Bolt Action 50 Alaskan with 750gr A-Max ?

[375rifleman]

Bravo 4 what is the average C.O.A.L. of a 50 Alaskan with a 750gr A-Max? I am figuring on it being to long for anything except a TC Encore but would like to know for sure.

Regards,
375rifleman

 

[sable tireur]

what is the average C.O.A.L. of a 50 Alaskan with a 750gr A-Max?

North of 4" when you set it up to leave 0.300" of the shank in the neck. You will not get it into the Siamese Mauser magazine...

This is really one of those projects where it's nice to daydream about making oddball cartridges until you find out that you literally have to destroy another rifle to build it. Siamese Mausers are hard to find because of all the folks who thought it was cool to make them into .45-70s.

Leave the old rifles alone and dream up another cartridge which will fit into a modern action.

 

[Bravo 4]

sable tireur put out good info, in my opinion. With the break open single shot action you can pretty much throat them as you wish.

 

[therifleman556]

How about Ruger No. 1?

 

[sable tireur]

Ruger #1 is suited to builds like this. That's what we used for the .50 Alaskan on several occasions. Be aware that the performance of this cartridge loaded with this bullet will woefully piddling... about 1600+ fps but with lots of energy.

 

[sable tireur]

O.K., since no one else remembers, here is an alternative to your dilemma:

Heavy Express
The HE MAG line of Magnum Cartridges are also based upon the .348
Winchester casing with the rim removed and blown-out to Improved dimensions with a 40 degree shoulder angle. HE MAG cases come in 2.25 inch lengths for Standard Action rifles in Calibers .338, .350, .375, .416 and .460.

HE MAG cases have .530 rim diameter, .545 base diameter, and a .515 shoulder diameter making these minimum body taper cases the most efficient case design in production today. The only exception to these case dimensions is the .460, which has a .526 shoulder diameter with a 45 degree shoulder angle. Cases are commercially manufactured for Heavy Express, Inc. by MAST Technology, Inc. of Las Vegas, Nevada. Heavy Express Custom reloading dies are manufactured by Hornady Manufacturing Company, Grand Island, Nebraska.

And:

The Heavy Express range of cartridges was developed by Jim Busha, from Colorado Springs CO, and was based on the 348 Winchester case with the rim removed. They came in a variety of calibers, ranging from .240 to .500 caliber and in 2 different versions, namely the "normal" length (Heavy Express) and the shorter length (Heavy Express Short Action Magnum). These can almost be argued to the forerunners of the Winchester Short Mag and Winchester Super Short cartridges.

Now before anyone goes off the rails because they notice that the rimmed .348 Win. has been changed, this was a common adjustment to rimmed cartridges used in rimless actions. It takes a lathe and a little ingenuity for making the tooling but it's relatively easy for a conversion.

Enjoy the thoughts!

 

[375rifleman]

Thanks Sable Tireur that could defiantly work. I'm wanting to push a 750gr A-Max or similar bullet to 1500fps/1700fps out of a 16"-17" barrel. I know that I'm just falling deeper into the preverbal rabbit hole with this. But do you think this could be achieved, and if so who exactly do I need to start getting in contact with? Thanks in advance for any further thoughts, opinions, or answers.

Best Regards,
375rifleman

 

[sable tireur]

I know that I'm just falling deeper into the preverbal rabbit hole with this.

Yep and the rabbit hole is deeper than you think!

Actually it just got simplified a little. You can use .325 WSM brass, neck it up to take the .510 bullets and blow out the case for a slight improved body taper. It will also give you a better shoulder to use for head space.

With the 750 gr. AMAX you get 4.160" OAL. About 51 - 54 grains of several powders will get you to 1,600 fps from a 17" barrel, or in that area.

 

[375rifleman]

Wow that actually simplifies things a lot just find a Winchester (or other manufacturer for that matter) rifle thats chambered in 325 WSM neck up or blow out the 325 WSM to .510 and then find a way to extend the magazine out to 4.2" or so (just in case I wanted to seat the A-Max out a bit longer). Right ?

375rifleman

 

[sable tireur]

Essentially that's correct. By staying in the realm of modern case design, you stand a better chance of being able to find a rifle nearly set up for that cartridge.

The rails will still need adjusting because of the fatter bullets and you may need to tough up the feed ramp. There is still some room to push the bullet back into the case a little so you might be able to stay with a 4.00" box.

 

[therifleman556]

You'd be better off starting with a 300 win mag or 300 ultra mag. A factory 325 is going to take a lot of work to accommodate 4" cartridges. Even a long action 300 will need to be opened up some.

 

[sable tireur]

I should have written slower so I got the whole explanation in before someone else wades into the fray. Yes, the larger RUM actions will provide a better platform. And there are a few other details about projects like this for which I am not going take the time to write the complete book about accomplishing.

 

[375rifleman]

Since I'm probably going to have to go to a TC Encore eventually. Could the 50 Alskan 750gr A-Max be pushed to 1500fps-2000fps out of an Encore action (if it could)? If so what would be the recommended barrel length, powder charge? Thanks in advance for any thoughts, opinions, or answers.

375rifleman