I use the 325 gr. Speer JHP in my .50 AE Mdl. 83, and like it. I fiddled with the taper crimp a great deal and experimented with a number of loads, to find one which was very accurate and where there was no appreciable bullet back-out. The 325 Speer @ 1100-1150 fps works very well on large hogs, and similar sized animals.
While it is true that no crimp groove is needed with the taper crimp dies, the .50 AE case is tapered, which gives a taper crimping surface that is less than what it would be if the case was straight (like a .45 ACP) and not tapered. This inability to get a good heavy crimp to enhance accuracy and prevent bullet back-out with heavy loads is the very reason that the .500 WE was developed by FA. It MAY be the case that your semi-auto loads will do not do well in your FA. I hope they do. It MAY be the case that you will have to develop lighter loads for best accuracy and to prevent bullet back-out. If so, keep at it, and also return the gun to FA for the .500 WE cylinder. All of this will be well worth the effort and cost.
If you're an HHI member, and keep old copies of THE SIXGUNNER, you can refer back to my articles on the .50 AE and .500 WE (April 2003, Aug. 2003, and Dec. 2005) for load development info, etc.
