27 replies to this topic

[YARP]

Well just bought a house, why not blow some more dough! I'm looking for a decently priced .50BMG, preferably not something that you throw on an AR lower (not a big AR fan, don't own one, don't intend to). I'd prefer bolt action over semi auto.
my biggest problem is finding a few to shoot before I buy to formulate an opinion/feel.
So what's your 2 cents?

[TonyRumore]

I owned a Aramlite AR50 for a few years. The muzzle brake threw so much shit rearward I was always trying to get the debri out of my eyes. I would pass on it.
I have also fired a Serbu 50, LAR Grizzly 50, and Barrett 82A1. The Grizzly is just a complete pain in the ass to load. The 82A1 was cool, but I shoot left handed and those big ass cases would graze the side of my face coming out of there. The Serbu by far, was the most accomodating to shoot. Light enough to fire it offhand. If it wasn't so damn ugly, I would own one.

Tony

[ram123]

If I would buy one I would be leaning toward the BA-50. I almost bought one when Cobb was still making them on his own. Cobb is now with bushmaster.

[TR Young]

...The Serbu by far, was the most accomodating to shoot. Light enough to fire it offhand. If it wasn't so damn ugly, I would own one...

Boy, you aren't kiddin', Tony. Just looked up some images on the Serbu.... That's one utilitarian firearm.

[stansplace]

Barrett M95.... Done.

[KrisFox]

If you already have an AR you can pick one of these up for less than $1300.



It is considered by the ATF to be just an upper so no FFL transfer required. You can have it shipped right to your door.

[GeorgiaPD]

Yarp,

I currently own the Armalite AR50 right now and have owned a few of the others mentioned in the past. I love my Armalite, but will second what Mr. Rumore mentioned above about the back blast from the muzzle brake. You do get used to it, but definately need glasses on when you pull the trigger. Buy the one that you want and have a blast with it...Literally

[Arik]

How about the EAA Yugo Black Arrow. Bolt action (mauser) 5 shot mag and I think they come with the Zrak scope. Never owned one or even shot a .50 but these look cool and is something different. I have seen a few popping up at gun shows. Around $7k. If I had the money I'd grab one.

Edited by Arik, 17 December 2009 - 12:24 PM.

[chevymann]

I have a 82A1 and love it. It was purchsed as an investment that I get to shoot. I recomend shooting glasses with it as well... Might get a M95 one day.

[YARP]

Tony-with the Serbu can you cycle the bolt back without moving your whole face?
Ram123-The BA 50 is nice I've shot one, I however can't afford the starting price of $4200.00 (no scope, or bipod included in that price).
KrisFox-Then I'd have to go against my AR platform hating religion!!!! LOL! Just kidding!
Arik and Stansplace I'd love to have a Barret or a yugo black arrow, but again that price tag is HEFTY.
GeorgiaPD-how much did you get your whole setup for?
Does anyone know anything about the Vulcan .50 BMG?

[superA]

If you already have an AR you can pick one of these up for less than $1300.



It is considered by the ATF to be just an upper so no FFL transfer required. You can have it shipped right to your door.

Who makes that beast?

[YARP]

If you already have an AR you can pick one of these up for less than $1300.



It is considered by the ATF to be just an upper so no FFL transfer required. You can have it shipped right to your door.

Who makes that beast?

Bohica.

It looks like this may be my cheapest option, after reading about Vulcan/Hesse I'm not sure if that's a very safe route.

[patriot]

Run AWAY from Hesse/Vulcan. They are BANNED from FCSA sanctioned matches for being an unsafe product. One blew its bolt out the back of the gun at a Reade Range match in PA. NASTY piece of trash!

Don't forget Spider Firearms Ferret50. Lots of matches have been won with it, and the price is in line with the rest. Recoil isn't an issue with it. More of a big push than anything else. Ferret50.com
Tell Dave I sent you. He's a stand-up guy and is on the Fifty Caliber Shooters Association Board Of Directors.

Edited by patriot, 17 December 2009 - 07:20 PM.

[evildog69]

I've got a bohica 50 upper and yes it's on a AR platform but for the price you can't beat it. You can order one straight from Bohica with their billet lower and scope and rear stock for $1795. Or just get the upper for AR lower for under $1300. It's not a barrett but it's a blast to shoot. Just make sure you reload because it's cheaper shooting.

