Just got my 500 A2 rifle and would like to start developing some moderate loads for it to get started. I would like to develop some loads with Woodleigh PP 535 gr for around 2,200 fps at the beginning to get to know the rifle so to speak before using full loads from the A2 manual. According to QL, IMR 4831 is the ideal powder to get me there. Does anyone have any insight on IMR 4831 or any moderate load for the 500 A2? Also, what is the best way to neck up 460 WB brass? Do I need a special case forming die? I already have a reloading 2-die set for this cartridge. Any info you can provide will be greatly appreciated.

Hi Mingbogo,
Is that the same Mingbogo who did some CAD cartridge drawings for us here many moons ago?
Welcome back.

If you don't have a 45-to-50-cal. tapered neck expander,
just drop a 50 BMG milsurp ball into the case mouth nose down, seat it until the 460-Wby neck is ironed out to .510" ID, parallell-sided,
then pull the bullet with pliers/vice grips at the top of the press opening as the dummy round is retracted down with the press lever. Easy to do, can use the same bullet over and over,
any bullet marring by repeated pulling is above the smooth area of bullet that is expanding the case neck.

Or load any "cheaper" .510 bullet nose down until the bullet will chamber, and fire-form.
Or just touch off any cheap .458 bullet in the 460 Wby in your 500 A2 chamber.
It headspaces on the belt and will fire form the neck perfectly every time.
The expander stem on a 500 Jeffery die is good for necking up 460 Wby to .510-caliber most easily, etc., etc.

I just started with 100 grains of IMR4350 and 570 to 750-grain bullets and worked up.

It will be impossible for you to get enough IMR-4831 into the case to get into trouble.
What charge of IMR-4831 with 535-grain bullet does QuickLOAD tell you to use for 2200 fps, and what is your barrel length?

I like Reloder 15 in my .500 A-Square. Very efficient, and less powder means less recoil. For your purposes, I would start at 95 grains, plus or minus.

I have a neck expander that I got from CH4D for use in necking up .460 Weatherby Magnum brass. Does a nice job.

Hey Ron,

It is indeed yours truly here. My life had a different priority so I had to be away from shooting and hunting for quite a few years. Believe it or not, I sent this 500 A2 project in to the builder in 2003 and I just got it back this week. Fortunately, the builder put it away and was waiting for me to call all these years. I am back nonetheless but I don’t remember where I left off so there will be a little bit of relearning some of the stuff. Hope I still remember how to shoot a big bore.

Appreciate the tip on forming the neck of the 460 WB brass, especially using bullets to expand it. One of my shooting buddies has expander dies for the 475 Linebaugh and 500 S&W so I might use these dies to expand the neck. It might also help to anneal the neck to make it softer for the expansion. I will definitely try different methods to form some brass to get it going.

Just got my QL software on CD-ROM last week and started playing with it immediately to get some rough load estimates. According to QL, 113 grains of IMR4831 will fill the case 100% with 95% burn rate using Woodleigh 535 gr PP. Chamber pressure of this load should be around 40 ksi with a 24" barrel velocity of around 2218 fps, which should be close to the 458 Lott territory that I am trying to duplicate. I also tried other similar rate powders in QL like Reloder 19, N560, Win 780, and Accurate 3100, but IMR4831 seems to give the best numbers for a moderate load.

Thanks,
Mingbogo

Mike:

Reloder 15 will work but for a moderate load that I am after at this point, it means the case will only be about 80% filled with a lot of space, which I was always vervous about for a slow burning power. Thanks!

Mingbogo- long time no hear! Try 55gr of XMP5744 and the bullet of your choice with no filler. Kind of a light plinker that also works with 750gr Amax's if its throated to take them.-Rob

Great to hear from you Rob. Will keep that load on my note. Thanks!

quote:

Originally posted by Mingbogo:
Mike:

Reloder 15 will work but for a moderate load that I am after at this point, it means the case will only be about 80% filled with a lot of space, which I was always vervous about for a slow burning power. Thanks!

I would think that, with 95 grains of RL-15, a .500 A2 case would be closer to 90% full. With my cases, the charge starts to compress at around 105-106 grains. With my usual maximum loads of 112-113 grains, the compression is very noticeable. (Although I don't use bullets lighter than 570 grains, so YMMV.)

Mingbogo,
Annealing before necking up or after necking down is always a good practice in forming brass.
This is especially important with using old brass of questionable work history.

I started with new 460 Wby brass and have never annealed a single one in going from 460 Wby to 500A2.
Never had a problem.

I might consider annealing the whole lot after several firings as 500 A2, but I have not gotten around to that yet either.

Yes, RL-15 is an excellent powder for 570-grainers at top velocity with accuracy in the 500 A2.
Should be equally good with 535-grainers when you are ready to get them moving faster.

Your IMR-4831 load for 535-grainers sounds like a good one.

Not an A-Square, but 510 Wells, use 460 Weatherby like RIP, never a problem. I think the two are very close. I have run 96/RL 15 for 2120 fps with 570 #13s, and the same with the 535 NonCons as well. Excellent, very very easy load to shoot. Dead accurate too.

90/RL 15 gave 1918 fps with the 535s.

Michael

I chambered a 50 cal barrel stub 19" long in 500A2 and I just load the 460 case with a cast bullet and fill it to the bottom of the neck with trail boss and fire it in the 500 a square
barrel and bingo you have 500 A Square brass. This method is very easy and fool proof
Ross

Great! All suggested loads have been noted. Anyhow, just got some sample 460 brass expanded in 2 steps; with a 475 die and then with a 500 A2 die. Could't do it in one step, as the case would collapse. Stil waiting for more brass and bullets to arrive to start the loading process. Thanks!

Mingbogo,
Did you lube the inside of the case neck prior to the neck-up?
You might not collapse the neck like the one on the far right if you use some lube.
In fact, I think you will find it a single-step, easy neck-up with the correct tapered neck expander and some lube.

Also, I cringe when I see a case mouth belled that much.
I never bell a case mouth anymore than I have too,
and that is usually zero if there is any bevel or radius on the base edge of the flat-based bullet being seated,
never bell the case mouth if seating boat tails, of course.
Belling case mouths might be needed for a sharp-cornered, flat-based, cast lead bullet ...
No need to over-stretch or over-work the brass otherwise.
Just sayin'.
Otherwise, you are nicely under way to getting there.

Ron:
Good point! Yeah I did lube the brass prior to the neck up. I was using the standard reloading expander die for the neck-up, which is probably not ideal for the task but it did get the job done. The expander plug will definitely need to be adjusted further to control the amount of mouth flare of the case. I will be ordering neck-up die specific for this task to do it right next time. This is the first time I am back to reloading after about 8 years of absence so I am a little rusty. Bear with me, as my reloading skills will definitely improve after a short while . Thanks!