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Old March 10, 2010, 10:19 PM   #1
impactco
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Undercharged .50 Beowulf rounds..

I purchased a Beo upper recently that included 80 rounds of ammo. The seller failed to disclose that they were not factory loads but were, in fact, loaded by an FFL 06 that I happen to know. I called and asked him what his loads were and he told me that they were a 300g TMJ FN bullet (could not remember the brand, might be Speer) with 32.8g of Lil' Gun. He said that he called AA and asked for a recommended load and was told to use 38.8g of Lil' Gun with that bullet. He told me that he "didn't trust" AA's recommendation and undercharged them by 6 grains. To verify, I pulled a few and found them to be the 300g bullet with the 32.8g weight.

My question is; should I go ahead and shoot these or are they undercharged so significantly as to be a problem? I can pull them all and recharge them if needed to the 38.8g recommended weight.

Thanks.
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Old March 10, 2010, 11:09 PM   #2
88KEYS
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I did not check the load info know that load is light. I did check my records and see how low I have gone with Lil-Gun, found 35.0 grains with a 350 grain RS Bullet, 35.9 W/300 Gold Dot, so you are close.

I think that if the load was done properly and each one is the same they are 32.8 of Lil-Gun that puts you 3.1 grains under my load that worked fine. I think they would shoot fine out of that gun.

HOWEVER my rule has always been NEVER fire any reloads from an unknown source or a person that I do not know how they load.


I would not take a chance myself, my advice would be pull them and start over do not take a chance.
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Old March 10, 2010, 11:51 PM   #3
Ridge_Runner_5
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I would NOT fire them...thats a heavy round, and I'd be afraid of a squib...
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Old March 11, 2010, 09:12 AM   #4
jmorris
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You are not going to get a squib with 32.8 grains of lil gun but will it cycle?
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Old March 11, 2010, 10:28 AM   #5
impactco
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Time to pull them all!

I examined these further and about 20% of the rounds have high primers that protrude up to .006". I segregated those and pulled them. Charge weights ranged from 32.5g to 32.9g. I measured COL of all of the rounds and they range from 2.096" to 2.118".

That's it, I'm going to pull them all and start over! It's hard to believe that the guy who loaded these makes his living as an FFL06!

Thanks for the feedback guys.
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Old March 11, 2010, 11:33 AM   #6
impactco
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One bit of credit to the original reloader, I pulled them all and no squibs.
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Old March 11, 2010, 01:26 PM   #7
Ridge_Runner_5
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Umm, what? You wont know if a squib exists until its been fired...
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Old March 11, 2010, 01:41 PM   #8
88KEYS
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I love my Beowulf, you will have a great time with it and did to best thing. You do not want the gun damaged, with a poor load. I have loaded 300 grain through 420 grain, it is a powerhouse!
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Old March 11, 2010, 01:44 PM   #9
impactco
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Quote:
Umm, what? You wont know if a squib exists until its been fired...
I pulled all the bullets and all cases had powder. No squibs.

Last edited by impactco; March 11, 2010 at 02:33 PM.
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Old March 11, 2010, 05:18 PM   #10
Ridge_Runner_5
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A squib occurs if a round is undercharged and does not travel all the way down the barrel...
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Old March 11, 2010, 06:15 PM   #11
impactco
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Sorry, my incorrect understanding is that a squib is no powder, primer only, that would result in a stuck bullet in the barrel. All the cases had an approximately equal, but low charge of powder. That no longer matters since they were all dumped and are going to be refilled with a correct charge.

Last edited by impactco; March 11, 2010 at 10:11 PM.
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Old March 11, 2010, 09:34 PM   #12
riverwalker76
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My question is this ....

What's the deal with this FFL06 undercharging ammo? That's a serious issue!

Also, just curious as why he didn't trust AA's word. They test these loads before they publish them. Hundreds of test rounds go down a barrel before they accept a load. SOunds to me like he was wanting to be skimpy on the powder and save some $$$.
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Old March 11, 2010, 10:16 PM   #13
impactco
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I'll ask when I see him at the range next week. He has some 'splainin' to do.
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Old March 11, 2010, 10:36 PM   #14
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Punch the info you have given into QuickLOAD you get a rather serious under-load. MAP is only about 15,000 PSI. 38 grains looks to me to be a starting load because you are only at 21,000 PSI. MAP for the .50 Beowulf is about about 33,000 PSI.

I was thinking that you were an idiot for pulling them, but now I think you were right. Depending on the friction of the bullet/barrel you very well could have gotten a squib.

Again, these are computer simulations so use this info at your own risk.
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Old March 11, 2010, 11:02 PM   #15
impactco
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Thanks for that info. What does QuickLoad cost? There is no pricing info on their site?
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Old March 12, 2010, 08:24 AM   #16
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It runs $150. If you are a serious handloader it is a superb program to have. Don't know why I waited so long to get it.
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Old March 12, 2010, 09:54 AM   #17
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Thanks or the info!
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