Boys Anti-Tank Rifle Question

Don McManus

Does anyone have any experience with a Boys Anti-tank rifle converted to .50 BMG? I just took receipt of one, but the magazine is shorter than 50 BMG rounds. I can fit one in the magazine and still chamber it, but two or more do not fit.

Did I purchase a magazine fed single shot rifle? Still worth it, although a little disappointing.

Can I reload .50 BMG and seat the bullet 1/16" deeper so it fits in the magazine? Better yet, are there speciality ammo houses that would do a production run of 400 - 500 rounds for me?

Any info would be appreciated.

Thanks.

Dean Cascio

Sounds like you bought an expensive toy before you knew what it was. most likely it was not converted to .50BMG but the shorter .50 spotter round used by the military to spot for recoilless AT rifles.
If I were you I would not try and fire a .50 BMG round until you have the chamber checked.
Dean

captkirk3@dslextreme.com

The BOYES was originally in .55 Caliber....and the Overall length of the .50 Browning over the .55 Boyes is approxamately 3/8 of an inch...To make The .50 Round Fit in the Magazine We cut the Tip off the Round....

XXCross

captkirk3: That's a good way to strip the jacket off the core and leave it stuck somewhere in the bore. NOT a good idea!

Don McManus

Dean Cisco:

The Receiver is stamped .50 BMG and it has been checked and verified to be .50 BMG. Yes, it is an expensive toy, and it is definitely a 50 BMG conversion, but thank you.

captkirk:

It actually is Boys, not Boyes, though that is a common mistake. I cannot believe you are serious about cutting off the end of the bullet, but if you are, how do you address the comment made by XXCross? Also, it would seem that this would really screw up the balance of the bullet.

Thanks to all.

Tailgunner1954

See reply in reloading.

Actual measurment of the 2 rounds shows about a .170 (3/16") difference on OAL.

bpost

Don; I had a great time shooting a converted Boys Rifle many years ago. It had been rechambered for the 50BMG. I don't REMEMBER any modification the the magazine being needed to have it function just fine and dandy with the 50 BMG round.

Recoil was "notable" and the muzzle brake made firing it without ear protection excruciatingly painful. (BTDT [xx(] NEVER again)

Accuracy was really great out to the 700 yards we had available to shoot it. It would hit a 5 gallon bucket at that distance on a fairly regular basis.

Have fun! Wear double hearing protection! [:D]

11b6r

FWIW, son gave me a 2 DVD set of Disney cartoons- called The War Years. One of them has some of the work Disney studios did for the war industries- and one episode is the instructions on loading, firing, and maintaining the 55 Boy(e)s rifle. You might check ebay or Amazon for a set.

nononsense

11b6r,

All 3 parts are on

captkirk3@dslextreme.com

I traded into a Boys back about 50 years ago when it was still legal(No Paperwork) and .50 Ammo was still available and at a price that would allow myself and some of my Buddies to drag it out to Willow Lake about 2 miles out of Prescott, Arizona, and Blast Granite Boulders to Smithereens...If Memory serves.....Ammo was costing us about Two Bits back in them days....We never Stripped a Jacket and a 55 Gallon Barrel was the Normal Target...Also had two Barrels...One Short Barrel from a Wrecked P-51 and the Longer Ground Mounted Browning Barrel from a Ground Mount that We found down in Phoenix....I don't recall who I traded it off to....It was fun while it lasted tho....

Don McManus

Tailgunner1954 and nononsense:

Many thanks for all your input. Very helpful.