A .50 BMG trip to the range, on video.

[Exposure]

Hey everyone-

Today was a rarity in Maine during January. It was 24 degrees F, clear skies, and no wind. There was only one thing to do, pack up and head to the range! When I got there the gate was chained, I had the place to myself! I knew this was going to be a good trip.

I had remounted the scope on my Barrett Model 99 and wanted to get that sighted in.

Using 647 grain ammunition I got the rifle grouping very well at 100 yards, then I broke out the spotter/tracer stuff for some plain old fun noise making!

Some points of interest:

Watch the rounds on the bench right in front of the spotting scope when I take the first shot at 19 seconds. That is the muzzle blast doing that!

When I am shooting at the three hundred yard line it is with the much heavier spotter/tracer rounds, they are 820 grains each! Hence there is a tremendous amount of bullet drop over the 647 grain stuff. The final round strikes the ground, bounces into the water tank I am shooting at, pops the spotter, and still makes a big puff of snow on the berm after going through the tank!

The spotter/tracer was just for fun. I had the rifle zeroed with the good ammo and wasn't going to adjust the scope for the heavier ammo, nor did I want to hold over the target for fear of putting a round over the berm.

I also had my K31 with me and shot what I consider some amazing groups with a 54 year old rifle, 25 year old ammunition, and my clumsy rifle skills. That is a story for another time though.

Enjoy the video!

 

[loki.fish]

How do you like that Barrett? Is it designed strictly to be shot right handed.....or can a lefty shoot it with no problems other than the bolt on the wrong side?


Do you wear any kind of gloves when you shoot in the cold? After I shoot a few rounds in below 40 weather, my hands are numb and I have to quit shooting for a while so I can feel the trigger.

 

[chrisslamar]

Mmmmmmmmmm Makes me want one. Great Vid btw

 

[Exposure]

loki.fish-

So far I love the Barrett. But it is still new to me. I have a lot of trigger time on a lot of different weapons but shoulder fired .50 BMG is still new to me. It is tough to say whether or not the love affair will wear off or not. Fit, finish, accuracy, and quality are all excellent on this firearm though.

As far as gloves go, in the video you can see me wearing some Nomex flight gloves. These are my usual gear when I go shooting in the cold. Everyone is different when it comes to the cold weather. I really don't mind it much. Some people can't stand it! I can only guess that I am lucky in that I don't mind going out in the cold to shoot. Or maybe I like shooting so much that I will forget about freezing for a while so that I can pop off a few rounds!

chrisslamar-

Thanks for the compliment. It is really flattering. I initially made the video to send to some friends who live far away from here. My wife saw it and said I should share it with other shooting enthusiasts. I guess she was right!

 

[accomplice]

That is a killer video. The recoil in that video looks so much milder than some M99 vids that I've seen. I just made a deal on the M99 package today. I can't wait to get it, especially after seeing that video.

Here she is (pic sent from the shop).

 

[Exposure]

accomplice-

Thanks for the compliment on the video. I think it is kind of boring actually! It seemed liked I never had the video camera running for the good stuff!

Your M99 is the spitting image of mine. The Bushnell optics are very nice but being only 10X leave a bit to be desired if you are going to shoot at the really long distances. 300 Yards is the farthest I have available locally so that scope is more than adequate.

The recoil on this rifle will surprise you. To me it feels about the same as a Mini 14 or SKS. The thing that will take your breath away though (pun intended) is the muzzle blast. This rifle will clear your sinuses, and that is not meant as a joke. You will understand when you finally get to touch yours off. The first time I ever shot this rifle there was a clay pigeon laying on the bench about two feet away from my muzzle brake. The blast shattered it! It was not intentional, only after the shot did I notice the pigeon gone from the bench and scattered across the floor. Maybe I should get some video of that!

Enjoy your rifle. It definitely is a lot of fun. Be prepared to be hammered at the range with questions, and request for trigger time!

 

[CrackerJim]

Last weekend I got to see one of these 50 cal bolt rifles in action. We have stations with a roof at the 200 yard range (longest available) which amplifies the firing noise. Couldn't imagine firing that from a sniper position in a small room (as seen on vid from Iraq).

However, the main issue is that muzzle blast. Funny, no one wanted the station next to the 50 . I stood behind to watch some shooting (we were spotting for him) but not at the quarter points to either side.

That's no joke about the sinuses. When I was 3 stations away, I could feel the pressure from the muzzle blast in my sinuses. My brother at two stations had a little head cold so was affected even more.

An impressive rifle to say the least.

Jim

 

[Remander]

We are planning a vacation to Maine in mid-June. Hope that snow is gone!

Looked like fun shooting.

 

[El Tejon]

Who can feel the cold when you are shooting!

Thanks for the video.

 

[pistol-packin-wifey]

Very cool video! Even so picturesque with the snow and all.
Boy i'd sure like to get my hands on a 50BMG.......maybe someday i'll be able to afford it

 

[CDignition]

Whenever one of these shows up at the range, I just cringe...the noise sideways behind the shooter is horrendous...

What kind of groups do you get at 300??