50 Beowulf Question

[10-96]

Has anyone done anything to the M4 feed ramps on the receiver while putting together a .50 Beowulf AR? The bbl extension was dished out at the factory apparently, but I was wondering if there was any benefit to knocking any edges off of the receiver 'ramp' area?

Thanks in advance- Jason

 

[skizzums]

I cant speak for 50 Beowulf, but I have to dremel out the feed ramps wider to accommodate the 30cal bullets when using 300blk. if I don't the ramps gouge the carp outta the jackets and go in rough.i try to mill it out to be close to the diameter of the nose of the bullets I am using.

 

[10-96]

Thanks! I'll keep that in mind when I get it done enough to put on a lower with a clip and dummy round. I just had that nagging question in the back of my mind and thought I'd better ask.

Never done a large bore AR like that before.

 

[Metal god]

The 50-B like the 458 socom is a single stack right ? Because of the question , it's clear I'm not sure of this next part . I'd think you would need to completely remove that center divider . With out knowing what the feed ramp looks like on the barrel extension . I'd think the receiver would need to mirror it .

 

[FrankenMauser]

I have not dealt with .50 Beo, but I do have a .458 SOCOM and a .475 Tremor (.458 SOCOM necked for .475" bullets).

Whether or not anyone thinks that it will "do any good" to blend the receiver into the feed ramp, there is one simple point to make:
It won't hurt.
And... There really isn't any point in milling the barrel extension to aid feeding of these big, fat cartridges, unless you're going to blend the receiver into the barrel extension. It's a bit like putting french doors on your house and then bricking-over them.


Personally....
My .458 SOCOM was built on a cheap receiver with M4 cuts. The barrel extension was contoured by Tromix for the cartridge. I ignored their advice and didn't blend the receiver into the barrel extension, when I built the upper. It ran reliably - only giving me issues with some PMags (that didn't do well elsewhere, either) and low pressure handloads.

But, when it came time to put the .475 Tremor together, I blended that receiver and did the SOCOM while I had the tools out.
Feeding went from reliable, but hitchy and rough, to smooth and fast.

I was really surprised by what a huge difference was made by removing just a little bit of metal.

If I were building a .50 Beowulf, you can bet your backside that I'd blend the receiver into that barrel extension.

I'd think you would need to completely remove that center divider .

It doesn't need to be removed - just knocked down and blended a bit.
There's no point in removing the entire center from the M4 cuts, since doing so would require removing the locking lug directly in front of that area. And removing that locking lug usually doesn't work out well.

This is what Tromix recommends: Feed ramp blending.

 

[peggysue]

Mine is a AA complete upper in 50Beowulf. The lower is a Superior AR. I had to do nothing with mine except shoot it.

 

[doofus47]

I had issues with my .30AK upper until I took a dremel to the ramps. A 50 might be so much larger that it would glide over the lugs, but I'd expect if you chambered and ejected a few unfired rounds, you might be able pretty easily to determine how much impact the lugs are having on the casing/bullet.

 

[peggysue]

Here is my picture AA built upper's ramp if this helps any.

 

[10-96]

Well, I got that done. It's together, and mated to a temporary lower. It ended up with an 18" bbl from Midway (Satern/Liberty I suspect), a no-name tank brake (ceramic coated locally), billet upper from Brownell's, no-name M16 bolt carrier from Brownell's. I squared the receiver face, and Zediker-ed the bbl to the receiver. There was no problems with any of the previously mentioned feed ramps- 100% reliability in function.

The owner of it let me shoot off a few rounds- what a hoot!!! I honestly can't say one of these might not be too far off in my future now! For that, and a few other jobs- I traded it for a 1980 Jeep Cherokee Chief Wide Track, 258-6 cyl, 4 speed manual, lifted and riding on 37's. I'm stoopidly happy with the deal!