Convert Mini 14 or AK to .50 Beowulf??

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A friend called and asked me to put the question on TFL. Apparently an older Mini 14 (stainless) followed him home, and he got to wondering.

All I could say was, it fits in an AR 15, it ought to fit in a Mini 14. He said the rebated case head of the Beowulf is the same size as the 7.62x39mm, and then also wondered if one could convert an AK.

Not looking for specific details what needs to be worked and how, at this point, just looking for the general things that would need to be reworked, and how possible it is.

Custom bolt, barrel, proper action springs, mag's converted, we get that. Anyone know any other "quirks" that would need to be addressed, for either a Mini 14 or an AK conversion?

Thoughts on cost would be helpful as well. Know cheap is way out of the picture, but not looking to spend the cost of new car, either, if you know what I mean.

My friend has a .50 Beowulf, and loves it. Alexander Arms probably should pay him a commission, as he's "sold" at least 4 of them by letting people try his, and having them then go buy their own.

So, he's just looking to see if he could run the .50 in a different (and unique) platform. And, if he can have it done for about the cost of buying another rifle, he might just go ahead and do it.

Thoughts??

 

[Arizona Fusilier]

Always use these philosophical conundrums as an excuse to buy another gun, say I.

 

[bamaranger]

saiga

The Saiga people have gotten the AK platform (gosh I hate that word) to feed and functiion w/ 12 ga shotgun shells.........I suppose a good ak smith could work one to feed and function with the .50 Beo. The PSL series (big AK?) can work with the pressures of the x54r cartridge, and the .308, so I suppose the AK family can be strong enough. First thing I thought of was the feed lips on the AK mag. There are a world of AK mags out there, so one could experiment, and lots of metal to work with, Perhaps a x39mm bolt face, with a modified AK/.223 mag, isn't that what they do with the .50 Beo in an AR?

A Ruger in .50 Beo? I dunno. A Mini30 bolt and a modified mini14 mag?
But Ruger scrapped the xGI .308 due to pressure issues (?) Is the Mini action strong enough? What pressure does the .50 Beo run at. Since Ruger is in the .450 BM game with the American Ranch, that could be a Mini option.....a Mini.450

 

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According to Wiki the Beowulf is 33,000psi, so, if they are right, pressure won't be an issue.

In the AR, converted mags work, a 30rnd 5.56 stick becomes a single stack 12 rnd .50 Beowulf mag, and the old straight 20rnd M16 mags will take 5 rnds of Beowulf.

This according to the guy that owns them, so I trust it.

We're not looking to put the Beowulf in any of the long (.308Win/7.62x54R) type actions, that would be too easy...

But Ruger scrapped the xGI .308 due to pressure issues (?)

This is new to me. I'd always heard that Ruger scrapped the XGI because of accuracy issues. Rumor was that they simply built the gun too lightly in some way(s), and it wouldn't shoot well, consistently.

Do remember that was back in the days when Bill Ruger Sr. was personally running the company, and he wouldn't make a gun he wasn't personally happy with, even if it would sell....

Of course, some of the guns he was happy with turned out to be turkeys, but not very many.

 

[T. O'Heir]

"...fits in an AR-15, it ought to fit in a Mini 14..." Not necessarily true. Receiver on an AR is wider as I recall. And the Beowulf was designed to fit an AR receiver. There's also reports that standard .223 mags should not be used with the .50. http://www.realguns.com/Commentary/comar137.htm
Mini's receiver is an investment casting too. That alone isn't a big deal though. Suspect the whole issue would depend on finding a .50 cal barrel for a Mini.
"...Ruger scrapped the XGI because of accuracy issues..." Scrapped because of reliability issues. They couldn't get the thing to work properly so after announcing the thing in January of 1985, they scrapped it in June of 1985. Talk of cracked receivers and argued about on these pages in 2010 when one of came up for auction. https://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=400563
"...and it wouldn't shoot well, consistently..." A standard Mini-14 won't do that. Accuracy issues with the Mini never bothered Ruger. Still selling every one they make.

 

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"...fits in an AR-15, it ought to fit in a Mini 14..." Not necessarily true. Receiver on an AR is wider as I recall. And the Beowulf was designed to fit an AR receiver.

This is the kind of thing I'm looking for. Whether or not anyone knows if there will be enough "meat" left in the Mini receiver to handle the fat body, or not.

I know it fits for length, and that's what I was referring to when I said "fits in AR ought to fit in Mini".

There's also reports that standard .223 mags should not be used with the .50. http://www.realguns.com/Commentary/comar137.htm

I read the linked article, and unless I misunderstood the author, the advice that standard .223 mags should not be used, comes from Alexander Arms, themselves. The author was nearly in rant mode about the fact that Alexander Arms is retaining the .50 Beowulf as a proprietary round.

He sounded very displeased that they are the sole source for ammo, and that they chose manufacturing dimensions (such as for the gas block) that are not the same as "industry standard" so other makers aftermarket parts cannot be used.

He also said that he tried unmodified .223 mags, and they worked just fine. So, Alexander Arms telling you not to use them is just AA trying to get you to buy their mags, though the author did not specifically say exactly that, in print.

Suspect the whole issue would depend on finding a .50 cal barrel for a Mini.

You're quite right, without a barrel the project is moot, however, I suspect that there is no "finding" a .50 cal barrel for a Mini, that it would have to be custom made.

Thanks for the input, and keep those ideas coming!

I have no real information about why the XGI was dropped, only what the "word on the street" was, at the time, and what I (and others) heard was what I reported. Accuracy issues, and Bill Ruger not wanting to market an "inferior" product. I'm sure the actual facts are somewhat different, which is usually the way things turn out, IF the actual facts become known.

 

[Jim Watson]

Accuracy Systems does not list the .50 B but say to ask if you want something special.
http://www.accuracysystemsinc.com/index.php

But Ruger scrapped the xGI .308 due to pressure issues (?)

This is new to me. I'd always heard that Ruger scrapped the XGI because of accuracy issues. Rumor was that they simply built the gun too lightly in some way(s), and it wouldn't shoot well, consistently.

Jan Stevenson, editor of The Handgunner, Ltd., back when a free Englishman might own a pistol, said he got two separate letters from Ruger announcing the cancellation of the XGI. One said it could not be made sufficiently accurate, one said it could not be made sufficiently reliable. Sounds like it was downchecked by two different departments at once.