.
Quickload says 1650fps at 32kpsi. I wonder how close that is.
I've got the Ruger AR in 450 Bushmaster, but haven't had much luck with cast yet.

[Al_Bundy]

Don't know how fast they were going, don't have a chronograph. I am using large pistol magnum primers. Gas checks are Gator gas checks, from NOE Molds.

Gave my shoulder a good workout. Recoil therapy, as I refer to it.

have you tested what the difference in accuracy is with the same load but no gas check? Also are you sizing with the lee die to 501?

[TCoggins]

I have not tested without gas checks. Might be a good test. If I test that, I'll report back.

I use the NOE push through sizing system, as they have a lot more sizes to choose than Lee. Sizing to .501".

Tim

[Al_Bundy]

I have not tested without gas checks. Might be a good test. If I test that, I'll report back.

I use the NOE push through sizing system, as they have a lot more sizes to choose than Lee. Sizing to .501".

Tim

oh man that sizer system would've been a cool thing to invest in, instead i have like 5 lee sizers lol and i opened up the 458 sizer, i'll probably open up the 501 sizer to 502 if i see better results with fatter bullets. Looking forward to your test, ill be back out there this week to continue mine as well.