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416 Barrett or 50BMG??

Nomad Farrier

Nomad
Full Member
Minuteman
Jul 25, 2009
136
30
NE Oregon
Alright guys I'm gonna finally mark off my bucket list owning a M82. Only thing is I cant decide between the 416 Barrett or the 50cal. Any suggestions either way?
 
I would lean towards a bolt gun for the .416. Much more of a precision round. That said, I'd favor many other cartridges over a 416 for a precision rig - like the .375 CT for example. That would put me in an M107 chambered in .50. Who knows how long it'll be before the govt bans them anyway. There's nothing like sending an 800 grain solid into whatever hard target one decides to use for practice. Where I'd become conflicted is barrel length. Those CQBs make me want go withdraw a bit from the 401k!
 
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416 Barrett or 50BMG??

If it's a status thing, then get the 50 cal. If you wan to be accurate, then do the 375 or 338. I will out shoot most with a Barrett of any type with my 338LM. It's just not designed to be accurate. It's machine gun rounds. And I'm talking about shooting past 1500 yards, no issues. I can't go much further than 2800 so that's a stretch, but doable depending on wind.
 
I am with Jason on this 416 in a Barrett semi would not be my pick. 375 or 408 is a much better round. Stick with the 50 unless your a very high level bore shooter and have a place to do 2000 plus yards

I have an AI aw50 for sale if you would rather have a bolt action gun sorry for the sales pitch lol
 
Ive always wanted to do a .50 BMG-Improved in a bolt rifle. With Lapua now making brass for .50BMG, thats the way Id go for a ELR rifle. Mr Kirby Allen does a .50BMG-Imp that will send 750gr AMAX`s at 3000 fps give or take depending on barrel length. That would be a monster with the right loads and should match or even best the hottest/slickest .375CT loads.

Another sweet one would be .375 Viersco Mag.
 
As you want an M82, I would go with the .50 for a few reasons. I own a M99 in .416 and while some may argue "its not very accurate" most likely have never owned one and they can be quite accurate with hand-loaded 395gr bullets. Its not a rifle to run around with and that's for sure. Now, as the M82 is a semi-auto, it will be much cheaper to throw factory loaded ball .50 down range than it would be to throw factory .416 down range. Figure a 10 round magazine will run you 50 bucks, give or take depending upon where you get it and what you choose) and that could go in a few seconds. I would own a .50 if I could down here in CA and many have gone the DTC route but I will just stay with the .416. Many, like yourself, buy an M82 just to have it and after the novelty wears out, they don't shoot them very much. I use to see several 50's at the ranges several years ago but I have not seen one in the past few years at any of the local ranges. You will get "don't get this get that instead replies" all day but if you want an 82 you just have 2 options. 82's are not designed to be an "ultra accurate" platform so if you are just having fun and shooting M.O.M (minute of man) they are fun to shoot. If you do get a .416, I could always buy the empties off of you:)

As they make both, you could always get a .50 and then purchase a 416 barrel also
 
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416 Barrett or 50BMG??

+1 for the .50. ^ trespasser and hairball are right. Find someone who has both and shoot them. Ahh....M82 recoil is better than sex!!


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I have a Barrett .416 Model 99 bolt action rifle. It is very accurate. But its expensive to run. If I did it all over again, I'd get a .375 Chey Tac.

You should consider the Desert Tactical HTI. You can swap barrels out in 60 seconds. There's a youtube video showing the DTA HTI shooting over 3,000 yards. You can get a .375, .416 and .50 for the price of a Barrett 82. My 2 cents. Put a BEAST on top, an LRA bipod under it and you're set.
 
I believe the DTI would be my pick. It's also way, way lighter weight than the Barrett. The Barrett is very, very cool but from a practical use standpoint the Desert Tac is pretty hard to beat. Maybe get both. Barrett .50 and DTI in .375 CT. There you go.
 
50 BMG all the way. I have had my M82 (50BMG) for a few years now. The muzzle blast is awesome - recoil is not as bad as you would think. Ronnie and team did a great job designing this thing. Ammo is more readily available and "cheaper".

Not a very practical rifle - but you never know when you may have to knock a house down....50 will do this better than 416.
 
If you're dead set on the '82, .50 is the clear choice. Other than being a prisoner in the PRK where you can't own a .50, I cant see owning a 2-3 moa rifle in an expensive, esoteric, and elr oriented caliber like .416. With ball ammunition being readily available and relatively inexpensive the .50 is the winner. I rarely shoot my m82 anymore after getting the DT HTI .375/.50 combo. The .375ct is everything you've read about, and the .50 conversion is much more accurate, but more unpleasant to fire, than the m82. All that being said, ihad to have an m82 to cross it off my bucket list. Go for it.
 
+1 for the .50. ^ trespasser and hairball are right. Find someone who has both and shoot them. Ahh....M82 recoil is better than sex!!


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I had a chance to shoot the Barrett semi auto model side by side with a suppressed AW50
Let us just say if you want recoil... The suppressed AW50 will wake you up...

I'd say go with the .50 for sure unless communists won't let you have it, there is a much bigger variety of ammunition available at good prices.
 
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If it was me, I would get the 50, don't let people fool you the m107 will shoot 1.25-1.5 MOA with good ammo and an operator who knows how she likes it. With Lapua now making brass the golden 1 MOA May be here.
 
I have the 82A1 in 50 cal and from what I understand you can not beat the 750 gr A-Max with its b.c. of 1.005. Then there is the availability of API, AP and Mk217.

If there is any round that has a better b.c. than the 750 gr. A-max I would like to know what it is?
 
Since it's a m82, I would go with the raw power of a 50. You just can beat 10 rounds of continuos devastation but if you want both you can always buy a separate 416 upper from Barrett..
 
416 Barrett or 50BMG??

I had a chance to shoot the Barrett semi auto model side by side with a suppressed AW50
Let us just say if you want recoil... The suppressed AW50 will wake you up...

Fuck yes it will but any bolt action is gonna recoil harder than a gas operated one. I'm sure that aw50 is a tack driver though. Doesn't matter how many times I shoot one or who's it is my face is hurting from grinning so much!


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It would depend on how much you plan on shooting it. If money is no object then go for the 416, much more accurate. If you want to experiment with different rounds, then go with the 50 CAL.. Just my two cents worth.
 
The Barrett 99A1 has a very heavy 32" barrel and the 82A1 has a thinner 29" barrel so they both kick about equally.

Not everyone sells their 50 cal after a year.

I find the recoil is zero problem but the concussion is an issue until I built a blast shield for it. It is hardened aluminum and looks like something off of the Abram's tank but it really helps.It has a deep u-channel. Before I used it I felt each time I fired the gun my nose would bleed but it did not..
The 50 is not allowed at a lot of ranges but I would still rather have the 50 than the 416. I do not think the 50cal is any less accurate than the 416 especially if you use A-Max or Match ammo. The 99A1 Barrett held the record for for accuacy for many years but I think the McMillian took that away, I think?
 
Not a troll, pretty active on Calguns, but moved to a free state. I consider myself a political refugee

Sorry for the necro-post..

Hi all.

In a quandary. I have a M99 in .416. Thinking about re-barreling to .50 BMG due to low availability of .416. I have a loose 100 rnds on hand, but hot damn, it can get expensive to shoot. Thoughts?
 
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