Any .50 BMG owners?

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Ironically... My father (before he passed away two years ago) found a deal on .50 BMG military ball ammo and bought 200 rounds of it. He never owned a .50 cal rifle but always planned to purchase one. now that I own the ammo, I would like to 'fulfill his dream' eventually and buy a Barrett.
 
I would look into the M95 instead, virtually identical but a repeating action. If I were to purchase one, that'd be it.

:)
 
I'm saving up for one right now. I'd like to get one of the East Ridge Gun Company Rebel series, and I've shot one of the Big Berthas. I was impressed with the quality of worksmanship and the accuracy the gun I fired showed. That, and the company is about an hour drive away from where I live.
 
Hatter, Try High Rock Range in Bethany CT.. I see them there all the time.
 
I wish! I've fired an AR-50 once, so I'm kinda partial to those. I'm sure any model of .50bmg rifle will bring many smiles. Be prepared to spend HUGE dollars on optics though, a WalMart scope ain't gonna cut it.

AR5003.jpg
 
Scopes not an issue, I never go cheap on glass. I actually have a long range Leupold Mark 4 waiting for a fifty. I've always liked the Barrett but I'll have to check out the other brands out there.
 
I have a soft spot for Serbu's single shot .50. http://www.serbu.com/top/bfg50.php
There was one in my local shop waiting for its owner to come love it dearly, I fondled her a bit. I'm definitely putting it on my list over a .50 BMG upper (unless I can find a side loading upper for an AR-15 that doesn't cost the same as a regular .50).
 
I built this one from maddi griffin plans. It was a lot more fun to shoot when ammo only cost $1 a shot.

attachment.php
 
I had an AR-50, left handed bolt, when i was living in Idaho. It was a lot of fun. We'd set up targets up high on ridges, and hike a few hours to the next mountain over, and then send rounds across the valley. Gallon jugs of water were great reactive targets. They are physically very big and heavy and loud; my shoulder could only take 10-20 shots at a session; and then the ammo cost... but nothing else goes those distances with that accuracy! (..well, maybe 20mm....)

I sold mine when i moved back East, because there's nowhere in CT I can find distance for one...and too much loot to have tied up in something without a use. I can't even find a range to see the full potential of my .243 -

Hatterasguy, I take it you don't want to be that guy on the 50-yd line knocking over the next shooters' bench, either? haha.

But i digress. Ryan, if you have the distance and the means, I highly recommend getting one. I'd also recommend a semi-auto, bracketing with a single shot is hard, and the semi's bolt will help with recoil a bit, as will a serious muzzle brake.

Good luck and enjoy!
 
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Hatter, Try High Rock Range in Bethany CT.. I see them there all the time.
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Oh yeah people shoot them their, just not me. For two reasons.

1. Shooting a .50 BMG into a stone wall at 50 yards just seems like a really bad idea. They must have some real nasty ricochet's!

2. Why by a long range rifle and only shoot it at 50 yards? Thats like buying a Ferrari and never shifting out of 2nd gear.


I'll buy a nice bolt gun, in a big caliber when I find a range that I can shoot out to at least 500 yards. Although 1k-1.5k would be better. Why buy the accuracy and power if your not going to use it?
 
I had an AR-50, left handed bolt, when i was living in Idaho. It was a lot of fun. We'd set up targets up high on ridges, and hike a few hours to the next mountain over, and then send rounds across the valley. Gallon jugs of water were great reactive targets. They are physically very big and heavy and loud; my shoulder could only take 10-20 shots at a session; and then the ammo cost... but nothing else goes those distances with that accuracy! (..well, maybe 20mm....)

I sold mine when i moved back East, because there's nowhere in CT I can find distance for one...and too much loot to have tied up in something without a use. I can't even find a range to see the full potential of my .243 -

Hatterasguy, I take it you don't want to be that guy on the 50-yd line knocking over the next shooters' bench, either? haha.
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Thats how your supposed to enjoy a high powered rifle! If we could shoot like that around here I would already own one. Around here 7.62 is pretty much a waste, 100 yards is really nothing, heck my K31's and FN49's minium sight adjustment is 100 yards. You can't get the potential out of anything much larger than a .22LR at that range. My 7.5 Swiss is like totaly wasted at that distance, thats why I never shoot it.

I'd love a Sako TRG42, or a Bravo 98...but why tie up $5k in a rifle that can hit targets a mile away when I can only take it out to 100 yards?
 
I've also got a State Arms (now East Ridge). If you're not dead set on the military type rifle, you can spend less and get more. IMHO. The 99's are listing for 4k on Gunbroker, so I'm going to assume that's the going rate. You could spend ~$2500 on a single shot from East Ridge, or Armalite, etc. then spend the rest on a Nightforce scope and come out with a fully rigged pkg for the same price that is just if not MORE accurate than the Barrett. If you've got the money to burn, and the Barrett is what you want, then knock yourself out. Just thought I'd throw out an alternative. :)
 
Here's a review of some of them

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article | Battle of the Budget .50 BMG Rifles extwh3.png


I've owned an M99. Sold it within a couple months. Accuracy was terrible and recoil was excessive (compared to other 50's).

In that price range, the ArmaLite AR-50 is hard to beat.
 
Ryan Williams do a search for them, there are a lot of us out there. You will find a picture or two on here from just about every manufacturer and set up possible.
 
I've owned an M99. Sold it within a couple months. Accuracy was terrible...
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That's interesting, no experience here, but I have heard that the M-99 and M-95 was the cream of the crop from Barrett, WRT accuracy.

:)
 
That was just my experience with the one rifle. The next 50 I had was a GAP / McMillan that was very accurate but had terrible "fit" due to the stock design.
 
That was just my experience with the one rifle.
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Still more than my own, so I won't dispute it.

The next 50 I had was a GAP / McMillan that was very accurate but had terrible "fit" due to the stock design.
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...after which you resolved to buy that fragile lump of steel from AI? :p Anything good to say about any of em'?

BTW, have you gotten the AI back yet? If so, what was the result...any serious damage/charge for repairs?

:)
 
Pretty much, yeah. I'll post the full details of the incident and results in the other thread, but the rifle is fine.

The AI rocks but is uber expensive. The ArmaLite AR-50 can be had for less than $3000. I won't say it is just as good, but it works and it is very "shootable."

-z
 
Glad everything worked out and you have your rifle back. Can't say I have any experience with the AR-50, but I did like the AR-30 in .338LM. I strongly considered purchasing one when I was looking for a LRPR, but in the end decided upon the bullpup goodness of the DTA-SRS instead (also opted for .300WM instead of .338LM, so I can even afford to shoot it).

:)
 
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