Where to buy your rifle and ammunition

Reloading Kit

High quality 'obsolete calibre' dies as well as larger calibres such as the .55 Boys and anything up to 20mm are made by: http://www.ch4d.com. They also manufacture bullet pullers and lots of other 50BMG type reloading kit such as high capacity powder throwers.

Ammunition and components

Only 50BMG ammunition is readily available, often from your local firearms dealer who will most likely have to order it on your behalf. Reloading components for WW2 anti-tank rifles are now generally only obtained as expensive one-off collectors items, however there is no reason why cases for some of the very rare 7.92mm German anti-tank rifles can't be formed from 50BMG cases and Boys .55 cases can be made from 50BMG cases, 20mm cases for the Lahti are now being manufactured in stainless steel. Some of the Vit powders are suitable for 20mm, and any other large capacity case although most primers for anti-tank cartridges are unobtainable. This said, many shooters of these weapons in the USA use 20mm or 50BMG primers pressed into a threaded insert screwed into the base of the cartridge case, easily done by anyone with a lathe. Bullets can be turned from solid bronze although CNC machining is the best option for bulk production - check all lathe turned projectiles for the correct outer diameter as it would only take 1/1000" variation to render the projectile oversize and thus likely to create severe back pressure and destroy your rifle (and you!).

Copy of letter from the DTI regarding the import of a 50 calibre rifle from the USA. (The same applies to importing any anti-tank rifle that does not fall into the section 5 category). Note: Not all semi-auto 20mm anti-tank rifles were kept as semi-auto, many were converted to manually operated due to problems with the gas operated system, assuming the conversions were done as part of a 're-manufacture' process then these 20mm rifles would be classified as section 1.

Dear Mr Stevenson

 Thank you for your e-mail, received in this office on 30 June 2003.

 I can confirm that a .50 calibre rifle consigned from the USA is not subject to a specific DTI import licence providing you are a resident within the UK as there is a concession for the personal importation of firearms, ammunition and component parts consigned from outside the European Community. This concession is administered by H M Customs and Excise and only the relevant UK domestic authority need be presented to allow the importation instead of a specific DTI import licence.

 I hope that this clarifies the matter.

 Should you have further queries, however, please do not hesitate to contact this office.

 Yours sincerely