Tag Archives: AR

ARBuilds, Shooting in General, Uncategorized

What is the 12.7x42mm cartridge? Is it the same as .50 Beowulf?

The short answer is that they are the same thing. The bullet’s diameter is 0.50″ which is 12.7mm and the case length is 1.65″ or 42mm. The reason you see some vendors say they have something to sell in 12.7x42mm is they are trying to avoid a trademark problem with Alexander Arms.

Bill Alexander, of Alexander Arms, did all the engineering to bring to life both the round and the AR components to use it. He also trademarked the term “.50 Beowulf”. As such, anybody who wants to sell something and refers to it as being for .50 Beowulf would need to get the permission and/or license the use of the term “.50 Beowulf” to avoid legal problems. So, a lot of vendors use the generic metric designation of 12.7×42 to avoid legal hassles.

With that said, bear in mind that not all engineering is equal. I have never had a problem with Alexander Arms parts but myself and others have had plenty of headaches with 12.7×42 components from budget AR vendors who haven’t done the engineering. In my case, it was poor extraction with a Radical Arms bolt and extractor. So, buyer beware and research a vendor and their offering before you buy plus make sure they are reputable in general in case you need support. For example, Satern worked great for me and I wrote a blog post about the build.

Conclusion

So, short post this time. 12.7×42 and .50 Beowulf are the same round with different descriptions but be cautious to check out vendors selling parts using the metric designation. Some of them are selling junk so search for current reviews of products before you buy them.

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Reviews / For Sale, Sniper / Precision Rifles

Looking for a hell Of a .308 AR Platform Sniper Rifle? Brownells Has The HK MR762A1 LR Package For $1,000 Off List

Folks, the HK MR762A1 LR is a heck of a rifle. I’ve been tracking them for a while and am always wishing I could afford one for myself. They are consistent sub-MOA rifles and reliable as well. Check out this great MAC review:

What is in the LRP package?

  • Leupold 3-9VX-R Patrol 3-9x40mm Scope and Mount
  • HG G28 Adjustable Cheekpiece Buttstock
  • LaRue Tactical BRM-S Bipod
  • ERGO Pistol Grip
  • Blue Force Gear Sling
  • OTIS cleaning kit
  • One 20 round and one 10 round magazine
  • 1720 Pelican 42″ case

Brownells Has A Deal That Can Save You $1,000

Brownells has the MR762LRPA1 Packages in stock.

Brownells has a good deal going for the MR762LRPA1 package. These LRP packages are not cheap by any means. List is $7,499.99 and Brownells is selling them for $6,499 and they have them in stock. Click here to go there now. Again, they have them in stock as well!

These MR762A1 LR rifles are really something and I sure hope to own one some day.

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Optics

Vortex Second Generation 1-6 and 1-8×24 Strike Eagles Are On Sale At PSA With Free Mount and Shipping – Coupon Good Thu 5/13/2020

PSA has a deal going on through 5/13 (they extended the deal) on the new second generation Vortex Strike Eagle Scopes. The deal includes the optic, a Vortex 2″ cantilever offset mount (their 14919 CME-202 mount to be specific) and PSA is including free shipping. Use Coupon Code: Strike

What are the differences?

  • Has the new 5.56 calibrated reticle – the AR-BDC3
  • Integral throw lever on the zoom ring
  • Slight design change to the 1-6 body so it looks like the 1-8

Click on the photo to open the PSA page

Vortex Strike Eagle Gen 2 1-6x magnification and 24mm objective.
Vortex Strike Eagle Gen 2 1-8x magnification and 24mm objective.

This is a short post – you might want to snag this deal while you can. I have a first gen 1-6 and really like it. The scope has a great field of view at 1x and helps you zoom in to see things better.

I hope this helps you out.

If you find this post useful, please share the link on Facebook, with your friends, etc. Your support is much appreciated and if you have any feedback, please email me at in**@*********ps.com. Please note that for links to other websites, we are only paid if there is an affiliate program such as Avantlink, Impact, Amazon and eBay and only if you purchase something. If you’d like to directly donate to help fund our continued report, please visit our donations page.

