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.50 Beowulf?

40K views 264 replies 22 participants last post by  TRX 
#1 ·
I'd been planning to do a .50 Beowulf AK with a bent receiver, but a milled Chinese receiver is now laying on my workbench. It's part of some kind of training/DEWATS rifle; the barrel is welded up, the top cover has a few short (and pretty!) TIG welds anchoring it to the receiver, and it's missing the bolt and carrier.

I'll need the following:

.50 barrel

7.62x39 bolt to match the Beowulf case head

bolt carrier and operating rod

.223 magazine (may require some "adjustment" according to the AR15 sites)

modified or full-custom RSB, gas block, and FSB - the .50 barrel would have to be thinned unworkably to match the OEM bits. Though machining them from scratch is okay, I might cheat, saw the rings off, and weld or silver solder them to appropriate-sized tubes

At the moment, the only real point of uncertainty is the barrel attachment - it appears to be threaded into the receiver. I know I saw a chart around somewhere that gave the thread specs, but darned if I can find it now...

Anyone see anything major I've overlooked? Other than the gas and sight blocks, it looks fairly easy.
 
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#2 ·
Sounds like you have a good plan with the parts. The use of a larger diameter ring will probably be required if the enlarged gas block is thin enough to fail from the stresses of the gas pressure.

Meeper (on FALFILES) did this caliber a few years ago based on a SAR.

 
#5 ·
> the barrel pin has got to be getting close to the chamber
> so watch out for that on a press in barrel build.

I can't find a pin, so I'm assuming the barrel is threaded. Personally, I like the pressed barrel idea. If the chamber diameter looks iffy for the original threads, I'll probably open it up for a pressed barrel and drill for a pin.

> have you considerd a AR mag addapter so you can use AR
> 50 beowulf mags????

No, I didn't think of that. What it is, a sheet metal magwell I could weld to the AK receiver?

> persoanly I like the 450 bushmater or the 458 socom
> better.

Back last summer I had decided to build a "brush gun" out of a 1917 Enfield I had on hand. Short barrel, big low-velocity cartridge I could use with cast bullets. I was searching Google on ".45-70" and "Enfield", and for some reason it returned Pookie's .45-70 AK thread here. After marveling that someone would be demented enough to do such a thing, I spent the next several months reading, acquired a Romy kit, made the bending and press jigs, etc. I've drunk the Kalashnikov Kool-Aid...

Since I intend to cast my bullets, they're all the same price. Beowulf brass is about the same price as, or even slightly cheaper than, .45-70 brass. The best price I've found on a .50 barrel is about triple that of a .45-70. Can't win 'em all... after studying Pookie's magazine hassles, it looks like the Beowulf would be much easier since it uses a .223 magazine.

I was reluctant to consider the Beowulf at first due to Alexander Arms' psycho-yuppie BS, but it's not like I'm dependent on them for a chambering reamer. If a .50AE reamer won't do, I'll either make one or send the barrel out and have it done on a CNC lathe. If the Beowulf doesn't become popular - frankly, I doubt it'll take off - a few gross of brass should do me for the forseeable future, or at least until the new wears off...
 
#6 ·
I was searching Google on ".45-70" and "Enfield", and for some reason it returned Pookie's .45-70 AK thread here. After marveling that someone would be demented enough to do such a thing, I spent the next several months reading, acquired a Romy kit, made the bending and press jigs, etc. I've drunk the Kalashnikov Kool-Aid...
Yeah its amazing some of the crap people think of doing! :rofl:

I'm really REALLY close to being able to spend some quality time on this one. Chamber reamer is on order. Finally.

I'm with 1biggun, I think the 450 Bushmaster will be the most prevalent of the rounds because it has Bushmaster and Hornady driving it. The SOCOM coming in close behind it. If Alexander Arms would get off their keister and "release" the cartridge spec without the licensing BS then it would really take off. Too much greed is keeping that one grounded. I think they are holding out for military contracts, but frankly I just don't see it really taking off.

Nice thing about the 450 brass is that it can be done up fairly easy since it is cut-down .284 brass (as I recall it is .284 but I am going from memory)

Look on my topic about "intermediate 45 and 50 cartridges" for some other candidates. There is a .499 LWCS (again going from memory) that was designed by a spin-off of the Beowulf design team. It looks marginally stronger in performance than the Beowulf and may be worth consideration.
 
#8 ·
> MILLED RECIVER AND LIKELY A VERY SOUGHT AFTER.
> PLEASE POST SOME PICTURES OF THIS AND IF THERE ARE
> ANY MORE AVALIABLE WERE CAN THEY BE FOUND

This was a one-time deal - a friend's neighbor was moving and had it in his garage, something he apparently carried home from work. (military)

> YOU GOT TO POST SOME PICTURES HERE. pLEASE.

I'll do it soon. It's one butt-fugly item, though.

> WHAT WAS THIS DUMMY GUN ORIGINALY????

There are no importer markings, so I'm assuming it was captured and demilled. I'm not sure why, unless it was for "how to identify an AK-47". It's pretty beat up, but not the muzzle or buttplate, so it wasn't used for drill.

> THE ADAPTER FITS JUST LIKE A REGULAR MAG AND THEN
> THE AR 223 MAG FITS INSIDE THAT.

Hm. I should invest in a .223 mag and see how much trouble it would be to modify the AK mags. I only need a few.

