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50BMG Rifle options

338FREAK

338FREAK

Private
Full Member
Minuteman
Jun 3, 2013
120
1
Hello all, I am in the market for a 50BMG, I already own a Desert Tech SRS .338 Lapua and 6.5 creedmoore so no need to ask why a 50. I just want one. I have it narrowed down to the Barrett M99, Bushmaster BA50, or? I'm looking to stay under $5K for just the rifle. I already have optics etc. Does anyone have any other options out there in this Range? I'd be open to a 50BMG upper possibly if people have concrete evidence they are ok. I'm not looking for a 1/2 Moa gun just something that'll smack some steel.

Thanks
 
Barrett M95 Navy, Robar RC-50 (two that I own), sold a M82A1 semi-auto. I'm not real recoil sensitive, but they rattle you for sure. Since I bought a AI/AW 338 with a 338 TBac can, I rarely shoot the .50s unless somebody really wants to. I wouldn't want that cartridge on a upper.
 
Serbu, and noreen make bolt action 50bmg that are very accurate and are low cost. You might want to check them out as well. I have a serbu bfg and it shoots sub moa with factory ammo.
 
There is another gentleman selling a Cadex on this board.
They are great guns. Very accurate, I have one and love it.
 
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Grab a AR-50.
Great brake, shoots very well (Bette than most 50s I've shot) aggressive price 3000+\-
Using delinked machine gun ammo hitting a garbage pail at 750 was a joke.
Never mind getting some of the cool ammo.
With hunting shack 750 a max ammo I could hold 1" 3 shot groups at 100 and group very well at 1400.
One nice this is when your sending that much energy down range seeing impacts is a joke.
 
Ar50 a1 2-3 week ago sportsmen guide had them for$ 2250, see they are $2280 for April w delivery. A lot of gun for the $
 
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Serbu bfg 50 on gunbrok er at $1200 with a scope mounter on it. Only 5 rounds through it!
 
The AR-50 is a very nice rifle for single shot .50 bmg
The recoil is very mild & it is quite accurate
The downside is huge & heavy with a massive blast out of the muzzle brake.
Excellent for someone with a truck that has a long bed and can haul it to the range and back.

Another option you might look into is some of the EDM rifles that are around (EDM is no longer around, but some parts are available from the deceased owner Bill's son). Proably put you into the $4k range or so & also have the option to have a .408 barrel as well.
The big plus is that it comes apart for easy storage / transport.
Probably has the strongest receiver of any of the .50 BMG rifles
It is however still heavy.

The Barrett is an interesting option as well, but the bolt action ones are lighter than the AR-50 with a less aggressive brake so they do tend to beat you up a bit more.

It's a bit over your budget, but you can get some of the Barrett semi-auto ones in the high $6k range

If you want something for maximum accuracy and a bit more portability, there are some really nice custom ones made.

I'd avoid anything that's cheap and iffy... you want something strong enough that if you get a crack in a shell, you are protected.

There was a thread many years back where someone was shooting an AI .50 BMG rifle & had a case rupture right near the base of the case, blew out the safety plugs, (caught on camera) but they didn't even realize it happened till they finished shooting the string & looked over the brass.
 
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Thistle said:
There is another gentleman selling a Cadex on this board.
They are great guns. Very accurate, I have one and love it.
Click to expand...

If you wanted to go higher end very accurate, more portable rifle, that Cadex would be an amazing choice.
It is however a fair bit over your budget range.
 
Ok opinion needed, I can get a new Barrett M99 for $3500 all said andd done or I can get the armalite ar50 on Sportsmans guide for $2400 shipped? What would you all do? $1100 buys lots of ammo/loading components
 
If your going to shoot 50-100ft from the pickup, ar50 all day long. I’ve shot a couple of both, ar50 should print smaller groups, but it’s not a mobile unit, like prob 10 lbs more.. Just a range or cornfield target gun. Maybe the Barrett’s I shot had bad load workup? They bragged on the barretts till we shot each other’s guns. Barrett’s I shot did have a better fit and finish feel to them. I feel you buying the name, but at $2300 I don’t feel it’ll cost ya much to own if you become a big 50 guy and build a custom down the road.
 
Last edited:
Yea, this will basically be a range gun with the exception of going thru the woods a bit for clear cut shooting.
 
Range gun = AR50

Going through the woods? Are you walking or driving / riding something?
The AR50 would be a pain in the rear end to try to carry any distance on foot by yourself. You might want to put it on a cart or something.
 
