Thinking of buying 50 BMG

[dr_hunt]

Been wanting one for along time. Regulatory issues make me think that now is the time to buy one. I have a chance to buy a custom rifle built arount the Boyes anti-tank rifle rechambered to 50 BMG. It has a custom thumbhole stock and is basically a single shot rifle.

 

Any thoughts on the 50 BMG's?

[Z-TARD]

I've been thinking quite a bit about this as well. Now is definitely the time to buy one if you're serious about it. There are several reasons I haven't bought one yet. First is the initial cost, it's really difficult to find one for under $2000. Ammunition is also pretty expensive, mil surp goes for about $2 and up per round, and match grade stuff is normally around $5 or $6 per round. Reloading components are also pretty expensive, making it an expensive gun to shoot no matter how you do it. The weight of the gun is also an issue. I'd never shoot a 50 BMG off hand, but I'd like the option of doing so. My freind had an Armalite AR-50 that weighed 36 pounds. There was no way you could swing it up and shoulder it. Shooting had to be from either prone position, or benched. Accuracy from the same gun was fairly dissapointing when shooting surplus ammo as well. Finding a good solid scope for the 50 can be a problem, these things chew up $40 chinese scopes like Oprah chews up Twinkies.

 

There are also several reasons to forget about the cost, weight, and so-so accuracy of a BMG. The feeling of having a howitzer bark fire while sitting behind it is awesome (as long as it has an effective muzzle brake). Your eyes water, your nose runs and you feel slighlty disoriented after every shot. The only thing I've experienced that tops it is watching live fire exercises of a 5" gun on a destroyer from about 100 feet away. It's also really fun to have your freinds stand behind you and slightly to the side when firing. The muzzle brake directs the blast right at them, blowing off hats and sunglasses. The sound of a 50 is another selling point. The muzzle brake changes it from what is normally a large booming sound to something more metalic, like a huge gong being hit by a bus. People shooting on either side of you will normally pack up and leave after giving you dirty looks for a few minutes. Downrange performance is where the BMG really shines. I once had a friendly game of rock shooting with another friend of mine who's dad had the Barrett 1982A1. The rocks we were shooting at were determined by laser rangefinder to be 1100 yards away. We picked out a rock that was about 4 feet in diameter and started sighting in at it. My 300 win mag was raising little puffs of dust of the surface of it, up until the point when my friend finally got on target and split in half with the Barrett.

 

Heres some links to the ones I've been thining about getting:

http://www.safetyharborfirearms.com/

http://www.serbu.com/

http://ferret50.com/

http://www.watsonsweapons.com/50bolt.htm

 

Good luck with your purchase, let us know how it shoots.

 

Mike

[Guest Battle Pope]

Good heavens. If you have the means then I would say get one. There's nothing like it for civilian firearms.

[Forrest]

I have an AR50. Armalite did an amazing job. The first time I brought it out, a friend of mine got a 2.5" group at 900 yards. Unbelievable.

 

The thing that impressed me most about the AR50 was the muzzle brake. You literally cannot feel any sharp recoil - just a slight push on your shoulder. I was told to expect a "30-06" type recoil. After the first rounds, I realized I could shoot this thing like a .22lr - a 40lb .22lr, that is.

 

Last time I bought ammo, it wasn't that bad in bulk (200+ rds) - not cheap, but I think mine were about 1.65$ per, for commercially reloaded lake city stuff. If you want to shoot it often, it's probably best to get a press (has to be large enough to handle .50 cases) and load yourself. It will still be expensive, but you'll save quite a bit. Also, since I can hit dinner plates at 1000yds with every round of bulk surplus component reloaded ammo, I am scared to think about how precise it would be with some nice handloads.

 

This is definitely the most fun firearm in my collection. I don't have enough time to devote to shooting as a hobby anymore (my IPSC equipment is collecting dust) but I will never get rid of this thing.

 

About the scopes - I bought a Tasco "Super Sniper" 20x 30mm scope. Cheesy name, but incredibly solid. It was fairly inexpensive, around 300$ if I remember correctly. It is ".50bmg safe" according to Tasco, and I believe it, as it has survived quite a few rounds through it without even needing to be re-zeroed.

 

The one thing you need to consider before you buy it is this: do you have a place to shoot it? It's pointless to shoot it at anything under 500yds - and really, that's much too close.

 

Now, if only my cars held their investment value as well as my guns.

