I am getting a custom reamer made for a wildcat 50-110 single shot. I can have the throat any length I want, of course.

The chamber will be made for a specific bullet; The NorthFork .500 cal/ 450 grain/ Cup Point Solid.
I want to seat the bullet out, as shallow as possible to make max room in the case. (Please remeber it is a single shot rifle.)

My question is:
Does anyone have any suggestions on how shallow I can seat that paricular bullet in the case without threatening the case grip/ stability on the bullet?

Thanks for your help, Brian

Yes, you can seat the bullet with ZERO bullet insertion depth. That is the way the match shooters used to do it; Breech seat the bullet first and then chamber the case. Now, assuming you want fixed ammo, anything over about .1 inch is overkill, but you do need to not handle the cartridges roughly. Stability? That is why your chamber throat must closely match the bullet size; it is self aligning, hence the Breech seat match practice. So, bottom line is you don't need much seating depth for a single shot, and in some cases, none. They held the powder in with a wad.
Some original BP ammo was seated very shallowly for the same reason. Your throat must be clean for each shot, as you want your bullet to fit very closely; so either clean your throat, or use duplex loads (I know, cheating, but I do it)

Is I a sharps 50-110 2 1/2" ? What bullet are the cast? I use gas check. Blind I see now.

Hi guys, thanks for the quick imput.

I should tell you that this application will be for hunting Cape buffalo, and the cartridges may be handled roughly in the field.
Load will be around 1800 fps.

hivelocity, Bullets are not cast, they are Northfork monolithic lathe turned. Case is a wildcat. Thanks again for your imput, Brian

Oh, I was thinking black powder target loads. In your case (I know, it's a pun) you will want the bullets to be seated at least .25 inches. Depending on how roughly you are going to treat them.

dpcd, Good pun!

I can appreciate the small misunderstanding. When I said 50-110, the first logical thing that comes to mind is BP.

I think that you are right about the seating depth.
.25 to .35 would be about min. seating depth. I was hoping someone would post with that suggestion. That cheers me up!

Thanks, for your help, Brian

Yeah, I was not thinking DG, but if you get your pressures up to 50k psi, (I don't know what SS you have), you can approach 500 NE ballistics,

dpxd, Yes it's a nice little case. I am making this single shot on H&R Handi rifle SB2 frame. I want to keep the pressure down below 36K.

Bullet choice and placement are the big factors, obviously, for cape buffalo.

I made one of these single shots for a 577 NE or 24ga, FH. (Ed Hubbel did all the work)
Please see, You Tube, Brian Shoots, for a 10 second video. Brian

I built one on a Russian 91 action; that one you can load to the gills.

dpcd, That would make an excellent rifle. I am very interested in what bullet weight and velocity it would work with. Thanks, Brian

Oh, those actions will handle any pressure up to 50K psi; so you could run loads far hotter than on the H&R. I never loaded it that hot; and now DR Hall has it. But I can build more of them. PM me if you want to talk about it. I have built them in .405 Winchester, 50-110, 45-70, 40-65. Any rimmed round. Almost.
It would be easy to get a 450 grainer going at 2200 fps, with less than 40K psi. 500 grainers could go close to 2000.

dpcd, That is very interesting. A real honest "old school" DG rifle for Canada.
The thing is, I have my head wrapped around these single shot right now. And, I have three bolt action rifles that I have not even taken to the range yet. So, I wouldn't be able to think about much else for a year or two.
When I get through these projects I want to get my first Double rifle.
Thanks anyhow. Brian

I found the bullet for my application. I decided against North Fork.

I will try the Cutting Edge Bullet. 500 Cal/ 450 grain brass Solid DGBR_w26_BBW_13
The driving bands are near the base for a shallow seat. Perfect.

For a "Soft" I will try the CEB Raptor 410 grain. DGBR_HP_W27_BBW_13

They are made of brass not copper. Some natural lubricity.
Has anyone used this paricular CEB Bullet? Brian

Fjold had a thread about the ceb raptors but i think you made a contribution Brian....jc

Hi John, Thanks for the note about that thread. I don't remember it.

I used the CEB solid before, and was very satisfied with the terminal performance.
I have never used the rapter but some other guys with much more experience that me, praise it.

Recently I noticed that a particular model of their .500 cal. bullets has the 3+1 bands closer to the base of the bullet than other models. Eurica! Perfect for seating the bullet out further. Brian

quote:

Originally posted by Brian Canada:
Hi John, Thanks for the note about that thread. I don't remember it.

I used the CEB solid before, and was very satisfied with the terminal performance.
I have never used the rapter but some other guys with much more experience that me, praise it.

Recently I noticed that a particular model of their .500 cal. bullets has the 3+1 bands closer to the base of the bullet than other models. Eurica! Perfect for seating the bullet out further. Brian

Good luck with your project..jc

Thank you, jc. Brian