50 Caliber rifle, worth the cost??
 

I know you could buy several AK's or SKS's for the cost of one 50 cal rifle, but is it worth it to own one?

For example, it seems like you could avoid a firefight with less powerful rifles by disabling your enemy's vehicle from well over a mile away. You'd be saving yourself from shots fired at you.

Of course I have no idea how difficult it is to be accurate at that range for the average shooter.

A single shot AR50 is about $2500-$3000 right now, and I know all the problems that could come with an AR, but do you think it's worth it?

Re: 50 Caliber rifle, worth the cost??
 

Do you really think you'll be able to engage the enemy at that range? Or do you think it would be something more like they're on your property and coming your way and you only need 200-400 yards for a shot?

If someone like a group of thugs is coming my way I probably wouldn't know they're thugs until they're on my property trespassing and in that case the following holds true.

Re: 50 Caliber rifle, worth the cost??
 

You're probably right, but I was just thinking it might be a good idea to have the capability to shoot that far if needed. And you would have the capability to disable many kinds of vehicles in one shot.

From the research I've done, it doesn't look like 50 cal rifles will be available to civilians much longer, so I want to decide whether or not to purchase one as fast as possible.

Re: 50 Caliber rifle, worth the cost??
 

Well you'd need to make that decision yourself but personally I go for the more important preps first and then move to the more eccentric. Plus there will always be a need for larger caliber, large powder hunting rifles so you could get something that is a good shot from a shorter distance. Just keeps the term 'big game hunting' in your vocab and you should be fine.

Re: 50 Caliber rifle, worth the cost??
 

If you think you can buy one now and then use it then and somehow someone will not look you up in some database ....

Are you also interested in steel bridges? I'll sell one cheap ...

People that would mean to do you such great harm that you would want to disable their tanks at 2000 feet probably have ways to hurt you in many more ways than one, Rambo

And if you do live in such a place where you NEED to disable armor at those distances can I suggest you buy yourself a one way ticket for $2500 ... Can go pretty much anywhere in the world for that kind of money one way.

Re: 50 Caliber rifle, worth the cost??
 

Another point is that unless you reload it is about $5 a round, and reloading requires special equipment due to the size of the shells. Chances are real good you couldn't hit an elk at 1000 yards or a car at a mile unless you pratice weekly at least.

Re: 50 Caliber rifle, worth the cost??
 

so the answer is obvious i guess

Re: 50 Caliber rifle, worth the cost??
 

The one thing I know is sofas, but I also know a bit about 50 BMG's. I say go for it. Barrett makes a kick-arse repeater for about 7500.

Of course the tree huggin libs would prefer you not own one, or have the ability to own one legally, which is icing on the cake.

Re: 50 Caliber rifle, worth the cost??
 

For about 7500 you can have a few much more useful things.

Re: 50 Caliber rifle, worth the cost??
 

YES!

$5 would be a lot. You can find ammo for under $2 a round easy...

http://www.ammunitionstore.com/pricelist_50BMG.htm

http://www.ammoman.com/webstore_50BMG.htm

-1

Re: 50 Caliber rifle, worth the cost??
 

My .... is BIGGER than your ....

Re: 50 Caliber rifle, worth the cost??
 

one problem with survivalists and the like is they dont think things through.

If the government wants you having a big gun wont save you. Any response you give will be met with an increased response from the government. you lose.

whats your ultimate goal?

protect yourself?

Protect yourself from what? Ultimately when I have these conversations in person it boils down to the person wanting to protect themselves from death. guess what...were all going to die and we have very little control over when. brain embolism, car accident, wrong place wrong time, etc...

Learn to let the fear not be your guide and instead learn to live in the world and experience it. This doesnt mean be a pie in the sky type. Make what if plans, escape plans but dont cement them into reality by buying useless tools and telling yourself fairy tale stories about you vs the government.

anyway how the hell are you gonna carry the damn thing? My M1 weighs about a thousand pounds after an hour or two. :)

Re: 50 Caliber rifle, worth the cost??
 

Looks like Infedel trusts the govn't too much. What would be worth more than a 50 BMG for 7500? Taxaes to pay the gov't to protect you...lol

Re: 50 Caliber rifle, worth the cost??
 

No.. not at all (obvious).

