Entering the .50 Beowulf AR arena

[Lennyjoe]

So I've built many an AR in different calibers and wanted to something totally different. Since I'm up in Ohio now I wanted to build a rifle I can deer hunt with and the .50 Beowulf caught my attention. Pretty sure everyone knows that in order to use a rifle to hunt deer up here it has to be a straight walled rifle cartridge so I thought the .50 Beowulf would be the best choice. Since I'm a reloaded I'm not worried about the cost of ammo.

Barrel, bolt and receiver are coming from KM Tactical. Going to share the lower I have on my 7.62x39 rifle because I'm out of room in my safe for a full rifle, which isn't a bad thing....

So there's the new project. Any suggestions from those experienced with the Beowulf?

 

[MEHavey]

Make sure you use standard buffer & spring. At its operating pressures (mid 30s), anything "heavy duty" will short-stroke.

 

[Lennyjoe]

I am. Noticed that on my research of the caliber prior to pulling the trigger on the build

 

[bassjam]

I was thinking about doing the same thing, but the Beowulf isn't an approved cartridge for deer in Ohio. You can't use any straight walled cartridge, you can only use the following:

.357 Magnum, .357 Maximum, .38 Special, .375 Super Magnum, .375 Winchester, .38-55, .41 Long Colt, .41 Magnum, .44 Special, .44 Magnum, .444 Marlin, .45 ACP, .45 Colt, .45 Long Colt, .45 Winchester Magnum, .45 Smith & Wesson, .450 Marlin, .454 Casull, .460 Smith & Wesson, .45-70, .45-90, .45-110, .475 Linebaugh, .50-70, .50-90, .50-100, .50-110, and .500 Smith & Wesson.

http://wildlife.ohiodnr.gov/hunting...pping-regulations/allowable-hunting-equipment

 

[Lennyjoe]

Submitting a suggestion to add. Until then I'll play with the rifle by trying different reloads.

 

[ScrapMetalSlug]

I went through this exercise a few months back. It seems the Ohio approved list for deer rifles deliberately leaves off reasonable AR calibers like 50 Beowulf, 450 bushmaster, and 458 SOCOM even if they are similar with regards to power/trajectory. Using a pistol you have a lot more options, straight wall anything larger than 357 with a 5 inch barrel.

The Ohio list favors heavily lever actions, single shots, or rare/obscure calibers. It also has some completely inappropriate calibers for deer like 38 special and 45 ACP. They have not updated the list since they first allowed rifles a few years ago, so hopefully they will add some more calibers soon. You still can only have 3 rounds.

I gave up on the idea of an AR for deer in Ohio, and got a Marlin 45-70. I like rifles better than slug guns, but we will see what rule changes actually happen since the deer harvest has been dropping every year for the past few years.

 

[Lennyjoe]

I have a Mossberg 500 slugster I can use until they change their mind so I'll play with the .50 until then. I have a 16" barrel now and will press forward with the rifle length. Thanks for the input.

 

[barnbwt]

Fun fact, the bolt head is the same as for 6.5 Grendel, so you'd just need a barrel & magazine (Beowulf uses standard AR15 mags, though I imagine Grendel mags would also work) to shoot that round as well. Not much different than a 223/300BO setup (only you can't use worn out Grendel brass to make Beowulf)

Grendel...Beowulf...get it?

TCB