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Old October 10, 2013, 09:22 PM   #26
reynolds357
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Where the bullet will come to its final resting place is a real concern when shooting the BMG.
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Old October 10, 2013, 09:57 PM   #27
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Sorry, Exit Wound, but silly ideas tend to bring silly or disrespectful answers. That's just the way it is.

Heh. I remember back when I was a kid. My uncle had a way of staying deadpan but looking over the top of his glasses if I said something foolish. There was something about the look that said, "Crawl back under your flat rock." Visualize a Big Oopsie moment.
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Old October 10, 2013, 10:00 PM   #28
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How about hunting ANYTHING with the 50 cal?
I hear these little guns are quite effective on unarmored vehicles, boats and aircraft. If you get AP rounds and a have three or four guys with them you could probably be quite the nuisance to an armored division........
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Old October 10, 2013, 10:14 PM   #29
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I do not have a problem with a 50 bmg being used in appropriate terrain.
The size and energy of the bullet has a huge multiplication factor on the actions of idiots. I personally will not shoot my .338 Lapua in the East except in a few very safe places with huge back stops. The Lapua and the BMG are both capable of their bullets kicking up and traveling rediculous distances after impact with flat, or slightly angled ground.
Shooting into the side of a mountain and shooting into a flat field with houses 1/2 mile past the end of the field on the other side of some woods are totally different situations. Launching the .50BMG into the side of a mountain? I'm OK with that. Using it in a clear cut in the Eastern states. I'm not very OK with that.
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Old October 10, 2013, 10:41 PM   #30
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I gave you an honest answer because I own and shoot a fifty. I just honestly think it isn't the best choice if you want to eat the meat (with hunting loads). Trust me on this, I have seen it punch right through a 1/2" steel target. I was being honest about the majority of the ammo for it also. I watched a guy track and lost a doe because the bullet did not even expand. It punched straight through. No doubt it died, but he picked a mil grade ammo with a steel core.

Honestly the use of my 50 is for long range target shooting. Remember it was designed as an anti material rifle (the Barrett). The old M2 was made to destroy anything it hit. These other guys can correct me but if I am not mistaken it main design use was AA from plane to plane.

I was being honest when I said I would rather have a 270, 30-06, or even 300WM if I were going to shoot a soft target (deer,elk, etc).

I wasn't being disrespectfully or feeding you hear-say.


Here is my setup
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Old October 10, 2013, 10:49 PM   #31
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Thats a nice rifle. I want one, but have never parted with the coins. When I got the Lapua, I thought it was as big as I would ever want, but the BMG itch still needs scratching.
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Old October 11, 2013, 05:21 AM   #32
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The cartridge was originally designed to shoot down 6,0000-8,000lb, 400 mph, 20mm or 30mm cannon packing ME-109's and FW-190's, this should be a pretty good indicator of it's intended use.
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Old October 11, 2013, 08:57 AM   #33
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Renyolds357, the Lapua to be honest is as good of an anti personnel rifle at long distance. I honestly regret not just building a 338LM. The 50 BMG is a great rifle but with the Mk 248 mod1, I prefer shooting my 300WM or my buddies 338 LM. The 50 is a great rifle, but is way too heavy for me to make it a practical rifle for anything other than the range. Plus while the recoil is almost non-existent, the muzzle brake will ring your ears without doubling up on hearing protection and will clear your sinus cavity with each round (or at least mine will). Mine weighs just under 30 lbs loaded. With a bad back, it has became one of my least shot rifles, just because lugging it around isn't practical for me.
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Old October 11, 2013, 09:22 AM   #34
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50 BMG for deer?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Does anyone have any experience with this?
No.

But I once hunted rabbits with a M72 LAW rocket launcher.

Are we really even discussing this???

Very nice 50 CharlieDeltaJuliet

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Old October 11, 2013, 09:28 AM   #35
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CharlieDeltaJuliet
I watched a guy track and lost a doe because the bullet did not even expand. It punched straight through. No doubt it died, but he picked a mil grade ammo with a steel core.
I find myself wondering why a .50cal hole won't adequately kill a deer but a .243bullet, expanded to maybe 3/8" will kill them just fine.

