Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Express Rifles and Big Bores Only 500 jeffery

I would like to know why a 500 jeffery needs a long action. I've seen a few on M98. So Why are they so pricey to build? Is their that much work involved to get one to feed and handle that round? You guys that have built one chime in. I'd like to do one when time and money allows.

Liled

The 500 Jeffery with it's rebated rim is one of the hardest of the big bore cartridges to make feed correctly. Also a lot of metal must be removed inorder to fit into a 98 Mauser action the case is much fatter than the 98 was designed to accept.

I'm looking at a rifle right now that is a 495 a-square. I can't find much data on it. I'm in the process of ordering the A-square manual (any shot you want). I was looking at a conversion to the Jeffery or a 500 AHR. I just think a beltless case is a bit more classy. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />
I might just have to keep it the was it is.

The 495 A Square is based off of the 460 Weatherby case and is shortened in-order to fit in a 375 H&H length action. The 500 A Square is the full length 460 case opened up to 50 cal.

Right, but I think I could cut down the 500AHR and make it fit. The 500 A-square, and AHR are 2.9in in length and the 495 is 2.65in in length. The 500 AHR has a .5in neck.I could shorten the neck in half making it a 2.65 in case. It would have a short neck but no shorter than a jeffery.

You are correct in that M98's were/are chambered for the 500J. The main concern about it is that some gunsmiths removed metal from behind the bottom locking lug to help fit the cartridge in the magazine. Taking metal away from this area can reduce the potential strength of the action, it may have been OK in the days of lower pressure factory loads, but today, with some people tending to want to make their 500j's into 500 A2's, this can be a problem.
I've seen a few 500J rifles made up on various actions, and every one has had a different way to get it to feed.
Don't be put off, its not that hard to get done by a good gunsmith. You will also find that even a rebated case like the 500 J will often feed smoother than a belted case, such as the 495 or 500 A2.
Depends on how much horsepower you really need.

The only M98 I have seen in the .500 Jeffery was a an old Shuler marked gun. It was pretty gutted out in the action and had two clips inside the magazine to force the cartridges into a straight row for feeding. I think the magazine only held two rounds. My PH in Tanzania had a Ruger Magnum in .500, a better action for it in my opinion, although it did not appear to feed as well as I thought it should. Didn't miss the rim as much as softs would occasionally hang up on the front of the magazine box. From the rounds you mentioned, I think I would prefer the .495.

Telly

As was mentioned, the 500J can be built on a mauser 98, but it stretching what can be fit in there. I built mine on a P-17 enfield, part of the reason is that I had the action on hand, the other being the 500J should be a 10 1/2 to 11# rifle when completed to be shootable, so there is no reason to use a smaller/lighter action. While it isn't the longest of rounds it is quite large in dia.

As far as why guns built to chamber it cost so much, it requires a major amount of skilled work to make the round reliably feed from a magazine, and there are likely a handful of people at most in this country that have both the experience and skill to make that happen. Also 500J are typically built as high quality custom rifles vs slap a barrel on jobs. Most folks will spend as much on the wood blank as a typical complete plastic stocked tactical rifle costs.

If you are just looking for a big shooter, I'd highly recomend the 500 A-square. The brass is both less expensive and more readily available than 500J or 500 AHR brass. Betram brass is junk, so that leaves Hornbear which is hard to come by, and I think 500 AHR brass is only available in Bertram.

CZ is coming out with a factory 505 Gibbs, and asside from the less plentiful .505" bullets, it is much more practical than a 500 Jeffrey.