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Posted: 12/13/2008 11:22:59 AM EDT
| Got 5K to spend. Any opinions? |
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Armalite AR-50 or Barrett M99.
Armalite available around $3K. Barrett M99 available around $3.8K. Spend the rest of your money on a scope and scope mount. I'd suggest a Nightforce NXS 5.5-22x56 ($1500) or a Leupold Mark 4 8.5-25x50 ($1100). The real question between the two rifles is how you want to use it. The Barrett 99 is more fieldable, ie more portable and useful for hunting, tactical games, etc. The Armalite is more readily adaptable to shooting FCSA 1000 yard matches all though Barrett 99's work well in the Prone-bipod (Hunter Class). It really just comes down to a personal choice regarding portability. Both guns will shoot sub-MOA with the right handloads. -David Edgewood, NM |
Seriuosly, I don't hunt but love to shoot paper.
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how about a barrett m95 They're finicky. Saw one take a crap at a match in Raton this past summer. Also, I don't think Barrett makes them anymore. Someone is welcome to correct me if i'm wrong but I don't think they're available anymore. If you want to go mag-fed bolt, the Bushmaster/Cobb is probably the way to go, although I don't advocate mag-feds for most shooters. -David Edgewood, NM |
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Want to look cool??? Get a Bohica FAR-50
Want something that shoots good and get ya on paper, get an AR-50 What something that will give you a chance to win a FCSA or NCSA (did I get it right?) 1000 yrd match? Then you want an Upper that will run about 2.5K and up and a rifle that will run you 3K or above. I just love all of these guys who jump up and yell oh! oh! oh! AR-50! teacher! There are several good rifles out there. Do your home work and then decide. If you are not a member, I highly suggest that you become a member of FCSA. Lots of good info plus who won what match with what equipment. I myself saved 100 bucks on the cost of my rifle because the guy who made it, gives FCSA members a discount along with other manufactures. Also someone came up with a cheap way to pull bullets if you have the LEE Classic Cast press. Anyway, good luck on your selection. Suggestion, limit your questions to a certain make and model. Ask owners their feelings about their rifle, otherwise you are going to get alot of informtion. Max Edit: Slight grammar correction. |
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+1 to what Max_Paul says. State Arms rifles, www.statearms.com and Ferret50 uppers, www.ferret50.com are both solid choices. They'll just take you a bit longer to get than an M99 or an AR-50. Figure about 4 months or so for either options.
Bohica's are another possibility but who knows when you'll get it if you order one today. That's also why I don't suggest my gun, an ALS upper. Darran is running about 2 years out on ALS uppers right now. -David Edgewood, NM |
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WOW, you dont say?? Really? ALS are now about 2 yrs and the Ferrets are about 4 months now. Well Obamma should be proud that he has created that much business and he is not even in office yet. Maybe there is something to his ability to turn around the economy. Now all he has to do is threaten to ban cars and houses. And I think that the stock market can make a quick recovery
Max |
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WOW, you dont say?? Really? ALS are now about 2 yrs and the Ferrets are about 4 months now. Well Obamma should be proud that he has created that much business and he is not even in office yet. Maybe there is something to his ability to turn around the economy. Now all he has to do is threaten to ban cars and houses. And I think that the stock market can make a quick recovery Max Actually, ALS uppers are so behind because the gun won the FCSA World Championship. Kinda typical of any gun that wins at the worlds. People follow success. Much like the Service Rifle i'm having built now setup for 77 grain SMK's across the course...which is what won at Camp Perry most recently. -David Edgewood, NM |
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State Arms site says an 8 day wait. I gather that's incorrect then. Also, how about Bushmaster? Larry doesn't update his site often. He may be 6 weeks right now. He may be 4 months. He makes all the guns to your spec by hand. Delivery time typically depends upon where he is at on a barrel order from Lothar Walther. If he just got in an order, you could have a gun in a couple weeks. If an order is behind, could be 4 months. There is no way to predict what bushmaster's lead time is given the political situation. However, Bushmaster BA-50 is a factory offering meaning they're not custom so if you can find one on gunbroker.com or at a local dealer, you can pick it up. No telling how long it would take from Bushmaster. Get my drift? -David Edgewood, NM |
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And Max, I don't know exactly what Dave Moore's turnaround at Ferret50 is right now. He could be running 3 weeks behind or could be as much as 4 months. Interested parties should call and ask.