By the way, the following are first generation Strike Eagle listings at other vendors so you can compare – I have a first gen 1-6×24 and it has held up great. It’s living on my Beowulf right now so it’s up to you as to whether the new features matter enough:

ARBuilds, USA

Looking for a Cool AR Rifle Project? Build a .50 Beowulf

Interest in the Beowulf round is growing as people buy the low cost 12.7×42 chambered pistols, rifles and kits. 12.7×42 is the metric designation for the Beowulf and is being used by groups wanting to avoid a trademark problem with Alexander Arms.

The Beowulf is one heck of a thumper delivering massive kinetic energy on target from the base AR-15 platform. That’s the remarkable part – it uses a standard AR lower! To give you an idea of the size of the round take a look at this photo. From top to bottom: .50 Beowulf 350gr XTP, 5.56×45 55gr FMJ , 7.62×39 123gr FMJ and a loose 9mm 124gr Hornady HST. The Beowulf sure dwarfs the little 5.56×45 round!

I’ve owned two .50 Beowulf’s and my current one was built using an Alexander Arms DIY kit that allows you to add the handguard and brake that you want. They are built on standard AR lowers so if you have an AR today, it’s just a matter of adding an upper in this caliber or you can do a whole new dedicated build – it’s up to you. I’ve also done a number of posts about my builds in case you want to learn more – click here to see a list.

A Beowulf upper can mate to any in-spec AR lower. This is a Spike’s lower with an Ergo group, Magpul PRS III and Geissele trigger.

What caught my eye the other day and prompted me to write this post is that Primary Arms has noticed the growing interest in .50 Beowulf and is now carrying a variety of parts and ammunition. They have a lot of products in stock and they ship fast. I’ve placed a couple of orders with them for parts over the past month and they are still shipping stuff out either the same or next day – that’s remarkable given how busy the industry is right now.

To give you some examples of .50 Beowulf products that Primary Arms has currently, they have the Alexander Arms DIY 16″ barrel kit and also the Timber Creek Heart Breaker muzzle brake, which is my favorite Beowulf brake.

This is the 16″ DIY kit. Alexander Arms has done all the fitting for you. It comes with one magazine as well. In terms of the upper kit, I found the machining and parts fitment to be excellent.
This is the Timber Creek Heart Breaker and it does a remarkable job of reducing the recoil. It has three heart shaped ports on each side that redirect the blast backwards to propel the rifle forward and reduce recoil. The three circular ports on the top help reduce climb. Seriously, this is a solid brake.

For ammo, there is an increasing variety out there – Alexander Arms makes their own with a variety of loads plus there are other sellers out there with their own offerings. I’ve found the Alexander Arms 350 grain Hornady XTP ammo to be accurate and the XTPs really open up on impact.

The is older packaging. In 2019 I noticed Alexander was using an eye catching color scheme of navy, black and white – same ammo just a different box. The Alexander Arms .50 Beowulfl 350gr XTP ammo is packed 20 rounds to a box and Primary Arms has it in stock.
Here’s the whole Beowulf.

So, if you want a fun build, get the kit, the handguard you want, the brake you want and take it from there. For folks who like optics, I’d recommend something that can help with fast moving up close targets as well as out to about 200 yards — I paired mine up with a Vortex 1-6×24 Strike Eagle and the 1-8×24 model would be great also.

This is my 1-6×24 Vortex Strike Eagle using a Vortex cantilever mount on my current Beowulf rifle.

One last comment, I make my own magazines using the reliable but inexpensive aluminum D&H magazines that PSA sells. They typically go for $9.99 on sale to $12.99 normally and right now they are on sale in case you want to snag some – they also have their special going on where you can get one of their 36″ rifle cases plus 7 D&H magazines for $109.99

This is one of the 30 round D&H 5.56 magazines that you can use to hold up to 10 Beowulf rounds.
This is the very well made 36″ PSA rifle case deal that includes 7 D&H mags.

Conclusion

That’s it for now. I hope you found this helpful and have fun building and shooting a .50 Beowulf.

If you find this post useful, please share the link on Facebook, with your friends, etc. Your support is much appreciated and if you have any feedback, please email me at in**@*********ps.com. Please note that for links to other websites, we are only paid if there is an affiliate program such as Avantlink, Impact, Amazon and eBay and only if you purchase something. If you’d like to directly donate to help fund our continued report, please visit our donations page.

