50BMG Suggestions

[tradertator]

I have wanted to join the "big boy" club for quite some time now, but am not quite sure where to start. I want a bolt action, single shot, with the best bang for my buck. My eye is currently on the Armalite AR-50, but the Barrett M99 looks like a great option as well. Any suggestions, and real world experience would be greatly appreciated. Thanks .

 

[50bmgshooter]

Armalite would be an excellent choice. I've shot two of them and they are "easy" on recoil and very accurate. The only drawback on them is the brake design. The Tylenol that comes with them.....you'd probably need it. The M99 I have no personal experience with. Heard good things though. But for the price of the 99, or the 99 kit, you can have the AR50 and money left over for a great scope.

 

[kickbacked]

i have no experience with 50 bmg but after looking around i think serbu bfg 50 is the cheapest out there price wise and its bolt action. But i have no clue how well they shoot or are made.

 

[TREETOP]

Have you considered a BOHICA Arms .50BMG upper for an AR? It's single shot and bolt action. I think that would be the best bang for the buck especially if you already have an AR lower.

[edit:] There are other companies making.50 uppers also, I mention the BOHICA specifically because when I was considering a .50 it was the cheapest and looked like a good quality product.

 

[shibumiseeker]

I have owned an AR-50, and a Bohica Mk III, and I currently have an LAR Grizzly and a Ferret-50.

The AR-50 wins hands down when it comes to accuracy over the Barret M99. They can also be had used for as low as $2500 if you shop around for a while. The downside is that the AR-50 is a monster to transport. Part of the reason it is mild recoiling is because of the fact it weighs a lot. When I brought mine home it filled the bed of my compact truck. Because the brake is so efficient, it directs a lot of energy from the brake to the shooter and I always felt like I'd been slapped in the face.

With upper based guns like the two below, you can customize the lower and trigger assembly to your heart's content. Both of mine were 29 and 30" respectively.

The Bohica is your best value for the money, with a cheap lower and buying the upper used you can get by with as little as about $1200-1400 for the complete gun. New upper and lower you can do $1400-$1600. These have decent accuracy and are starting to win some matches.

The Ferret-50 is great quality. Hands down fit and finish is better than the Bohica. The bolt is smooth.

The LAR-Grizzly is the most compact .50 you can get that still has a 36" barrel. It's recoil is about the same as the others, because it also weighs a bunch. Accuracy is decent and used guns can be had as low as $1600.


A note on buying used: Very, very few people shoot out a barrel on a .50, barrel life is excellent. I've been shooting .50bmg for five years now and I've shot about 1500 rounds total out of the four guns I own/owned.

 

[chraland51]

Years ago there used to be a company in Utah called Maadi Griffin who made 50BMG single shots in different configurations. I read an article where their product would put 11 shots into a 22 inch ring at 2000 yards out on the salt flats. The BATF hounded the heck out of them since they did not like the growing popularity of the 50cal and it made the job of the secret service much more difficult since it more than doubled the radius that they had to try and secure over a .30-'06 or .308. I almost bought one of them years ago but did not because I could not find any place nearby that would give me the kind of range that was necessary to shoot such a gun. Going to Atterbury and taking shots at 100 yards would have been a waste of my time and money. I might just check to see if they are still around. There used to be an ATN scope that was built specifically for the 50 cal.

 

[chraland51]

The Maadi Griffins looked very much like the Grizzlys that came out later. They might have been the same company.

 

[Mordred]

Id go with the McMillan TAC-50. It has the longest recorded confirmed kill in Afghanistan...1 1/2 mile.
McMillan TAC-50, McMillan 50 Caliber, 50 Cal Sniper Rifle

 

[tradertator]

Glad to hear you guys say the Armalite would be a decent choice. Weight and bulk are not going to be a problem for the kind of shooting I have planned. The price point is low enough that I could still purchase some decent quality glass, such as a Leupold Mark 4 6.8X20.