50 Beowulf

[grrifles]

I just order a 50 Beowulf for my buddy and he wants me to cast him some boolits. What molds are y'all using? What weight range?


Thanks
Chris

[snuffy]

Well if you ordered it, you must know which platform it is. Is it an AR?

Gas operated semi autos do NOT do well with lead boolits. Lube, lead, and other debris can plug the gas ports. You CAN get away with it IF you pay careful attention to cleaning the gas system.

If it's a single shot or bolt gun, then whatever .501 mold you can find will work.

I load for the Alexander upper my best friend has. I only use J-word bullets, he's not one to clean his guns like he should, in fact I usually do it for him.

His, (now mine), .500 S&W X frame, I use the lee 440 RNFP, C501-440-RF with great success.

[BruceB]

"Gas operated semi autos do NOT do well with lead boolits. Lube, lead, and other debris can plug the gas ports. You CAN get away with it IF you pay careful attention to cleaning the gas system.".

Au contraire, mon ami......

MANY gas-operated semi-autos do extremely well with cast bullets.

In particular, the Garand-based rifles function reliably and for long periods with proper cast loads. I've personally fired strings of OVER 600 rounds in my M1A and M1 rifles, and still had perfect function after all that shooting......and they did not require "careful attention to cleaning the gas system". Normal cleaning procedures were quite adequate.

My experience does NOT include cast loads in the AR-15 rifles, but there are plenty of members here who report reliable results in their AR rifles with cast bullets. One of these days, I'll have to try my own AR with cast loads.

"Never say 'never' " is still good advice.

[Moonie]

Well if you ordered it, you must know which platform it is. Is it an AR?

Gas operated semi autos do NOT do well with lead boolits. Lube, lead, and other debris can plug the gas ports. You CAN get away with it IF you pay careful attention to cleaning the gas system.

If it's a single shot or bolt gun, then whatever .501 mold you can find will work.

I load for the Alexander upper my best friend has. I only use J-word bullets, he's not one to clean his guns like he should, in fact I usually do it for him.

His, (now mine), .500 S&W X frame, I use the lee 440 RNFP, C501-440-RF with great success.

Well poo, better stop using them. In the family we have 5 gas operated semi's that have no issues what so ever with cast. 4 AR's in 3 different calibers and a Remington in 30-06.

[grrifles]

I am not worried about cast in gas guns. I have been running cast in my ar with 300 blackout and not any problems.



Chris

[Jaybird62]

I've gummed up the works on an AR several times by shooting with a suppressor, but a few drops of CLP gets 'em running again. I've never heard anyone say you shouldn't shoot an AR with a suppressor because it will foul the gun, so why in the world would it be a bad idea to shoot cast? I've shot more than a thousand rounds of cast through an AR this year and I've yet to have a problem. I like to get the BHN up in the low 20s and that seems to help with leading in some of the faster twist barrels. I have not shot cast in a Beo yet, but I like the profile of the Lyman .501 that's available. The one that I've got casts well. If you want a gas checked bullet, try the Lee 440.

[Captain_Howdy]

This thread is of much interest to me...please keep it going.

I have been considering buying a Beowulf for a long time. I would like to learn more about any kind of cast options for it.

[xacex]

since no one is pressing to get another MiHec 502 boolit going I also would like to try this one in my Beowulf. I found load data, but no real world results on accuracy, or feeding.

[Lloyd Smale]

I shoot the mihec 502 bullet in mine. i cast them hard usualy out of linotype or water dropped ww and lube them with a hard lube. Its the only time i use a hard lube. It tends to keep the fouling down a bit. Sure there a bit dirtier and you need to clean your gun after a hundred or so but they run just fine in my beo. I havent found a load that shoots as well as the renieers do but i still get 2moa out of them which is probably good enough for anything your going to tackle with the beo.

[snuffy]

Gas operated semi autos do NOT do well with lead boolits. Lube, lead, and other debris can plug the gas ports. You CAN get away with it IF you pay careful attention to cleaning the gas system.

That's what I get for repeating internet myth without checking to see if it can be verified.

That begs for a project with lead boolits in my AR-.223. I have 2 Lyman molds for .223 boolits, dunno the #s from memory, but ones a 50 grain RNFP and the other a 60 RN.

I loaded a few for my 16" contender, they were only marginally accurate. I will try for full power loads in the AR.

As for eating crow, I bet if that's all I could bag that day, it would taste mighty good!

[Fishman]

Snuffy, if everyone were as gracious, the world would be a much better place.

If I'm ever wrong one day, I'll try and follow your lead

[Twstanley]

I've used the mp 502 400 ( which drops at about 385 gr with my ww mix) mold as well as the Lee 440, both seem to shoot decently with lil'gun as the powder in my beo.

I water drop them from both molds, tumble lube with lee lube and size with the lee .501 die - the tumble lube again, haha.

Accuracy seems about 2 - 3 inches at 100 yards but I haven't had much time to try and improve it. I think the mp bullet feeds better with the rounder profile.

[Moonie]

That's what I get for repeating internet myth without checking to see if it can be verified.

That begs for a project with lead boolits in my AR-.223. I have 2 Lyman molds for .223 boolits, dunno the #s from memory, but ones a 50 grain RNFP and the other a 60 RN.

I loaded a few for my 16" contender, they were only marginally accurate. I will try for full power loads in the AR.

As for eating crow, I bet if that's all I could bag that day, it would taste mighty good!

I hear ya, as for the full power loads, the issue isn't leading, its accuracy. You will probably find the best accuracy somewhere in the 2,000 to 2,400 fps range. Accuracy above that is doable but just gets progressively more difficult to achieve.

[Frozone]

I use the MP 502 400 as well, but you'll have trouble finding one of those.

{ I just noticed the MiHec has 2 different 502-400 versions!
This is the one I use. }

Be nice if Miha would do a small rerun. I'd buy a 4 cavity solid in a heart beat.
I have good accuracy ~ 2" @ 100yd. I'm using WW +1% and air cooling only.
No leading. I tried water dropping and it made no difference.
That slow twist barrel and low pressure just doesn't Need a hard boolit, as long as it's GCed. Might Be different with a PB.

A lot of people like that LEE 440, and it's available. see Beyond556 for load data.

I did have an issue with that boolit in the wulf. It runs fine in my wulf, but it jammed in my son-in-law's.
It would hang up on the chamber mouth. it was a problem with the Saturn barrel in his.
It would seem that as saturn closed out the AA stuff they let QC drop slightly.
Very sharp edges on the barrel extension and chamber mouth.
A few minutes with a dremel and jeweler's rouge solved the feed problem.

[Twstanley]

Odd you mention the satern barrel having that issue as that is what I have...I'll get the Dremel out and look at the chamber and barrel extension.

[xacex]

Did the smoothing out of the ramps, and polish on the 300 blkout and now they feed anything. Now I am taking apart all of my AR's and polishing those feed ramps.
What do you guys think of this mold produced by Accurate Molds? 320 grains.

[snuffy]

What do you guys think of this mold produced by Accurate Molds?

Weight? As in how many grains?

[xacex]

That one is a 320 grain boolit. There is a similar one that is not a TC design and has the same meplat that weights 335 grains, but it has a long gas check shank? I don't know nuthin about that, and what gas checks would work.

[dhopson]

Anyone have a recipe for Lil' Gun and the Lee 440 in the Beowulf? I have cast the boolits, just looking for a proven load...

[rockrat]

I use the 440 Lee without any trouble.

I also use Reloader 7 with this boolit