Anyone besides Jeffe use one? Are bullets still available? This just seem sutch a grand cartridge, one would think it would be more used as it is so easy to make...?

Including the original group buy of ten, I would guess somewhere around 20 rifles so far (not including Jeff's 550 Express; that might add two to three more?). Jacketed bullets, solids and brass are available but I can't find the company that cast bullets that size anymore.

That's a wild-ass guess based on the buzz here at AR where it was birthed by Neal and Jeff.

there's about 7 expresses floating around, made off the original reamer. SOmething like 10-15 magnums .. 3 flanged .. there will be another one sooner or later, and one 550 gibbs ..

Neal is the proud poppa of the .550 .. i just get the assist for the 550 express ..

Alaska Bullet works has softs and solids, as well as Hawk, and Barnes is making solids ...

The cast guy has my mold, and Neal's ,, I need to find him and get us another source.

I am trying to get McGowen to take on the .550!

Its soo HUGE that few people are willing to try .. i am about to do another on a ruger !!
jeffe

quote:

jeffeosso: Its soo HUGE that few people are willing to try

Ya think? Just standing next to one on the firing line is enough for me.

GS bullets of South Africa also makes a 600 grain HV and Flatnose

quote:

Originally posted by jeffeosso:
there's about 7 expresses floating around, made off the original reamer. SOmething like 10-15 magnums .. 3 flanged .. there will be another one sooner or later, and one 550 gibbs ..

Neal is the proud poppa of the .550 .. i just get the assist for the 550 express ..

Alaska Bullet works has softs and solids, as well as Hawk, and Barnes is making solids ...

The cast guy has my mold, and Neal's ,, I need to find him and get us another source.

I am trying to get McGowen to take on the .550!

Its soo HUGE that few people are willing to try .. i am about to do another on a ruger !!
jeffe

As good as it and the Express are, they lack a name-brand gunmaker to champion them. AHR has the 600OK, Weatherby has the 460 and dallied with the idea of a 550 but passed, CZ doesn't want to promote it even though they'll do one, last I heard. The pool of potential buyers is small to begin with and it has excellent competition. That said, one day all that could change.

Now, if you could cram one into an AR style platform with a barrel slightly longer than the handguard, it would sell thousands of units. The black gun guys will buy anything with a huge muzzle flash

Those 550 bullets I fired threw my conagraph and they did 2150 FPS. the rifle that I used was
the 458 Lott. Nothing wrong with that.

Jro45, we're refering to a 700 grain 55 caliber cartidge based on a blown-out full length 460 Weatherby case, not a 550 grain 45 caliber bullet. Or did I misunderestimate your post?

I forgot to mention, the CZ custom shop will make you one, for reasonable money!

.550 bullet, 700gr bullet ..

the CZ shop will make you almost anything. If I send them my 550 Gibbs reamers they will build me one of those to go with my P17 so chambered. Hornady even offers dies for my 550 Gibbs. This 550 will chrono over 2600fps with top end 615gr Macifej solids. How long it is is just as important as how big it is.

Rich
550 Gibbs: go big or stay home

If the Australian dollar keeps rising ... I think S&F and I will be considering PacNor pre-chambered barrels. Interest is there ... but the projectile situation locally is the big issue.
Cheers...
Con

I am going to build a 550 Gibbs as soon as the PH actions get done. I ordered two in stainless, one for the 505 and one for the 550.

Before you build a 550 gibbs, please get a copy of the sporting designation. You do NOT want to get into trouble with the ATF over a DD that is nothing but a piece of paper away from being legal

quote:

Originally posted by Con:
If the Australian dollar keeps rising ... I think S&F and I will be considering PacNor pre-chambered barrels. Interest is there ... but the projectile situation locally is the big issue.
Cheers...
Con

Con,

Unless things have changed you can get bullets in here.

About 18 months ago a mate of mine got a lot of Northfork 338s. Northfork were not into export mode so he got Huntingtons to buy them from Northfork and then out they came from Huntingtons to Australia. He has done quite a bit of business with Huntingtons.

Mike,
Thanks for info ... but at the moment getting stuff from the States is bloody hard ... I'll chase it up though.

Had a few options though if we did go down the path. First were turned projectiles made locally for $2.50 each, then there was buying a mould and getting a commercial casting manufacturer to do them for us, Vic Pederson in the NT has also got a lot of experience drawing down pills in a hydraulic press ... so we could get a new die made to take 0.585" to 0.550".

I'll look into the importing projectiles bit.
Cheers...
Con

Jeffe,
Where do I get a copy of the sporting designation? ATF?

I was assuming that Idaho Sharpshooter already had an exception for his 550.

