416 Barrett versus the 50BMG

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Matt304

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416 cal, 400 grains at 3250FPS sounds like good numbers to my ears. A ballistic coefficient equal to the highest of 50BMG bullets, and flight times which are less. That also caught my attention.

I thought I was purchasing a 50BMG, now the other side of me wants a 416 Barrett chambering. For range use out at 800-1500 yards, it just sounds like the better choice.

What are your opinions on this new cartridge?

416-Barret+50-BMG-stehend.jpg
 
Sounds good to me. I think the .50 BMG really became accepted as a sniper cartridge just because it was the biggest common cartridge that was still legal for civilians. It was designed as a machinegun cartridge however and it has obvious disadvantages as a sniper cartridge.
 
I suppose the right question here is "are you capable of shooting 800-1500yds?". If you have the ability to do so then the .416 would offer an advantage. If you're someone that couldn't hit a pop can at 100yds but are infatuated with the idea of having a gun that can shoot 800-1500yds then buy the .50 since ammo will be cheaper
 
Kingjoey, the answer to that question is yes. I live on a range, and my entire freetime revolves around reloading and range practice from the bench. I shoot nearly everyday. I would like to finally get serious at 1000 yards with a serious gun and cartridge.
 
A better explanation...

The 416 drops about 70 inches less at 1000 yards...gets there in just a tick over 1 second (1/4 of a second faster than the 50) and only loses 855 fps in the process....whats not to love?
 
I think the .50 BMG really became accepted as a sniper cartridge just because it was the biggest common cartridge that was still legal for civilians.
Click to expand...

Because of all the civilian snipers, the military adopted it?

It was designed as a machinegun cartridge however and it has obvious disadvantages as a sniper cartridge.
Click to expand...

It might have been designed for machinegunning nearly a century ago, but it has held the distance sniping record for the last 40 years.
 
I think the guy meant
"Don't forget, Barrett designed the 50 to take out hard targets too." -
He meant the RIFLE Barrett sells.
Both calibers sound great to me.
I can't decide to part with that much $$ and deal with the backlash at the house, or just forget about it.
 
Because of all the civilian snipers, the military adopted it?
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No, the military adopted it because civilian target shooters had already developed the concept of .50 BMG long-range rifles in the 1980's (sort of a COTS thing). Barrett didn't invent .50 BMG long-range rifles; they jumped into an already established market, albeit one not yet mature, and went with the caliber that was already filling that niche.

If I were in the market for a big-bore, long-range rifle, I'd lean toward the .416 Barrett or possibly .408 Cheytac. The .416 recoils less than the .50 as well, I'd think.
 
Ahh yes, the wonderful .416 with its load options of, lessee, 400gr ball, and.... 400gr ball. Yup, plenty of choices to choose from there.
 
Is that the one that's still supersonic at 2000m? Sounds like a pretty nice round and I hope it sticks around. One advantage of the .50 is that it's established and available.

Will this round still shoot down commercial airliners, shoot through a tank (from a mile away), knock a chemical railcar off the tracks, and vaporize a deer? That's what's really imporant! :neener:
 
I've been doing some research on the .416 lately, for a possibly upcoming project.

Here's the comparative data:
Code: 
_Bullet_           _BC_ _MV_         0     400     800    1200    1600    2000 | YARDS
408               1.150 2750 >    0.00    3.77   15.80   37.33   69.84  115.14 | wind (inches)
416               0.943 3250 >    0.00    3.66   15.42   36.74   69.34  115.42 | wind (inches)
416 Light         0.943 3050 >    0.00    3.99   16.89   40.31   76.25  127.21 | wind (inches)
50BMG             1.050 2700 >    0.00    4.26   17.93   42.61   80.22  133.02 | wind (inches)
338LM LH          0.869 3000 >    0.00    4.46   18.99   45.58   86.79  145.78 | wind (inches)
338LM 300SMK      0.77* 2725 >    0.00    5.85   25.21   61.49  119.01  201.29 | wind (inches)
338LM 250SCNR     0.675 2950 >    0.00    6.00   26.03   63.90  124.63  212.63 | wind (inches)
7RM 180           0.684 2900 >    0.00    6.06   26.28   64.47  125.58  213.79 | wind (inches)
308 155           0.508 2900 >    0.00    8.39   37.54   95.45  189.56  317.52 | wind (inches)

