Alright,
I need some professional upgraders to advise me here..
I have three ar's at the moment.  all are stock and are as follows
two (2) RRA A3 upper 2 stage match trigger design 16"barrel
one (1) Bushmaster A2 upper 20" barrel

I have yet to begin the small upgrades and am wondering what my plan for these guns should be.

I would like to keep at least one (but probably 2) in 5,56 but the others I'm willing to change.  I would like a hard hitter and am considering the huge .50 beowulf cartrige.. Is that an advisable option to the majority of the AR15 forum?
Instead should I chose perhaps a .45 or 9mm upper..
help me out..
thanx Nolan
P.S. - I'm considering hunting big game in the future.

Well, I have the .50b upper and the really nice thing about it, is the fact that it is a drop on.  It comes witht the BCC, CH all you need is a lower.  No mag well mods or anything.  Just drop it on and shoot.  Plus you can use any AR mags.  I have heard some mags you need to bend the one lip slightly but that is it.  Tons of fun.!!

I'll second .50 Beowulf I have about 200 rounds through mine, its a great shooter.

Let me [ipe in for the 50 Beowulf Love mine about 300 rounds through it. Ammo off the shelf No mods to the lower. Quick easy and brutal

As an option to the 50b, there are several ARFCOMers who enjoy their .458Socom uppers (longshot_va, marvl, SHIVAN458).  Take a moment and look through some of the later posts in this [url=http://www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=3&f=118&t=142408&w=myTopicPop]thread[/url].  There are many who debate the 50b vs. .499LW vs. .458Socom but I think there's enough room for all three.  Pros:  Commerical ammo from Dakota/Cor-Bon, Utilizes standard (non-modified) 5.56 mags, Drops onto any AR15 lower, Can be used with sub-sonic ammunition.

I just got done putting mine together and will be taking it to the range next weekend.  Otherwise, I'd say how great it is.  Until then, I'll tell you that it looks ding-dang cool.

And no one has said anything about the PS, 'I'm considering hunting big game in the future.' Wonder what he considers 'big game', to mention that in the same breath as '9mm or .45 ACP'

Ok "rimfire" - I do plan to do some big game hunting, Moose or Caribou hopefully.. I myself would rather not do any guided hunts and stalk the game myself.  Of course i haven't really researched the animals to much but i do it with deer every season (with my AR and Aimpoint site) and would think the bigger animals would be even less spooky than your normal white tail.
I want the larger caliber for two reasons, to have more imediate knock down potential from close ranges and to impress my friends (what? am i gonna lie?).
Thanx for the heads up on the .458, i looked into it and the price is pretty devestating compared to the .50 b.
I dont really feel like spending 1k on an upper + the other required equipment and ammo..

I'd do a lot more research into the area you wish to hunt.  While I've only ever hunted in Alaska, the moose and elk hunts I went on were decidely harder than *anything* else I've ever hunted.  (Unless one is sitting in a blind and calling a bull in during mating season.)

I once stalked a bull moose for nearly four hours, watching him continually stay just a) out of range or b) sufficiently in the brush to be unsure of a clean shoot. I know I was downwind but the bigger/older animals tend to just have a "street smarts" about them.

Your mileage may vary depending on where you hunt.

 Here's my Beowulf with an Aimpoint CompML2 and an ARMS throwlever mount.

[img]http://photos.ar15.com/ImageGallery/Attachments/DownloadAttach.asp?iImageUnq=14932[/img]

Two questions slightly relavent to the topic:

1) Would the up and coming Kali ban on .50 caliber rounds affect the Beowulf round or just the BMG?

2) What is the affective range of the .50 Beowulf?

yellowbelli you think its worth it to spend the extra money on the .458 socom? and what the ell is the kali ban?

how about the 16" ar10?


TXL

Because of string of .50 BMG slayings and constant assaults on concrete walls at 1000 yards, Los Angeles County has taken a ritious stand against these rifles.  I believe that certain Kali politicians are also pushing for a statewide ban.  

[b]ningonango[/b]:  Whether or not spending the $$ on a particular rifle is purely up to the owner.  I did some research between the .50b, .449LW and the .458 when I was looking into a big-bore AR and just felt that the .458 had more to offer [b][i]me[/i][/b].  If cost is a factor for you, then perhaps the .50b is a better cartridge.  (Don't forget to look at all the niggling details like magazines, ammo, etc.)  

I think each has it's downsides:

50b - modified magazines, possible limitations under recent .50 cal bans
.449LW - proprietary mags, ammo/reloading supplies only available from the manufacturer
.458Socom - ammo only available from Cor-Bon, reloading dies needed to be custom ordered

On the plus side, to me anyways, Starline Brass is now making quantities of the .458, Cor-Bon has begun shipping ammo Lee made some dies for us here on the board and I can use ANY/ALL of my existing USGI 20 & 30 rd mags.  It's taken a few months, but everything is falling in place so this cartridge worked out for me.  It may not for you.  I was merely offering another perspective.  (Note:  I think the AR-10 is another viable choice as I know a lot of people who use .308 for big game hunting)

If you want to look at my .458, here are some clickable thumbnails.  I've got pics over on my unofficial [url=http://www.mylittlespark.com/ar15/458Socom.html].458Socom page[/url] - basically a place for some of us to share our reloading data.
[url=http://www.mylittlespark.com/ar15/images/458-01.jpg][img]http://www.mylittlespark.com/ar15/images/tn/458-01.jpg[/img][/url][url=http://www.mylittlespark.com/ar15/images/458-03.jpg][img]http://www.mylittlespark.com/ar15/images/tn/458-03.jpg[/img][/url]

On a side note:  Kaliban/Kalifornia are tongue in cheek (or maybe not) references to recent California gun control iniatives that remind people of a certain idealogy that caused a little mayhem in Europe in the '40s or the middle east in the '00s.  Rincon was specifically referecing California's ban of .50 rifles.

yellobilli- Just as a clarification to your post, the .50b doesn't need modified mags.  Mine works just fine with my USGI 20rd & 30rd mags.  That was one of the main reasons I chose the Beowulf.

FYI, the Kali ban on the .50 BMG went down in defeat for now.  Finally the FCSA, NRA, and others won one.  But don't expect them (the antis) to roll over and play dead.  They will be back, just like fleas on a dog.  You can lick them for now, but if you don't stay on top of things they will sneak back before you know it.

My apologies.  For some reason, I thought you had to modify the feedlips for the .50b.  My bad.