AR & Related Rifles and Pistols, ARBuilds

Primary Arms Has WMD NiB-X AR 5.56 Bolt Carrier Groups On Sale

Folks, Primary Arms has WMD Nickel Boron bolt carrier groups (BCGs) on sale and in stock! These are my favorite AR-15 BCGs and I always recommend them. Note, they make a .308 BCG but I haven’t tried one yet.

Their Nickel Boron coating is excellent the lubricity is superb – even without any oil they move very freely. They also hold up great as well.

The following specs are from WMD’s website:

  • Bolt – Carpenter 158 heat-treated, shot peened and magnetic particle inspected.  Manufactured to government drawings.  Milspec gas rings. NiB-X coated (40% more wear-resistant than chrome).
  • Extractor – Manufactured, heat treated, and hardened per government drawings.  Black extractor buffer and heavy-duty spring. NiB-X coated.
  • Firing Pin – Manufactured, heat-treated, hardened, chromed and certified per government drawings.
  • Carrier – AR-15 or M16 style (heavy weight), 8620 material, heat treated and case hardened.  Manufacturing tolerances on inside diameters tightly controlled.  NiB-X coated for durability and ease of cleaning.
  • Gas Key – Hardened to USGI Specifications and attached using knurled grade 8 hardened fasteners. NiB-X coated.  Staked per military specifications. The knurled screw heads further enhance the effectiveness of the staking.
  • Cam pin – Manufactured, heat treated, hardened and certified per Government drawings.  NiB-X Coated.
  • Hammer – Manufactured, heat treated, hardened and certified per government drawings.  NiB-X Coated.  Can be semi-auto or full-auto.

The photo above is of the WMD BCG in my 10.5″ AR pistol. Here are a few more photos for you as well.

The WMD BCG is at the top and a regular PSA BCG is at the bottom.

So if you are shopping for a BCG – definitely check these out – click here to open the Primary Arms page! I hope this helps you out – these really are my favorite BCGs for the AR-15.

If you find this post useful, please share the link on Facebook, with your friends, etc. Your support is much appreciated and if you have any feedback, please email me at in**@*********ps.com. Please note that for links to other websites, we are only paid if there is an affiliate program such as Avantlink, Impact, Amazon and eBay and only if you purchase something. If you’d like to directly donate to help fund our continued report, please visit our donations page.

AR & Related Rifles and Pistols, ARBuilds

Palmetto State Armory’s Angry Joe AR-14 Lower!!! Awesome!!

I can’t stand Biden and think this is absolutely hilarious – The” Angry Joe-14″ AR-14 Stripped Lower. LMAO!! Complete with a dog face pony soldier logo!

Click here to go straight to the pre-order page: http://bit.ly/2W7uTqW

I’m laughing my butt off!!

If you find this post useful, please share the link on Facebook, with your friends, etc. Your support is much appreciated and if you have any feedback, please email me at in**@*********ps.com. Please note that for links to other websites, we are only paid if there is an affiliate program such as Avantlink, Impact, Amazon and eBay and only if you purchase something. If you’d like to directly donate to help fund our continued report, please visit our donations page.

ARBuilds, USA

My Favorite .50 Beowulf Muzzle Brake

I now have built my second Beowulf and guys ask me about the recoil all the time – the short answer is that it’s very manageable. With just a bit of tuning, I’d put it somewhere between a 20 and a 12 gauge shotgun shooting 2-3/4″ magnum loads. Now that there are a ton of options both from Alexander Arms as well as generic 12.7×42 uppers (the metric designation for the Beowulf so they don’t have to pay royalties to Alexander Arms), a lot of guys are getting into the .50 Beowulf cartridge and ask me about what brake to run with.

My favorite is the Timber Creek Heartbreaker. It does a remarkable job of venting gasses backwards to compensate for the recoil it would otherwise have. I liked it so much on my first build that it was what I used in my second build. It’s very affordable and I’d be surprised if you can find a brake that does a better job!

Side view of the Heartbreaker and you can see where it gets its name.
View from the top. Note the brake includes a jam nut.

Finding The Brake

You may need to go direct to Timber Creek. Primary Arms is out of stock and they are sometimes on eBay.

