|
With the very recent introduction of Freedom
Arms’ new .500 Wyoming Express cartridge, it did not
take Grizzly Cartridge Company very long to get factory
hunting ammunition into production. Grizzly is a relatively new
company as far as ammunition manufacturers are concerned., being
in business since 2003. They are located in Rainier,
Oregon. I met Mike Rintoul, Grizzly’s founder and head
honcho, about a year and a half ago at the NRA’s
Whittington Center in New Mexico. Mike is one those guys
that you just take to right off. He seemed to be a genuine,
honest, and likeable gentleman, and after talking with him for
awhile, it was obvious that he knew how to make ammunition. Mike
specializes in premium quality hunting ammunition, and he loads
ammo for most of the serious handgun and a few heavy rifle
cartridges. Mike is picky about his components. He uses only the
best available bullets from makers such as Cast
Performance, Belt
Mountain, and Hawk. All of Grizzly’s ammo is
carefully packaged for the best protection of the product, and
his prices are reasonable.
A few months ago when I first learned of the
.500 Wyoming Express project, after getting the okay from Bob
Baker at Freedom Arms, I told Mike of the new cartridge, and
he was immediately on board and willing to load ammo. When I did
my recent review of the .500 WE, Grizzly was not hardly ready
with the big 500 at that time, but they now have the cartridge
in full production, ready to ship. This is good news. Many
shooters, for whatever reason, do not handload, and just prefer
to buy factory ammo.
Mike recently sent to me samples of three of his
current loadings for the .500 Wyoming Express; a 370 grain cast
lead wide flat nose gas check (WFNGC), a 400 grain bonded core
jacketed flat point (BCFP), and a 440 grain WFNGC. In addition
to these three, Grizzly also offers a 400 grain WFNGC bullet
loaded to the same velocity as the 400 grain jacketed bullet. I
chronographed these from the seven and one-half inch barreled
Freedom Model 83 to determine the velocity and consistency of
the ammunition. The chronograph was set at ten feet from the
muzzle. Air temperature was thirty-five degrees Fahrenheit and
elevation was about 600 feet above sea level. Chronograph
readings are listed in feet-per-second, with the results listed
in the chart below.
| Ammunition |
Velocity |
Average Deviation |
| Grizzly 370 grain WFNGC |
1372 |
8.6 |
| Grizzly 400 grain BCFP |
1307 |
7.5 |
| Grizzly 440 grain WFNGC |
1259 |
6.5 |
As can be seen from the velocity readings, the
Grizzly ammunition has some pretty impressive power. Also, from
the average deviation readings, the ammo is very consistent from
shot to shot, which exhibits extraordinary quality control. This
Grizzly ammunition is good stuff. Accuracy was also very good.
While I did not try to shoot this big-bore stuff off of a
machine rest, I was able to hit everything that I shot at from
an offhand position, and was again impressed with the quality
and performance of the ammunition.
For shooters and hunters who have been
contemplating the new .500 Wyoming Express from Freedom Arms,
but who were waiting for factory ammunition to become available,
it is available. It is also powerful, clean-shooting, reliable,
and accurate. It is Grizzly.
Check out the entire line of Grizzly Cartridge
products and services on line at: www.grizzlycartridge.com.
For your own Freedom Arms .500 WE revolver,
check out: www.freedomarms.com.
You never regret buying the best.
Jeff Quinn
Got something to say about this article? Want to agree (or
disagree) with it? Click the following link to go to the GUNBlast Feedback Page.
|
|
Click pictures for a larger version.
Grizzly Cartridge Company is making premium-quality
factory ammunition for the new Freedom
Arms .500 Wyoming Express.
Grizzly's offerings for the .500 WE include (left to
right): 370-grain WFNGC, 400-grain BCFP, and 440-grain WNFGC.
|