408               1.150 2750 >   -0.00    1.66    4.70    8.24   12.34   17.12 | drop (mil)
416               0.943 3250 >   -0.00    1.09    3.31    5.96    9.12   12.90 | drop (mil)
416 Light         0.943 3050 >   -0.00    1.29    3.84    6.89   10.53   14.92 | drop (mil)
50BMG             1.050 2700 >   -0.00    1.76    4.98    8.79   13.28   18.62 | drop (mil)
338LM LH          0.869 3000 >   -0.00    1.37    4.06    7.35   11.34   16.25 | drop (mil)
338LM 300SMK      0.77* 2725 >   -0.00    1.79    5.23    9.58   15.10   22.19 | drop (mil)
338LM 250SCNR     0.675 2950 >   -0.00    1.49    4.51    8.44   13.56   20.34 | drop (mil)
7RM 180           0.684 2900 >   -0.00    1.55    4.68    8.72   13.99   20.93 | drop (mil)
308 155           0.508 2900 >   -0.00    1.65    5.20   10.29   17.65   28.01 | drop (mil)

408               1.150 2750 >    2750    2499    2262    2040    1831    1637 | velocity (fps)
416               0.943 3250 >    3250    2914    2599    2305    2033    1781 | velocity (fps)
416 Light         0.943 3050 >    3050    2727    2424    2143    1883    1642 | velocity (fps)
50BMG             1.050 2700 >    2700    2429    2175    1938    1717    1518 | velocity (fps)
338LM LH          0.869 3000 >    3000    2653    2332    2035    1762    1518 | velocity (fps)
338LM 300SMK      0.77* 2725 >    2725    2357    2018    1708    1439    1226 | velocity (fps)
338LM 250SCNR     0.675 2950 >    2950    2512    2116    1760    1454    1217 | velocity (fps)
7RM 180           0.684 2900 >    2900    2472    2085    1737    1438    1209 | velocity (fps)
308 155           0.508 2900 >    2900    2334    1840    1428    1141     988 | velocity (fps)

408               1.150 2750 >    0.04   -0.16   -0.41   -0.71   -1.08   -1.55 | drop per yard (inches)
416               0.943 3250 >    0.04   -0.11   -0.29   -0.53   -0.82   -1.21 | drop per yard (inches)
416 Light         0.943 3050 >    0.04   -0.13   -0.34   -0.61   -0.95   -1.40 | drop per yard (inches)
50BMG             1.050 2700 >    0.04   -0.17   -0.43   -0.76   -1.18   -1.72 | drop per yard (inches)
338LM LH          0.869 3000 >    0.04   -0.14   -0.36   -0.65   -1.04   -1.57 | drop per yard (inches)
338LM 300SMK      0.77* 2725 >    0.04   -0.17   -0.47   -0.87   -1.44   -2.24 | drop per yard (inches)
338LM 250SCNR     0.675 2950 >    0.04   -0.15   -0.41   -0.79   -1.33   -2.13 | drop per yard (inches)
7RM 180           0.684 2900 >    0.04   -0.15   -0.42   -0.81   -1.37   -2.18 | drop per yard (inches)
308 155           0.508 2900 >    0.04   -0.17   -0.49   -1.03   -1.90   -3.16 | drop per yard (inches)

Over on SnipersHide, there was an anecdote about some extreme long-range shooters not seeing the expected performance from the .416. I don't know if this was a shooter skill, platform (rifle), ammunition, or cartridge issue-- or if it was exaggerated.

What makes the .416 appealing to me is that it drops right into any .50 BMG rifle with a barrel change. That is potentially a lot cheaper and less overall investment than having to build up a dedicated rifle for the caliber.

Bullets are available from Lehigh, with improvements on the Barrett bullet. Right now brass is not available separately from the Barrett loaded ammo, but it's supposed to be available later this year I believe. 50BMG powders should work, but they might not give the "best" velocities vs. custom powders used by ammunition manufacturers. Losing a couple hundred fps from a 3300 fps load is not a big deal.