While FMJ of any type is certainly not a good choice for a hunting bullet, I'd bet $10 to a donut that shot placement was the failure and not the bullet.

Excellent example of why the whole concept of using a bigger gun to make up for poor shooting is a bad idea.
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Old October 11, 2013, 09:35 AM   #36
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I guess im not sure why anybody would ask such a question. Yeah, I think it'll kill a deer, but why would you do that? Just to carry around a bigger gun than your friends? I guess if one was out to only turn an animal into hamburger instantly, and give other hunters a bad name, then yeah go for it
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Old October 11, 2013, 10:03 AM   #37
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Brian, I would think an expanding hunting bullet would give more radial damage than a big FMJ, maybe not? Good point about shot placement though.
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Old October 11, 2013, 10:57 AM   #38
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Sounds like a reasonable caliber for an elephant hunt, aside from that I wouldn't leave for a hunting trip with one.
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Old October 11, 2013, 11:39 AM   #39
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He hit right behind the rib cage, so basically gut shot it from what he said. He was an idiot. He used a APIT, not a choice for any ammo except against hard targets. When I got there the blood trail went for between a hundred and a hundred and twenty yards. Then it just ended, no sign of it. I quit looking after learning of the ammo. He claim to hit it at a 3/4 view. To me it was just a waste of a good animal. I was about 15 minutes away when he called me to help him track it. After an hour or so I quit looking.
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Old October 11, 2013, 01:42 PM   #40
Brian Pfleuger
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Brian, I would think an expanding hunting bullet would give more radial damage than a big FMJ, maybe not? Good point about shot placement though.
Perhaps "more" but you don't need "more" when you have enough. A 1/2" FMJ through both lungs would have that deer dead in under 15 seconds, absolute tops, in most cases under 5 seconds.

No surprise to learn that it was likely gut shot. Bad shots are bad shots and larger diameter and more power doesn't turn them into good shots.

The tree on the other side never yells "Hey! I absorbed 5,000 ft/lbs! That's a deadly shot! You have to die!"
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Old October 11, 2013, 01:58 PM   #41
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The 50 BMG is capable enough for 1 mile shots on deer. You'd have to find a place for 1 mile shot's with a mountain backdrop as a bullet backstop --- and snow covered --- so you can spot scope the deer against the snowy background.

Personally...if I had the chance, I would not attempt such a feat, due to the possibility of wounding the animal and the odds of accidently shooting another hunter.....
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Old October 11, 2013, 02:06 PM   #42
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Oh I agree Brian. Don't laugh but I have killed man of a deer with a.222 Savage(when I was younger). I have never lost one. Shot placement was the key. The .222 was better suited as a groundhog rifle, but I was shooting usually less than 100 yards. It was my dad's groundhog rifle. I saved enough to buy a Savage 270. It did a far better job of them not running or at least as far.

The only deer I ever missed was (believe it or not) with a 12 gauge with 00Buck. It was my first solo hunt (my older brother was hunting about a half mile away) and I got buckfever. Started shaking like a leaf. He walked right up on me. So take a good giggle over that. I was young 12-13 IIRC. When I pulled the trigger I shot well over his back and rolled backwards off the log I was sitting on... I honestly was watching squirrels and at first thought it was a squirrel making that racket.

I quit hunting about 15 years ago (unless I go to Alaska). I still am addicted to moose meat. I just grew out of the taste of deer, and I won't hunt something I won't eat.

The guy that lost the doe shot her with an LAR T-50. He now hunts with a lever action 30-30 or 30-06 bolt gun if he goes.


