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Decisions, Decisions...


Some hopefully-helpful advise to those considering some key decisions





There are several tough decisions facing those contemplating ownership and feeding of a .50 - Here's some information to help, but ultimately the decision (and reasoning) must be yours.

Which gun should I buy?
Should I reload?
What about primer pocket crimps?
What do I need to start reloading?
What reloading press should I get?
Which scope should I get?
Do I need to size my bullets?
Where can I get...
Best price on AMAX?
Bullets
RWS primers?
IMI brass?
Do I need a special license or anything to own a .50?
How should I clean my .50?
When will the semi-automatic Serbu be available?
How long does it take to get something from Hollywood Engineering?
What dies should I get / start with?
How do I break in my barrel?



Which .50 should I buy?

Ahhh, repetition:
Look for exactly what *you* want. There are quite a few on the market now. See if you can 'get behind one', preferably even fire it to make sure that it's comfortable to you. Make sure you like the trigger, or that the trigger is replaceable. Then search this board (Biggerhammer)to see if there are comments about the gun you're considering. It's a big expense, don't settle for one that you don't completely like. (or you'll end up buying another one a couple years later - ask me how I know...) Also check out the FCSA at www.fcsa.org

Check out where you're going to shoot it - not all ranges are .50 - friendly.

Decide wether you're going to buy ammo or reload. Purchased ammo can be damn expensive, and if it isn't it can be damn poor. (That's not to say that you can't find a deal, just check it out to the best of your ability before you commit $$ - even 'cheap' ammo isn't cheap. )

If you're going to reload, be prepared to spend another $1000 or more just to get set up.

Check out optics - NXS and Leupold lead the field, but aren't cheap. Check the board before buying anything that seems too good to be true.


Should I reload?

Reloading is a means to an end for some, and a hobby of its own to others. Reloading offers a few advantages in the .50BMG world:
  • Availability with economy: First, the cheapest reload you will make (that is safe and proper) will probably cost you as much, if not more than commercially available surplus or econo ammo. However, availability of said surplus and econo ammo can be spotty. There are pretty well established resources for .50 components - maybe not the ones you want, but something usable. There is always premium ammo available as well.


  • Accuracy - Some say that you can't beat the accuracy of the best commercial plants (with .50), but I think maximum accuracy always comes from tailoring the ammo to the rifle - to that end I think reloading offers the greatest potential. (of course Arizona Ammo will perform this service for you.)


  • Match economy - as stated previously, you're unlikely to beat the econo brands for price, but you can load premium ammo at a savings. (If you load enough to balance out the expense of the equipment and time...)


  • It's reloading! To some, reloading is fun, and just another hobby.


    • It costs about $1000 to get started in reloading the .50 BMG - even if you're an experienced reloader, most of your existing gear will not work. .50 gear is twice as large and three times as expensive.

    You'll need:
  • A press that accepts 1.5" dies and has a 6"+ opening.
  • .50 dies and priming adapters
  • A .50 case trimmer or trim die


    • You'll probably want:
  • A powder thrower that can toss 200+ grns.
  • Primer pocket uniformer
  • Flash hole uniformer
  • trays, boxes, loading blocks


    • You might also need:
  • A bullet sizing die
  • A bullet puller


    • Plus the usual:
  • Scale
  • Caliper
  • Load manual & load data
  • Primers, powder, bullets, brass
  • case lube
  • time


    • Somewhere on this site is a page dedicated to reloading - for more information, look there.

  • What about primer pocket crimps?


    • There are two types of primer pocket crimps: Staking, which is very visible as three peened over tabs in the primer pocket, and a circular crimp, which is not very visible. Crimps are of no importance to sport shooters and reloaders must remove them before using the brass. Crimps may be removed by material removal (cutting) or displacement (swaging). Swaging crimps is done with a special die set (CH4D sells an example) that opens the primer pocket to appropriate size. Material removal can be accomplished with a primer-pocket uniformer (Made by K&M, available from shooters-supply.com) and/or a case neck deburring tool. I recommend judicious use of the deburring tool in combination with any of the others to make sure that the displaces crimp is not squeezed out by the seating of a new primer, forming a brass edge that sticks up from the cartridge head.


  • What do I need to start reloading?

    • See above




  • What reloading press should I get?

    • Well, there aren't that many choices. Here's a quick rundown:

    Old Wester Scrounger: I don't have a lot of information on this press, and know of no one that owns one. Anyone?

    RCBS: popular, but mostly due to price. A no-frills single-stage press. The priming system is miserable (as is usually the case with single-stage press priming systems...) and the ram tends to clog with primers. Some machine/dremel work at the 'ejection port' on the ram can help some.

    Hornady: Very much like the RCBS press, but with the appealing Lock-n-load feature. I really like the look of Lock-n-load, but haven't used it yet, so I'll leave it at that.

    Hollywood: Perhaps the only remaining turret press for .50 BMG (Magnum made one previously, but I can't locate them now...) The press has a good reputation - the company sucks. If you have any notion of owning a Hollywood press I encourage you to shop ebay, the classifieds, and internet searches in general. In the five months that I waited for mine to arrive, I saw at least 4 presses on ebay and one on another forum. Hollywood also made/makes a single stage press of approximately the same design. Again, ebay or similar is the place to go for any of this stuff. There's even more to know about ordering from Hollywood, so much so in fact that I made a seperate page about them: Hollywood

    Corbin: Ahhh, the press I should've bought, and may still... Gleaming bright and nicely finished, the Corbin mighty mite is a 'cadillac' of single stage presses. Designed for swaging, it has more leverage than most .50 presses, and is definately constructed more nicely.