Assuming you can get an accurate gun and you're up to it, the external ballistics from the computer data certainly support that the .416 has a lot of potential.

With regard to application-- it's even more specialized and expensive than both .50BMG and .338 Lapua. If you want a big caliber blaster, get the .50. There are extremely few shooters who have the opportunity to take advantage of a caliber competent at 1500 yards (like the 338LM) let alone 2000 yards (the 416). So my advice is to carefully weigh the benefits you'll get vs. the cost. We're talking at least 2x the cost of 338LM, probably closer to 4x, to reload match rounds in the .416 vs the 338LM.

I don't have any data on the .375-408, but some numbers I found indicate it might match the MVs of the .416 with a lighter bullet.

-z
 
Kingjoey, the answer to that question is yes. I live on a range, and my entire freetime revolves around reloading and range practice from the bench. I shoot nearly everyday. I would like to finally get serious at 1000 yards with a serious gun and cartridge.
Click to expand...

Good deal, the world is your oyster then :D You wouldn't believe how many phone calls we get from people complaining that the 300WM or 338 Lapua they bought won't hit the target at 800yds and how they think it needs a new barrel made for it. As much as I'm tempted to fleece the idiots it only takes a couple questions to figure out the problem isn't the gun :banghead:
 
Wes Janson:

Ahh yes, the wonderful .416 with its load options of, lessee, 400gr ball, and.... 400gr ball. Yup, plenty of choices to choose from there.
Click to expand...

Well, there isn't much to choose from, but how many bullet choices of extreme performance do you need?

There is the German MSG bullet also. 425 grains at a predicted 1.1 BC. http://www.lima-wiederladetechnik.de/10,57-mm/416-Barret.htm

Some interesting points have been brought up. I like the fact that if I start with the 416, and my interest for it dwindles, a BMG barrel is all I will need.

I have out to around 2000 yards on my land, and I plan to use every bit of that for practice. The ATV sure does make things a lot easier out there.
 
I have been watching the 416 v.s. 50 and I must say the 416 is an awesome round. Correct me if I'm wrong but 50 BMG was 1-2 dollars a few years ago but is now roughly 5 dollars per round for some good match grade stuff and the 416 is (with the little research I have done) about 5 dollars per round. So the cost is the same and if you are shooting far you are going to need the match grade stuff. From what I have heard the 416 stays supersonic to 2500 yards:what: the only thing I would be worried about is ammo avaliability
 
my God, look at the stats on the 408, see it only loses about 1100 fps, over 1000 yd distance??? Dudes, that is totally sick...
 
There are other calibers which will allow you to shoot 800-1000 yards competitively at a much cheaper price, and lower recoil.

But if your heart is set on a big boomer... so be it and more power to you.
 
I thought the 416 Barrett was the 50BMG necked down. If that is the case, and if you reload, ammo availability should not be an issue in deciding between the two. If you don’t reload, and can still afford to shoot one, then you can probably afford to shoot the other as well. Speaking of who invented what, I was under the impression that Barrett developed the 416 for the California market, since that state outlawed the 50. If so, way to go Barrett!
 
408 cheytac ammo "seconds" can be had for $3 per round, but you will definitely spend more on the rifle.
He meant the RIFLE Barrett sells.
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Either way he was incorrect. In what way could Barrett have possibly designed a rifle to take out hard targets?? He designed a rifle that fires a cartridge capable of taking out hard targets.

In any case, I vote a 50 bmg, before they get banned for good by Hussein Obama.
 
In any case, I vote a 50 bmg, before they get banned for good by Hussein Obama
Click to expand...

That is the other unfortunate point which I must think about. I hate to believe it's coming, but that moron does have me afraid.

As far as the 408 Chey Tac goes, I would never consider it. To me, the 416 blows the 408 out of the water. I mean, look at the powder capacity difference. Also, the 416 has bullets of the same 1.1 coefficient available, yet moving 500FPS faster. Not to mention that all BMG actions are compatible. The more I think about it, the better the 416 sounds. I think I will just get a BMG barrel with my 416 purchase, and voila - problem solved.
 
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