My .50BMG Experience

[HMTD Factory]

Couple monthes ago I had a chance to shoot
an AR-50 (bolt, single shot) at my local range. The experience, as I will tell, is in my hope to be a pointer for those who had never shot an .50BMG. I am not trying to make you like the caliber less, nor do I attempt to attract you into the cult.

It was a special event when every type of gun is welcome, except full-autos, so gun fans brought their arsenal and compare the size of muzzleblast due to (our) phallic nature.

Shotguns got topped off by .44mag, .44mag got topped off by .50AE Desert Eagle, .50AE got topped off by .300Win Mag, .300Win Mag got topped off by another guy that shot a strange wildcat caliber...

Then a guy came in with his AR-50. He would yell "EARS" before each time he fires.
Generously offered chances for everyone to "have a go at it", I gathered around the rifle, joining a group of wannabes.

When I was waiting for my go, I picked up a couple empty shotgun shells, and placed them
about 6 inches away from the muzzlebrake. I thought the shells would fall off the bench from the redirected blast, but they didn't.

The shells went STRAIGHT AT ME, they flew 4 meters before hitting me in the centerchest.
BLAST IT!!

The guy in front of me is now peering through the scope on the monster machine. My eyes were wide open to see how the target reacts to 13000ft-lb of muzzle energy. He shot, I didn't see. The gun didn't generate any flash(could be the effect of long barrel), but when the muzzlebrake-amplified shockwave pass through by face, I am blinded for a fraction of second though my eyes are good and wide open. Gave me a strange sensation a few seconds later, I didn't figure out if the sensation is "nausia" before the odd sensation is gone.

My turn had come, now the throne and the staff is under my command. I like to put my non-shooting hand under the buttstock of a rifle when I bench-shoot a rifle, that way I can adjust the elevation of the rifle by relaxing the hand or clenching it. I was going to lift the butt end so my hand can slip underneath it, it won't budge. Yes it actually would, my muscle just wasn't expected to lift a 34lb weight.

After ensuring every ear is well protected, I squeezed the trigger. The recoil is a large amount, but it came in like an SKS. The total amount of recoil had moved me, and the gun, back 2 feet away from original firing location.

"Not too bad, eh?" The owner of the AR-50 said to me, as he hammered the bolt up using his fist(I dunno if sticky bolt is a common phenomenon on .50BMG bolt-guns, so I can't comment anything) I asked if he needs the empty case (a boxer-primed) for re-loading, he said he doesn't reload. "It doesn't matter to me if it's only military ammo, I don't really need it to be accurate, I buy this rifle so I can have fun" he said.

"So I can have fun", good enough a reason in Canada. Since we don't have any organization or match dedicated to "the fifty" here, it's not a pity to have a .50BMG and not tweak it up a little.

The rifle cost 4500$CDN, while the ammo is estimated 2.50$CDN a pop.(could be less)

Currently the world record of 1000yard shooting is held by .50BMG rifle. It's capable of great long-range accuracy.

When it comes to destructive power, an experimenter once built several wooden shacks to simulate common houses. He found the projectile blasting through 6 houses! (not 6 pieces of wood.)

When it comes to reloading costs, everything is custom job. From press to dies, from primer(huge size) to bullets.

Though the rifle/caliber do not fit my shooting needs, nothing else can replace .50BMG for its competence.

[neo-crossbow]

Thanks for sharing! I too remember my first .50 BMG experiance. It won't ever be a vague memory that is for sure.

[Sausagemit]

In my home town of Alliance Nebraska they hold an annual .50 cal match. I have never had the opportunity to see it though and I am kicking myself everytime I miss it. It was just 3 weeks ago this year :(.

I have yet to even see a .50 BMG shoot even though a friends dad has one and we were going to go shoot it at the range in Alliance but it was raining like crazy the only day we had a chance :( .

