Got me a new toy Saturday (see purdy faux toes below). A factory new Barrett M107A1. Today was the first chance I had to put a few rounds through her. I grabbed a spare SB PMII 3-27x56 H59 “High Power” scope I had kicking around and a Spuhr 4902 I’d rattle-canned and forgot about to mount it in.
I populate the lone mag that came with the rifle with 10 rounds of Barrett-stamped M33 ball, load up the Ranger, and scooter out to my private range to sight it in. Because these were going to be the first rounds on the rifle since leaving the factory, I decided to feed the first few as singles and keep the magazine detached, just in case I put it together wrong, it blows up, and takes my arms with it.
Knowing the Spuhr is 20 MOA, with the scope set to 0/0 wind/elevation, I put the crosshair at the base of the target, backed by a small berm. I’d rather have it impact the ground ahead of the target rather than risk sending one over the berm and off my property. Fortunately, there is nothing but at least 1,000 yards of dense woods behind the range — but still, the Big Five Oh has me a bit worried.
The first shot on a brand new gun always triggers a slight twinge of “what if” with me, and the thought of a .50 BMG round exploding directly in front of my face amplifies that a smidge.
The round goes off without a hitch, and I breathe a small sigh of relief, but... I didn’t see an impact anywhere — ground, target, berm... nada.
I walk out looking for any sign of impact, but nothing. I’m only shooting at the 100-yard target, to minimized any calculated MOA discrepancy due to the 20MOA mount.
I point the crosshair a few feet in front of the berm and let another go. Still no sign of impact.
I have zero idea where these rounds went, and that’s never a good thing with this caliber. Even with 1,000 yards of dense woods, nothing is a given.
I decide to line up on the 50-yard berm and hang a fresh 12x18” reactive target. Surely, no misalignment could be severe enough to miss THAT! I put the crosshair on the center of the bullseye and squeeze one off. WTF! NADA again!
Now I’m worried. WTH is going on? The scope is mounted properly, but I don’t know where my .50 laser boresight is, so I have to figure this out with the few remaining brain cells I have.
I examine the rail on the 107 more closely and notice a taper — there’s 27 MOA I didn’t account for! On top of that, the Spuhr 4902 is a 30 MOA mount, not 20! So, without touching the elevation knob, I’m 57 efffin’ MOA high! Nearly 5-FEET at 100 yards! My small berms are 4-feet tall. I’m sailing .50 BMG rounds 5-feet above the ground into the woods. My rifle bore is about 3-4 feet above the ground (picnic table — see below), meaning the rounds are still climbing slightly at 100-yards.
I traced the path of the rounds and there was nothing to be worried about in terms of population, livestock or structures — fortunately. But it was a valuable “lesson“ in proper preparation instead of just slapping something together and heading to the range.
I populate the lone mag that came with the rifle with 10 rounds of Barrett-stamped M33 ball, load up the Ranger, and scooter out to my private range to sight it in. Because these were going to be the first rounds on the rifle since leaving the factory, I decided to feed the first few as singles and keep the magazine detached, just in case I put it together wrong, it blows up, and takes my arms with it.
Knowing the Spuhr is 20 MOA, with the scope set to 0/0 wind/elevation, I put the crosshair at the base of the target, backed by a small berm. I’d rather have it impact the ground ahead of the target rather than risk sending one over the berm and off my property. Fortunately, there is nothing but at least 1,000 yards of dense woods behind the range — but still, the Big Five Oh has me a bit worried.
The first shot on a brand new gun always triggers a slight twinge of “what if” with me, and the thought of a .50 BMG round exploding directly in front of my face amplifies that a smidge.
The round goes off without a hitch, and I breathe a small sigh of relief, but... I didn’t see an impact anywhere — ground, target, berm... nada.
I walk out looking for any sign of impact, but nothing. I’m only shooting at the 100-yard target, to minimized any calculated MOA discrepancy due to the 20MOA mount.
I point the crosshair a few feet in front of the berm and let another go. Still no sign of impact.
I have zero idea where these rounds went, and that’s never a good thing with this caliber. Even with 1,000 yards of dense woods, nothing is a given.
I decide to line up on the 50-yard berm and hang a fresh 12x18” reactive target. Surely, no misalignment could be severe enough to miss THAT! I put the crosshair on the center of the bullseye and squeeze one off. WTF! NADA again!
Now I’m worried. WTH is going on? The scope is mounted properly, but I don’t know where my .50 laser boresight is, so I have to figure this out with the few remaining brain cells I have.
I examine the rail on the 107 more closely and notice a taper — there’s 27 MOA I didn’t account for! On top of that, the Spuhr 4902 is a 30 MOA mount, not 20! So, without touching the elevation knob, I’m 57 efffin’ MOA high! Nearly 5-FEET at 100 yards! My small berms are 4-feet tall. I’m sailing .50 BMG rounds 5-feet above the ground into the woods. My rifle bore is about 3-4 feet above the ground (picnic table — see below), meaning the rounds are still climbing slightly at 100-yards.
I traced the path of the rounds and there was nothing to be worried about in terms of population, livestock or structures — fortunately. But it was a valuable “lesson“ in proper preparation instead of just slapping something together and heading to the range.
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