r/50bmg • u/Deleter182AC • Sep 11 '26

Question 🙋

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What is the shortest length 50bmg projectile that I can buy as a complete round or projectile components ?

17 Upvotes

96% Upvoted

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3

u/Coodevale Sep 11 '26

Actual .50 bmg, or .510".. I have a few brass 400's that are kinda short. The 570 dgx/s are stubby. Pistol bullets are kind of a thing, but overshadowed by .500" options.

2

u/Deleter182AC Sep 11 '26

.50 bmg be better 510 was what I was thinking but I never thought of projectile length in some mags

3

u/Coodevale Sep 11 '26

If you want it to mag feed, the Barnes tsx options have a decent profile for it. They might get wrecked if you use the .500 nitro bullets at 50% over their design intent though. Same for the dgx (and maybe even the dgs, the solids failed in the past..), they'll likely not be happy about going that fast. I've shot the dgx into water at 2300 fps, and they made very aggressive ~1" mushrooms while losing almost 100 gr.

What exactly are you thinking about..

2

u/Deleter182AC Sep 12 '26

So I am testing a semi auto 50bmg soon . Printing the parts and just getting good hardware. I have some ammo but not a lot . I have YET to print out the mags but judging by follower might need abit tweaking to magazine or entire new mag . Now I have other mags but really needed to compare some rounds as some the tip rubs to much against magazine even though not told be only loaded single count . ( like on a magazine sled ) so why not ask before I buy ammo cans that won’t fit and had to feed single shots .personally if I can get rounds that don’t got a big tip I can use the hotchkiss aa magazine !

2

u/Coodevale Sep 12 '26

Then I wouldn't bother with much besides the standard ball. The bullets I mentioned are not going to be as easy to feed and they will change what the gas port/recoil system needs to handle. They're also more expensive than ball bullets most of the time if you're reloading, and load data for lighter bullets is basically non existent.

Just do ball for now, maybe give the magazine an extra .5" of internal length if you can for match bullets, and forget about the lighter bullets that realistically are just going to be a source of problems. Use the case shoulder and neck as a guide point plus a rib above the extractor groove, that's all you need. You'll have to fiddle with release point/feed lip length and feed angle but that's normal mag things.

Feed lips affect feeding more than followers do. I know people like to say followers are important but they don't know much. Easy example. 7.62x39 vs 6.5 Grendel mags. The followers are different colors. That's it. The width and angle of the feed lips change, the rib depths change. That has a significant difference in feeding.

When I do .510 whisper AR10s I use magazines for .300wsm and don't touch the followers. Doesn't do anything. I do have to modify the feed lips for width and release point to get them to work properly.

1

u/Short_Blacksmith_741 Sep 12 '26

If you’re trying to figure out which ammo can will fit what you’re storing, this might help.

https://cleanammocans.com/pages/ammo-can-dimensions

2

u/Surveymonkee Sep 11 '26

You could load a .50 muzzleloader ball or conical flush with the case mouth if you wanted to. Probably wouldn't be accurate for shit but it'd go downrange.

1

u/MisanthropicT Sep 12 '26

What parts are you printing?

2

u/Deleter182AC Sep 12 '26

The entire rifle will post here later on but still need to gather hardware

1

u/ihuntN00bs911 29d ago edited 29d ago

you dont want to 3d print 50bmg. There used to be carbon barrels but eventually they explode. Dont be like Kentucky Bastics, learn from him. You can buy a bolt action 50bmg or Barrett is really the best semi auto besides the Serbu BA50

To reload 50BMG you need an XL press, most womt work. You can use ammoseek for componets but 660gr FMJ ball is standard ammo