Here is one of the best sources for .50 BMG information that I can find.
Including records and competition information.

http://www.fcsa.org

[randy803]

I recently saw a show about the Barret .50 shop and they have designed a new rifle for MILITARY use only in 25mm it looks just like the .50 they make but in 25mm. Its called the XM109 look here for details --

http://www.barrettrifles.com/military.htm

[Ekilo]

Not to nit-pick but the AR-50 is not a .50BMG

Browning
Machine
Gun

The AR-50 is chambered for the .50BMG round. This round was developed in around 1910 for the Browning Machine Gun.

This is the M2 .50cal Browning Machine Gun or .50BMG for short.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M2_machine_gun

Sorry to nit pick but I have experience with the M2 but none for the AR-50.

[ShadowMyGeekSpace]

The AR-50 is a .50BMG rifle, because .50BMG is the designation of the actual round it uses. If someone was talking about the M2, they would say the M2, as that is its designation.

[pmercer]

After ensuring every ear is well protected, I squeezed the trigger. The recoil is a large amount, but it came in like an SKS. The total amount of recoil had moved me, and the gun, back 2 feet away from original firing location.

I fired an AR50 in Feb but didn't find the recoil all that. Certainly no more than my .303 Lee Enfield.

I would have to agree with the blast coming back over your shoulders. As a shooter you don't notice it, but my friend who was over my right shoulder ended up on the floor. I did have to chuckle until it happened to me when he shot!!

As a comparison, I fired a .50 Barrett rifle (type escapes me) last year and it seemed a lot louder with slightly more recoil than the AR50.

[salbahis]

well perhaps all you guys have some good experience with .50BMG, this is a story from my Philippine Marine Brother

"during my first tour of duty in Mindanao, Philippines back at 2000, during mindanao conflict with the moro rebels, i was assigned to a unit as a Squad Gunner!,i have my first experience with a .50BMG Rifle to be specific a Barrett M95 Sniper Rifle, during that time the M95 are new to the unit and we are lucky to be one of those who used it during an operation against Muslim Rebel!, during a routine night patrol we come across a bunker with 15 to 16 armed muslim rebel, our team leader told our sniper to position accross the rice field to take out the machine gunner!, the sniper did take out the gunner but the sound of Barrett M95 alerted the nearby camp!, then all hell broke lose, there are only 10 of us!, we are really outnumbered, and were pinned down with small arms and RPG, if it wasn't for the airsupport i wouldn't be here telling this!, the distinct sound of .50 BMG are it's downside, it so distinct that the enemy can determined if there are marine in the area!, in all the branch of armed forces, the philippine marine are only unit who have such weapon, i really don't have a good experience with .50 BMG!, i would rather use M21 or M24!"

[InfernoMDM]

I lost some interest in the 50 caliber rifles a while back. Looking at ballistics price of rounds etc I decided against buying one a while ago. Minus anti material uses the rifle can barely top other weapons that are easier to handle and cheaper to shoot. They are fun as hell to shoot.

Sausagemit - I lived in Alliance for a few years when did you move out?

[Jacks Complete]

I tried to pick up a .50 one time. I barely shifted it as it was at least twice the weight I expected. I nearly tipped it over onto the muzzle brake as it tipped on the bipod! Oops! Not good at a gun show. I managed to get my other hand to it in time, thank god.

I'd love to fire one. It would go through our range backstop entirely.

[Mike123]

About three years ago a friend of mine purchased a .50bmg rifle from me when I managed a gun shop. It was a less expensive, single shot .50 manufactured by Grizzley. We went out and shot it on some property he had with some other friends, using the bed of his truck as the shooting platform. All the guys there were coffee junkies and someone had set a styrophome coffee cup on the tailgate about a foot to the right of the muzzle break. When the rifle was fired, it explosively blew the cup into dozens of pieces, which really surprised me. I could see it blasting it several feet away, but to practically disintegrate it was awe inspiring.
On a side note, shoooting it in the bed of a pickup truck was not really the best idea. Everyone wore ear protection, but it still felt like you were inside a large bell as someone pounded on it with a sledge hammer.

[LibertyOrDeath]

I, too, recently fired a .50 BMG rifle for the first time. It was a Serbu BFG-50, which is a bolt action single-shot and a very nice rifle for the price (~$2200). I think it was the 36" barrel model with the overall rifle weight of 32 lbs.

