Care and Feeding of the 50 BMG — A Look at Big Bore Shooting
A while back we published an Introduction to .50-Caliber Shooting authored by James Patterson. James has written a companion piece for Sinclair’s Reloading Press that covers the “care and feeding” of the big .50 Cal match rifles.
Owning and Feeding ‘The Big Bore’
Is The Challenge Of Big Bore Extreme Range Shooting And Hunting Right For You?
By James Patterson
Handling a 50 BMG
Is a 50 BMG caliber rifle difficult to shoot? Not at all. The relatively heavy weight of a standard rifle at 30 pounds or more combined with a very efficient muzzle brake makes it a pleasure to shoot. The typical recoil can be compared to a .243 rifle or a 12 gauge trap load. On the other hand, the burning of a typical load of 230 grains of powder combined with that muzzle brake makes the muzzle blast experience exhilarating. A first time shooter will fire, pause for a moment in awe at the muzzle blast, and then break out into what has become known as “The 50 caliber Grin”, almost impossible to wipe from ones face. My daughter started competing with the 50 BMG at 18 (115 lbs of tall skinny girl) and happily shoots 100+ rounds in the course of a match, her grin on the last round is as wide as on the first! Many members and competitors in the FCSA are women and many have distinguished themselves as excellent marksman having set world records on numerous occasions.
Cost of Big-Bore Shooting
Is owning and shooting a 50 BMG caliber rifle expensive? Relatively speaking yes, but one must put it into perspective. Rifles may run from $2500 to $7000, maybe even more for a top of the line custom rifle. A good scope will set you back $500 to $1500. And while excellent commercial ammo is available it runs from $3 to $5 a round. Most serious shooters start reloading for the rifle as soon as practical, not only for the economics of reloading but also for the ability to fine tune custom ammo for their specific rifle. It’s a very rare match that is won shooting commercial ammo. I recently compared the cost of my hobby — owning, shooting, and competing with the 50 BMG — with a friend whose hobby is snowmobiling. Factoring in the cost of equipment, licensing, gasoline, clothing, etc. it was soon obvious that my hobby was significantly less expensive than his.
Getting Started
So how does one get started? You could do as I did, purchase a rifle not knowing what you were really getting into; or you could come out to a FCSA-sponsored event, shoot a number of different rifles, rub shoulders with those who have already taken the plunge, and see if this sport is right for you. While membership in the Fifty Caliber Shooters Association (FSCA) is required to compete at a FSCA event, membership is not required to come and experience first hand what is going on. If you have any inclination that you are interested in the extreme sport of long rang, big bore shooting then a year’s membership in the FCSA is only $60 ($20 for active duty military) a significant bargain if it helps you make just one well-informed equipment choice. In addition one of the primary functions of the FCSA is helping to identify active members near you who can help you understand just what is involved and help you ‘get your feet wet’ in this challenging sport.
Similar Posts:
- Care and Feeding of .50 BMGs — What You Need to Know
- Go Big or Go Home — Care and Feeding of .50 BMG Rifles
- Go Big This Summer — As in Fifty Caliber Big
- Introduction to the Fifty Caliber Shooters Association (FCSA)
- ‘Big Boomer’ Galleries on Updated FCSA Website
Share the post "Care and Feeding of the 50 BMG — A Look at Big Bore Shooting"
Tags: 50 BMG, 50 Caliber, James Patterson, New Mexico, Raton, Reloading Press
um
why the rubber mallets?
Bolt opening tool…
If I have to use a hammer to open the bolt, do I really want my face that close to the gun.
Besides, it seems that would upset the Resting of the rifle.
Nice article. I dont think “long range” is hunting though. Just shooting animals. Do they make a camo rubber mallet?
If you have a disability then long range is your only choice. See nothing wrong with it. I don’t see people with a wheel chair stalking a buck in the swamp.
You guys ever been to a long range BR match? Rubber mallets are used to sink the spikes on the rest down into the wood bench top. You get everything lined up (front and rear rests, and the rifle), then use the mallet to hit the top of each spike to drive into the wood bench top… that way the rest won’t move during the course of fire.
Probably would be quicker and more stable to bolt the rifle rest to a wood plank base and just move the plank base instead of trying to reset the rest every few shots. Thinking out loud.
thanks QueenStick
Makes more sense now.
Kind of hard on wooden bench tops if you don’t provide your own wood.
@ old shooter. Don’t make excuses for the disabled. Tred Barta is paralyzed from the waist down and in a wheel chair and he BOW HUNTS EVERYTHING !!! Don’t tell people with disabilities they CAN”T do something.
More power to tread and every other person with disabilities. I know about this stuff first hand with friends that hunt from wheelchairs, my best friends i have ever had. But they know their limits as should every man and be realistic in their choices of pursuits. He is making a tv show, regular joe’s don’t have an entire crew to help them get everywhere. These guys hunt from theit atv’s and trucks and have a blast at it, their choice and i fully support their long range hunting.If they need help i am there too for them.
Oldshooter, the front and rear rests have to be seperate per the rules of the match. It adds to the difficulty and levels the playing field equipment-wise. Most mark the holes left in the bench top and trace around their rear bag to make it somewhat easier, but still requires some finesse.
What make and model is the gun in the second picture, the one with the rubber mallet in it. I sure it is a custom build but who built it with what action, barrel, stock…
Thanks!
Do you buy powder by the 55 gallon drum for reloading this game?
Would love to try the big bore game but doesn’t it limit the ranges in which you can shoot by a lot.
Can you tell me what action and what thumbhole stock is being used by the individual wearing the light green hat on backwards? I’ve looked all over the net for that 50BMG stock but can’t find it. The action looks like a Mcbros but not sure. The stock?
Thank you