My Alpha Wulf

I did a series of blog posts when I built my second rifle. My pet name for it was the “Alpha Wulf” or the leader of the pack. It’s all premium parts and probably my best AR build when it comes to paying careful attention to details during assembly. Here are the posts:

I’m a big fan of the .50 Beowulf cartridge and hope you find this post helpful!

3/6/24 Update: I’m not sure if Timber Creek is still making these or just what. I haven’t built a Beowulf for a few years and don’t have any alternative suggestions.

Note, I have to buy all of my parts – nothing here was paid for by sponsors, etc. I do make a small amount if you click on an ad and buy something but that is it. You’re getting my real opinion on stuff.

If you find this post useful, please share the link on Facebook, with your friends, etc. Your support is much appreciated and if you have any feedback, please email me at in**@*********ps.com. Please note that for links to other websites, we are only paid if there is an affiliate program such as Avantlink, Impact, Amazon and eBay and only if you purchase something. If you’d like to directly donate to help fund our continued report, please visit our donations page.

AR & Related Rifles and Pistols, USA

The Fastest Way To Convert Aluminum 5.56 AR Magazines For Use With .50 Beowulf

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Back in 2018, I documented how to convert a basic aluminum AR magazine using a Dremel and a small drum. With the new Alpha ‘Wulf build, I made four new ones real fast using a slightly new method.

With the Alexander Arms (AA) .50 Beowulf DIY Upper comes one actual Beowulf magazine built to AA’s specifications by E-Lander Magazines of Israel. This gave me a chance to see what they did differently to support the ‘Wulf and it comes down to a relief in the front of the otherwise normal AR magazine. This allows the shoulder of the cartridge to pass by without hanging up on its way towards the chamber. Everything else appeared the same in terms of the feed lips and the follower.

E-Lander of Israel makes the Beowulf magazines for Alexander Arms. One is included with the DIY Upper Kit.
This is the top front of the E-Lander magazine. Note the notched out area. On a normal AR magazinet his goes straight across,

So, armed with how basic this was, it immediately hit me that a flap sander could make a quick angled surface faster than the drum mag. So, I loaded up a 3/8″ 120 grit flap sander with a 1/8″ shank into my bench rotary tool.

The magazines I convert are D&H 5.56/.223 magazines that Palmetto State Armory sells. They are reliable and well made plus they are very affordable with sales prices starting around $8.99 and normal price around $12.99 for buyers in a rush. They also have regular combo deals such as a case and seven mags for $89.99. You have to love PSA’s deals. Click here to see what they have.

The first step is to remove the floor plate of the magazine. On these D&H magazines from PSA, I just use a screw driver to lift the floor plate for the tabs to clear the magazine body. Pull the floor plate off while trapping the magazine spring. Remove the floor plate, spring and follower so they are out of your way.

I slide a small screw driver between the magazine body and the bottom plate to then lift and remove the plate from the magazine. Note, the magazine spring will come fling out.
See the tabs/ridges stamped in the floor plate? That is why you need to use the screw driver to lift the plate so those tabs can clear the magazine body.
Any rotary too will use. This is my benchmounted unit that I use on grips and what not, Any Dremel or other rotary tool would work.

So you basically use the flap sander to to cut a ramp on the inside edge of the magazine. You do not need to replicate the notch – just use the flap sander to quickly remove the material.

The left magazine is an original unmodified magazine. The middle has the ramp cut and the right unit has been reassembled. Be sure to blow out the mags before reassembly.

Using the flap sander can get the job done in 30 seconds or so – it’s literally that fast. Be sure to blow out the magazine bodies to remove all of the grit before you reassemble them. Failure to do so may cause you problems later either with the magazine failing or getting into the rifle.

The final step is to test each magazine to make sure it feeds properly. Load two rounds to test chambering in a safe place with the muzzle pointed in a safe direction. Never take a risk.

That’s all there is to it. You can convert a magazine faster than the time it took you to read this post. I hope it helps you out.

If you find this post useful, please share the link on Facebook, with your friends, etc. Your support is much appreciated and if you have any feedback, please email me at in**@*********ps.com. Please note that for links to other websites, we are only paid if there is an affiliate program such as Avantlink, Impact, Amazon and eBay and only if you purchase something. If you’d like to directly donate to help fund our continued report, please visit our donations page.