Odd Stuff found on the range

[evan price]

Well, I hit my local range for brass rat duties. The usual stuff, plus a few oddities:

A handful of .45 ACP cases that looked like they were made in a high-school metal shop class. Brass, but Berdan primed. The case head looked like it had been hand hammered and then put on a belt sander and the headstamp looked like somebody did it with a hammer and punch. A nearby cardboard container listed the stuff as military surplus from the 1940's era. Oh well, at least they are good for scrap brass.

Someone sent a clamp-on muzzlebrake 30 feet downrange...

Then I saw it- A fat handful of .50 Beowulf cartridge cases- I've never seen these before- these things are HUGE!!
I thought at first maybe 45-70.. then I saw the rim... what are these?? Wow!

 

[ants]

At a pistol range I picked up a wildcat that was a .308Win case cut down to 1.170" case length and then necked down to 40 caliber. I don't know what kind of pistol shoots it, but I bet it builds lot more pressure than a .40S&W.

At the same range this weekend I found a live round made from a 38 Special with the last 0.90" necked down for a cast lead .348" round nose bullet (Lyman makes Cowboy molds in .348").

 

[G33InMyPocket]

"Then I saw it- A fat handful of .50 Beowulf cartridge cases- I've never seen these before- these things are HUGE!!
I thought at first maybe 45-70.. then I saw the rim... what are these?? Wow!"

http://www.50beowulf.com/

I've never seen the brass or a loaded round before but I bet you could get some money for the brass.

 

[evan price]

Turns out there are 19 of the .50 Beowulf cartridges. Headstamp is Alex Arms. The rim is a lot smaller than the cartridge, like a .45 rim on a .50 cartridge.

I don't even want to think about how much it costs to shoot this caliber. Must be why someone just left the brass- if they can afford the upper, then they can afford to buy ammo.


Oh yeah, I found a bunch of 9mm Luger cases that were Berdan primed, too.

And a bunch of 9mm Luger cases someone cut down and loaded 9mm Makarov into. Urgh... got to hand sort my 9mm piece by piece now to eliminate them.

 

[SilentArmy]

About $39 for 20 rounds if you buy factory ammo!

The Beo round is actually a .500 Smith length case with a 7.62 head diameter and is fired from an AR upper. The brass I bought for mine was about $.50 each and it is a riot to shoot. No practical application for the caliber to speak of but that didnt stop me with .50 AE or .50 BMG! It's for zombies like most of my other non sporting arms!

 

[Dirtypacman]

I am a range rat also always checking different things I find on the ground. Looking for something special no just looking for fun.

Finding 20 rounds of .50 BMG is a great little find.

 

[cracked butt]

Then I saw it- A fat handful of .50 Beowulf cartridge cases- I've never seen these before- these things are HUGE!!

Must be someone rich or more likely foolish to leave something that valuable lying around.


There's a Alexander Arms .50 Beowulf upper sitting behind the gun counter at the local Cabelas, I looked it over once and would really like it, but they're asking $100+ too much for it.

 

[FieroCDSP]

Turns out there are 19 of the .50 Beowulf cartridges

And a bunch of 9mm Luger cases someone cut down and loaded 9mm Makarov into.

Which range are you at?!!!? Store up those rigged Maks and I'll trade you for the equivalent Lugers. I get tired of cutting those things down.

 

[ZeSpectre]

I have fun spotting the obvious boo-boo rounds.
Blown out 9mm (maybe fired from a .40), that sort of thing.
Found some ladies underthings shot all to heck one time. I guess -that- date didn't go so well.

 

[Halo]

A handful of .45 ACP cases that looked like they were made in a high-school metal shop class. Brass, but Berdan primed. The case head looked like it had been hand hammered and then put on a belt sander and the headstamp looked like somebody did it with a hammer and punch. A nearby cardboard container listed the stuff as military surplus from the 1940's era. Oh well, at least they are good for scrap brass.

Interesting, can you post a pic? Some type of foreign military surplus?

 

[jagugator]

Found some ladies underthings shot all to heck one time. I guess -that- date didn't go so well.

Or someone seriously hating on the ex-wife.

 

[PowderApe]

Gonna post THEM pix too??

 

[janobles14]

to OP did you find these at a private range in ohio by chance?

just curious...

 

[Bullet]

evan price

Thanks for finding my 50 Beowulf cases. I'll send you a PM so you can return them to me.

Just kidding. I always pick up my Beowulf brass.

 

[ar10]

I found a whole box of unfired .45APC reloads on range last weekend. Whoever did it is up for the Darwin award. These things were so compressed the cases were actually crimped where the round nose started. I didn't think they could be compressed that much.

 

[Halo]

I found a whole box of unfired .45APC reloads on range last weekend. Whoever did it is up for the Darwin award. These things were so compressed the cases were actually crimped where the round nose started. I didn't think they could be compressed that much.

It really is astonishing how people can get into something like reloading without learning the fundamentals from a good manual. It's probably a case of someone who "learned" from someone else who's just "always done it that way" and so on.

I once knew of a guy who managed to load an entire magazine with the rounds in backwards, and oddly enough couldn't get the mag to seat properly. Same guy almost put new spark plugs in his car with a 1/2" impact wrench too, until I caught him at the last second.

Unfortunately such people aren't exactly rare.

 

[ar10]

I have to work at the range tomorrow and I'll see if the box is still there. If it is I'll get a couple of pictures and maybe on of the moderators can post it.
BTW I was just corrected on an another thread about my spelling of the .45APC. Oops did it again I mean .45ACP. :banghead:

 

[evan price]

janobles: a public range in Ohio.

I'll try to get a photo of the crappy .45 acp cases.

Today I found a couple hundred once-fired nickle 10mm cases among the bucket full o'brass I picked up...

Also some .458 Lott brass. What the heck is that for, some old Cowboy rifle? Looks even bigger boom than those Beowulf cartridges!