I asked the same question to a local firearms manufacturer and he suggested I call the ATF's Firearms Technology Branch at 304-260-1700 I do not know the actual procedure for getting the "sporting designation" or "sporting exemption" for chamberings over 50 cal but there are many on this site that do and after reading this may explain the procedure in detail.
Rodney.

It takes a couple months, but its not a hard process to have the ATF review it and determine if it is a sporting round. Then the holder sends you a copy .. also, just to be clear, the round gets a designation, and the STYLE of rifle .. it is not a bad idea to have each rifle also recognized .. which is sending a copy of the cartridge designation and pictures of the rifle. This prevents any confusion later.

Rodney, just to clarify .. there's not "many" that have them.. but most of the individual holders are actually here. VERY FEW rounds have gone through the process ... even fewer by an individual. I think there are 4-6 of those people here on AR .. which is probably more than half of the holders.. really, its that small.

The last time i checked, we could not find the 585 nyati, and none one had "bothered" with the process... BAD NEWS for the owner.

some classic british rounds are explicitly called out as being sporting rounds .. an odd exception there ... the 600 and 700 NE are listed, but none of the 577s .. no, REALLY, its in the documents.

Some gunsmith's have the DD license, which is a different path

hope that helps

I will get started on Monday. With Neal raising the price so much for the brass, I had not gone past my own rifle.

Rich
550 Gibbs

My understanding is from the little info they will give you
is that all over 50cal rifle cartridges that were in existence
before 86 are grandfathered in. Which includes Nyati, 600NE,
577NE, 577 Snyder, 7-150 Win, 58 Berdan,577 REWA, etc, and shotgun
calibers. And when I asked them a while ago for the
list of all ones registered as sporting since law
took effect, they said they wouldn't tell me as that would
be giving away proprietary business secrets or some
such whatever.. If they have a list that someone here has got
ahold of, please tell us where or post it. Ed

Gotta love the ATF! I am debating between a 500 AHR or a 550 Express, I am following the bullet availability on the 550 with passionate interest.

John

I wish they would make a sticky for each bullet diameter over .510. Would be nice to look at one thread and see cases, bullets, rifles so chambered, etc.

The .550 Express is a badass little cartridge - it's a .577NE in a Mauser!

Too bad bullet diameter is an oddball as it has everything else going for it.

Even if calibers like .510, .585, .600 etc don't sell like 7mmMags, there's something about having bullets listed in places like Midway that just make them seem so much more available.

Ed,
your information is not correct, and could lead someone to a jail sentence. the 600 NE is listed as a CnR, NONE of the 577s are .. NONE .. th e.585 caliber is excluded and is only available on a sporting designation or DD ... don't be mislead that "historic" has anything to do with it...

Trust me guys, DO THE PAPERWORK on anything larger than .500 bore.. just DO IT

Jeffe- So then what are the 577 doubles, and if they go to
new owner what then.Need more specifics,It sounds as if it means
that it is to be done for each gun, That can get to be a
pain, to say the least. Like my papers from ATF on my 585
and my 700 says the cartridges are exempt when used for
sporting purposes, in bolt action, falling block, and
break action guns. I listed the types of guns, along with
the request I made, and the spec sheet and drawing of the cases.
Paper states any change in firearm type, if the wrong type, could cause
you to lose the exemption. Do they have a list of exempt ones?
Or do they keep us in the dark so that it inhibits
our big bore ownership and shooting.
I didn't know 600NE was a C&R or is it just the older guns in the
caliber. IE, if I build a 600NE in my Savage bolt gun, what then.ED

Ed, this is going to come off preachy .. don't take it that way...
call the atf for questions .. that's always my suggestion .. the 577 2 3/4, 577 3" 577x600 (rewa) and all are NOT listed as historic rounds .. the AGE of the caliber is not the legality of the issue. LAWS work on specifics, and one better try like mad to BE specific.

the 600 NE is listed as a curio .. do NOT confuse that with C&R license .. it has nothing to with the other, and don't "slang" them together .. a 600 NE round is a round ... a period piece shooting a 600 ne MIGHT be a relic .. but realize that the round and the gun are two distinct things, in the eyes of the law, and must be dealt with properly.

building a 600ne on a savage MIGHT be a violation, and the 600 NE, in historical terms, was NEVeR intended for a bolt gun .. yes, these fine distinctions are important ... they could be the difference in a legal gun and a jail term...

oh, yeah, saami recognition (577 trex) or well known publication (585 nyati) doesn't mean the rounds have atf approval ..