  • Which scope should I get?

    • There's lots of room to argue here, but based on general opinion (mostly from reading the Biggerhammer board for quite a while...) I'd offer the following suggestions:

    You won't go wrong with Nightforce NXS or Leupold MK4. These two presently dominate (exclusively) the winners' circle at major matches. I have yet to see an exception. (The Fifty Caliber Shooters Association publishes a list of gear used by the winners for their membership.) I have seen one review for US Optics and it was very positive, but USO scopes are extra-expensive and have long lead times. (Personally, I will wait to see if they come into full manufacturing fruition before plunking down the bucks they are asking.)

    ATN sucks. I have only seen one positive comment about the ATN scopes, and that was in an article written by someone selling them. Biggerhammer is rife with so many examples of lousy ATN performance and poor warranty service that anymore members are wont to simply respond with ATN=POS. Complaints have been that the scope would not take a zero, hold a zero, and that some aspect of the mount broke. (I'm vague, because I have no personal experience with the ATN, but the responses I've seen on BH have been so uniform, and include posters I have come to respect, that I am confident that ATN would be a poor choice.

    Outside of those few (and costly) choices, you're taking a gamble. I'd gamble, but only on reputable companies with lifetime warranties. (At least if you break 'em consistently you can get 'em fixed and migrate the scope to something it will work on.


  • Do I need to size my bullets?

    • If you're not shooting surplus bullets, no. If you are shooting surplus bullets, it depends. If you own an M2 HB, or a rifle built on an M2 HB barrel then probably not, but it wouldn't hurt. If you're shooting a modern bolt or semi, you should definately size (or purchase pre-sized) bullets. Surplus bullets may exceed standard dimensions. Further transgression from specification may occur due to deformities caused in the pulling operation. To be sure that your surplus bullets are safe to put down your chamber, I'd recommend sizing. Sizing involves squeezing the bullet through a slightly undersized (.5095, typically) die to make sure they will pass down a barrel easily. (Further info on sizing is available on the reloading page.)


  • Where can I get...Best price on AMAX?

    • As of 28JUN03: Cabela's has AMAX for $21.00 / box of 20. Find a better deal? Let me know.


  • Where can I get...Bullets

    • Check the links page under reloading suppliers. Wideners, WLJ, HSM, AAA-Ammo, Arizona Ammo, etc. all sell bullets.


  • Where can I get...RWS primers?

    • As of 28JUN03: Old Western Scrounger is the only source I know of, and they are presently out of stock. (per third party source.) Find a better deal? Let me know.


  • Where can I get...IMI brass?

    • As of 28JUN03: Wideners has IMI in stock. Find a better deal? Let me know.


  • Do I need a special license or anything to own a .50?

    • No. If you meet the requirements to own a firearm, you may own a .50 BMG. Certain areas (California) may be an exception - might I suggest moving to the United States of America?


  • How should I clean my .50?

    • Thoroughly. In all seriousness, there are no real tricks to cleaning the .50BMG rifle. Just get a cleaning rod that is long enough for your barrel, a .50 jag, and .50 brushes. Use the patches made for 20/16/12 ga. shotguns, and clean like you normally would. "Wipe Out" is becoming popular, and for good reason, IMO. I'll be doing a review eventually, but for now it's a shaving-cream consistency bore cleaner that works while you wait, without scrubbing. My results have been very good so far.


  • When will the semi-automatic Serbu be available?

    • How the heck should I know? Mark Serbu has patiently responded to this question about 4 billion times, and his answer is a whole lot better than anything I could give you. If you think you could do better, faster, then get with it! A quick look at BiggerHammer will tell you what kind of market you have. I'm just some schmuck with a website - I have no 'insider' knowledge.


  • How long does it take to get something from Hollywood Engineering?


    • Forever, if at all. I've been waiting nearly five months and have yet to see anything but lies and excuses from them. So far I figure I've paid $125 per lie/excuse. (This is apparently their lowest price for excuses, as they have stopped returning my inquiries.) Standby for further commentary on the miserable business practices of this disgrace to the shooting community - they'll have a page of their own shortly...
    Postscript: Well, two days after posting this, my press finally arrived. I'm leaving the original statement as evidence of the frustration that dealing with them caused. My press cost $750, 7 inquiries, 4 broken delivery times, 1 broken deliver promise, 1 letter to the area Better Business Bureau (this is what finally did it), and a tongue so bloody from biting it while trying to speak civilly about these people that you'd think I was trying out for a feminine role in Titus Andronicus.


  • What dies should I get / start with?

    • There are only a few manufacturers to choose from, but for starters, I would recommend the CH4D neck sizer and in-line seater. If you didn't get a 'kit' to start with, I'd suggest the CH FL (Full Length) sizing die as well, but if you got a 'kit' the RCBS or Hornady FL die will work fine (IMO). Remember, you FL size it, then fireform it, then neck size it. If the FL die makes it fit your chamber, it's done its' job. Accuracy-wise you will see the biggest difference from a good seater die. An in-line seater, IMO, is superior to other styles. (Concentricity is the key...)


  • How do I break in my barrel?

    • Personally, I think barrel break-in is a crock. My advice would be to go shoot your rifle, and enjoy it. If you insist on sacrificing chickens and making your first 20+ rounds a miserable experience, I will detail standard break-in procedures here when I get short of important things to add to the site.