Hey folks,

I was wondering can any .50 bullet that is .500 diameter be used for loading action express. My local sporting goods store only carries .500 s&w from hornady. I don't know about the length of the bullet though. Can they be used or are they too long? Sorry for all the newb questions, but I'm learning allot from you all and without anyone around here to call up and bother, I'm forced to hound you guys lol! Thanks for all the help!

Yes, any .500 caliber bullet can be used to safely load the 50 AE with the following provisos:

1. You need to be able to find a published load for the bullet weight you wish to use.

2. You need to seat the bullet deep enough for it to feed through the magazine (assuming, of course, you're loading for a Desert Eagle).

3. Since the Desert Eagle is gas operated, I personally wouldn't use cast bullets.

In practical terms, to meet the above criteria for a Desert Eagle, you'll probably need to use bullets in the 300 to 350 grain range. It doesn't matter if they're from Speer, Hornady or another manufacturer as long as the profile is of the flat nosed or hollow point design. If you're trying to load a Flex Tip bullet, then the loaded cartridges will probably be too long.

By the way, if your sporting goods store doesn't carry what you want, just buy over the internet. With the price of gas, paying a shipping fee from MidwayUSA, especially if you have a Bullseye Bargain discount code, doesn't seem too bad.

Thanks Grumulkin,

This is good news, it will make choosing bullets easier both locally and on the web!