> COMPARING THE 458 SOCOM OR THE 450 BUSH MASTER TO
> THE 45-70 IS NOT REALLY APPLES TO APPLES. THE 45-70
> HOLDS A TON MORE POWDER AND CAN BE LOADED WAY
> PAST THE SMALLER ROUNDS

I'm not really concerned with the OEM ballistics. I'll be handloading down to whatever the rifling is happy with before leading becomes an issue. I've read just about all the threads here, and I'd thought about doing a wildcat by cutting down a .30-06 to whatever was convenient, just as others had. However, Beowulf brass is cheap at the moment, and it has the "it's a .50" cachet.

If I was loading for max ballistics things would be a lot different. I'm still thinking "brush gun".

> THE 45-70 CAN NOT REALLY BE BUILT ON EASLY OBTAINED
> AK PARTS AND BUILD ISSUES. i CANT WAIT FOR hc TO
> GET GOING ON HIS.

Someone needs to go stick a pitchfork in him...

> GETTING A REAMER OR HAVING IT DONE WAS ABOUT
> IMPOSSABLE BUT IT HAS BEEN DONE

I'm willing to try making one. With a full-length barrel, I have the opportunity to make quite a few tries before getting into SBR-land... otherwise, I'll try cutting the chamber with a lathe.

> STRAIGHT WALLED CASE HAS A BREACH OPENING NOT
> MUCH LARGER THAN THE THE BULLET. FEEDING A ROUND
> INTO SUCH A HLOE IS FAR MORE DIFFICULT AND WITH
> LEAD THE SOFT NON PONTED BULET IS GOING TO BE
> HARDER TO GET THAT ROUND UP AND IN THE BORE.

Granted, but there has already been at least one AK in Beowulf, a couple in S&W, and that .50-110. Not to say that there probably weren't hours of smoking the parts with candle soot and watching for shiny spots while working the action...

>BTW TROMIX,S 444 MARLIN USES A SHROUD COMING OUT
> OR THE TOP OF THE BREACH TO GUIDE THE BULLET
> DOWN.

I don't know what you mean, there. Can you point me to a picture?

> i WOULD TRY TO CONTACT MEEPER (A VERY TALENTED
> BUILDER) AND GET SOME SPECIFICS ON HIS BUILD HES
> MADE ONE IN 50 BEOWULF. ITS BEEN DONE SEE IF HE CAN
> MAKE IT SHOOT LEAD.

Here on gunco?

> I WOULD WANT A ADJUSTABLE GAS BLOCK

Don't we all... if I wind up building from scratch, it'll be adjustable to start with.

> LEAD FOULING ON THE GAS PORT MIGHT BE A ISSUE AS
> WELL.

I'll burn that bridge when I get to it. I have a sketch for a gas block with a cleaning port, but I'm betting it won't be a problem.

> i AM NOT TRYING TO POO POO YOUR BUILD UST
> POINTING OUT SOME THOUGHTS

That's what I asked for, and I appreciate your input.
 
#11 ·
Anyone know the barrel diameter of the Saiga-12 and Saiga-20...

a) at the RSB
b) at the gas block
c) at the FSB

Just a thought; it might be simpler to use Saiga bits instead of making new ones up from scratch.
 
#12 ·
Yes we just had this discussion about using a Saiga in a different thread. The problem is the bolt face (Saiga shotguns have a 2-part bolt) will not be the correct size. You'd have to machine a new part and then heat treat it. Not sure which would be the better route!
 
#13 ·
I haven't had any luck on falfiles.com. I get only one hit with "meeper" + "beowulf", 20 threads with "beowulf" anywhere inside them. I had the search set to "any date" and "all open forums."

Anyone have a link directly to the thread?
 
#15 ·
The FALFILES thread did not have any information in it about the build. Only that it was built. I would assume you can contact him to order a build if you have a donor rifle ready.
 
#17 ·
Anyone know the barrel diameter of the Saiga-12 and Saiga-20...

a) at the RSB
b) at the gas block
c) at the FSB

Just a thought; it might be simpler to use Saiga bits instead of making new ones up from scratch.
the problem is there are none avaliable. I have asked and posted wanted adds ect. I build heavy barreld varmit rifles and could use those parts as well. the L1A1 is slightly lowere but it can be made to work see the link in the build your own AK section. the ID is .685
 
#24 ·
Several places list Beowulf brass, quite cheap, too. The barrel won't be cheap - I found .458 barrel blanks under $100, but .501 blanks are much more.

I don't see anything wrong with your gas block; I was thinking of using pinch bolts too.
 
#26 ·
Bits:

Pac-Nor .500" barrel $230. The AA website says the official spec for the Beowulf is .501 +/- .0004. I'll talk to Pac-Nor about this. They sell extra length by the inch; I'd be tempted to order a long enough barrel to cut in half and make two 16s, or a 16 and an SBR.

Most ".50" barrels seem to be .510, to work with the late-1800s .50-70, etc.

Lee die set: $31, various places

Beowulf brass, $55 for 100 from Impact Guns. Midway's web site now says "discontinued" for most ammo-related Beowulf stuff.

Jacketed bullets seem to run in the $22-$25 range and up for boxes of 50. Good thing I'm planning to use cast bullets...

Making a reamer from scratch still doesn't look that hard; it's only a .010" taper, jeez. My best bet might be to buy some pipe or 4140 bar stock and experiment on that instead of a real barrel.
 
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