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Walking through the woods you'd do a 338 lapua/Norma or a 300 win mag
Truck gun ar-50 never look back
 
Thistle said:
There is another gentleman selling a Cadex on this board.
They are great guns. Very accurate, I have one and love it.
Click to expand...

This.

I shoot a number of different guns, including the Barrett (albeit in a lower caliber), for which I have a lot of respect. Cadex's sweet spot is large calibers. I mean, there are great frames for .308 and 6.5CM, but when you start to look at the investment made in the ChevTac and .50 BMG, it is really impressive. This is a military platform to throw a slug into a moving vehicle, but it is available to us, and I don't think it gets any better.

Just look at Tremor rifle, and the Dual Strike chassis:

wallpaper-40-1600x900.jpg

tremor-products.jpg


What could be better? For full rifles, Cadex is using their Tremor receiver and Bartlein barrels. Or, you can buy the chassis only and customize your way with Tremor or McMillan .50 actions.

As to cost, everybody's everything starts to soar exponentially when you move to .500 BMG. Can you keep it under $6k ? I cannot see a way to get that low, but the chassis has a list price of $2,750, so work backwards to your goal.
 
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Ive had a AR 50 and a BA 50. The AR 50 shot great and it doesnt have as much percussion from the muzzle as the BA.
 
Don't see a lot of info about these, but I have a 50 from Bluegrass Armory that I really like - but I also shoot lefty and like that they offer a LH version for the same price. I think they're currently about $3500, so under your budget.

I also own an AR30 in 300 WM (basically the baby brother to the AR50). The gun is an absolute tack driver and has very little recoil due to the weight and muzzle brake. If you can pick up an AR50 for under $2,500 I think it would be pretty tough to beat.
 
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Oook so Sportsmansguide is now not letting me backorder the AR50 so that means my its only a $400 difference between the M99 + AR50 thru my dealer. For that difference i am thinking M99 is the way to go seeing it has a pelican case and bi-pod. Now do i get the 29" barrel or the 32"????
 
The 32" barrel will give you a bit better velocity if you want to do long range target shooting.
The 29" would probably still be fine for just about everything as that's more standard these days.
 
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I’ve seen it on sportsmensguide off and on lately when telling friends about it, I’d check it in a day or two again, If your still interested in a ar50.
 
Ok so I ordered the M99, anyone know where a guy can source a good supply or bullets for loading? So far I haven't found a lot of deals on 50 projectiles :/
 
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Looking for ok plinking ammo if I do match I'll be running Amax
 
I'm finding good deals on api bullets but don't really wanna burn my range down
 
There is a guy on the forum here with 90 rounds of 700gr match ammo for $300
Not a bad deal, I don't think you'll find much cheaper bulk ammo these days.
 
houndog said:
Don't see a lot of info about these, but I have a 50 from Bluegrass Armory that I really like - but I also shoot lefty and like that they offer a LH version for the same price. I think they're currently about $3500, so under your budget.

I also own an AR30 in 300 WM (basically the baby brother to the AR50). The gun is an absolute tack driver and has very little recoil due to the weight and muzzle brake. If you can pick up an AR50 for under $2,500 I think it would be pretty tough to beat.
Click to expand...

I had the bluegrass also. Shot well, Basically a Barrett M99 look wise. I was told when I bought it they made lots of the parts for Barrett, not sure how true that is/was. Ended up selling it because of weight and moved on, but was fun for a few years.
 
338FREAK said:
Looking for ok plinking ammo if I do match I'll be running Amax
Click to expand...

Where are you located? I bet I have 60-90 CCI .50 BMG rounds NIB still. I told my BMG a couple years ago and keep telling myself I'll sell em at a gunshot and never go. They just sit in an ammo can in the garage. I have some 750 AMAX rounds too from HSM I think it was.
 
6point5CM said:
Where are you located? I bet I have 60-90 CCI .50 BMG rounds NIB still. I told my BMG a couple years ago and keep telling myself I'll sell em at a gunshot and never go. They just sit in an ammo can in the garage. I have some 750 AMAX rounds too from HSM I think it was.
Click to expand...
I'm in WI
 
Old thread I know, but if it helps someone out...

Freedom Munitions is a great place to find 50 BMG ammo. It's not necessarily accurate, but it works, on a budget.
 
knuckleballz said:
Serbu, and noreen make bolt action 50bmg that are very accurate and are low cost. You might want to check them out as well. I have a serbu bfg and it shoots sub moa with factory ammo.
Click to expand...

+1 The Serbu BFG single shot is a great rifle. I can't afford nor do I care to shoot the 50 BMG in semi-auto style.
 
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