First off their are very few things that can do what a fiffty does. Have tough enemy hunkered down at 1 to 2,000 feet away hiding behind a 18" tree? Your going to need something more than an AK...

The list of 'might could happens' is long.

If you ever do need a fifty, chances are you won't have anything else that can take it's place.

Right now ammo is about 1.50a round for surplus stuff, will it group 2" at 2,000 yards? No. Will it allow 6" at 1,000 and 12" at 2,000? Yep.. and like most will admit, chances of having a clear shot of 500 yards let alone longer is a rare (but not non exsistant) event.

I'm about to start saving for a 50 cal. Either I'm going to buy a 50 upper for an AR lower or buy a 50 from a private individual and pay cash either way. While I could care less about another pistol, rifle or shotgun being 'recorded' in my name, I'm leary to have a 50 cal under my name.

It's a personal choice. I would say before you get one, make sure you have atleast for yourself:

2 assault rifles (common military weapon, AK47, AK74, AR15, HK G3, FAL ect. ect.)
1 'precision' rifle, could be anything from a Swiss K31 (milsurp 120 dollar rifle that'll out shoot most stock 'sniper' rifles) or a remington 700 with decent glass on it.
2 sidearm, something decent and reliable (9m or .45acp for ammo reason, doesn't matter, personal preference), lright now a springfield XD (9 or 45) is at the top of my reccomendations list.
1 .22lr rifle, mossberg plinkster, marlin 795, ruger 10/22 any of the three are as good as the other, cept hicaps for the ruger anyway. 100-200 bucks new in the box if buy one on sale depending on which you choose. Me? I'd buy two of the marlins or mossbergs instead of one 10/22, who needs hicaps on a .22lr anyway ;)
1 .22lr pistol old wheel gun or ruger mark II.
optional scatter gun, some people love tehse things. mossberg 500 NIB for 250 bucks out the door.

for every adult:
1.33 assault rifles (preferably same type as yours or atleast common ammo, round up on # of rifles)
1 side arm (same caveat as above)

Don't forget plenty of spare ammo and mags.

then move on.

* 1.33 rifles.. huh? Stuff breaks, it's not practical to buy one extra rifle for 6 people, but 2 extra for 6 is common sense.

two is one and one is none.

Re: 50 Caliber rifle, worth the cost??
 

I could not put it better than Citizenkane as any possible answer to this. See one post above yours

Re: 50 Caliber rifle, worth the cost??
 

A recent post about AR50s at AR15.com....

http://www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=6&f=3&t=206798

Hope this helps

-1

Re: 50 Caliber rifle, worth the cost??
 

50 cal Eh? I'm getting a woody just thinking about it.

I tend to agree with others here that there are many things much more important than having a 50 cal. Once you have all your other bases covered if you still have money to burn then sure buy one.

I've thought about this and my solution is to get a high powered hunting rifle. Not nearly as powerful of course but much more versatile and owning one won't raise suspicions.

Re: 50 Caliber rifle, worth the cost??
 

thanks for all your help!

Re: 50 Caliber rifle, worth the cost??
 

I always found this description interesting. Sofa King, do you not like trees?
I love guns and trees! "Tree-hugging" liberal conjures up images of bloated scum-bag developers chewin' on cigars trying to tell me that a mall is more important than forestry. :proud:

Re: 50 Caliber rifle, worth the cost??
 

Sorry about the bad shell prices. When I was looking into them about 3 or 4 years ago $5 a round was about the best I could find.

Re: 50 Caliber rifle, worth the cost??
 

hell no you dont need one for survival, but if you are richey rich gun collector they are a cool addition.

they're fun to shoot but at $3 a round, not that fun.

if you ever want a good example of what used to be called a "spendthrift" go to knob creek and find the doofus blasting away with a 50 cal BMG.

Re: 50 Caliber rifle, worth the cost??
 

Would a .30-06 armor piercing round be able to stop a car at 400 yards? May be a much cheaper but less effective solution for what you want - M1 Garand with clips of AP ammo.

Re: 50 Caliber rifle, worth the cost??
 

This ought to start the journey to answering your question.

Rifle Ballistics Table
Sniper Central 30-06 for Sniping

Re: 50 Caliber rifle, worth the cost??
 

