Picked up my 50-110 today from my smith Bob De'Vries of Kudu Services........it is built on a reproduction 1886 extra lite 45/70, has a 1-22" twist 22" barrel, extended wisner magtube that holds 7 50-110's tightly and six comfortably, I have had the tang saftey modification made and a custom steel picatinny rail made up held down by 5 6x48 screws to install a leupold 2.5x28 scout scope. Irons are a lyman 66wb. It feeds flawlessly, I would have liked to add a new stock but funds are limited and there are other projects that need to be started/finished I had wanted to do this rifle as soon as I saw Kevs and another Aussie poster .416 sw, it was a long road getting the action from the states and all the legal crap but it finally worked out. Hope you like the pics.

This is the Politically incorrect elephant and cape buff rifle, as with starline brass it can get 2200 fps with a 520 gr .510 bullet (poster Kev has acheived this with his). When I one day head to Africa I will take this over my .458 lott or Rigby etc.

Glad to see you've finally got your conversion back. It's been almost a couple of years from talking about it to getting the work done and getting it back. Keep us posted on your load development and whether you can get 2200 f/s w/520 gr. bullet ala Kev's load.

PC,
Lovely Sambar thumper there, bit plain though . I feel the pics of your 404J will bring tears to the eyes of many...that's one beautiful rifle. Anyway, good to see the lever home, now I know why Bob sounded stressed last week and he's just only getting around to my 8mmRemMag!
Cheers...
Con

I feel sorry for the 'roos!

Hey PC,
Pretty cool. When did you actually deliver the rifle to Bob? Seems like not too bad turnaround.

I bought myself a Browning 71 in 348 Win recently. It'll stay that way for a while, but may be a candidate for 50 Alaskan at some stage.

I'll be in Melbourne/Victoria very beginning of May. Sending you a PM.

- Stu

500 gr................the grassy's do have a little to worry about they will cop a pissling for sure

Con, sometimes plain is better for being used, in a way I sort of wanted it workman like and may have added a composite stock similar to the one Kev has on his if funds had allowed. In regards to Turn around I really can't belive that Bob had actually finished this, it was totally un-expected and out of the blue and he did it in around 3 days after the barrel arrived if I think.

475, in Australia it is difficult to find a jacketed bullet of 500 or gr weight suitable for the 50-110 so at the moment I have a couple of packs of woodleigh 440 gr 500 nitro BP bullets, once you remove the lead with a rasp the are correct for length and use in a tube mag and the cannelure is in the right place, they weigh around 405 gr once this is done and I am kind of hoping for 2200 fps or 2300 fps, then with that speed I should get some expansion on smaller stuff as reccomended impact velocity is 1700-2000 fps. It really would floor pigs I reckon.

I really need to be able to locate some 500 gr jacketed 50-110 bullets, I feel I do not want to deal with leading.

Stu,

forgot to add I delivered the rifle to Bob in November 04, longest part was importing the rifle from Yankee land and then waiting for Sprinter Arms of Hahndorf to make the barrel (Bob speaks highly of sprinter barrels).

Who did the work? Its gorgeous. I just bought a new 1886 and would like to do the same thing. what did the conversion cost in US dollars?

If you heat treat your lead bullets and use a gas check they won't lead the bore at 2,200 fps. If you are interested send me a pm and I'll get you a manual on how to do it.

lawndart

Snowolfe,

Bob De'Vries of Kudu Services did my work, cost in US$ I am unsure of cost in US as smith prices seem to vary a lot. I know that in the states Doug Turnbull and David Clay do a lot of these conversions and if you supply the barrel and gun etc it may cost $500 US. You folks in America & Alaska in one respect are better off with these convesrions due to all your bullet choice, I am trying to locate a 500 gr jacketed 50-110 bullet thye seem rarer than rocking horse shit.

Thank you. Do you have a web address for either David Clay or Bob De`Vries? I have visited Turnbulls site but they are asking for more than I care to spend.

Snowwolfe,

Bob De'Vries is in Australia (Melbourne) so that maye be a little out of the road, postage etc.

David Clay's adress I ma unsure of but if you PM a poste called Kev whom he built a 50-110 for he would be able to provide David Clay's number. I only know that he and Turnbulls do good work.

Let us know if you still want to contact Bob De'Vries.

I will stay with a gunsmith in the USA. Much easier this way for me. I tried to pm Kev several times but he never responded. Have you seen any of Clays work? I keep on hearing good things about him. Thanks again.

Snowwolfe,

send me your e-mail adress throughpm and I will e-mail you pictures of Kevs 50-110..............it is the swat team version of mine

PC, if Hawk bullets are available there you can get round noses from 350 to 600 grains with a 500 and a 535 too. If you have any concern about the round nose a little smack with something flat on the nose will ease your worries.
http://www.hawkbullets.com/P-LIST.htm

PC

I think you ought to take up lawndart's offer. I believe the best way to reach 2200 f/s is with a hard cast bullet with a gas check. It'll do it with considerably less pressure than any jacketed bullet. I don't know about the availability of commercial cast bullets in your part of the world but quite a few down under cast their own. Maybe you can hook up with them.

I am determined to make up my own "50" on my Win new model 1886. My final question is does the 50-110 offer an advantage of the 50 Alaskan? I will be mainly shooting bullets from 450-500 grains at big targets under 100 yards.

Snowwolfe, I dont think the .50 AK and 50-110are that different, I think it's like comparing a .308 and a 30/06 infact I reckon it's exactly like that !!

Thanks for the bullet ideas folks.

