.50 Alaskan

Wildcat rifle cartridge January 2024 .50 Alaskan Cartridge comparison.jpg 300px Left to Right (line by line).44 Magnum, .445 Super Magnum, .45 Colt, .454 Casull,.480 Ruger, .475 Maximum, .50 Action Express, .500 Linebaugh, .500 Maximum, .500 S&W Magnum, .50 Beowulf, .50 Alaskan United States Rifle, Large game Harold Johnson early 1950s 1952–present .348 Winchester Rimmed .510 .536 .553 .610 .070 2.10 true 450 BAR FP 524 2950 500 JFP 510 3112 525 LFN GC 516 3346 HodgdonThe .50 Alaskan Built on a Marlin Levergun by Al Anderson The .50 Alaskan / 13x53mmR 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. Design Harold Johnson necked out the .348 Winchester case to accept a .510" diameter bullet,Taffin John Big Bore Hunting Rifles Guns Magazine March 2004 http://www.shooting-hunting.com/big_bore_hunting_rifles.html 25 September 2010 https://web.archive.org/web/20101128230521/http://shooting-hunting.com/big_bore_hunting_rifles.html 28 November 2010 dead and Harold Fuller developed the barrel, marrying a .50 caliber barrel to an old Winchester Model 1886 rifle. Harold Johnson made the first 450 Alaskan in 1952, and continued to make them in the 1950s and 60s. The rifle was based on the Winchester Model 71 in .348 caliber. Bill Fuller made the reamers. John Buhmiller made the barrel. Frank Barnes made the bullets. The "50" came later. Since the rifle was designed for use on Alaska's great bears, Johnson cut 720 gr on boat-tail .50 BMG bullets in half, seating the 450 gr on rear half upside down in the fireformed .50-caliber case. It didn't take Johnson long to find out that the truncated-shaped "solid" would shoot through a big brown bear from any direction, claiming in 1988, "I never recovered a slug from a bear or moose, no matter what angle the animal was shot at."August 2010 Performance Harold's favorite load in the .50 Alaskan was 51.5 gr of IMR-4198 with a Barnes 400 gr on flatnose, jacketed bullet for about 2100 ft/s on and just under 4000 ftlbf J on of muzzle energy.August 2010 The Alaskan is shorter than the .510 Kodiak Express and produces about 10% less energy or 33% less energy than the 50-110, out of a 71 Winchester re-barreled to chamber the 50-110 WCF 6,000 foot-pounds.McPherson M.L. The .510 Kodiak Express the 5,000 foot-pound Marlin https://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0BQY/is_11_54/ai_n28573718/? https://web.archive.org/web/20091222082827/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0BQY/is_11_54/ai_n28573718/ usurped 22 December 2009 Guns Magazine 11 54 25 September 2010 November 2008 Availability Rifles for .50 BMF Bullet are available from some specialty gunsmiths and also conversions from Marlin and Winchester lever-action rifles.Taylor Jim The Model 71 Winchester and the .348 WCF Cartridge http://www.leverguns.com/articles/taylor/model71.htm Leverguns.com 25 September 2010 https://web.archive.org/web/20101007232016/http://leverguns.com/articles/taylor/model71.htm 7 October 2010 live http://www.turnbullmfg.com/store.asp?pid=20414 Available conversions 25 September 2010 https://web.archive.org/web/20140814220445/http://www.turnbullmfg.com/store.asp?pid=20414 14 August 2014 deadCassell Jay Shooter's Bible: The World's Bestselling Firearms Reference https://archive.org/details/isbn_9781602398016 registration 2009 Skyhorse Publishing 235 9781602398016 Reloading dies are available from Hornady.http://www.hornady.com/store/50-Alaskan-.510-3-Die-Set .50 Alaskan 3 Die set 25 September 2010 https://web.archive.org/web/20160803005023/http://www.hornady.com/store/50-Alaskan-.510-3-Die-Set 3 August 2016 dead Brass is available from Starline Brass.50 Alaskan Brass – Large Rifle – Brass Cases https://www.starlinebrass.com/50-alaskan-brass 2022-06-17 starlinebrass.com Although it is considered a wildcat cartridge, loaded ammunition is available from Buffalo Bore.http://www.buffalobore.com/index.php?l=product_list&c=39 .50 Alaskan Ammunition 25 September 2010 29 December 2010 https://web.archive.org/web/20101229083422/http://www.buffalobore.com/index.php?l=product_list&c=39 deadTaffin John Serious ammunition: heavy duty factory loads for the big-bore levergun https://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0BQY/is_3_50/ai_112646120 https://web.archive.org/web/20041108105047/http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0BQY/is_3_50/ai_112646120 usurped 8 November 2004 Guns Magazine 3 50 25 September 2010 March 2004 See also Thumper concept List of rifle cartridges .458 SOCOM .450 Bushmaster .50 Beowulf 12.7×55mm STs-130 References External links Category:Pistol and rifle cartridges Category:Wildcat cartridges