I have just bought an original .500 AHR rifle and am bringing it back from relative obscurity.
Some have described this cartridge as an “improved” .500 Jeffery, I want to avoid that description because one immediately thinks of an “improved” cartridge of greater case capacity. The .500 AHR is none of that, it seems better described as “improvements” that have “updated” it so as to more easliy function thru an action.

The rifle is apparently one built by Ed Plummer of AHR before the company was taken over by present owner Wayne Jacobson back in about 2006-2007. Wayne has none of the older records so I don’t know exactly when it was built other than “pre 2006”.

THE RIFLE:
This rifle is a CZ550 action & has a straightened bolt handle, laminated stock nicely done with 3 narrow laminations down the center and normal looking figured stock wood as viewed from the sides, 24” barrel, 13 3/4” length of pull over a 1” pad, usual express barrel sights, and is said to weigh 11lbs10oz, with single stack magazine. It is presently with Steve Bertram http://www.bertramandco.com having the lead plugs in the buttstock R&R’d with a mercury recoil reducer and a traditional standard 2mm white bead front sight fitted in place of the ~3mm red fibreoptic one.

THE CARTRIDGE:
There is little information about the .500AHR cartridge readily available on the web, no drawings-nothing, the cartridge is proprietary and close variation of the .500 Jeffery which uses the same loading data. It is basically a .500 Jeffery with increased diameter rim (not as severly rebated) the size of a .416 Rigby, combined with a .15” longer case length with resultant longer neck and a slightly sharper shoulder angle. The lengthened cartridge case was apparently done to make the loaded round function better in the magnum length CZ magazine while the .5” neck may better support the bullets. I will be interested to compare the two cartridges in person.

Brass and dies were no problem, Wayne/AHR has the “unobtanium” brass at a very “normal” price and dies are on the way from CH4D.
The rifle and cartridge use the .500 Jeffery standard .510 diameter bullets in typical standard weights.

Pictures? I am totally defeated by the self immolation of PhotoBucket and have not yet been able to break the code on posting photos from other hosting services. Maybe some day......or I can enlist someone to help out.

Once I actually have the rifle in posession, and get some ammo loaded to test, I will post further results.
- Mike