The 50 GI Pistol

CZ93X62

Official forum enigma
Does anyone here have any hands-on or other experience with this caliber or its platforms? It is not "new", the company rolled itself out at the 2004 SHOT Show, if I understand things correctly. I am intrigued with its potential, having a Gen 3 Glock 20 to fit one of the company's "upper units" onto. TIA!
 

fiver

Well-Known Member
I remember it rolling out and the testing/magazine write-up's for it.
pretty much a barrel swap, and maybe a mag change if I remember rightly.
big o'l 50 cal. chunk of lead at 45 acp speeds.
 

CZ93X62

Official forum enigma
Yup, that's the critter. 45 ACP pressures, too. The GI barrels have conventional rifling, I am thinking these should be pretty lead-friendly. The only real hang-up I see might be H&I dies--will the metal that an H&I die is made of hold up to having a 50 caliber hole drilled through it AND size down a casting of BHn 12 to 15 some .0015" to .002"?
 
F

freebullet

Guest
Sounds interesting and fun. Wondering about brass though.
 

CZ93X62

Official forum enigma
The maker (Guncrafter Industries) and Starline make brass for the caliber. GI has everything you need--conversion kits, bullets in several weights and both jacketed lead and turned copper for CA Condor Cuddlers). Accurate Molds makes bullet moulds. Just doing my "due diligence" right now--trying to nail down throat and groove specs and a costs/benefits analysis.
 

Brad

Benevolent Overlord and site owner
Staff member
A Lee type sizer could easily handle the hard work then the Lyman is just lubing.
 

CZ93X62

Official forum enigma
It looks like G/I has concentrated all of the die/brass availability and most of the component bullet line into a monopoly for that firm. Pricing of brass and bullets (50 cents and 26 cents each, respectively) shows the reason why. The Lee die set is $75. The conversion unit runs neck & neck with a new Glock pistol, and the company's 1911-series pistol line is incredibly expensive. Not a cheap date, by any measure. Dunno about all this.
 

358156 hp

At large, whereabouts unknown.
RCBS & Lyman both offer 50 cal sizing dies in .501, .502, and .512. Strength shouldn't be an issue, both companies have been working with the 50 cal. rifle bullets, both black powder & modern for some time.
 

fiver

Well-Known Member
the conversion price would be what swung my decision.

I'd also explore what I could do with and to a 500 smith die set before I spent 50$ on a LEE die set.
 

CZ93X62

Official forum enigma
Nah, I think I'm going to "pass" on this project. The cash-outlay/value-received quotient is upside-down when you get past the BEEG BOOLIT thrill. I think a better idea will be to find a heavier recoil spring for the existing Glock 20SF and run the Norma-level loadings through it (200 grainers at 1200 FPS). I am thinking "Nasty Critter Medicine" here, not Felon Repellent. Gonna hit up an old partner from work and SUPERB Glock mechanic (David Street) and get his views on the matter. Anyone here with ideas on this subject need not keep them a secret! :)
 

Pistolero

Well-Known Member
~10% bigger diam for a whole lotta cash. And sectional density starts getting more and more
like a round ball. Not sure there is a whole lot of "there" there.

Bill
 

Glaciers

Alaska Land of the Midnight Sun
Not being a fan of pistols, which took me a while to figure out. I've owned 1911's, Springfields, Rugers, Colts and 1 Kimber. Can't say I did not try, everybody else likes them, so shouldn't I?
Well I fell pray to the 50 cal interest and looked into the 50 Special for revolvers. All ready had a 480 Ruger 5.5", so just like CZ93X62 when said above:
"The cash-outlay/value-received quotient is upside-down when you get past the BEEG BOOLIT thrill" Although I was looking for big and slow say in the 350 grain 800 to 900 fps range. I can do that with my 480.
 

CZ93X62

Official forum enigma
John--the other half of that BEEG BUCKS part is that almost all of the componentry is sole-source/proprietary, and ANY monopoly of that sort will get pricey in a hurry. That sort of flies in the face of the whole rationale for reloading in the first place--cost-effective shooting.
 

Rick

Moderator
Staff member
That sort of flies in the face of the whole rationale for reloading in the first place--cost-effective shooting.

Well . . . Being cheaper is certainly a Bennie but my prime reason for starting to reload and still do is simply to get what I want made by my own two hands and not what the factory wants me to shoot.