The guy who owned the rifle advised me to pull the stock very firmly into my shoulder pocket with the firing hand and to be careful about eye relief. Then I let 'er rip.

Recoil was no joke, but not what I would call painful. It wasn't like getting punched or anything. Think of having someone put the end of a baseball bat against your shoulder and then shoving you with it -- that's how it felt to me.

The Barrett M82, which is a gas-operated semi-auto of similar weight, has a free recoil energy of about 100 ft-lbs. The Serbu's free recoil energy should be even higher, since it has no gas system. If anyone wants to compare that to other calibers, there are some handy charts at this link:

Rifles: http://www.chuckhawks.com/recoil_table.htm
Shotguns: http://www.chuckhawks.com/shotgun_recoil_table.htm

A word of warning: Shooting a .50 BMG rifle that isn't equipped with a muzzle break is supposed to be very unpleasant and even potentially dangerous. Think of dislocated shoulders, retinal detachments, etc.

I dunno if sticky bolt is a common phenomenon on .50BMG bolt-gunsI suspect it was just his gun; the bolt of the gun I shot didn't stick at all.

[droz]

I've fired the Barrett M82A1, and the M95.

I must say I was beyond impressed in the gas recoil system on the M82A1. I was able to fire off shot after shot with a minimum downtime after the initial recoil. I'm not positive about the time, but I hit 10, 1000 yard targets, 10 times in just under 40 seconds.

The M95 was comparable to the ArmaLite AR-50, aside from the workmanship of the rifle. It was a very well balanced, and the action was superb. I've owned various .50 BMG Rifles and if I had to choose between an ArmaLite AR-50, or a Barrett M95 or M99 (if price were not a factor,) I'd most definitely go with the Barrett.

An associate of mine took the muzzle break off his AR-50 and fired it to see what it would do. Needless to say, he was hospitalized with a severe dislocation and tearing of several ligaments. It is not a practice I would ever recommend.

While the M82A1 packs a premium price ($7505-$8010,) I would highly recommend this rifle.

The M95 is a bit more reasonably priced at $5000-5710, and the M99 is between $3200 and $4000, although I have personally seen the M99 sell for as low as $1700 in various gun shops in Wyoming, Colorado, and Texas.

[Anformula]

I went through a passionate .50 phase a few years back. I have all the specialized loading equipment, bullets, powder, etc. Vitually none of it is usable with smaller caliber rounds.

I shot the Lar Grizzly for a while. Nice gun, but I eventually sold it. Not particularly accurate, and what use is a 1500 yard range gun that shoots 2MOA?

Then I had a no holds barred custom actioned .50 built. The gunsmith wound up taking so damn long to build it (well over a year) that my interest kind of wilted. I have had that completed rifle for over 5 years and I have never even fired it. Pathetic. In my area there is also a "where to go" problem. There is a 1000 yard range nearby, but they bought into the bullshit "VPC" hysteria and banned .50s.

What people say about the recoil not being bad is really true. The comparison is like getting shoved (50) vs being punched (many smaller calipers). You can feel the energy from the 50 recoil in your shoulder, but because the rifles are so heavy it is not at all unpleasant. Like a shove. I have a short barreled Remington 870 12 gauge shotgun, that with 3" magnum shells absolutely spanks me. MUCH worse than the 50.....

Noise/muzzle blast is another issue though. Here, the 50 has to be seen/heard/experienced to be believed. Really nasty blast.....

[a3990918]

I've fired the Barrett M82A1, and the M95.
An associate of mine took the muzzle break off his AR-50 and fired it to see what it would do. Needless to say, he was hospitalized with a severe dislocation and tearing of several ligaments. It is not a practice I would ever recommend.


1. It's Muzzle Brake not Break :p (The Mods can be heavy handed on such mistakes)

2. Not to knock your "Associate" but firing a .50 without a muzzle brake, unless it is securely mounted to some HEAVY object, is just foolish. There are far to many cases of shoulder injuries, detatched retinas etc for someone to do such a thing, unless they are looking for some Masochistic fun... :rolleyes:

[droz]

No one ever said this associate was smart.

