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Posted: 6/20/2026 5:55:13 PM EDT
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I have one AA 50 Beowulf upper and will de adding a second one soon. I know the brass doesn't get longer, it shrinks as I have reloaded for it. But what is the average amount of loading you are getting from cases before they get too short... I'm afraid of loading anything that is less than minimum case length. How does the case life for a 458 Socom compare to a 50 Beowulf in your experince. |
| I cannot say anything about the .50B but I have cases that are loaded stiff, but not max, of the .458 SOCOM with over a dozen loads on them. I have gotten to the point over the last 26 years that I don't even bother keeping track of how many loads I have on the hundreds of .458 SOCOM loads I have. I just keep loading until the primer pockets start getting a little loose then toss the lot in the recycle bin. If you push them too hot, then you will get loose primer pockets, but keep them at 35K-36K psi and they last seemingly forever. Push them to 37K-39K psi and you will get much fewer loadings and primer pockets loosening up seems to be the first sign that the case has reached its life's end. |
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| Honestly, I cannot say I have ever experienced a situation where a semi-auto's barrel with rounds bigger than a .22 LR DON'T get hot after a few rounds and the brass is always hot when it is first ejected. And it doesn't mater if it is a hot or mild load. It's not a bolt gun where the brass stays in the chamber for a few seconds and the barrel acts as a heat sink to draw heat away from the brass case. I have shot ARs/LRs in a lot of caliber from .223 to .500 RHINO and I cannot say I have ever had an ejected round not be hot enough to burn you if it pick it up right after ejection. IMO, the temperature of the case has nothing to do with the intensity of the load or powder used. |
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Originally Posted By Big-Bore: Honestly, I cannot say I have ever experienced a situation where a semi-auto's barrel with rounds bigger than a .22 LR DON'T get hot after a few rounds and the brass is always hot when it is first ejected. And it doesn't mater if it is a hot or mild load. It's not a bolt gun where the brass stays in the chamber for a few seconds and the barrel acts as a heat sink to draw heat away from the brass case. I have shot ARs/LRs in a lot of caliber from .223 to .500 RHINO and I cannot say I have ever had an ejected round not be hot enough to burn you if it pick it up right after ejection. IMO, the temperature of the case has nothing to do with the intensity of the load or powder used. I've not conducted a scientific test so I can't provide absolute details, but I've noticed some of my AR's are not hot like a .223/5.56. The damn 5.56 will burn the shit out of you if it gets trapped down your shirt. I noticed some time back, can't remember what I was shooting, but it WASN'T 5.56 and I thought to myself it was not hot like 5.56 brass. From now on I'm going to pay attention and see if my memory is correct. ETA- I did quite a bit of testing six or more months ago on some AR10's I finished in .243, .338 Fed, .358 Win., and 7mm-08, I want to say it was then, while almost immediately picking up spend cases to check for pressure signs, I noticed they were not "burn your ass hot" like 5.56 case, I made a fleeting mental note of it. I'll keep in mind to double check myself... maybe I'm going nuts. |
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Yes Sir, I understand that semi auto and their brass get hot, been doing it a few years myself too. I'm just saying that lil gun burns hotter than most powders, and I'm wondering if that is contributing to my short brass life with the 50. Lil gun burns hot enough that a lot of people will not shoot it in revolvers. |
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Originally Posted By bkssniper: I appreciate the reply. I think some of my brass trouble may be from using lil gun. It’s an awesome powder but a few shots and the gun getsHOT. Brass is so hot you can’t pick it up. And most of my loads were upper end loads some with 500gr bullets Lil Gun is notorious for being physically warmer. Personal anecdote time: back around 2014 and influx of AAC/300blk, I tested tons of loads trying to get best performing supers with lots of powders, 1000rds of Lil Gun burned the gas tube port, made gun into single shot(pistol gas for reference). As to 50beo, I load it, I use lil gun for subs due to gas cutting. Brass wise, my experience is it's like pistol cases over time, neck hardens and splits eventually. I don't hot rod it though and only use star line brass, never loose pockets |
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Lil'Gun is a high nitroglycerin double-base powder. Hodgdon doesn't publish flame temps, but ballistic software estimates say around 4200 degrees F. Higher temps are common with double-base powders. Single-base powders typically burn at much cooler temps (3,000 to 3,600 degrees F). Lil'Gun does work well for a number of cartridges, but I don't like it in my AR's or anything that has a chance for high or fast rates of fire because it is so hot. Not good for barrel life and not good for the brass. As for hot cases, that's a function of semi-auto. The cases are ejected almost immediately after firing and carry the heat with them. In a bolt action or single shot, the case stays in the chamber for a few seconds and transfers the heat to the steel of the chamber. |
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