New .50 cal. handgun!

[Zander]

Would you buy one?

I've been thinking about a self-defense cartridge in .50 caliber that would be easier to shoot than other big-caliber offerings...the .50AE, for instance.

Why another .50 caliber handgun/carbine round? Because that's the limit set by the federales. If the limit was .60 or .70, I'd be dreaming about a short gun in one of those calibers.

How practical is such a new round? Would it really serve any purpose, or am I proposing a solution for a "problem" that doesn't exist?

If you're interested, do you want the new .50 in pistol or revolver...or both?

And what would you name it?

[Jeeper]

Are you talking about a shorter version of the 50AE perhaps. That would be a cool round but the brass and everythign is so big that an auto with it would be gigantic like the Desert eagles. I have a 50ae in a freedom arms revolver and it is a little ridiculous. I like it but the rounds are really big. Even the 45acp is a little big for small guns. I think a .41 or .42 auto the same length of the 45 would be ideal.

[Rovert]

Zander, I'm a newbie, but here's my take on it.

Overkill. (no pun intended, but it does seem to fit. )

The overwhealming belief here is that it's all about shot placement. Even something as 'anemic' as a .32, if properly aimed, will give someone a big headache.

That said, I would see such a gun as ridiculously impractical. Bigger isn't always better. It would be like using a bulldozer to dig for a china cup.

What would I name such a gun?

Foghorn Leghorn. Big, fat, and can't fly worth a damn.

[buzz_knox]

I've fondled (but never fired) a Bowen snub nose .50 AE five shot revolver once. It looked like a Security Six on steroids. Cool! But there's no way I'd rely on one for self-defense. After the first round, you'd have to wait a minute for your vision to clear and your hand to regain some feeling. Follow up shots would be a pain. Besides that, the ballistics out of that short tube can't be all that great.

[blades67]

In a Glock 37 (large frame) chambered in the new .50 Soporific & Witless.

[Zander]

...I'm thinking a short, fat cartridge that would push a bullet [250-300g, perhaps] at about the velocity of a mid-range .45ACP.

Since we already have an example of a larger cartridge being squeezed into a cylinder [Ruger's new .480], can we do the same for a .50?

RE: the Bowen...

...not looking for that sort of horsepower. Doesn't he do beautiful work?

Jeeper, there already is a .41AE...it didn't exactly set the shooting world on fire.

Rovert...Overkill? Is there such a thing where self-defense is concerned?

[Deaf Smith]

A while ago, I came up with the .50 ACP (yep, Automatic Colt Pistol). A shortend .50 AE, just fit in the mag well of the 1911, same Over All Lenght (OAL). But .500 cal. Say 250gr at 1000 fps, minimum, and maybe a plusp load of 250 at 1100 (hunting). Use the 1911 as the platform to cut cost. I have no doubt it would work.

Deaf

[blades67]

Overkill? Is there such a thing where self-defense is concerned?

Yes, the .88 Magnum. "It shoots through schools."

[buzz_knox]

There has been a prototype of a .50 1911 floating around for a couple of years. I think it was shown at the last Shot Show. It fires a proprietary .50 short round and holds 6 in the mag. I don't think much has been done to develop it.

[Jeeper]

Zander

It is a shame that caliber never caught on. I forgot about it. It should have been a little longer though

[BobR]

Another thought;
In oklahoma, where I recently moved far away from, the law governing CCW states that the largest caliber that can be used is a .45....kinda limited the carry of my DE .50.
I don't know if other states have such a stupid law or not.

bob

[Cosmoline]

...I'm thinking a short, fat cartridge that would push a bullet [250-300g, perhaps] at about the velocity of a mid-range .45ACP."

Try the .45 Colt. It uses 255-300 grain bullets easily, and can be loaded at power levels from low ACP to .44 Mag. Adding a few hundredths of an inch isn't going to matter much.

[MatthewVanitas]

It's a revolver cartridge. I believe Bowen thought it up, but it could be Randy Garrett, Linebaugh, or Alpha Precision or one of the other revolver customizers. I'm still unclear as to whether it is a shortened .500 Linebaugh or something unrelated. Cartridges of the World makes no mention of it, but I definitely have seen it listed on a custom SA revolversmith's website.

