Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Express Rifles and Big Bores Only Your thoughts on owning a 50 BMG?

.....Well that`s true. Gotta have some place to take it.

The concussion is amazing. Mine does not have a clamshell style brake, it is more like a vias with holes in every direction. I shot it in my shooting room and it burst the florescent bulbs. Looked like it was raining glass. They are a hoot to shoot if yo have plenty of room.

Range near me lets me shoot my M82 Barrett. I hate ranges though, only went there to sight it in due to a new scope. Normally I shoot it at a MINIMUM of 600 yards. Also like to shoot at a rock mountain 1.5 miles distant, and watch the incendiaries explode. Now THAT is a hoot!! You can see the huge fireball and hear it hit a few seconds later. If I wasn't able to shoot it in wide open spaces on BLM desert land here in AZ, I probably wouldn't own it.

And BTW: If you're not loading match quality ammo, one can reload the .50 for about $1.10/round. Found a place that has pulled military bullets for 40 cents each, primers are about .25 cents, and for powder, WC872 or WC867 ball powder (new) is $50 for 8 pounds at Wideners (online); about 220-230 grains = about 30 loads per pound times 8 pounds = 240 rounds for $50 = about 25 cents a load. All this adds up to $1.10 per shot + my time. Not too bad when you consider that some premium bullets for lesser calibers are $1.10 each!

How many brush fires have you started with the incendiaries?

Zero.

Correction to my earlier post....Wideners just lowered the price today on an 8 pound keg of new ball powder to $39.99...so figure right at $1.00 a shot for .50 BMG!! Try that with your 338 Lapua or 416 Barrett!!

The .50 is a lot of fun. I've always enjoyed shooting .50's that belonged to other people, or to Uncle Sam.

Thought about buying one for maybe 30 seconds and decided it wasn't for me. Just don't have a practical use for it. I'm stretching things enough owning a .375 that I really don't need.

If you want it for fun, buy it. They are tremendous fun to shoot. All your shooting buddies will enjoy playing with your big .50 rifle...

I would get a long range .338 magnum custom. Like a 338 ultra,338 Lapua,338 edge,338-378 much more useful and extremely effective.

Since when was having a practical reason a requirement? That blast and concussion is the sound of Freedom!

"I think that every home in America should have a paperless Barret model 82 semi auto 50BMG, but that is another topic for another forum...." - Bingo!

One of the Canadian snipers in Afghanistan compared it (as any Canadian would) with "being cross-checked" - in the neck - from behind - while you are trying to concentrate.

I loved that description.

Seriously, if you asked a bunch of people that don't own a Lamborghini whether or not you should own one, then you are going to get a bunch of responses that explain why they don't. Go ask a bunch of people that own one.

If you have a place to shoot it and the money to feed it, give it a try. Nice 50s are easy to motor when you are done when shopped in the right places.

Boatboy, I own a barrette m107 50 with lupy and the boors. Ihave a place to shoot out to 1200 yards.....it's a blast...like any gun setup and cleaning are nessary....if you can afford it buy it ...I would only buy a barrette...just because it will hold it's value.....my next is going to be an m 82 in 416 ........

Buy one

The only .50 that would interest me would be a "Ma Deuce" belt fed! And yes, I would love to own one!

Since when does every toy need to make sense? If it did, Chevrolet would never have sold their first Corvette.

Buy it, have fun. If you don't keep it forever, sell it. Its all about the experience.

So, with that mindset, I just got my first .50 BMG. It arrives shortly. Can't wait. Fortunately, my property in PA has a few spots where I can shoot 1 mile +.

Does it make sense? Only in MY mind.

Remember, the man who dies with the most toys WINS!!!!!!! (or at least he had a little fun along the way)

:-)

To anybody that knows, I need to put a scope on my new .50 BMG. Given I don't know if I will even keep this thing, I want to start out a little "lean" with the costs. Question is, is there an inexpensive scope that I can use as a starter? Also, I will be shooting at ranges close to a mile away with this thing. What magnification do I need? Should it be a variable or are they more prone to problems with this sort of recoil?

Thanks. Learning here.

I have on my M82 Barrett a Super Sniper scope. I had the 10x first, then went to a 20x. I think I prefer the 10x actually. They also make a 16x, I may try that one. These scopes are well made for the $300-350 that they cost. For what I use my 50 for, this is all the scope I'll ever need (I'm not playing ninja sniper or anything like that). Here's the website where to buy them: http://swfa.com/SWFA-SS-Rifle-Scopes-C187.aspx

And besides we still got Dictators out need shootin'!

i double that