New .50 Cal Accurate Mold

[Idaholewis]

I got my new .50 Cal mold From Accurate molds in the Mail this morning, As usual it’s Top Shelf Quality :yeah: This is mold #50-488M, It shows as a Tapered design, But i had the mold cut with NO taper, i wanted all bands the Same .504 Diameter, I prefer to run them through my .502 Sizer and take them down a couple of Thou (By doing this, i have found they hold the bore tighter) These bullets dropped at .504 on the dot, The bullet is 1” long and weighs in at 483 Grains with my Certified 40:1 Alloy, After lubed They slide through my .502 Sizer like Butter

The mold, High Quality, Typical of Accurate Molds :yeah: I went with Steel as i much prefer it over Aluminum

Here are the Bullets, You can see my “Backburner” Projects in the Background My 530 and 540 Grain .45s Tower Over everything else :yeah:

And the average weight, This pile of bullets all weigh within 1/2 Grain of eachother, Sure nice to cast from a high quality mold :yeah:

 

[forrest-hunter]

Great looking bullet

 

[MSalyards]

Nice! Are your slicks from a BACO mold?

 

[edmehlig]

Love the way they look! Can't wait to see a Range and Hunting Report on how they performed. GRIN

 

[WesternMuzzleloader]

How do you get your bullets so shiny?

 

[Idaholewis]

Nice! Are your slicks from a BACO mold?

Yep they are, The picture background is fuzzy, But the Tall bullets on the Left are Grease Grooves from my BACO Mold .453 530 Elliptical Nose, The bullets on the Right are Slicks, BACO .443 530 Also an Elliptical Nose. So far the Grease Groove is the better performer in this 32” 1:18 Twist. I REALLY need to get that rifle back out and pick up where i left off

 

[Idaholewis]

How do you get your bullets so shiny?

I use 40:1 Alloy, and cast at 750-775 Degrees. They have a tiny bit of Frost to them, Doesn’t hurt a thing, I get really good fill out in that Temp Range. I also use a Bottom pour Pot with a Modified Spout for filling BIG Molds. Other than having to empty and clean the bottom pour Pot after each use I swear by the darn thing! But it is a NUISANCE to empty the Pot, Clean it, And Lubricate it well, If you leave lead in them they go to Crap in a HURRY! Meaning Rust, Then you have no choice but to empty and Clean it

 

[Idaholewis]

6 ready to Group shoot, lubed and sized to 501.75-.502, These hold my bore ROCK SOLID :yeah:

 

[Idaholewis]

I just shot these this morning through my Stainless .50 Cal Green Mountain LRH Barrel (barrel i got from Dave Anderson, Cayugad) They performed as i hoped they would :yeah: I used my Lee Shaver mid size Post bead, I much prefer my Circle Apertures, and Round Bull targets For Target shooting, But since I won’t be hunting with them I decided to shoot this rifle exactly the way i will be hunting with it this Fall. All in all i am very pleased with performance. As to be expected Recoil was was a bit on the harsh side especially after shooting the little 188s recently in my .45 Cal

My Rifle, and Target ahead

My powder charge was 90 Weight Grains of Swiss 2F powder, and a .50 Cal 1/8” Oxyoke brand Wool felt OP Wad, This is my first 3 shots, the first 2 were right together, my 3rd shot a little low and right, something i did?

I went back and shot my last 2, they were right with my first 2, This will be my Elk Load!

 

[HC]

Good shooting Lewis, great photos. A little more powder and that rifle will kill on both ends. "Poke". Myself I can't take that much recoil.

Sent from my ME301T using Tapatalk

 

[Harleysboss]

Right on Brother! Elk load in deed. I will be bringing my 50 along as well. We can see if there is any difference between my blued and your stainless. I guessing not but who knows until you go.

 

[edmehlig]

I would go hunt Elk with my 465gr bullets in a 45cal ML. Everybody knows a 45 cal ML is better than a 50 or 54 !

 

[Idaholewis]

I would go hunt Elk with my 465gr bullets in a 45cal ML. Everybody knows a 45 cal ML is better than a 50 or 54 !

It’s hard for me to imagine that us Bullet Guy’s can NOT hunt Elk here in Idaho with our .45 Cals, The Restriction is obviously toward Roundball, and for good reason! But it sure Sucks for us Bullet Guy’s. As I’ve said more times than i can remember, if i were allowed only 1 Muzzleloader it would no doubt be my Green Mountain 1:30 Twist .45 Caliber, What an AWESOME barrel this is!! I have shot a little 188 Grain bullet intended for a .45 ACP, All the way up to my Largest 530-540 Grain bullets intended for 1:18 Twists, And every possible weight/length in between. My 1:30 Twist will, and HAS done it all, and done so with flying Colors!! From Mice to Moose, My 1:30 Twist .45 Cal Would be my Choice :yeah:

If we lived in a perfect world and i were allowed to Elk Hunt with my .45 Cal i would go with either the 350 Grain Lyman Gould (Solid Version) or Harleysboss’s 350 Grain bullet with BIG WIDE Meplat that I recently shot, Those 2 Bullets would be my first Choices. Nothing Wrong with your 465 Grain Bullets, But the Smaller 350s Traveling Faster will SMOKE that 465 in Penetration ANY Ole day of the week :yeah:

 

[Idaholewis]

Right on Brother! Elk load in deed. I will be bringing my 50 along as well. We can see if there is any difference between my blued and your stainless. I guessing not but who knows until you go.

