doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com OT Shooting a 50BMG

By way of background, the Dallas Gun Club's rifle range is closed to have the baffles repaired. (What's the reason? Baffles me!)
Accordingly, I headed out to TacPro to get some practice with my 375 before Africa. Fot those who don't know it, TacPro is run by an affable ex-SBS man(if you ever actually retire) who specializes in teahing good guys to shoot at long ranges. All sorts of interesting people come to visit.

Well, wouldn't you know it, they had a spanking new Accuracy Intenational 50BMG rifle in for testing. The AI is the weapon of choice for 1500m + shooting these days. One thing led to another and we were off to the range.

The thang weighs something like 35# and sports a small but very well designed muzzle-brake. After much trepedation and a few appeals to the almighty ("For what we are about to receive, make us truly thankful."), I touched one off. Mirabile dictu, the thing kicked no worse than a 375, and much less than a 470!! Also capable of well under 1moa out to the horizon. I am not trained at 1000 or 1500, but the rifle makes 500m shooting like 22 shooting at 50! It does make a mighty noise, but quieter than, say, a 300/378 Weatherby and is much easier to shoot than that toy. Functioning was smooth and recovery was as fast as a heavy sporting rifle or better. And the mag filled with 5 cartridges that dwarf a 600 nitro is extremely cool.

Now, as the Governator might point out, there's clearly no need, personally, for such a thing. But....................

Defin'ly a sportin' gun, there.

As I am an inveterate tin-can plinker with any twisty-bored firearm, out to as far as you can see'um, the .50BMG has intrigued me for some while. Gallon water jugs; 5-gallon mud-filled pails, old water heaters in a vertical posistion: OH!! The Joy!!! ;~`) Place the object at the near limit of resoanable hitability for it's size, and commence firing with a spotter.

Bet folks would cough up cash for the experience, and then they'd be hooked. I know that gallon milkjugs, or brightly colored detergent bottles are wonderful as targets at which to lob heavy handgun bullets or obselete caliber rifle slugs. Just keep moving them back until you can't hit them regularly. Then the real fun commences.

The Governator leads too sheltered a life. Invite him over to Dallas for some Texas B-B-cue at the club and trip to the range. Have some good Purdeys or Fabbri's or what have that'll meet his approval, too. I know that there's a few members of that club and this BBS that will have him happily well-fed, puffing good ceegars and seeing who can nail that water heater at 1500 yards, in no time at all.

Otherwise? The G-rater proves to be just another putty-man in the hands of ambition.

Thanks for the report,

John

You need gigantisch ZF 6-24x72 for that puppy!
I am perfectly happy with .375 H&H and 300gr 'full patch' Woodleigh slugs. Happily for all of worlds BIG game nothing else is really needed. For obvious reasons one should not shoot these at an animal in heard of animals. I always get a good laugh when them rifle boys argue which SP projectile is best.

Tell "Ahhh-nold" there's no need for the blood and guts type movies like he's made. There's no need for pornography too, but these things seem to have no problem getting 1st amendment protection. There are thousands of academic studies showing that long term exposure to voilent media causes violent behavior, but all types of violent media enjoy Constitutional protection regardless. Go figure...

The right to keep and bear arms made no distinction between what types of arms or calibers.

I've never had the chance to shoot one of those things, but I'll bet it's a real hoot!

Just a note of caution, as with any stout recoiling firearm, one needs to be concerned about retinal detachment, hearing loss, and/or muzzle blast. Best, Dr. BILL ps I guess shoulder seperation should also be considered.

Leo hows that thing work on Clays ?

jOe, I bet doubles are tough.

A little off thread: Two or three years ago a member here whose job was to de-brief US and Canadian elite sniper teams in Afghanistan mentioned that their scope systems---particularly the mounts maybe---had a lot to do with 50BMG performance. As I remember the exchange, the U.S. government turned down the system that both armies preferred. Canada is using the system.

How about 3 of those on each wing of your P-51 going full auto set to converge at 500 yards? Funzies.

Leo,

The 50BMG is definitely a "shooting experience". There is a group of long range specialist that occassionaly show up at Bristol Range just outside of Kenosha. The range is only 200 yards max there. For those guns that is sighting in distance.

Whenever one of them shows up they draw a small crowd. You can see all the spotting scopes suddenly focused on the same target.
Gives a whole to meaning to the term "large caliber".


Pete