So it appears then that if an over 50cal round isn't a curio,
maybe then it should have an exemption, for us to just put it
in the right gun.
Important, how would we find out if anyone or any mfg
ever had T-rex, Nyati, 600 NE, 577NE, etc, exempted, and how do we
find out as they, ATF won't tell us. I know as I have out of curiosity
asked, even about cases that a mfg, SSK, said was exempt.
And they said they can't give out trade or business info.
So if they won't confirm what a mfg says or won't give out
a list, what a situation. And I can't bug the bureaucrats,and
chance getting them upset and give me trouble about my cases.
And this also makes those of us who have exempted cases,susceptable
to claims that we may be frauds, if someone gets a hair crossways,
if the powers to be won't confirm. Crazy.Ed

Just dropping by and see the usual suspects spreading disinformation again. Do you guys make this shit up before or after you smoke a big Marley Doob or after pounding line posts with your foreheads ...

Jeff Smith - post your evidence and your "Exemption" certificate or shove this topic in your posterior please. I've quoted the various chapters, subsections, page numbers, etc. ad nauseum over the course of a couple years. OBVIOUSLY several of you have an agenda here which is based neither in reality or law. Call me on it if your big Texas carcass hasn't been neutered Bubba ... are we clear now ...??

PWS - I made a shit load of .550" FN's and NO ONE!! Not a single guy offered to buy them after I spent the dough setting up for the "Must Have" cartridge. I could make 10,000 of them tomorrow if someone actually did anything serious in .550 land but as usual it's all BS. I believe Neal had Barnes make about 5,000 solids of some sort for him a while back and I'm guessing he still owns most of them. The .550's are all deader than a door nail cause their progenitors can't or won't expend the effort to market them. It takes a lot of time and $$$$$$ to sucessfully launch any new product. The .550's "over 50" status doesn't have squat to do with it's demise. It's not now or ever gonna be a DD unless someone snipes a truck with one.

Jay, sent you an PM

as for the 550 bullets you made, well, did someone place an order and back out?

<sigh>
Ed, as i understand it, the rounds and/or rifles, once designated, are designated unless changed. Like the street sweeper have its designation changed -- remember, for YEARS, it was available to anyone, then the ATF changed their designation.

Good businss plan, Macijef.

Jeffe & TT ... Business plan? No one's gonna build a business plan around some underfunded hobbyists. The .550's I made cost me about the same as a weekend fishing trip. Small money but would have been better spent in a slot machine given the lack of serious effort in developing the 550 market. You guys asked for bullets and I made them. Thanks to Rich, some valuable data was gleaned from his testing which we used in refining later designs.

My point here boys ... is that more time should be spent DOING something of value rather than drinking light beer from a can at your PC and pontificating about what is or is not. This is particularly applicable for those who don't have a clue what is or is not and continue to infer otherwise.

I don't remember asking anyone for anything. I did work with Wayne Doudna to develop the 715 grain 550 cast bullet and I bought a couple hundred thereafter.

I bought into the project expecting a one-off uber big bore I could shoot for fun with my friends. I never expected or wanted solids because I never wanted or expected this gun would go to Africa and stop a charging dangerous animal. I do want one of those topograhical map gunstocks one day. As soon as you put the time money and effort to market one with Texas let me know, thank you.

I do many things other than drink beer and pontificate (although they compete heavily). Manufacturing unwanted items for sale is not among them.

I didn't ask for bullets, either .. how ODD is that?

You guys are getting awfully defensive here ...

Where's the humor we used to have here. TT - I'm not in the stock biz so you must have me beered-up with someone else.

Jeff - do you have any of those .550's in your possession ...?? There's someone here who just asked for some so give up a handful if you can.

quote:

Originally posted by Macifej:
You guys are getting awfully defensive here ...

Where's the humor we used to have here. TT - I'm not in the stock biz so you must have me beered-up with someone else.

No lack of humor, especially about your African topo stock! I'm the one with too many cast boolits (jeeze, "boolits" deserves a free beer and a dip from the Society of Bubbas) and you are welcome to some if you want (boolits, that is).

TT - I don't own a Topo stock - that's probably RIP you're thinking of - he has all kinds of exotic stuff. I'll get downthere some time & hang with y'all Bubbas - just slammed right now.

quote:

Originally posted by Macifej:
TT - I don't own a Topo stock - that's probably RIP you're thinking of - he has all kinds of exotic stuff. I'll get downthere some time & hang with y'all Bubbas - just slammed right now.

Damn, you got me on that one. It is RIP. I confuse you guys now that I'm old. My bad. OTOH, if you make it in October you can shoot up all my 550 boolits you can stand. And the offer stands for RIP on the Texas topostock should they go into production.

tiggertate,
I am concerned for you now!
Mixing up Macifej and RIP?
Send me your stock, and when I get beered up enough I will paint on a topo map of Texas using JB Weld and a palette knife.
Whats the elevation of those mountains in West Texas?