I have an AR50 for fun. I shoot rocks and concrete and cast iron with it.
I made little movies and a friend put them on a website.
http://www.foofus.net/phenfen/ar50.html

It weighs too much to carry any distance.
It's very loud so you will announce your presence for miles probably.
It will blow the shit out of an animal so I don't know if you want to use it for hunting.
It will go though several feet of oak, tried to use oak to stop the round to look at them.
Have several bullets that blasted rocks and metal with.

I have lots of pics and movies of other 50 cal debauchery if people are interested.

Re: 50 Caliber rifle, worth the cost??
 

Yes we are.

-1

Re: 50 Caliber rifle, worth the cost??
 

Metalphile, the '06 AP is 50+ years old and not that hard when compared to modern tungsten AP rounds. That said, standard ball would KO a regular car @ 400 with proper shot placement. Heck, I've buzzed 556 into motor blocks at close range.

The difference is, a 30 cal will ruin an engine, but the vehicle will still travel a good distance. The 50 will prolly make it burst into flames.

Rad, you know we want to see that stuff, quit teasing us!!!

Re: 50 Caliber rifle, worth the cost??
 

Exactly, what a rhetorical question...get on with it.

Re: 50 Caliber rifle, worth the cost??
 

I don't see that I can upload movies.
Anybody have any ideas?

Re: 50 Caliber rifle, worth the cost??
 

Thanks for the pics and I'd upload it/them to one of these if you're so inclined, Ten video sharing services compared

Re: 50 Caliber rifle, worth the cost??
 

I will see if my friend who put the movies on the phenfen site wants to put them there.

This is a link a friend sent. 50 cal sniper hits in Afganistan. Not for the faint of heart. Can't really see they are shooting dudes until the last one, just parts flying.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...q=sniper&hl=en
I didn't make the movie so don't bitch at me.
If you don't want to see it don't watch it.

Re: 50 Caliber rifle, worth the cost??
 

I am getting one of those:eek:

Re: 50 Caliber rifle, worth the cost??
 

Here is a 12MB 8 minute movie for real player.

http://www.techbytespc.com/multimedia/50calt1.ram
or
http://rincemp3.cubalan.com/50calt1.ram

It is a demonstration of the terminal ballistics of the 50 at a safe, 3 inch man hole cover etc. Also shows raufoss ammo, high explosive incendiary rounds.
It was made to show congress how evil the gun is.

Re: 50 Caliber rifle, worth the cost??
 

It was made to show congress how evil the gun is.

Or how the black helicopters are gonna have to have a LOT better armor.

Re: 50 Caliber rifle, worth the cost??
 

If I had that kind of $$$ I would be getting a custom smithed Springfield M Series .308 or 30-06:

http://www.springfield-armory.com/prod-rifles-m21.shtml

http://www.springfield-armory.com/im...les/SA9121.jpg
http://www.springfield-armory.com/images/rifles/M21.jpg

Re: 50 Caliber rifle, worth the cost??
 

nope. gonna get the 50 cal after that video. any suggestions. No single shots

Re: 50 Caliber rifle, worth the cost??
 

R MacDonald, that's like comparing a tricked out mustang to a Formula One.

Anyway, if you want a high end M14, go with the SEI Crazy Horse:

http://www.smithenterprise.com/products02.html

Re: 50 Caliber rifle, worth the cost??
 

Have fun packing it! It looks easy in the movies... you should have no problem. :rolleyes:

Re: 50 Caliber rifle, worth the cost??
 

Sorry, but that "sniper" vid has long been exposed as a hoax.

It was someone picking off prarie dogs...I believe the rifle was a .338 Lapua.

Re: 50 Caliber rifle, worth the cost??
 

By no single shots did you want semi auto or bolt action with magazine.
50 cal nuts get their info from the magazine of the fifty caliber shooters association which is of course named:
Very High Power. In the 2006-2 issue they briefly cover a few new semiautos.
One from edmarms.com that also has a beautiful bolt action take down rifle which I covet.
Also one from serbu.com, who have a loyal following for their single shot.
I am partial to the Barrett 82A1 for semi-autos as they have been around long enough to have bugs worked out.
Barrettrifles.com
Accuracy International has beautiful bolt action rifles for only 12K.
http://www.impactguns.com/store/media/ai_2005.pdf

Re: 50 Caliber rifle, worth the cost??
 