[dr_hunt]

The first time I heard a 50BMG firing was in Casper Wyoming, the sound was incredible and when I got there these guys were shooting a single shot 50 from a portable bench at prarie dogs. When they'd shoot it it would topple the bench, shooter gun and all. The guys had small sand bags behind the butt plate inbetween the gun and his shoulder. No way was I going to pull the trigger on that, but that was in the '80's. I'm into accuracy and long range shooting, although I do shoot IPSC matches with my .45/.400 Corbon switchbarrel 1911. An understatement is that I have and load alot of ammo and I'm sure that if anyone checked me I'd be branded an gun and ammo nut. I'd get a 50 kit from RCBS which is about $500, components are pretty cheap, although it is akin to shooting a weatherby with factory weatherby ammo. I don't expect to shoot it all that often, but I have a place to shoot big mondo elk that it would come in handy. Also in my back yard I have 4000 deeded acres which borders the NF and there isn't a ranch house for 10 miles in any direction. Outside my front door I have a steel shooting bench permanently mounted on a concrete slab with a surveyed 100 yard shooting range that has a big hill for a backstop, although shooting the 50 at 100 yards is like racing a v8 z about 60 feet.

 

I looked at the Barret and was impressed, but the Mcmillan and the Mcbros really seem to be more of what I'm looking for but they are pricey. The AR50 and that type of construction would be ok. Also I'm looking for the 8K to buy it, less if I get something else and wondering about finishing the turbo z and getting an engine back in the Monte.

 

So the dilemma is new custom turbo manifolds to get the TT into the z, 215 raised runner AFR heads 18 degree heads, 15 degree heads, 14 degree heads, dart block, 4 inch stroke crank, yada yada or 50 BMG.

 

If this Boyes rifle is cheap, like $1500 then I'll do it all. From what I can tell, these sell on the internet for anywhere from $1000 to $2500 if they are original and have the box fed 10 round magazine. This one is "customized" and is single shot, weighs around 30+ lbs, so I'm going to lowball this guy as best I can.

 

From what I can tell, you really don't want to shoot a 50BMG offhand from the shoulder, cause if the bad guy is that close it's kind of like a hand grenade, you just have to get close and if he's on the other side of the car or house, it's no biggie!

[PUSHER]

Now is definitely the time to buy one if you're serious about it.

 

Not trying to start an arguement but just wondering why you said that. Is it because prices have come down on them and they are good deals right now? Or is it because you never know when you need to protect your home by hitting a target from 900 yards away?

[JMortensen]

Not trying to start an arguement but just wondering why you said that. Is it because prices have come down on them and they are good deals right now? Or is it because you never know when you need to protect your home by hitting a target from 900 yards away?

Because they're trying to make the 50 cal illegal. That's too much power for the "untrained" citizen to handle...

[wpnmkr]

I,ve worked on a few Boyes. They were a Veitnam era conversion to .50 BMG and used a top clip with off set sights. At 47 lbs These were no lightweights but the reach on these type guns is outstanding even with open sights. I would buy it in a heartbeat! The Boyes action is very strong and well suited to the 50 BMG.

[Z-TARD]

I never really considered shooting one off the shoulder until I looked at the test fire video on the Safety Harbor Firearms website. Theirs weighs 14 pounds, and the muzzle brake looks quite effective in the video.

 

I can also attest to the effectivenes of the brake on the Armalite gun. After shooting several rounds through my friends, I decided to start shooting my 300 WM again. After getting used to the light recoil of the Armalite, the first round I shot in my remington sent the scrope crashing back into the bridge of my nose because I wasn't ready for the heavier recoil. The only thing I would change about the Armalite is the trigger pull. It was just a tad too heavy for my taste, but I seem to remember reading that trigger components for the AR-15 will also work in the AR-50. Match triggers are pretty easy to find for the AR-15.

[dr_hunt]

I have a 6.5x300 Weatherby mag built on a remington 700 action with a 30 inch hart barrel, jewel trigger, 6.5x20 leupold scope all fit into a HS precision stock. Shoots one hole groups that measure about .350 inch at 100 yards. It has a custom brake and hardly kicks at all, so I'm pleased to hear the info about the AR and the info from wpnmkr. I'll try to snatch that up if the price is right. I've seen pictures of the Boyes with the top magazine, this one is converted to single shot and has a scope mounted on the top like a normal rifle, so it's been heavily modified. It still has the original brake, but I think I'll opt for another custom brake instead as it looks like a pancake on the end of the barrel.

 

Pusher, it's that there are good deals, regs are certain to change and when I look out in my back yard, from the top of Baxter mountain, I can see for 90 miles in three directions (S, W, N) and not even see one town or city. I can hear the train at night that passes 9 miles away, I can see billions of stars on just about any given night. I have elk, deer, bear, coyotes and a host of other animals on my property. I can ride my horse all day and never cross a road. So, this is the definition of 50BMG country if there is such, besides, I want one, it's legal, so I'm going to get one. Oh, and driving too fast is illegal, so don't do it. And do as I say, not as I do. At least in reference to driving too fast!