Beowulf Owners!

A

Achilles11B

New member
To all the .50 Beowulf owners out there...

I have a .50 Beowulf Entry upper heading my way, I just have a few questions that hopefully you guys can answer. I scoured the Alexander Arms website but there are still some answers I'm looking for:

1) Are the Alexander Arms handguards compatible with the .50?
2) What would be a good optic? Can the reputable red-dots (Aimpoint, EOTech, Trijicon) handle the recoil?

Any help is appreciated. Thanks in advance.
 
I'm not a .50 Beo owner (.450 Bushmaster here... let the holy wars begin! :D).

I've not read of any failures of the quality optics like those you mentioned due to the recoil; they can generally handle shotgun recoil, and that seems to be the general rule of thumb for these thumper rounds. I see more magnified optics than CQB type on them, but I'm likely to end up with an Aimpoint for my own.
 
The optics you mentioned can withstand being mounted on a shotgun, so there would be no problem with them being mounted on your 50.
 
Both good points, thanks.

So, let's just say I want to go the scope route, do you think a good shotgun scope would be a better investment than a 'traditional' (for lack of a better term) rifle scope?
 
Afriend of mine has one, has fired about 60 rnds, no failure of the dot sight he has (will find out which one next time I see him), however, last week he told me of a failure of the muzzle brake that Alexander arms installed for him. The setscrew went away, and when celaning the gun he noticed that the brake was only held on by a couple threads.

While it was a good thing he stopped shooting when he did (not having noticted the brake was unscrewing) he is not real pleased right now. I believe he will be sending his upper back for repair.

Will let you know more when I find it out.
 
mine has a comp3 aimpoint on it and i doubt id ever change it. For the ranges the 50 is good for its plenty precise and hammer strong. If it were a dedicated hunting gun i might think on a good low power variable scope just for light gathering but for what i use mine for the aimpoint works just fine.
 
If you go the scope route, I imagine most any decent one will work, be it a shotgun or rifle scope. I've seen some guys having good results with muzzleloader scopes; the ballistics aren't too terribly different between many muzzleloaders and the thumper rounds (so bullet drop compensation reticles are pretty close on).
 
Please give us a reange report after you test your new Beowulf. This is one fo the more interesting AR types and not often seen. It's a very intriguing concept.
 
Technosavant, the muzzle loader scope route is an interesting one that I had not even considered. Thanks.

KBM1, when the rifle is fully assembled, consider it done.
 
I have nothing against these large caliber AR upper monsters but what is the point? Are these marketed as Big Bear rounds, or kill the intruder and the 5 guys behind him rounds or whats the deal?

Like I said, they are cool and appeal to the "I'm a man with a bigger caliber than anyone else in my powwow" side of me, I just kind of don't see the point to dropping hard earned cash to buy a dedicated upper that is dedicated to a round that shares ballistics with a muzzle loader.
 
Out of curiosity, can anyone recommend a good set of handguards, from any manufacturer, that would work with the Beowulf?
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As far as I know, the external barrel profile is no different from a regular 5.56mm barrel, so pretty much every handguard out there will work.*

*I'm not familiar with the Alexander Arms way of doing things; most .458 SOCOM and .450 Bushmaster uppers come with free float handguard tubes, and an owner of those should be able to swap in pretty much any FF handguard, be it a tube or rail system. If Alexander Arms uses regular handguards (with delta ring and cap) then most any AR handguard should fit. You could likely even subsitute on any free float system you like with no more hassle than if it were a 5.56mm rifle.

I have nothing against these large caliber AR upper monsters but what is the point? Are these marketed as Big Bear rounds, or kill the intruder and the 5 guys behind him rounds or whats the deal?
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They're generally hunting rifles. These rounds have the ability to bring down pretty much anything in North America out to 150-200 yards, even if they have to blow through some brush to do it. Since they're semiautomatic (usually) and not front-stuffers, you have a quick follow up shot (or several) if you want one.

Or they're just toys for those who think "you know, that might be fun."

I think there's a reason they're still essentially niche rounds, and it's pretty much what you said- many people don't really see a practical point to them. However, it seems like the folks who go for them tend to be AR guys anyway, and AR enthusiasts are always looking for something different to throw on a lower, even if it's just for kicks.
 
I have nothing against these large caliber AR upper monsters but what is the point? Are these marketed as Big Bear rounds, or kill the intruder and the 5 guys behind him rounds or whats the deal?
Click to expand...

I've always wondered the same thing...I knew it existed because I have Alexander's other baby- the 6.5 Grendel- but couldn't figure this one out.

It's designed as an anti-materiel round. Stop a vehicle at a checkpoint.
It has a 200 yard range. Not much velocity, and actually goes subsonic past that range. Like a .45 on steroids...

Overpenetration is not an issue as it is such a low velocity round. In fact, it is the lack of overpenetration that makes it attractive as a tactical round:

http://www.brassfetcher.com/index_files/Page483.htm

I see no use for it for "non-operators". Here's a clip from Future Weapons that features the .50BW:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0CrUARlmqso
 
'Non-operators' also have no need for 30-round magazines, flash hiders, sub-16 inch barrels, rifles capable of making 1000+ yard shots, etc.

My plans are to hunt with it once assembled. Whether it be bears, cinder blocks, or something in between remains to be seen. :D
 
To get back to the optics question, right now I'm looking at maybe going for a Leupold Ultimate Slam. The SABR sighting reticle can be tweaked (within limits) for different shotgun or muzzleloader loads, and the "three pellet" setting is pretty much spot on for a Hornady SST in .45 caliber, 250 grain, moving at 2200fps... which is almost EXACTLY what the .450 Bushmaster is doing.

If the .50 Beowulf isn't far off from that, it may be worth a look, but I'm not sure how the ballistic trajectory compares between the two.
 
I have nothing against these large caliber AR upper monsters but what is the point?
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It's sort of the opposite of a 5.56. Slow and huge instead of tiny and fast.

I guess the point is stopping people and unarmored vehicles quickly, while putting up with lugging large heavy bullets and dealing with a lack of range.
 
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