Mr Beef in the last part of the movie you can see a guy moving before the stuff flys apart. Do prairie dogs live in the mountains?
I've read about the .338 lapua sounded like a great cartridge.
http://www.custer.com.au/Lap/338magnumstory.php

Re: 50 Caliber rifle, worth the cost??
 

I see a prarie dog, not a guy. Can prarie dogs not move?

Those aren't mountains, they are PD towns. Perspective.

Look at the first shot. Do you really think a man would explode into 10x his height, even if hit by a 50? I have a friend who has used a 50 (M2) on humans, and he said it was an obvious fake. (BTW, one of his favorite phrases is "50 BMG, turns cover into concealment, and people into paint")

I'm not knocking the 50s, I would love to own one, but that vid is not real.

Re: 50 Caliber rifle, worth the cost??
 

Before long we will be talking like the 9/11 videos, did you see the squibs. I actually thought some of that was headscarf. I've seen prairie dog video clip too.
I've got a close up of a terrorist head shot and thats real. I've seen the inside of many heads when I was teaching anatomy and in the autopsy suite and it looks real to me. Opened the skull up like petals on a flower. A lot depends on the type of round, how much of the 12000 foot pounds will be deposited. The AP rounds aren't effective at transfering their energy to a soft target and would probably fly through many dudes. I couldn't stop one with about 3 feet of oak. If the rounds are lead then a lot more energy would be deposited.

Re: 50 Caliber rifle, worth the cost??
 

A little dose of reality;

Having (10) bb guns is not better than (1) .308

Ammo can be had for about $1.20/rd, you just have to shop around
www.sportsmansguide.com
www.ammoman.com

There are 50 cal accessories such as an upper that will go on to an AR frame, therefore it's a customised AR-15
www.watsonsweapons.com ...about half the lowest price mentioned on this thread.


Gun bans happen for a reason, does that mean that the gun is not worth getting...think about it. Every time a gun gets "restricted" - the price doubles, triples, etc. From a financial standpoint alone, you'll make a profit

Re: 50 Caliber rifle, worth the cost??
 

The percussion from a 50 cal is unbelievable. I saw a group taking turns with a bolt action 50 about a year ago. At 30 or perhaps 40 yards away ( along the firing line ) I could feel the percussion every time they fired. All in the immediate vicinity of the shooter, lined-up directly behind the shooter, every time they got off a shot.

I don’t know anything about the accuracy, as I was set-up along the 100 yd targets and they were plucking away at the 200-yard line. The shooters padded their shoulder with a towel, and they handled the recoil well.

The rifle should be a good investment. As new anti-gun laws will likely eliminate them from the new ( or FFL dealer ) gun market.

Re: 50 Caliber rifle, worth the cost??
 

The recoil from the AR50 isn't bad at all. A slow long push cause it weighs so much and has a really good muzzle break. Wouldn't want to shoot a smaller one without a good muzzle break on it.
The concussion is wicked though. My brother who was in the military said it sounds more like an explosion than gunfire. Need to wear double hearing protection, in and over the ear.

Re: 50 Caliber rifle, worth the cost??
 

Exactly right Rad - more like a quick shove rather than a hard slam.

Re: 50 Caliber rifle, worth the cost??
 

why stop at a fifty? If your worried about stopping cars then... http://world.guns.ru/sniper/sn56-e.htm

Re: 50 Caliber rifle, worth the cost??
 

Cool toy !! Although I'd imagine the ammo might be tough to come by and the destructive device designation would hamper aquisition by most.

Re: 50 Caliber rifle, worth the cost??
 

You're very wise.

I often think along the lines you're written about here whenever one of my buds gets all excited about xyz article he "saw posted on survivalblog." The notion that a bunch of white men in ID/MT/WY or wherever armed to the teeth and holding contrarian views about which they publicly write escaping the notice of, much less holding their own against, the NWO machine is beyond asanine.

I realize these characters live for the day "TSHTF" so they can live out their Patriots-related survivalist fantasies, but if the time ever comes it will all end very quickly for them. The NWO could and likely would send a squadron of NATO/UN/whomever's military jet aircraft over the area with CBRN weapons of some sort, and make the whole area uninhabitable for the next several hundred years. Problem solved.

Should one prepare for natural disasters like Katrina or civil unrest like the L.A. riots, absolutely.