PC,
Where did you get the Starline brass from? Local importer or from OS?
Cheers...
Con

PC,

Those 440 grain Woodleigh black powder express bullets should be nice on roos, especially the small females

Mike

I borrowed 30 pieces from .416sw who also has built one, I need to make my own order in the coming weeks. Acacia sports has starline brass ??, but you pay there mark up.

Con...............you getting the itch for a De'Vries 50-110

Mike especially with the tips filed down and running them at above recomended impact velocity which is 1700-200 fps I will get 2200 fps or 2300 fps. I reckon the woodleigh reccomended impacts would be for buff etc. so you would need to drive them harder to get expansion on grassy's, foxes & pigs and rabbits

PC,
Mate, we're all done for in the end, might as well have some fun along the way. The 50Alaskan on the Marlin still has my interest.
Cheers...
Con

Con,

.50 ak is what I would have done if I could not have gotton the 1886 to do the 50-110 on.

e-mail me re zg47 I would like to know more about it.

PC,
You have PM, also thought maybe we can trade you with some cash adjustment out of your Ruger plastic boat paddle 30/06? About time you upgraded to a CZ...
Cheers...
Con

PC,

Many years ago the late Don Black made up a jig whereby were were able to hollow point and thing down the noses on the 500 grain Hornady 458 bullets.

I have not graduated to above 45 calibre.

Mike

Mike I actually wonderedif a small drill bit in a drill press with the bullet in a chuck and then drill down a few mm's would help facilitate violent expansion ??

Nice rifle! Congratulations!

PC, you would probably get better results by scoring the jacket (6 or 8 segments) rather than hollow-pointing. The issue is the tough jacket on DG bullets.

PC,

Thinking about it with the improving exchange rate the Richard Corbin gear might be the better way to go. I am fairly sure Richard goes to 50 calibre on his hand press dies.

Check out on the bullet making forum.

It is much cheaper than when I was looking at doing it before because the rate was 50c plus GST and duty and now it is only GST and 79c. Also I was looking at making a few different bullet styles and it is the dies that add up the dollars.

I am a high chance of doing it in 375 and 45 but with just one bullet style in each calibre. If you buy the jackey trimmer you can make any weight you want and Butch Hairfield makes real thin jackets. You could make up a scaled up version of those Sierra 125 grain flat nose hollow points.

I like the idea of a scaled up 308 Speer 130 grain Hollow point for 378 and 460.

Mike

quote:

Originally posted by PC:
.... I should get some expansion on smaller stuff as reccomended impact velocity is 1700-2000 fps. It really would floor pigs I reckon.

PC

I don't think a .500 bullet will need a lot of expansion to drop them.

Nice hole in the end of that tube.

How does it kick?

You can always shoot paper jacketed lead bullets at 2200 if you wish and never even have the lead touch the bore, much less lead. You can use pure lead if you so desire.

See Paul Matthews' epic "The Paper Jacket" available at www.buffaloarms.com

Brent

Nitro,

I have not had the chance to fire it yet, yeah your right .50 cal's do not need to expand to much.

Mike, that Richard Corbin stuff is definitely worth a look, if you could get set up for .48 and .50 cal it may near pay for itself.

I will need to look at the prices I suppose.

[Brent thanks for the paper jacket idea !!

PC- It's a sick world and as you know I'm completely at home in it. With that scout rail put a PVS-14 nightvision unit on it in front of a EOtech holographic sight. You will be able to shoot the roos at night without needing any headlights. What a blast that would be. You would simply not believe how well it works. That .50-110 is a really neat cartridge and I have always liked the 1886's. Maybe I'll build one for myself just like yours!-Rob

Here I sit with a NIB High Grade 1886 and I am sooooooo close to sending it to Turnbull!

PC,

I will probably end up ordering the Corbin gear during this year but will be going for 375 and 458. The stuff is about a 12 months wait for the gear and the jackets.

I think Richard Corbin supplies 50 cal dies for the hand press but his brother Dave who is called corbin Bullets he only goes to 45 on the hand press.

You can also get dies that swage lead for paper patching.

Where it is if different to reloading is that the press ram has a much shorter travel (in other words greater leverage) the press is bigger but unlike reloading the cost is in the dies an jacket trimmers etc. You can buy jackets at a pre et lenght but then you are limited to the bullet weights you can make.

My objective is to be as independent of American supplies as is possible.

Mike

Rob,

I was thinking triji con but reality is the leupold scout scope is a lot cheaper and will do everything I want and be very robust for recoil.

Mike the Corbin stuff is something that I would like to look into at some point !!

PC

Here is the site.

http://www.rceco.com/

As you might remember I was going to do it before and that was partly driven by 416 Wby and no bullet variety. Also back then the dollar was 50 cents and I was looking at making several styles of bullets....each style needs another die.

Richard Corbin is a very good bloke to talk with. His brother Dave is CorbinBullets but everyone reckons Richar's gear is better and cheaper.

From what I understand the hydraulic presses do make any more bullets per hour but what they do is allow you to maintain a rate of production over a full day. You can also buy the gear to make jackets but that needs the hydraulic press and quite a few dollars. Not worth it because you can buy 40 million jackets with what it costs to set up to make jackets.

There is quite an active forum on Greybeards on bullet making and there is a small bullet making forum on this site.

A bullet that was a scaled up version of the Sierra 125 grain flat nose hollow point 30/30 bullet would be good in your 50 lever gun. Be excellent on female roos

Mike

Mike yes a fragile 450-500 gr flat nosed hollow point would really do a number.

I have added that to the favourites, I would want to be able to make .458 cal, .50 cal in the first instance. That is omething I may look at in a couple of years.