50 cal photos

[Grizz]

No field testing yet. After getting the upper back from the manufacturer and buying some ammo and getting some bullets from Matt's Bullets I have a few photos. The loaded rounds are from Underwood. A 420g extreme penetrator. A 380g hard cast red marker. A 350g XTP JHP. And my dummy round with Matt's 460g LFN GC. I bought a half dozen of each bullet Matt casts in .501 caliber, the fodder of the S&W 500 Magnum revolvers.

I think there are 17 different bullet weights in the photos. I segregated out the round nose models because I can if I want to and discrimination is good when classifying bullets.

The isolated pair are the heaviest and lightest plain base bullets at 686g and 331g. The space capsule spire point is 390g. (@Ray) I haven't weighed any others.

My plan is to try various loads with the various bullets. Someday. And to try to keep accurate records. Something I have never accomplished, other than bookkeeping for my businesses.

I am looking for the happy spot with moderate loads, some subsonic to see if they will cycle the action. The loaded ammo is for a baseline compare and contrast. The Underwood stuff seems to be loaded up and I'd guess close to the 35,000psi the 12.7 X 42 is rated for. (someone jump in with accurate pressure info if mine isn't).

In 45/70 I shoot 525g bullets almost exclusively, at low velocities, and I will be looking for a load that approaches that TKO. If I like the caliber when I get through the testing phase I think I will migrate to a 10.5" pistol upper, which is much handier in the brer thickets, and it IS a pistol caliber after all. And it is not an "assault" anything.

I hope everyone is enjoying the fake impeachment and y'all are praying that the entire herd of liars will be sworn in as "witnesses" and deported by the sargeant-at-arms in handcuffs...

Good Night All
Last one douse the fire please.

[AJMD429]

I like the idea of a pistol or SBR in the Beowulf...

[Grizz]

I like the idea of a pistol or SBR in the Beowulf...

mine will look almost exactly like this

love the intense discussion we're having

[octagon]

Cool project. Grizz aside from your proposed barrel length of 10.5, what is the advantage of this platform over the s&w revolver? Cost? Capacity?

[Grizz]

Cool project. Grizz aside from your proposed barrel length of 10.5, what is the advantage of this platform over the s&w revolver? Cost? Capacity?

Good questions. It has to do with handling and capacity, plus the semi auto trigger is easier for me than a DA trigger at this point. As for handling, it is easier for me to get into action than a revolver in a holster, even with a tanker carry setup, it carries like a carbine, it's better for two handed shooting, it handles recoil better for me, it's easy to mount optics, a green laser makes it a shoot-from-any-position proposition. The 30 round standard magazine carries 7 of the 50s, so in the woods I have 8 rounds on tap, v.s. 5 in the pistol. And a faster reload.... my main purpose is to replace my guide gun, which I can hunt deer with AND stop bears with. I have a stupid fear of being eaten, know of it happening to a couple of people within my sphere of existence in Alaska, and don't want to participate.

plus, since every ignoramous is opposed to assault weapons, and I don't want to infuriate them, I chose a 50 caliber repeating pistol with a mere 7 round capacity as my PDW . . .

[octagon]

Thanks for the well reasoned and thorough answer. That dude sounds like a real stomper

[GunnyMack]

I'm curious as to if you have feeding problems with those 686 grain hunks of lead? That will certainly keep you out of the food chain if they slide up the pipe from the mag.

[piller]

400 grains or more of lead at moderate velocity should do quite nicely to change Mr. Brown Bear's intended menu choice. That 10.5 inch barrel ought to get decent velocity. I have a Ruger Super Redhawk in .480 Ruger with a 7.5 inch barrel. I can easily get over 1,000 fps with a 410 grain Wide Flat Nose LBT bullet out of it. Just some assumptions are that the .50 caliber in your setup should move heavier bullets at similar velocities. I do NOT want to be shot with anything like that. Not that I want to be shot at all.

[Grizz]

I'm curious as to if you have feeding problems with those 686 grain hunks of lead? That will certainly keep you out of the food chain if they slide up the pipe from the mag.

I will report on that when I've run my road tests. I've seen this upper run full auto without problems, but don't know the load.

My 45/70/525 load is about 1410 MV
my suspicion is that around 475g is a sweet spot
my subsonic 405g revolver load penetrates some media like a 45/70
my goal is THE load that I carry outdoors, and one load that I keep indoors
I think my 50 cal load will settle on on 460g or 440g. I can cast the 440s if they prove to be the ONE. I tend to be a ONE load per gun kind of shooter.

[Grizz]

400 grains or more of lead at moderate velocity should do quite nicely to change Mr. Brown Bear's intended menu choice. That 10.5 inch barrel ought to get decent velocity. I have a Ruger Super Redhawk in .480 Ruger with a 7.5 inch barrel. I can easily get over 1,000 fps with a 410 grain Wide Flat Nose LBT bullet out of it. Just some assumptions are that the .50 caliber in your setup should move heavier bullets at similar velocities. I do NOT want to be shot with anything like that. Not that I want to be shot at all.

I totally agree with all of that. I wish I had grabbed the 480 when it was around, but I am fairly comfortable with my old reliable 43 cal... right now my 405g load is subsonic out of my redhawk, but that is my fault, the cylinder is resizing the bullets before they hit the forcing cone! my bad, but I need to send redhawk back and if I open up the chambers to correct size for my bullets Ruger will replace it! so, all on me. But Marshall and another experimenter are getting just over 1000fps with the 405, and that load penetrates 12 one gallon water jugs...

as to the 50, being fatter it might not penetrate as well as same weight 45/70, or it just might not make a bit of difference for my purposes....