50 alaskan

[Papabear55]

Currently i have load with:
450gr A frames at 2050fps
450gr hard cast at 1800fps (light loads)
435gr hard cast at 2100fps

I plan to load 450gr barnes original fnsp to atleast 2000fps and 535gr hard cast to about 1800 or 1900fps

I feel fairly confident with all those loads minus maybe originals on DG. At the very least for the DG I'm likely to find up here in alaska

 

[AustinM]

Currently i have load with:
450gr A frames at 2050fps
450gr hard cast at 1800fps (light loads)
435gr hard cast at 2100fps

I plan to load 450gr barnes original fnsp to atleast 2000fps and 535gr hard cast to about 1800 or 1900fps

I feel fairly confident with all those loads minus maybe originals on DG. At the very least for the DG I'm likely to find up here in alaska

Those loads should handle anything you come across in Alaska. If they do not, then you might be on the wrong planet.

 

[Papabear55]

Those loads should handle anything you come across in Alaska. If they do not, then you might be on the wrong planet.

I honestly think they'd handle anything in africa as well if legal

 

[DrBob]

Based on my admittedly limited experience taking four buffalo bulls and being around the taking of perhaps half a dozen others, I would not. A .375. much less a .500 NE would be much more effective.

It would be great on moose, wild boar, and black bear. It frankly would not be a first choice for grizzly or coastal brown.

Cor-Bon did a penetration test with their solids for the 45-70. Through and through penetration of a cape side to side. OK... so it can kill a cape... but it renders no huge temp or permanent cavity and is no way will stop a cape. All things considered, a heart shot would not lead to any quick kill. The 450 Alaskan was Johnson's ideal lever action Alaskan cartridge.

 

[AustinM]

I honestly think they'd handle anything in africa as well if legal

Looking at the ballistics of the old black powder loads for the cartridges commonly used in Africa, it runs slightly faster than the majority of it. Along with a well made bullet, I see no reason why it would not work anywhere on the planet. The technology surrounding firearms and ammunition has improved and continues to do so, but the animals have relatively remained the same.

 

[Green Chile]

I’m pretty sure the chap who took an ele cow with a .50 Alaskan is on this forum too.
Actually, for the OP, enjoy:

Elephant With A

That was me almost 20 years ago! The 50 Alaskan would NOT have been my first choice for ele. It was my daily carry rifle in rural Alaska for moose, bear, etc. Buzz Charlton wanted me to bring it so we could video it and he encouraged me to write a magazine story, which I did. Buzz and Myles and Alan were carrying bolt actions back then (416s and 458s) and all have moved on to bigger doubles. It worked out fine on the ele brain shot but I wouldn't do it again. I don't even like a 375 for ele but that's the minimum of course. I prefer something between .416 to .500 for ele.

 

[Certus]

That was me almost 20 years ago! The 50 Alaskan would NOT have been my first choice for ele. It was my daily carry rifle in rural Alaska for moose, bear, etc. Buzz Charlton wanted me to bring it so we could video it and he encouraged me to write a magazine story, which I did. Buzz and Myles and Alan were carrying bolt actions back then (416s and 458s) and all have moved on to bigger doubles. It worked out fine on the ele brain shot but I wouldn't do it again. I don't even like a 375 for ele but that's the minimum of course. I prefer something between .416 to .500 for ele.

I’m curious why you say that - your report indicated knockdown power (dropping elephant with a near miss of the brain) and loads of penetration.

 

[Green Chile]

You ask a good question and I will offer what Paul Harvey would say is the rest of the story. We really stressed the Marlin 1895 design by taking it to 50 Alaskan levels and probably beyond for the elephant. I needed some speed from those bullets and I had a full length mag tube. Numerous times in testing, I shot the end cap off of the mag tube. I sheared the front sight off twice. I crushed several mag springs from the heavy battering. They would get compressed and then lose their integrity.

At the end of my tuskless hunt in Zim, I shot several rounds quickly to make sure the ele was anchored...insurance shots basically as the herd was collapsing on us in anger. I will be sharing this in my update to that hunt report soon but I was shocked as we backed away from the upset herd to find out that my reloading was dropping the rounds in with no spring resistance in the tube. They were just falling in and I could tilt them back and forth freely. Whoa! My rifle had turned into a single shot. When I got home, the gun had to be rebuilt with stronger screws, replacement springs, etc. We just pushed that little carbine too far.

 

[Papabear55]

You ask a good question and I will offer what Paul Harvey would say is the rest of the story. We really stressed the Marlin 1895 design by taking it to 50 Alaskan levels and probably beyond for the elephant. I needed some speed from those bullets and I had a full length mag tube. Numerous times in testing, I shot the end cap off of the mag tube. I sheared the front sight off twice. I crushed several mag springs from the heavy battering. They would get compressed and then lose their integrity.

At the end of my tuskless hunt in Zim, I shot several rounds quickly to make sure the ele was anchored...insurance shots basically as the herd was collapsing on us in anger. I will be sharing this in my update to that hunt report soon but I was shocked as we backed away from the upset herd to find out that my reloading was dropping the rounds in with no spring resistance in the tube. They were just falling in and I could tilt them back and forth freely. Whoa! My rifle had turned into a single shot. When I got home, the gun had to be rebuilt with stronger screws, replacement springs, etc. We just pushed that little carbine too far.

I had a conversation with Emerson of Garrett cartridges, he said he had to put 2 mag springs in his rifle

 

[Green Chile]

Ashley actually helped me prep this custom 50 Alaskan for the ele hunt. Ask him about that sometime. I would have never taken that little carbine for ele without his support and design ideas after it was built. It was never built for that level but he helped me get there successfully. I just wouldn't do it again.

 

[Certus]

@Green Chile thank you for that response. I didn’t actually consider spring integrity as a factor. It makes sense why you wouldn’t again. Lots of factors with larger power levels in leverguns it seems.
You don’t have this issue with less powerful loads, or is it the weight of the cartridges?

Cheers.