He thought he was billy bad ass since he did time.

And yes, I spelled brake wrong, I can't exactly remember what I was doing at the time but there is no excuse for that. May have been in an airport who knows.

[phrankinsteyn]

May be a little off topic but thought you may be interested.
We used a .50 cal (single shot) on the 106 recoilless rifle (M40A1). It was attached to side of 106 and used as a spotting round. You would sight target with .50 cal., if round struck target you then fired the 106 (nice little round that 106.) No recoil at all, for shooter, as long as you stood at side...............:rolleyes:

[Zait]

May be a little off topic but thought you may be interested.
We used a .50 cal (single shot) on the 106 recoilless rifle (M40A1).

Yes but that .50 is smaller than the .50 BMG round.

Here is a picture of the .50 spotter you are referring to compared to the .50 BMG and the Russian equivalent (all three are shown using the metric measurements because I did this picture for another topic some time ago).

http://img82.imageshack.us/img82/4291/127mmammo3px.jpg

[a3990918]

Yes but that .50 is smaller than the .50 BMG round.


I remember some guys experimenting with and chambering some guns for the "Spotter" round, in an effort reduce recoil and weapon weight, a few years back. I don't think anything ever came of it though.

[phrankinsteyn]

I believe you could use a standard .50 round(s) used for .50 machine guns. A regular .50 (ball) would probably throw off accuracy though. So to be on safe side research this more if you plan on firing the 106. Any old guys out there who can help me out? It has been a long time since I last fired gun and could not find anything in the manual stating otherwise (on round type). We may have used both types. We had to learn/familiarize ourself's with this weapon for defending our base. I was in the infantry platoon not weapons platoon. When I googled it, Wikipediai stated also it was a different round. I should have said .50 spotting gun , magazine feed and mounted to 106mm recoilless rifle. What I meant by single shot is it/you fired one round at a time for target acquisition. If round struck you immediately fire 106 round. The 106 was basically used against tanks. Sorry about that. :confused: I broke out my old field manual, FM 23-82, on the weapon.

Here are some specs.

Weight without magazine: 25 pounds.
Capacity of standard magazine: 10 rounds.
Weight of standard magazine loaded: 4 pounds.
Length of gun: 44 inches.
Length of barrel: 24 inches.
Chamber grooves: 8.
Chamber pressure: 33,400 pounds per square inch.
Maximum range: 3,100 meters (3,400 yards).
Range of tracer element: 1,500 meters (1,645 yards).
Muzzle velocity: 1,700 feet per second.

Hope that info helps some. Thanks for posting photos of the different rounds and the other info.

Added a link for more .50 cal ammo info.
http://www.olive-drab.com/od_firearms_ammo_50cal.php

[Zait]

I believe it was a standard .50 round(s) used for .50 machine guns.

The spotting rifle for the 106mm recoilless gun is the M8C Spotting rifle. You can see one that has been restored here http://www.historicreproductions.com/restore1.htm

The ammunition used for that rifle is hard to come by but here is where you can buy a dummy round for the gun http://www.e-gunparts.com/DisplayAd.asp?chrProductSKU=726120&chrSuperSKU=&MC=

As you can see in the link, the cartridge measures approx 4.53" and the standard .50 BMG measures approx. 5.5 inches.

Here is probably the best look at the rifle http://morrow-industries.com/morrow-project-blog/?p=120 and you can see that they too state that the ammunition is 12.7 x 77 mm (ok, it's a site about a role playing game but they do pretty good research on the items that they use in it).

That's not to say that someone may have replaced the rifle you were using with some type of modified rifle that fired standard ammo. Of course, it's quite possible that you were using a sub-cal device that inserted into the 106mm barrel and allowed you to fire a standard .50 BMG cartridge.

[Vitalis]

So from what I've read around, the Serbu BFG-50 is a good 50 Cal rifle, especially for the price. I don't have much to spend, so the high-end 50 cals are out of the question, but is the consensus with the 50 cal shooters favorable about the Serbu?