Dig entrenchments, map out minefields, and rehearse fire & maneuver for the "throwdown" with the NWO, gimme a flippin' BREAK.

Re: 50 Caliber rifle, worth the cost??
 

Last 50BMG ammo I purchased was at $1 a round. I saw mil surplus at Knob Creek 3 weeks ago for under a $1 a round.

Should a 50 be your one SHTF gun? No.
Is it worth the money? Yes

Proud owner of 2 Barretts and I don't care what list I'm on. Some of you equate survival to running from the .gov and that plan aint ever gonna fly.
You can't hide from the juggernaut.

As far as it being for richey rich gun collectors? I wouldn't call a rifle that is around the cost of 2 M1As and a good 1911 an arm for the rich.

Not everything in life or survival prep has to be a solution to a problem.

Re: 50 Caliber rifle, worth the cost??
 

I just don't see the functionality of the 50 being worth the money it costs to acquire one and supply it with ammo. Most of the situations I can think of where the 50 is far superior to say an M1A or maybe a .300 mag would be situations I would rather avoid in the first place.

I don't think running and hiding is always the best option but you're not going to sit up on a hill sniping NWO troops at 800 yards and last very long.

That said, it's not that I would never consider getting one, just that there are a whole lot of things much more important to take care of first before I start spending money on something that has very little real value.

Re: 50 Caliber rifle, worth the cost??
 

I�m wondering if Americans are more supportive of fighting and dieing abroad, than in defending their own motherland, if the need should arise???

Perhaps we need to be lead, and absent a functioning government, we�d quickly throw our hands up in the air and fall in line.

Someone please tell me I�m wrong.

Re: 50 Caliber rifle, worth the cost??
 

Don't worry LG, there are still a few crazies around.

Everyone else will hear about (ahem) them on the nightly news.

As we used to say around stack, "See you when it burns."

Re: 50 Caliber rifle, worth the cost??
 

Can you say 20mm?

20mm

http://www.anzioironworks.com/images/20-mm.jpg

:eek:

-1

Re: 50 Caliber rifle, worth the cost??
 

I thought the 50 cal was the largest legal caliber in the old USA.

Re: 50 Caliber rifle, worth the cost??
 

20mm is a "destructive device" but you can do a legal transfer as such. The problem is where to shoot it and the cost of the ammo, as well as finding someone that sells either the ammo or the reloading components.

If every American patriot owned one, we would have politicians that would serve us instead of themselves.

Re: 50 Caliber rifle, worth the cost??
 

You are probably right about that Gunner. :thumbs up

Re: 50 Caliber rifle, worth the cost??
 

50 Caliber, that's used for shooting down aircraft isn't it?

Re: 50 Caliber rifle, worth the cost??
 

Sometimes I wonder if our rulers are so adamant against these 50 caliber riflres because someone might get tired of chemtrails over their property and take a shot at one of the aircrafts spraying them. Depending on where the aircraft makes an emergency landing, it might be very difficult to cover up the existence of spraying equipment.

Re: 50 Caliber rifle, worth the cost??
 

The head-space-timing is also a thought when dealing with such a large caliber. Military training will help in this matter. Seek friends and then set out "grazing fire" zones to cover area effectively. One can be protected BUT one MUST be VERY covert in assimilating these weapons into your defensive posture. DO NOT let ANYONE know you have these weapons!!!!!! This can unleash a Waco like situation all over again........REMEMBER>>>>>>Big Brother is ALWAYS watching!

Re: 50 Caliber rifle, worth the cost??
 

And for everyone else there's TerraServer

Re: 50 Caliber rifle, worth the cost??
 

I just love how the gov claims that there were .50 cals at Waco... what a bunch of crap.

There were no .50s at Waco. By saying that there was the gov got to use tanks on the public.

Just another try at demonizing .50 cals.

If "Big Brother" wants your ass they will have your ass.

-1

Re: 50 Caliber rifle, worth the cost??
 

When this thread started, I would have said No.

But in anticipation of AWB II, now might be the only chance you'll get. :censored:

Re: 50 Caliber rifle, worth the cost??
 

Yes.... expect a .50 cal ban soon. Buy now. When a ban starts to take shape there will be a rush on .50s just like the rush from the left coast ban.

-1

Re: 50 Caliber rifle, worth the cost??
 