I shoot my 50 and my 300WM at 300-1000 yards. I wouldn't think of taking a shot at game at over 300 yards.. I just hate the idea of loosing game over a bad shot. It is just out of my comfort level for that.
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Old October 11, 2013, 11:23 PM   #43
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I have a Sako in .338 LM that was just scary accurate however I was not reloading and the cost of ammo was insane so i went back to my trusted .300 WM. I have fired the .50 BMG and honestly I wasnt that impressed. However if some moron wanted to do this I think he should be fined for it. I live in Idaho and its illegal to hunt with any weapon that weights over 16 lbs. I believe this is to keep these idiots from doing this specific thing. I know a .50 cal will take limbs completely off people at over a mile. Why anyone would want to use this on a animal is completely lost on me. Effective? Maybe. Reasonable? Surely not. If you are willing to pursue a animal then atleast have enough respect for that animal to not make a mockery of it.
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Old October 12, 2013, 09:08 AM   #44
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Video is about good old boys having fun shooting at deer. Can't explain why it does not seem like hunting to me.

An annoying part of this video is destruction of a car on a river bank. First you see rounds flying off the water then (tannerite?) explosion and car parts in the river. Most of us love being in the wilderness and become sad and annoyed when encountering trash heaps left by uncaring people. This fool of a shooter added pollution to a river for the sake of being able to do it. Like kids breaking windows because it is "fun."

Stupid video made by stoopid people.
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Old October 12, 2013, 10:56 AM   #45
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One interesting point that is brought out by this discussion...

In another recent thread, we read at least one opinion that a .270win is marginal for elk. Implication would be that it's just about the perfect deer gun. Anything less would apparently be, and has been stated to be so on this forum, inadequate for deer.

Here, we have that shooting deer with a .50BMG is reckless, stupid, irresponsible, overkill.

We're beginning to establish a range of acceptable cartridges here.

If .50BMG is as stated, one would assume that a step down to .338Lapua would only remove one or two of those adjectives. Another step down, to .300WinMag maybe, might get us down to just "over kill". What's a step down from .300WinMag? Seems like a 7mm Rem Mag is about "one step" below a .300 Win Mag... that should remove the last adjective "over kill".

So there we have it. The Wisdom of the Internet has spoken. The range of acceptable cartridges for deer is .270Win to 7mm Rem Mag.

Use anything less, you're a fool. Use more, you're an idiot. Or is it the other way around?
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Old October 12, 2013, 11:20 AM   #46
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So there we have it. The Wisdom of the Internet has spoken. The range of acceptable cartridges for deer is .270Win to 7mm Rem Mag.
But wait... this shows that .270 carries more energy than .300WM at 500 yards.
So therefore, the .270 is overkill for deer, and inadequate for Elk
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Old October 12, 2013, 11:31 AM   #47
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Read about the mk248 mod 1 and you will change the statement about the 300WM. It is closer to the .338LM with this round.. The 300 WM is a beast when loaded correctly, but works great most North American big game.
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Last edited by CharlieDeltaJuliet; October 12, 2013 at 11:39 AM.
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Old October 14, 2013, 12:55 AM   #48
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I could see using a .50 BMG if I were hunting Kodiak bear. However I'd rather not hunt something that would be just as happy hunting me...

If I ever get my bucket list moose hunt in AK, I'd also have a .375 H&H or .416 Rigby (with a muzzle brake.) For me hunts like that are what dreams are made of...

Tony
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Old October 14, 2013, 07:19 PM   #49
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Brian,
Nailed it.
Except I think you could go a little tiny bit smaller than .270 to deer. .243 is the smallest caliber you can use legally in MI and I think that would be OK as long as shot placement is there, as always...
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Old October 14, 2013, 07:48 PM   #50
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The perfect deer cartridge or range of cartridges is an argument that will never be settled because there's no right or wrong.

People are different, deer across the country are different, hunting areas are different, and what someone considers ideal terminal performance is different.

For me, where I live, and the deer I hunt, I consider an ideal range to be .22-250 - .308 +.35 rem for short action cartridges, .25-06 & .270 in long action, and .240 or .257 Weatherby in magnum cartridges.

YMMV, of course

But .50 bmg, no practical use to me whatsoever. Hunting or otherwise.
Which is convenient because I'll probably never be able to afford one.
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