[YARP]

Evildog what kind of accuracy do you get out of your Bohica upper? There are a ton for sale at the moment so the price is right, just want to know more about it. I do reload by the way, but I would probably set up a second station for .50BMG.

[evildog69]

I've got a Lee 50bmg press kit and it works good. I used a laser site shell to dial in the scope but the batteries went out on me. So i had to do it the old fashon way. I've only shot it at the 100 meter range where we shoot but it would do inch groups. Even with my shaky hands. LOL
Seriously i don't think you would be disappointed. I will say this though if you order direct from Bohica the shipping times can be off at times. But the guy was good to deal with when i had any questions. If you look around online you can find good deals on them were guys are needing money. Seen some go $1000 for the upper.

[evildog69]

Here's a pic of mine

Attached Files

•  100_0689.jpg   1.24MB   5 downloads

[YARP]

I've got a Lee 50bmg press kit and it works good. I used a laser site shell to dial in the scope but the batteries went out on me. So i had to do it the old fashon way. I've only shot it at the 100 meter range where we shoot but it would do inch groups. Even with my shaky hands. LOL
Seriously i don't think you would be disappointed. I will say this though if you order direct from Bohica the shipping times can be off at times. But the guy was good to deal with when i had any questions. If you look around online you can find good deals on them were guys are needing money. Seen some go $1000 for the upper.

$1000.00 bucks ain't to shabby, I guess I'll finally have to buy an AR.....damn

[YARP]

Here's a pic of mine

Every time I see a pic like that the only line I can think of is "run bitch, run!" LOL!

[Banshee]

I have an AMAC. It is a early 80s single shot bolt action, but it shoots great. I am still tinkering with the loads, but at the moment I am getting 1.00 groups at 200yds. I believe I can tighten it up a little more

[patriot]

You'll find that most of the time groups don't tighten up until several hundred yards due to bullet stabilization. Mine shoots smaller MOA @ 500yds than it does @ 200yds. Great fun. It's a hoot to blast groundhogs by shooting a little under them or a bit short and letting the impact blow them up in the air and scatter them all over the place.

Wanna see something impressive? Fill a 5gal bucket w/water. Shoot w/50BMG. Try to find pieces of the bucket. It looks like someone filled it full of explosives and blew it up.

Edited by patriot, 18 December 2009 - 09:31 PM.

[KrisFox]

I've got a Lee 50bmg press kit and it works good. I used a laser site shell to dial in the scope but the batteries went out on me. So i had to do it the old fashon way. I've only shot it at the 100 meter range where we shoot but it would do inch groups. Even with my shaky hands. LOL
Seriously i don't think you would be disappointed. I will say this though if you order direct from Bohica the shipping times can be off at times. But the guy was good to deal with when i had any questions. If you look around online you can find good deals on them were guys are needing money. Seen some go $1000 for the upper.

$1000.00 bucks ain't to shabby, I guess I'll finally have to buy an AR.....damn

I have a spare lower that's complete with internals, it has an M4 stock but I think I have an A2 stock lying around I could install.

I'm headed to Montana tell the 12th Jan. If your interested I can have Cobra76two take pics. Shoot me an IM.

[Cobra 76 two]

If you already have an AR you can pick one of these up for less than $1300.



It is considered by the ATF to be just an upper so no FFL transfer required. You can have it shipped right to your door.

Well SHIT man! Maybe that's what I need to do with one of my Bushmaster lowers?

You say you aren't comin back this way til after MT?

[KEA]

I have two 50BMG and they both are great shooters. A 36" fluted Bohica and a 24" fluted Bohica. (www.bohicaarms.com)

I am keeping 1" groups at 300 yards. Still working on getting the 1000 yard range set up.

[-Indy-]

Does anyone know anything about the Vulcan .50 BMG?