I definitely Want to shoot these New Bullets in your Blued Barrel :yeah: 90 Grains of Swiss 2F behind this 483 Grain Bullet REACHES up and GRABS your attention :lol: Recoil seemed on the Awful side to me? I have SPOILED myself with lighter bullets in my 30 Twist .45 Cal, Wait til you try these 188 Grain bullets with 50 or so Grains of powder It reminded me of my .36 Seneca Squirrel Rifles, FUN to shoot!!

Does your .50 LRH Barrel have a Lyman Globe Front sight?

 

[Idaholewis]

Good shooting Lewis, great photos. A little more powder and that rifle will kill on both ends. "Poke". Myself I can't take that much recoil.

Sent from my ME301T using Tapatalk

Recoil with this load Today was NOT what I consider Fun to Bench Shoot, It actually gave me a slight headache. I don’t shoot my .50s and .54s all that much these days, My .45 Will do EVERYTHING, and even more than the .50s and .54s will, and it’s much more pleasurable doing so with the Added weight of the .45 Cal, But it’s a Necessity to stay in tune with the .50s and .54s here Since we have a .50 Cal Minimum for Elk. A steady diet of Today’s Shooting could EASILY Create problems that can be DIFFICULT to Correct, Flinching that is!

 

[52Bore]

I know that bullet!
Search: 50/475, on this site.
Ron L. used in his low velocity test (35grW BH209) bullet capture test. I kept enlarging the HP until it expanded at this velocity.
I also used it for my Elk Teeth bullet..

 

[52Bore]

Nothing Wrong with your 465 Grain Bullets, But the Smaller 350s Traveling Faster will SMOKE that 465 in Penetration ANY Ole day of the week :yeah:

Where would this penetration test be found?

 

[Idaholewis]

Nothing Wrong with your 465 Grain Bullets, But the Smaller 350s Traveling Faster will SMOKE that 465 in Penetration ANY Ole day of the week :yeah:

Where would this penetration test be found?

Just going off of my own First hand experience, no “Scientific” tests. I have found the same thing with lighter faster Arrows, From the Same bow Shooting 70#s, Take a 375 Grain Arrow and shoot it in a Brand new Mckenzie Delta 3D Target, then take a 500+ Grain arrow from that same bow and shoot it beside the 375 Grain arrow, Go take measurements, then pull them out, The lighter faster arrow will be deeper, and HARDER to pull, The lighter 375 Grain Arrows have always out penetrated the Heavier 500+ Grain Arrows, At least they have for me. There are Kinetic Energy Freaks that will argue this, Even with it in their Face

There is a Tree out where i shoot my Muzzleloaders that is Choked under Heavy Timber and Marked to be Thinned/Culled out, The little Tree is probably 8-10” in Diameter, I have shot Several Cold bore Fouler Shots using Big bullets in this Tree, From .45 Cal to .54 Cal, From 450 to 550 Grains, Not 1 of those Big bullets has made it through. I shot this same tree with a little 188 Grain bullet from my .45 Cal, about 6” above the Rest, That little bullet Blew through and was heard 50 yards or more past it, Hitting Branches etc. Til the noise stopped.

A more extreme example would be a little .223 Hitting a Steel plate, Take a .223 with a little tiny 40-50 Grain bullet traveling at 3,500 FPS and Hit a Mild steel plate (Like the one i did recently with my .45 Cal and 350 Grain Bullets that Dented the HECK out of it) That little .223 Will Flat SIZZLE a hole through it like butter, But a Big 350 Grain bullet in my .45 Just Dented it. Lots of YouTube Videos out there of SERIOUSLY Damaged steel from a little .223, A Big Heavy 500+ Grain Muzzleloader bullet traveling at 1300 FPS is a Laughing JOKE Compared to a little .223 with a tiny 40-50 Grain bullet when it comes to penetration/Damage on Steel :yeah:

The GIANT difference is the TKO factor of the BIG Heavy Bullets. When i hit That little Tree with my BIG bullets it Shakes The Daylights out of it, and Dumps pine needles all over, But When i hit it with my .45 Cal and that little 188 Grain bullet, The little Tree didn’t wiggle, The bullet Zipped right through it

 

[52Bore]

Ok, I don't bow hunt, but Ron L 35grW bullet capture test it seems that with the given powder charge - the heavier bullet seems to penetrate an additional jug.
I've witnessed .223 dimples at my uncles place vs .45 on armorplate - we took it as the small surface area upon impact is so small compared to a 45 (which are not a pointed either).
Thanks

 

[Idaholewis]

Ok, I don't bow hunt, but Ron L 35grW bullet capture test it seems that with the given powder charge - the heavier bullet seems to penetrate an additional jug.
I've witnessed .223 dimples at my uncles place vs .45 on armorplate - we took it as the small surface area upon impact is so small compared to a 45 (which are not a pointed either).
Thanks

Here is a Test with BIG bullets, A .600 Overkill with a 900 Grain Woodleigh Bullet VS a .500 Nitro Express with Hornady 570 Grain Solids, This Guy seemed Caught off guard by the Smaller .500 Nitro Express Out penetrating the Big .600 Overkill? The little .500 Nitro Express SPANKED the Big .600 OK by quite a bit in penetration. I wish i had been able to bet on this before he Fired :yeah:

[youtube]iASTk2xbxMQ[/youtube]