[Rovert]

Rovert...Overkill? Is there such a thing where self-defense is concerned?

Yup. When it's so heavy, you can't aim it accurately, or you blast someone, it wipes out the side of your house, keeps on going, and kills somebody in Mozambique. Hmmm... maybe that's where they got the drill from.

[Marcus]

I`ve had the same idea for years. Here`s the thing some of you are missing,this concept is NOT a magnum round,it`s not even a hot 10mm level round. What I think Zander is talking about here (at least I am) is a .50 caliber round loaded to .45ACP +P levels (although .50cal. ".45 Super level" loads could be used for hunting). It would be just as easy to shoot,fit in any double stack .45 designed gun and some single stacks but it would have the advantage of being "pre expanded". Good JHP expansion would just be icing on the cake. I think it`s great idea. How bout a .50ACP ParaOrd P-13 with 9 round mags for a carry gun? Marcus

[Alaska Roy]

It's named after Col. Cooper of course who has answered the question about why he carries the .45acp.."Because nobody makes a .50!"
I've got several test cartridges made up of trimmed .50ae brass loaded to the standard .45acp OAL, I intend to use the Glock 20 as a platform since the magazines can be easily adapted as well as the Glock bolt face.
Now to find a barrel manufacturer? Jarvis has no interest in the project so who?
Thanks to any and all suggestions!

[KP95DAO]

I have had thoughts along this line. To fully utilize the space in the "high cap" mags. It needn't be a 50, just neck the case down to 45. You could use the same bullets, at higher speeds.

The limitation would be on whether the barrel could be built big enough in the chamber area to fit the slide without something being too weak.

Then you would have a cartridge like the 357 Sig; a good round (I have one) that fits a narrow slot that would not likely appeal to many. Unless of course those new mags could be used with the 45 ACP rounds in 45 guns. Always looking for an angle.

[gumshoe4]

Interesting thought. The Brits had something similar in concept to the way I would see such a cartridge-the .577 Tranter. This was a short case with a large, slow bullet. It was very effective in its day.

The way I would envision such a cartridge is as a low to mid-level pressure cartridge, short case and .50 cal bullet at appropriate weight (whatever that might be) running out of the barrel at 700-900 fps.

The gun would be a modern, stainless DAO version of the Webley break-top revolver in barrel lengths of 3", 4" and 6".

I'd definitely buy at least the 3" if anyone cared to manufacture such a piece.

[New_comer]

am I proposing a solution for a "problem" that doesn't exist?

Yes

Would you buy one?

No

If you're interested, do you want the new .50 in pistol or revolver...or both?

That question is leading, your Honor!


Be safe,

New_comer

[Jason Demond]

I wonder if we could get Casull to make on in .50.

[jhisaac]

I saw an article on the .577 Howdah in Guns and Ammo (?) a while back. It was a double barrel side by side used when you needed firepower in a quick-handling package. Such as when a wounded tiger has just jumped into the howdah that you were riding in (on the back of an elephant).

(I see from continuing research that the .577 Howdah may also be the .577 tranter mentioned previously. One web page said it used a 480 gr bullet on top of 70 gr of black powder.

jhisaac1

Hmmm. I re-read the original post and it said "easier to shoot". I don't think this one qualifies. The web page mentioned above said that the pistol had a tendancy to "double"

[Marcus]

The Howdah guns are basically cut down double (or single) rifles chambered in rifle calibers such as .500Nitro-.600Nitro. The Tranters are revolvers, service sized,not much larger than an N frame Smith. There were other brands as well such as Thomas Bland and Webley-Pryse. Most were 5 shot. The rounds they fired such as .500 and .577 were short,fat rounds firing fairly heavy blunt nosed bullets at very moderate velocities. Recoil was reported to be suprisingly mild. They were designed from the outset to be manstoppers pure and simple. Drugged up Moro tribesmen were often able to soak up a cylinder full of .38 Webley or even .455 rounds. One round of the .577 was said to stop them better than several rounds of .455. Remember this isn`t just conjecture,these monster bore handgun rounds were used and proven in fierce close quarters combat. Marcus