.50 Beowulf
Encyclopedia
The .50 Beowulf [12.7×42 mm Rb] is a rifle
cartridge
developed by Alexander Arms
for use in a modified AR-15
rifle. The cartridge utilizes a rebated rim, sized to match the rim of the 7.62×39mm
and 6.5 mm Grendel rounds. It is very similar in dimensions to the .500 S&W Magnum
revolver
cartridge.
According to the manufacturer, it was descended from the .50 Action Express
, a cartridge originally developed for the Magnum Research
Desert Eagle
pistol, with significant modification to improve functionality and safety in the AR-15 platform.
The round is intended to improve stopping power greatly at short-to-medium range as compared to the standard 5.56×45mm NATO round. One of its advertised uses is at vehicle checkpoints, since the heavy bullet's flight path is not easily deflected by auto glass or standard vehicle body panels.
length shorter than that of an AR-15
magazine well, and holding to pressures limited by the AR gas system, the .50 Beowulf remains at best a medium-powered cartridge. Alexander Arms uses gas ports adjusted for a pressure of 15,000 PSI, making its ballistics roughly equivalent to those of early .45-70 Government rounds rather than the higher pressure rounds tolerated by modern lever action rifles such as the Marlin Model 1895.
The .50 Beowulf is a proprietary caliber and its manufacturer controls the distribution process of its ammunition and components. This has resulted in supply bottlenecks.
Rifle
A rifle is a firearm designed to be fired from the shoulder, with a barrel that has a helical groove or pattern of grooves cut into the barrel walls. The raised areas of the rifling are called "lands," which make contact with the projectile , imparting spin around an axis corresponding to the...
cartridge
Cartridge (firearms)
A cartridge, also called a round, packages the bullet, gunpowder and primer into a single metallic case precisely made to fit the firing chamber of a firearm. The primer is a small charge of impact-sensitive chemical that may be located at the center of the case head or at its rim . Electrically...
developed by Alexander Arms
Alexander Arms
Alexander Arms is an American manufacturer of firearms. It is most known for the .50 Beowulf cartridge designed by its founder, Bill Alexander. The company produces AR-15s chambered in .50 Beowulf and 6.5mm Grendel, which it designed in cooperation with Competition Shooting Sports...
for use in a modified AR-15
AR-15
The AR-15 is a lightweight, 5.56 mm, air-cooled, gas-operated, magazine-fed semi-automatic rifle, with a rotating-lock bolt, actuated by direct impingement gas operation. It is manufactured with the extensive use of aluminum alloys and synthetic materials....
rifle. The cartridge utilizes a rebated rim, sized to match the rim of the 7.62×39mm
7.62×39mm
The 7.62×39mm round is a rifle cartridge of Soviet origin that was designed during World War II. It was first used in the RPD machine gun. Due to the worldwide proliferation of the SKS and AK-47 pattern rifles, the cartridge is utilized by both militaries and civilians alike.The 7.62×39mm...
and 6.5 mm Grendel rounds. It is very similar in dimensions to the .500 S&W Magnum
.500 S&W Magnum
The .500 S&W Magnum is a fifty-caliber semi-rimmed handgun cartridge developed by Cor-Bon in partnership with the Smith & Wesson "X-Gun" engineering team for use in the Smith & Wesson Model 500 X-frame revolver and introduced in February 2003 at the SHOT trade show...
revolver
Revolver
A revolver is a repeating firearm that has a cylinder containing multiple chambers and at least one barrel for firing. The first revolver ever made was built by Elisha Collier in 1818. The percussion cap revolver was invented by Samuel Colt in 1836. This weapon became known as the Colt Paterson...
cartridge.
According to the manufacturer, it was descended from the .50 Action Express
.50 Action Express
The .50 Action Express is a large caliber handgun cartridge. It was developed in 1988 by Evan Whildin of Action Arms. The .50 AE is one of the most powerful pistol cartridges in production.-Overview:...
, a cartridge originally developed for the Magnum Research
Magnum Research
Magnum Research Inc. is a privately held corporation based in Fridley, Minnesota which manufactures and distributes firearms. The majority owners, Jim Skildum and John Risdall , have been with the company since its founding in 1979...
Desert Eagle
Desert Eagle
The Desert Eagle is a large-framed gas-operated semi-automatic pistol designed by Magnum Research in the U.S. and by IMI in Israel; the pistol is manufactured primarily in Israel by IMI...
pistol, with significant modification to improve functionality and safety in the AR-15 platform.
The round is intended to improve stopping power greatly at short-to-medium range as compared to the standard 5.56×45mm NATO round. One of its advertised uses is at vehicle checkpoints, since the heavy bullet's flight path is not easily deflected by auto glass or standard vehicle body panels.
Design limitations
With normal bullet weights between 300 and 400 grains, overall cartridgeCartridge (firearms)
A cartridge, also called a round, packages the bullet, gunpowder and primer into a single metallic case precisely made to fit the firing chamber of a firearm. The primer is a small charge of impact-sensitive chemical that may be located at the center of the case head or at its rim . Electrically...
length shorter than that of an AR-15
AR-15
The AR-15 is a lightweight, 5.56 mm, air-cooled, gas-operated, magazine-fed semi-automatic rifle, with a rotating-lock bolt, actuated by direct impingement gas operation. It is manufactured with the extensive use of aluminum alloys and synthetic materials....
magazine well, and holding to pressures limited by the AR gas system, the .50 Beowulf remains at best a medium-powered cartridge. Alexander Arms uses gas ports adjusted for a pressure of 15,000 PSI, making its ballistics roughly equivalent to those of early .45-70 Government rounds rather than the higher pressure rounds tolerated by modern lever action rifles such as the Marlin Model 1895.
Proprietary status
See also
- List of rifle cartridges
- .458 SOCOM.458 SOCOMThe .458 SOCOM is a relatively large round designed for a specialized upper receiver that can be mounted on any AR-15 pattern rifle. The round offers a muzzle velocity and .- History:...
- .450 Bushmaster.450 BushmasterThe .450 Bushmaster is a rifle cartridge developed by Tim LeGendre of LeMag Firearms LLC, and licensed to Bushmaster Firearms International for production and distribution. LeGendre still retains ownership of the concept...
- .50 Alaskan.50 AlaskanThe .50 Alaskan is a wildcat cartridge developed by Harold Johnson and Harold Fuller of the Kenai Peninsula of Alaska in the 1950s. Johnson based the cartridge on the .348 Winchester in order to create a rifle capable of handling the large bears in Alaska....
- .50 Hush Puppy
External links
- Alexander Arms website
- 50Beowulf.com website
- "Alexander Arms .50 Beowulf", Jeff Quinn, Gunblast.com (online magazine), July 8, 2002
- "Alexander Arms' New 'Overwatch' .50 Beowulf", Jeff Quinn, Gunblast.com (online magazine), June 15, 2003
- "More Punch for the AR-15", Anthony G. Williams, The Cartridge Researcher, the bulletin of the European Cartridge Research Association, May 2005
- "BFR .50 Beowulf Revolver", Jeff Quinn, Gunblast.com (online magazine), March 12, 2004