Hey, might be in the .50 cal market.  I'm a gunner on HH60 pavehawks and it looks as if our helicopters might be getting the new M3M .50's from FN.  Now, I figure since I'll be able to "acquire" .50 ammo I have a good reason to pick up a .50 of my own.  

Is there any .50 shooters out there I can talk to about this.  I've shot the M2 but what the hell is the felt recoil from a shoulder fired .50?  Were's a good place to start looking Barret?  AR50?  Help...

DG84

Have you tried 50world?

There are a few sites out there
biggerhammer.net
50world.com
fcsa.org

Don't get caught rippin' ol' Uncle Sugar. They don't allow 50 shootin' in Leavenworth.

Go to     http://www.biggerhammer.net/barrett/wwwboard/

50 cal board..tons of info...search

Where are you located......might be able to set up a shoot with one of the guys on the list.
I shoot the serbu BFG50. Love it!!!
www.SERBU.com
You will see deals on the board too.......
If ya get close to Memphis.....we will go shoot the monster....

Axeldawg

Most (with the exception of the Serbu) .50's are too heavy to shoulder fire.  They are bench (or ground) rest guns.  Recoil with a good brake is about like a fairly mild 12ga. shotgun.  I would also characterize it like a "push" rather than a sharp blow.  

One caution--.50 MG ammo is not to the best of specs in it's brass.  The new stuff might be OK, but there are some guns with tight (Match) chambers that might have trouble chambering the round.  MG chambers are generally pretty loose, and mil-spec ammo is usually designed with that in mind.  For the best accuracy, Match grade chambers with well tailored handloads are best.

AFARR

Your shoulder mount recoil all depends on muzzle break. I've heard the Armalite AR-50 has one of the best breaks. I had someone let me shoot their single bolt action. I was shocked in how light the recoil was. He said the original break was real harsh. Only was able to shoot two to three rounds. He had it changed out to a four slot that was about two inches in diameter. Another good web site is
www.impactguns.com/store/50bmg.html
They stock Barrett,Armalite, and Serbu. Another is Robar. If I had the money I would get one too.

Thanks for the help.... I'm on it.  Now I just have to talk the "Off Base Commander" ie. The Wife into me getting a .50