I just painted with a broad brush that when ordering from custom builders like Ferret and State Arms, a guy should figure on a 4 month wait. Could be a little more, could be a little less. Both use Lothar Walther barrels so getting the barrels in from Germany is always the number 1 question mark. -David Edgewood, NM |
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Quoted:
I wasn't clear. Bushmaster time isn't the issue. I would go through gunbroker. Are they pretty good quality? I've messed with a few COBB rifles at Raton and they were solid guns. The Bushmaster BA-50 is basically just a rebranded COBB rifle since COBB sold out to them. The Cobbs have a good reputation. Not as good of an accuracy reputation as the Armalite AR-50 or the M99 but then reputation from where i'm sitting comes from the number of guns that have done well in matches. One armchair internet hero's word for something doesn't mean to much. I messed with a Bushy BA-50 at Sportman's Warehouse the other day. Looked pretty darn good. If I wanted a mag fed gun that was more accurate than a Barrett M82, that's the way i'd go. I don't think mag feds are worth much for 50's though unless they are an M82 as the typical civilian shooter is looking for maximum long range accuracy. You can't get that through a magazine because the mag limits how long you can load the cartridge if you want to feed through the mag. Seating the bullet ogive close to the lands is a primary way to accurize a handload. That said, if you have a mag-fed, you can run military length (5.45") ammo through the mag and single load accurate ammo, bypassing the mag. If you've just got the $5K to spend, it would be better to put it toward an Armalite or Barrett 99 and a nice scope than a Bushy BA-50 and a crappy scope. That said, if you have your heart set on a mag-fed, by all means go for the BA-50. They're a much better built gun than the Barrett M95's i've come across. -David Edgewood, NM |
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Thanks for all the info. I think I'll just call Larry in the morning. Don't be discouraged if Larry takes a few calls to get through to him. He's a one man shop so if he's running a machine or putting together a rifle, he doesn't answer the phone. Leave a message and he'll call you back within a couple days. -David Edgewood, NM |
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http://patriot50bmg.googlepages.com/
http://www.safetyharborfirearms.com/SHF_R50_/shf_r50_.html http://www.ultralite50.com/ Basically all the same rifle. like them, only thing I dont care for is they are not free float barrels. Not a really bad thing but they are built like tanks.... BTW BOHICAs are really nice but at least a years wait. I have a 30" MK3..... |
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I don't think mag feds are worth much for 50's though unless they are an M82 as the typical civilian shooter is looking for maximum long range accuracy.
I can't argue with anything else you've said, but it is pretty safe to say that the typical civilian shooter with a .50 is more interested in making noise than trying to shoot a screamer at a thousand. There's far, far, far more of the former than the latter out there (for better or worse). |
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Quoted:
Armalite AR-50 or Barrett M99. Armalite available around $3K. Barrett M99 available around $3.8K. Spend the rest of your money on a scope and scope mount. I'd suggest a Nightforce NXS 5.5-22x56 ($1500) or a Leupold Mark 4 8.5-25x50 ($1100). The real question between the two rifles is how you want to use it. The Barrett 99 is more fieldable, ie more portable and useful for hunting, tactical games, etc. The Armalite is more readily adaptable to shooting FCSA 1000 yard matches all though Barrett 99's work well in the Prone-bipod (Hunter Class). It really just comes down to a personal choice regarding portability. Both guns will shoot sub-MOA with the right handloads. -David Edgewood, NM Only thing I might be inclined to disagree with is the recommendation of the Leupy 8.5-25. I have teh 3-9 MRT, the 4.5-15 LRT, the 6.5-20 LRT, and I HAD the 8.5-25, but I didn't like it. I replaced it with a NF 5.5-22 and I couldn't be happier. While I like the lower magnification leupys in teh LRT series, and I"m fond of my 6.5-20, I found the exit pupil and eye relief on the 8.5-25 to be just terrible, and to make it hard for me to acquire targets from the prone position. I like my 4.5-15 and my 6.5-20, but if I wanted higher magnification, i'd DEFINATELY jsut go all the way and get the NF. There's no comparison in my book. SOA |
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