That ban sold more fifty caliber receivers here than the whole rest of the country has bought. Whole companies came into being to crank them out for us. Even so I still couldn't justify buying one. :(

Re: 50 Caliber rifle, worth the cost??
 

If you guys are ever going to get a 50 you may want to get the ammo now for it soon.

Gov. contractors are buying it up like crazy.

AP and API is fun to find now.

-1

Re: 50 Caliber rifle, worth the cost?? If that video does not
 

convey the usefulness, nothing will.

Re: 50 Caliber rifle, worth the cost?? If that video does not
 

Well, if you're into raffles, here's a Barrett going for 100FRNs a chance, total of 50 tickets sold. Friend of mine that also posts here has this going on his board to raise funds for the board fees.

http://www.survivalmonkey.com/forum/...ead.php?t=4819

Re: 50 Caliber rifle, worth the cost??
 

The .50bmg rifles aren't really anti-aircraft weapons. You could do some real dirt to a parked plane but your odds of hitting a lowflying aircraft are very slim once you factor in the bullet's time in flight, airspeed of the target and the one shot you have. Even if you did manage to tag the plane on takeoff or landing you're not very likely to bring it down with that one shot unless you take out the pilot, anything else is pretty much just a repair bill. Obviously they aren't much of a threat to any battle tank made since WWII either, though they are a credible threat against some lighter armored vehicles.

It isn't even the long range potential that makes the .50bmg interesting. The real niche for these things, and quite possibly a big part of the reason why the evil politicians are so set against them, is that they make swiss cheese out of a storm trooper's armor. You probably didn't notice but your 5.56, 7.62x51, 7.62x39, 5.45x39 or other became obsolescent on the battlefield some years ago due to advancements in personal armor. Right now these underpowered rounds are only useful if you're able to place them on unarmored portions of a storm trooper's anatomy which is why the pelvic girdle is the new center of mass. The .50bmg doesn't have that problem. The .45-70 in its stouter modern loadings works against such armor, too, and closer in it is probably the more practical weapon.

Re: 50 Caliber rifle, worth the cost??
 

bump.......

Re: 50 Caliber rifle, worth the cost??
 

:smile: More timely than ever...

Re: 50 Caliber rifle, worth the cost??
 

:wink: ................

Re: 50 Caliber rifle, worth the cost??
 

Nah, it just requires money

http://www.cabelas.com/prod-1/0037477216101a.shtml

Re: 50 Caliber rifle, worth the cost??
 

Mine was certainly worth the cost, but in the same sense as my S&W .500 and .460 Mag revolvers... big boom for small minds.

Re: 50 Caliber rifle, worth the cost??
 

150 rounds - $189.00
http://www.sportsmansguide.com/cb/cb.asp?a=249143

Not a bad deal if you ask me.

Re: 50 Caliber rifle, worth the cost??
 

I think I gave the same amount of money for my rock chucker and three die sets. The price for ammo has sure came down since I looked into the .50 though. I'll stand by my practice comment, having a big gun doesn't make you accurate. Knowing the ballistics, understanding your scope, having a good idea of actual target range, wind effects, ETC. makes a person a thousand yard shooter.

http://www.snipercountry.com/Article...2430Metres.asp

Re: 50 Caliber rifle, worth the cost??
 

If this is all you know about guns and all you want from a gun, then you need to leave them alone.

Re: 50 Caliber rifle, worth the cost??
 

I didn't intend to write down everything I know, nor did I intend to write down everything I wanted from a specific firearm. What are you trying to say?

Re: 50 Caliber rifle, worth the cost??
 

I don't care what anyone says. If I had the spare money right now, and I could buy one legally in California, there would be one in my gun safe already. I've owned a 4 wheel drive truck for 12 years, and have only needed the 4wd a couple times. You only NEED something once, to wish that you had it! It may be over kill for most people, and most circumstances, but having one just in case doesn't hurt anything. Yeah, owning the .50 cal puts you on a special list I'm sure, but we're all on so many lists already. I recently bought Mathew Brackens two books on Amazon.com. I'm sure that put me on some type of list. Screw 'em!

Re: 50 Caliber rifle, worth the cost??
 

Man, I bet the "jacket" they got on me is a real hand full too. Grows by the day! It is a boring read though. lol. :D