Fellow shooters,

Have you ever wanted a bolt action, magazine fed rifle in a .41 or larger caliber,
(even say up to .700 HE caliber) but you did not want anything close to the full
power that the full length brass, (and established powder load) would generate?
Or maybe you had such thoughts for a nice double rifle.

Take the 550 Magnum by RNS. Three inch brass and .550 diameter bullet. Kills anything
with a decent shot under any conditions, within 50 inches of you, or 50 yards out!

But what if you just want to make a big hole in a deer, or hog, or moose, or other
beast that are often killed with .308 diameter to .358 diameter bullets? If we cut
the .550 Mag brass down to 1.5 inches and fired a bullet of 400 grains wouldn't that
be fun on game out to fifty yards? No long range stuff, just open sights distance
hunting. (Since I'm no expert maybe brass of 1.75" or 2.00" would be right)

Basically I'm saying a smidge more power than a .54 or .58 caliber Muzzle Loader, but
from a nice, bolt action, magazine fed rifle; or nice double rifle.

I am aware of the 550 Express with 2.65" brass, but that's still an elephant killer
in anybody's book as far as I know.

Anyway, I just love seeing those big holes in the animals hunted and targets hit with
my Thompson Center .58 caliber "Big Bore" rifle. I look forward to your responses.

550 express
500 AccRel
470 Accrel
458 Accrel
416 Accrel

and trailboss or 5744 -- anything shorter in a standard length action (MM's carts in short actions exempted) will cause feeding issues...

a 2" case will actually make pressure excursions a REALITY

(oh yeah, I have the priv of being the first shooter of all of the above)

Check out Michael458 here on AR. Here is a thread about the B&M series. http://forums.accuratereloadin...4711043/m/9111029801
Or go to http://www.b-mriflesandcartrid...B-M-Super-Short.html 5 or 6 options that fit your bill from 475 up.

Or as Jeff said several of his would work as well. Got one of his 470 cases sitting right here in the drawer.

Jeffe,

Please explain the below based on your "PRESSURE
EXCURSIONS" statement. I'm confused.
http://ammoguide.com/?catid=36
http://ammoguide.com/?catid=423
http://ammoguide.com/?catid=269
http://ammoguide.com/?catid=145
http://ammoguide.com/?catid=715
http://ammoguide.com/?catid=532
http://ammoguide.com/?catid=221
http://ammoguide.com/?catid=364
http://ammoguide.com/?catid=335

Also, would 5744 and TrailBoss be used with filler?

Finally, am I to understand that your 550 Express can
be worked through a Winchester action that had origin-
ally been the basis of a factory produced 375 H&H Mag
caliber rifle? Thank you.

The problem is repeater rifles in short actions in calibers above 500 unless you go to standard length actions. At that level it is better to use single shots or shotgun carts with the right projectiles.
I like the idea of a 2.25" 550 and tried making dummy rounds but easier to load the 550 express deep.
I think the 50 BMG cases cut to 2.25" and loaded with .729" slugs using 12 gauge reloading equipment is one of the better ideas in a strong single shot able to take higher pressure and able to use factory 12 gauge ammo.

I think it is easier/cheaper to go to slower powders
and lighter bullets for hogs,deer, busting jugs,etc,
like my experiments with my 585HE. I can go clear
down to 300gr at 16-1800 up to 750gr at 2800.
Setting up different cases, guns, reamers, die sets,
you can buy lots of slower powder...Ed

I have fired my Benneli M4 with 12gafh 2.25 inch cases made from .50 bmg brass and 1000gr brass solids. It is a thing to be recond with! Accuracy even in a smooth ore is equal to most double rifles and more than enough for nearly anything!

NEVER USE FILLER WITH TRAILBOSS!! Sorry for the shouting but it was necessary on that topic! Trailboss cannot be compressed under any circumstance.

quote:

Originally posted by Todd Williams:
NEVER USE FILLER WITH TRAILBOSS!! Sorry for the shouting but it was necessary on that topic! Trailboss cannot be compressed under any circumstance.

Ditto Accurate 5744: NO FILLER, and if you are needing to compress a load of it, you need a different powder.
Something I learned here too.

Pressure excursion means grossly exceeding max pressure likely to the point of defeating the integrity of the brass and steel.

The smaller the case the more sensitive to pressure changes they become. The 45 acp is an excellent example. If you slightly overcharge and then laid slightly shorter oal you will greatly exceed the pressure of the planned load. You have presented a range is darts loaded to near their max loads but are asking questions about loading them down. Different paradigm

So, rather than spending thousands on a new round, loading down can become a reality WITH PROPER POWDERS.

Yes, Neal's 550 express (I designed the Kurtz he did the express) can fit into a model 70. But the 470 is even cooler with 400 gr speer deep curl / gold dot bullets. No need for anything longer than a standard length action. But yeah

quote:

Originally posted by Robgunbuilder:
I have fired my Benneli M4 with 12gafh 2.25 inch cases made from .50 bmg brass and 1000gr brass solids. It is a thing to be recond with! Accuracy even in a smooth ore is equal to most double rifles and more than enough for nearly anything!

That is awesome.
What velocities were you getting?
I think a .729" brass ball at top velocity would be quite interesting on almost anything.

Boomie- 1700 fps. Didn't try to hard either. -Rob

Thank you all for your good info. So I will
learn to use Trail Boss and 5744 and have my fun!

Now Jeffe, how many rounds of 550 Express fit in
the magazine of a Winchester 375 H&H after the
required work is done to it? What is the cost of
such a rifle excluding shipping to my local FFL dealer?
Would I be wiser to use a different rifle as a founda-
tion, CZ 416 Rigby maybe?

quote:

Originally posted by Robgunbuilder:
Boomie- 1700 fps. Didn't try to hard either. -Rob

I would use that on anything big. Wow!

DR - likely 2+1 without too much worry .. a 500 AccRel would do about the same

+1 on Jeffeoso and the 500 Acc Rel.

It can be done on standard length actions like the Ruger Hawkeye and opening it up for the Rigby-size casehead can be done by a competent gunsmith like those at McGowen Barrels. The cartridge is "short," but you can load it to 500 Jeffrey levels when you get curious or are facing something like a buffalo. Headstamped brass is available at Quality for a tad over $3/each.