Tips for shooting a .50bmg round?

DON'T DO IT!!!!! Once you fire it, you're gonna want one. They are like kids and horses, nice to have but expensive to keep fed.

Have Fun!

Fifty.jpg
 
Acme.Armament said:
And this is what a S&W 500 Magnum looks like.
DSC08093.jpg
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Not to nitpick, but that's a .460

Also, I'd you want to try a custom bolt-action 50 BMG, let me know and you can try mine. Recoil isn't bad at all.
 
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IMHO, another thing to be aware of is the "surface danger zone" (SDZ) of the .50 cal. Ensuring you have an adequate back stop, and you are in-fact hitting it, are critical. "Distance X" for a the .50 Ball round is 6500 meters. That basically means how far the round could possibly go under optimal conditions, with a little wiggle room. Having a round travel outside of the designated impact area, as with any round, is a serious concern. The .50 will go much farther then most.

Ricochet and deflection are also serious concerns since the round will maintain plenty of power to travel a good distance. The "ricochet and dispersion areas" of the .50 cal SDZ are quiet large. This speaks to the lateral area of the range. Simply put, make sure the lateral safe area of the range and area around it are big enough to handle the .50 cal.

You must also have an acceptable "minumum safe distance" between you and the target area in the event the round strikes a hard surface and comes back at you. Personally, I would not shoot at anything closer than 300 meters with a .50 cal. Many civilian ranges that allow individuals to shoot .50 cal, personally, I would not fire on. Maybe I am a little too cautious, but the .50 cal has an awesome capabilitiy and you definately need to make sure you have an adequate SDZ.
 
Don't leave anything nice on the bench, it will get blown right off.

The first time I shot a 50BMG, someone had left a nice M1A on the bench next to me. The rifle and it's case got blown right off the table.

Have Fun!
 
Marcus5aurelius said:
Yea, with the proper instruction and manageable load it's not too bad either. I've let lots of people (new and experienced shooters) test fire it with minimal accidents [wink]
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Glass houses.....[laugh] The .500 can be shot safely. No question about it. However, if I had a brand spanking-new shooter with me, after trying other things first, I would happily park them behind the Barrett. I would not allow my brand spanking-new shooter to fire the .500. Maybe you do that...I certainly don't think it's reckless endangerment or anything, but I wouldn't do it.

That is likely colored by the type of new shooters we each tend to work with as well as our personal experience. I can and have shot the famous nuclear loads safely. But even when I am perfectly on my game, the .500 is skirting the edge of my comfort zone. Of course you've got a fair amount of weight and loads of testosterone (read: upper body strength) on me, so I'm sure that what we're feeling isn't the same either. [wink]
 
Tim94gt said:
Don't leave anything nice on the bench, it will get blown right off.

The first time I shot a 50BMG, someone had left a nice M1A on the bench next to me. The rifle and it's case got blown right off the table.

Have Fun!
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I did that too at an NES shoot. I also have knocked my own ARs off the table.
 
vellnueve said:
I did that too at an NES shoot. I also have knocked my own ARs off the table.
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I did it with your rifle at an NES Shoot. [rofl]

I wish I knew who's M1A it was, I would have apologized. I didn't even know it happened until the my buddy told me on theride home.
 
I've had a small girl, 70lbs soaking wet, shoot my Serbu and she walked away just fine. You're going to have a ball! I can shoot her for a good amount of time until my shoulder starts to get sore. On the other hand, a 12 ga with 3 in magnum rounds chipped a bone in my shoulder that holds a tenden. Couldn't use my arm for close to a month while it healed up. I'll take shooting the 50 bmg any day over a shotgun with those rounds again.
 
haha good point.. i can see it now.. tyke comes up to me at the 50 cal shoot , "hi im tyke, hold out your arm.."

i can't wait to try it out ,
 
Send AbbyOakley a PM. She will give you the lowdown. Oh wait, she is a middle schooler and weighs around 90lbs. (Just an approx.) Have it on video.

How about drama queen bee?

Sent from the Hyundai of the droids, the Samsung Replenish, using Tapatalk.
 
I'd love to see someone shoot .50BMGs akimbo...hell, I'd even chip in for ammo!

I shot Marcus5Aurelius' rifle at the porsche shoot. It certainly kicks, but I think the only reason it really registered on the pain scale was because I had recently shot a pile of rounds through a Mosin...

You'll be fine.

Be warned, though, your face might get stuck with a perma-grin for a while [smile]
 
Keystone said:
I shot Marcus5Aurelius' rifle at the porsche shoot. It certainly kicks, but I think the only reason it really registered on the pain scale was because I had recently shot a pile of rounds through a Mosin...
Click to expand...

It really does kick more than your average 50BMG. My father bought a recoil pad I need to put back on, I took it off because I didn't like the look of it. I only fired 2 rounds that day and came home with a purple shoulder [laugh]
 

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