45 degrees F and cloudy.
I could see the sun through the clouds, looking more like the moon than the sun.
But light and temperature were good enough for the Oehler to work.

Setting up:



First shots on paper: Sightron 4-16x with mil-dot reticle.
1/8" per click at 100 yards claimed, so 1/16" per click at 50 yards range for this initial session.
This old Sightron performed well on a 500 A2 Ruger No.1 previously, and is being further tested now.
I fired 30 rounds of 500 Bateleur (and 40 rounds of 400 Whelen B as a flinch preventive) today.
The first shot of that first charge with 535-grainer was not on paper. Next 4 were.



The 600-grain Barnes Originals were awful for accuracy with this first stab at loading in the 500 Bateleur "shop mule,"
but the Barnes 647-grain old-style X-BT "factory-cannelured," showed promise.
The Oehler 9-volt battery died, skipped a digit on the final velocity reading of the 5th shot,
then started to do a summary, and completely froze before finishing that. Out of juice.
Changing the battery brought it back to flawless function in 45 degrees F and cloudy skies:



The hole in the dirt berm after one shot with the .510/535-gr S&H FN at about 2300 fps, even a 500 Jeffery can do this:



All the other little bullets being fired there by others that day were not leaving a mark.



Summary of 5 shots with each of six loads: 3 different bullets, each with 2 different powder charges.
Chronograph distance was 5 yards from muzzle to first screen:



The Barnes-X copper 647-grainer (here with 4.000" COAL load) and S&H brass FN 535-grainer (with 3.395" COAL load) can be seen here:



The so-far-inaccurate .510/600-grain Barnes Original is seen here,
I really do not think I caused a problem by putting the cannelures on them:



Bertha B. Weatherby, is not "petite" but she is "comfortable":



The next loads I want to try are:

189-grain-total-weight sabot load containing 150-grain .308 bullet (no brake allowed).

.510/450-grain GSC HV.

.510/570-grain Barnes TSX.

.510/570-grain GSC FN.

All of those except the last one are pictured in the dummy line-up above.

The best loads from testing in Bertha B. Weatherby will be tried in Bridget B. Mauser.
Why abuse her and myself anymore than necessary?

My loads, above chronograph data, should give very similar results in the 500 AR Nyati,
but would be expected to show lower velocity and lower pressures in the longer throated original 500 AR.
Certainly safe in either.

Definately a good start.

Jim,
Having the data here is a good place for me to keep track, look up easily on the fly, even if nobody else needs it,
hence my comment of applicability to 500 AR and 500 AR Nyati hoping to be useful to somebody.
I suppose I should also get it up at www.ammoguide.com
Just another to-do ...

Totally understand Ron...

great work!

Thanks, Jeff.
More to follow.
Anything I shoot in the 500 Bateleur is bound to be safe in the 500 Accurate Reloading.

At the local public range, I was questioned by another shooter yesterday when he saw Bertha:
"Are you that guy who shoots shotgun slugs shaped like a beer keg?"
I am infamous.
1432-grain soft lead "Darwin" slugs, they are natural selectors on both ends of the shotgun: