I have been interested in a 50 BMG for some time to add to my collection.  I have been researching and there are many options.  I am at a crossroads to what direction I should go.  Which direction would you go out of the following options:

1.)  50 bmg upper 29"-32" with magazine married with AR15 lower and bipod and pelican case
2.)  50 bmg upper 29"-32" married with AR15 lower and bipod and pelican case
3.)  Barrett M99 with no magazine and only single shot with pelican case and bipod
4.)  Bushmaster BA50 with 10 magazine and pelican case and bipod

I think I am leaning to Barrett M99 for the name, accuracy and re-sell if I needed to unload it.  Not sure how big of a deal is it to have or not to have the magazine.  My quandary is that the "upper" option with AR15 comes in about $1k less than my budget, but don't know much about the names.

Any advice and input is appreciated.  Thanks in advance!!

I found having a magazine was a lot less important that I thought it would be on a bolt action. If I were to re-buy I'd go with option 3 - I currently have a SHF upper and a single-shot rifle that you have to remove the butt to put in a new round (that's a pain in the ass, don't get one)

I've also found it's pretty hard to find a place to let you shoot it. Many ranges ban them, and finding open space with sufficient backstop is hard.

Honestly, best for that price would be a AR-50.  One of the most accurate .50's out there and well under the budget.

That's very useful information.  Thanks for the reply!!

Will this be a fun gun or competition rifle? If fun, plenty of used ones on arms list. Some have magazines like the safety harbors or zel. I have the safety harbors w/22 inch barrel and 5 round side magazine. Just for fun. When I decide for precision, will be looking here... http://www.ferret50.com/ferret50_conversion.html . If I could afford a barrett, I would get one. Don't forget to post a pic when you get one.

This will be for fun.  As one member posted...Not many places you can go to shoot one.  Thanks for the reply...

+1

If weight is not an issue, then I highly recommend the AR-50.  You can pick up a used one in great shape in the $2,500 range and sometimes even less.  I didn't start off with an AR-50 because I wasn't crazy about the look of the rifle.  Once I got one, it quickly grew on me and now it is the favorite in my collection.  Accurate, SAFE and built like a tank...IMO...the trifecta when looking for a 50.

A couple things to keep in mind with the AR-50. It does not comes with a case or bipod. The Barrett comes with a Pelican case precut and a bipod.

True, but for the cost of the Barrett you could easily add a case and bipod to the AR-50 and still probably have money left over.

Serbu carbine. They are fun as hell.

99 black 32" MSRP 3849

AR-50 MSRP $3359
Pelican 1750(this is what you get with Barrett) $200 to $250
Armalite's bipod $250

On the low end, the AR-50 is $40 cheaper. On the high end, it is $10 higher.

I think the Barrett looks better. I also have it as a "fun" gun. FWIW, I paid less than MSRP, tax included, for my tan 32" 99 with scope. I don't know how much effort they put into sighting it in. It hits where I aim at 300 yards with no adjustments made by anybody outside of Barrett.

Personal opinion, I think the Barret looks like crap

AR-50's are very easy to find for under $2900, I've yet to see a Barrett for under $3500.  AR50's are a lot more accurate and have much lighter recoil as well, downside is they are very heavy.

BA50 is the best bang for your buck with accuracy, reliability, safety, repeatability, parts, and price considered.

I have several 50's and if I had to start all over again, with $3500 to spend:

I would get a Serbu Carbine and a scope for that money.

I have an AR-50. (I've had several -down to one "just for having")
It is accurate.
It is also ungodly heavy.
It sits in the safe.  A lot.  Like in the back.
There is a lot to be said for having a 50 you can do more than lug to the bench.

Also: don't under-rate a mag-fed bolt gun.
The S.h.t.f gun by Safety Harbor is light, and as much fun as you can have with a bolt gun before spending Semi-Auto money.

Kicking myself HARD from all the opportunities to get an AR50 for 1800-2000 dollars back around 2000-2001...

Best deal that there ever was.  Even at 3200 a hell of a deal.

I picked up a brand new Serbu BFG-50 for 1900 this winter.  

Look around a bunch of guys got a group deal on Serbu's last year.  And as you can imagine, many are looking to sell.  I guess other bills need paid.

That is the one AR50 I'm down to, one of the "50th Anniversary" stamped ones.
It was an OK investment I guess,
but it honestly has less than 200 rounds through it.
When compared to the others (some shot so much in that time they needed rebarreling)
It just sits there in the corner with its 12-42 Benchrest scope on it.

When I want to go shooting it just never seems to answer whatever it is I'm looking to do.
It is a great dedicated benchrest gun.
If that, and that alone is what you want to do: BUY ONE!
It is a great value for that purpose.

But for anything else there are other (better) answers these days.

Back when I got into 50's there were only a handful of production guns on the market
Everything else was a custom build you had to wait a long time to get.

As much as I love the AR50 (it was my first choice) if I had to do it again
I'd get something lighter and more versitile, cut my teeth on that,
THEN if I wanted to refine my art with benchrest work look in that direction.

A 50 is one of those guns, if you are going to shoot it more than twice a year, it really pays to reload for it.
By the time you invest in that, it really makes sense to have more than one of them.

I'd get a light portable 50 first, shoot the snot out of that,
Then when you decide "this is for you" pick up a benchrest gun,
or a semi-auto, or a beltfed, or whatever direction your desire takes you...

By doing more you'll get more out of it.
By doing more you'll have more fun.

Of all things about the Serbu BFG-50 I would have thought for the money they could have built a better scope mount.  I like the looks of it otherwise.  I can't brag about my 50 BMG as the guy that built it burned way to many bridges in the process of producing them. I'm interested in the FCSA and their upcoming King of the 2 mile shoot in New Mexico.  It's going to take a sight base with plenty of MOA built in to make up for only 65 MOA with the Nightforce 8-32X56 NXS.

I've only shot the ar50.  

Heard other cheap ones have kaboomed.  Any issues with the serbu doing that?

Txl

I've got an AR-50 with over 4000 rounds thru it, had to re-barrel it last year - couldn't find rifling after cleaning it.
Replaced with a 34" finished length Feddersen chrome-moly  1.75" dia barrel button rifled. 48.76 pounds as currently fitted.

I've got an State Arms Shorty with over 3200 rounds on stock 30" SS barrel thru it, had to re-barrel it over Winter - couldn't find rifling after cleaning it.
Replaced with a 34" finished length Feddersen chrome-moly  1.75" dia barrel button rifled. 45.46 pounds in modified tactical stock with bipod & monopod.

Both were fitted by me, re-chambered with same 0.554 reamer, and since I took the time to cut the chambers within 0.0005" of each other for head spacing, reloading is much simpler.

As much as I appreciate what Ronnie Barrett has done for us, I wouldn't buy one of his single shot 50's for extreme range target shooting. Save some money and buy a good quality scope.

A general rule of thumb to go with is run right around half as much rail slope as is available in your elevation turret
(If I have 65 m.o.a. available in the scope, put a 30 m.o.a. rail on it... then after shooting it to see where it actually is on paper,
I tweak the rail slope on the mill to get all that is actually available out of elevation turret)
I have a couple milling machines so I custom slope my rails so the scope is a few clicks from bottomed out when zeroed at 100 yards.
The last few m.o.a. are chased down using a lapping plate, trial and error.
That way all the available elevation is useable. (And I can still zero for close up stuff)

If buying an AR50 ALWAYS get the 30 m.o.a. scope rail
The 15 m.o.a. they can be bought with is just silly (the 30 is optional and I don't think it costs any extra)

Also, like everything else about Nightforce, the advertised specifications are understated.
I get 76 m.o.a. of elevation out of my 8-32x NXS when it is actually measured/counted out.
They give you a little extra, they just don't tell you about it.  

My biggest problem is coming up with the right amount of money to pay for all the stuff I would like to do starting with a new rifle  with a better barrel.  I sure need a bunch more bugs to kill to earn the money to pay for it. Now this base sounds like the best of several worlds depending on how far you would like to shoot.  http://www.coldshotusa.com/index.php/products/moab-150  Ah so many toys so little money.

See user name

I'll sell you a complete setup for $3500.  



Although I feel like that some days - I don't know if I could actually get rid of the ol' LAR Grizzly.  Since I put the Leupold and Stevens 16x on it, it's been quite a rifle.

Steyr HS for $3700 on gunbroker