Well, contrary to what EVERYONE else on the planet thinks, I must have THE ONE and ONLY Vulcan 50 bmg thats worth a damn... I paid about $1700 for it... pics are here in my gallery pages... I have had it since early 2006 and have been shooting it ( multiple hundreds of rounds ) without incident until just this past October.

http://forum.saiga-12.com/index.php?app=gallery&module=user&user=721&do=view_album&album=44&sort_key=idate&order_key=DESC&prune_key=*&st=25

The first thing I did with it when I got it, was to replace the trigger... I swear it came from the factory with about a 10 pound trigger... that was unacceptable. ( and from what I read here and there, QUITE often on MANY VERY expensive rifles, a trigger job is the VERY first mod the new owner will perform, straight out of the box from the factory! ) I put a Mauser 98 Timney in it, 5 minutes more than JUST a drop in fit... I had to dremel a TINY amount of the stock out of the way at the rear of the trigger to allow for the Timney to have proper clearance to fit. It now has an adjustable trigger set at about 2 pounds. It is super crisp and very nice. I have run hundreds of rounds through it without ANY problems at all... until just recently... I have been reloading for it for a long time... and I can only think its from the newer "arsenal" primers I have been reloading with lately... instead of the standard CCI 35's... it blew a hole through the rear of the primer, and caused the firing pin spring to overcompress. I had to replace the spring. Cost me $40.00 at the gunsmith. Plus $8.00 for a replacement spring. ( which I might add was WAY BEEFIER than the original spring it came with!! ) They checked the rifle over otherwise, and gave it a clean bill of health!!

bitching about firing pin spring... plus bolt pics...

http://forum.saiga-12.com/index.php?showtopic=46215

Mine will put cloverleaf holes at 100 yards with talon, and my own reloads. I have yet to shoot for groups at any further distance, but this summer I plan to work it out to 8 or 9 hundred yards... just to see what it can do with my reloads...

The Hesse rifle that had a bolt blow out the back was one of the VERY FIRST models with an "interrupted" threaded bolt design... Yes, those WERE junk... The models nowadays have a 3 lug 60 degree throw bolt. It isnt blowing out.

There are pics of the bolt in my thread bitching about how my rifle turned into a club... LOL ...

I dunno... maybe I am biased that I own one and I hate to think I bought a lemon... but other than the spring mishap... it has shot MANY hundreds of rounds flawlessly and quite accurately!!

Wanna see something impressive? Fill a 5gal bucket w/water. Shoot w/50BMG. Try to find pieces of the bucket. It looks like someone filled it full of explosives and blew it up.

I would like to know WHAT SPECIFIC ammo you were using to do that... and at what range... Cause I tried it... using the FMJ ball ammo... at 100 yards... it lifted the bucket 3 feet in the air, Flipped it upside down onto the lid, and water peed out the two HALF INCH holes from the bullet entering and exiting UNFAZED!!!

Maybe I need to try it with a Hornady AMAX... That might give us a little better bang but a lot more BUCK! LOL


With all that said... would I recommend another one to someone?? Well... if they got one like mine... absolutely! Especially for the price... I love the thumbhole stock, It has a very functional brake, and recoil pad... It is truly a pleasure to shoot... I can load and fire as fast as I want at the range without any physical incident... no bruises, no pain, no dislocated shoulder... LOL You could honestly shoot it as long as you want to keep feeding it!!
My mossberg 12 gauge kicks WAY harder with slugs than this does! Its more of a firm push than a PUNCH. Shoot a Ruger number 1 in .416 Remington Magnum... Talk about PUNCH!!!! YOWZERS! This is a pussycat compared to the recoil of the Ruger in .416!!

[patriot]

Indy:

To blow bucket to shreds:
0: I used a 50 Spotter round. A .510 round nose should work good too.
1: Fill bucket completely with water, fasten lid.
2. Invert bucket.
3. Shoot bucket just above the rim.
4. Watch hydrostatic shock shred the bucket and rocket the bucket pieces up in the air.
5: Giggle like a maniac.

[-Indy-]

OK!!! Cause when I did it the result was far from spectacular... I was impressed... it had the kinetic energy to lift 40 pounds of water 3 feet in the air!! That's not too shabby... But none of the shrapnelesque boomage you got to enjoy! I still think I should try it with Hornady AMAX's...

[patriot]

OK!!! Cause when I did it the result was far from spectacular... I was impressed... it had the kinetic energy to lift 40 pounds of water 3 feet in the air!! That's not too shabby... But none of the shrapnelesque boomage you got to enjoy! I still think I should try it with Hornady AMAX's...

You should try shooting a 15gal polyethelyne drum full of water. The drum bounces up in the air too!
A guy up here makes his own bullets using 7mm mag casings swaged down to a point filled with fine lead shot. They'd do a great job too. Corbin makes the dies.
He shoots groundhogs with them.

Edited by patriot, 29 December 2009 - 08:58 PM.