August 20, 2015
By Evan Brune
The .50 Beowulf ARX is the newest offering for both of these companies, combining the exceptional stopping power of the .50 Beowulf round with the PolyCase copper-polymer bullet that transfers the most amount of energy possible into a target without breaking up like a hollow-point round.
This gel block shows the devastating wound cavity caused by the .50 Beowulf ARX round. The round is designed to penetrate soft tissue from 12-14 inches.
"We are thrilled to be working with Alexander Arms to offer the ARX projectile in the .50 Beowulf caliber," said Paul Lemke, founder and CEO of PolyCase Ammunition. "This caliber is the ultimate big-bore semi-auto rifle cartridge. When you combine the massive energy of the .50 Beowulf with the patent-pending stopping power of the ARX, you have a defensive and hunting rifle cartridge that is second to none."
Designed in 2001, the .50 Beowulf is a round that was intended to provide incredible stopping power in a light carbine rifle. The upper receivers designed for the cartridge can be used with a standard AR lower, and the magazines for the .50 will slide into the standard AR magwell.
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This round initially found use in military and law-enforcement applications, where it was renowned as an incredibly effective vehicle checkpoint tool, due to the .50's ability to punch through windshields and body panels without affecting the trajectory or the effectiveness of the round.
Today, the .50 Beowulf is gaining popularity as an extremely effective hunting and home defense round.
The original Beowulf round was a 300-400 grain hollow-point or flat-point bullet that traveled at 1,800-1,900 fps, generating as much as 2,878 foot-pounds of energy upon impact. For comparison, a 62-grain 5.56 NATO round produces 1,767 foot-pounds of energy.
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The original .50 Beowulf round had incredible penetrating power. Shown here is the aftermath of a Beowulf round punching through 1/4 inch plate steel at 36 yards.
The .50 Beowulf ARX round, on the other hand, weighs 200 grains and has a muzzle velocity of 2,500 fps.
PolyCase Ammuntion is the newest branch of an injection-molding company with nearly a century of combined experience. Over the last five years, PolyCase developed a projectile that is made of a copper-polymer blend that weighs 30 percent less than a traditional lead bullet.
This weight reduction allows for higher velocities, less bullet drop, less recoil, less muzzle rise and quicker and more accurate follow-up shots. The company makes up for the loss in energy from the weight reduction with its proprietary technology.
Each PolyCase bullet incorporates flutes carved into the side of the round that scoops up soft tissue and accelerates it, causing significantly greater wound cavities that exceed the tissue damage caused by traditional lead bullets.
Tissue and fluid flow through the ARX flutes at speeds up to two times the initial velocity of the bullet. A 9mm PolyCase ARX round traveling at 1,500 fps accelerates soft tissue at nearly 3,000 fps. This results in a wound cavity that is similar to that caused by a 74-grain .223 BTHP.
The PolyCase round also provides a benefit in that its copper-polymer blend is not deterred by softer barriers, such as clothing, but will break up when it hits harder materials. This reduces chances of over-penetration or ricochet, especially in a home defense situation.
The recommended price for a box of 20 .50 Beowulf ARX rounds is $33.58.
