Barrett M99 vs Ar-50

[drwindmill]

Has anyone shot these? I have an Armalite ordered, but am considering a Barrett instead. I like that the Barrett is about 9" shorter as it would be a little easier to haul around.

[bobn]

i owned a ar50 for three years. had a hard time finding a range where it was welcomed. sold it and purchased a ar30(baby brother in 300 mag) bobn....
ps i suggest you find a range that allows it's use first.

[50 shooter]

If you need a shorter .50 due to space then get the Barrett, other then that there's not much difference in the two.

[drwindmill]

I have my own range that I do all my shooting on. I am just questioning whether or not the Barrett is better quaility than the Armalite.

[Houndog]

If your willing to spend the $$$ to get a good quality 50, a scope, ammo, etc., the first thing you should do is spend a couple of extra dollars to join the FCSA (Fifty Caliber Shooting Association). Once you join, you can get access to the members only forum of their website, which is an excellent source of info. on all things .50.

Unless you've already done the research and narrowed down your choices to the AR50 and the Barrett for a particular reason, there are a couple of other rifles I'd add to the list. State Arms has a great reputation, will be a little cheaper than both the Barret and the Armalite and is at least as accurate, if not more so. Bluegrass Armory also makes a popular 50, which again will be a little cheaper and just as accurate as the Barret and the AR50. There are a couple of other mfgs as well.

Also worthwhile doing some research on scopes. A lot of scopes can't stand up to the recoil of a .50. From what I've seen, by far the most popular scope is the Nightforce, but they are pretty pricey. Supersniper (available from SWFA) is a very popular cheap alternative (cheap in this case being about $300).

In any case, getting into the .50 can get expensive pretty quickly, so its worthwhile to get as much info. as you can before you spend your hard earned $$$$.

[drwindmill]

Thanks for the advice, I just joined the 50 Shooters organization. Looks like a lot of good info. My AR-50 is ordered, it is just that the Barrett quality is hard to pass up.

[armedtotheteeth]

I have had a bit of exp with both. I liked the Ar-50 a bit better. It was heavier, but it felt 'tighter" hard to explain. I probably put about 30 rounds through each. The Barret was not as accurate as the Ar-50, with which i was shooting half inch groups at 100 yards, not bad for a half inch bullet. It may just be a comfort thing, You aint gonna be " hauling" around either as the AR-50 WEIGHS in around 48 pounds with a scope , and bipod. I passed on the purchase of a Ar-50 and as Bobn did, buy its little brother the Ar-30 in 300 Win with which i have used extensively . And it only weighs 15 pounds and is just as accurate or better as the 50 cal at ranges under about 700 yards. I couldt be happier with it unless ammo was free. OH wear your damn earplugs!!! Holy hell that thing is loud!!

[drwindmill]

teeth--thanks for the info. How was the trigger pull on both? I cannot imagine how loud this beast will be.

[bobn]

dr, trigger pull on my particular ar50 was match grade quality. because of the anticipation factor when starting the squeeze, the last thing you want on a 50 is a creepy trigger! lol.
.....the muzzle blast is incredable. first shot out of the gun, the brakes rearward gas travel cleared the bench. my scope caps, staplegun, stiener binocs, etc went flying.
......hate to admit it but i am envious of your place to shoot your new baby. like i said mine went south due to lack of appropiate range(at least 500yards). bobn

[10 MickeyMouse]

I have an AR-50 and love it. Ball ammo has consistently produced 11"-13" groups at 850 yards and recoil is similar to a 12 gauge. It's a brute to haul around, but a very pleasant shooter. One benefit to the AR-50 is that it will fit in a standard double rifle case with the buttstock removed.

[50 shooter]

I would never say the stock AR-50 trigger was of match grade quality, when I first got mine it was set at about 100 pounds. I swapped it out for a standard Shilen and adjusted it to 2 pounds. Couple other guys have installed Jewell triggers on theirs and have them set at 2 ounces. The good thing about it is that it uses a Rem.700 type trigger group.

The AR-50 is a real [color=#FF0000]█[/color][color=#FF0000]█[/color][color=#FF0000]█[/color][color=#FF0000]█[/color][color=#FF0000]█[/color] cat to shoot, has the least amount of felt recoil out of any .50 on the market. I've hit targets out to 1 mile with mine and have pushed it to 2000 yards. I think you're stuck in the "but Barrett" frame of mind. People think that because Barrett supplies the military that their .50's are some how better. Armalite makes quality rifles and has been in business for a long time.

[Houndog]

Congratulations on the AR50. I don't think you can go wrong with this rifle. Haven't personally shot one, but I also own its little brother, the AR30 in 300 Winmag and like the other poster can attest to its accuracy, build quality and low recoil. Gun shoots sub MOA with a variety of ammo. Trigger is not match grade quality, but is pretty good for a stock trigger. It is one loud mother though. When I first got the gun, I was so excited/focused on figuring out how everything worked/getting scope set up/etc. that I forgot to put on my hearing protection. Not a mistake I will ever make again. I'm sure the 50 is even louder.

BTW - although the AR50 is one of the heavier 50's out there, it also has the reputation for being one of the softest shooting. Also, the ability to unscrew the stock definitely helps with transport.

[drwindmill]

How long do they take to get after you order? I ordered mine at least 5 weeks ago. Are they this far behind? My dealer said it is the demand I can't wait to shoot this baby. I have a Vari X III 6.5-20 will this scope hold up?

[50 shooter]

That scope will work fine, plus being a Leupold it has a lifetime warranty.

How far yardage wise are your local ranges? If they're 1000 yards or less get the 15 MOA scope rail for it. Also be sure that the scope rings you buy are high enough or the bolt will hit the cheekrest. I use the Leupold Mk-IV rings in super high and everything clears.

Get a cleaning rod that's 60" or else your knuckles will drag on the stock, trust me it hurts. AAA-Ammunition sells a custom made bore guide for the AR-50. If you haven't ordered a bipod/bipod adaptor yet, contact Darin Prince aka Prince50 at [email protected] and tell him that Shawn sent you. He makes the stuff for Armalite including the monopod, get a thumbscrew set for the bolt release, cheekrest and buttpad also. Not sure if his website is still up but it's kinda dated. www.50cal.cjb.net

[drwindmill]

It won't be all that often if ever that I will be shooting over 1000. You suggest the MK4 rings then? I can order the Prince bipod/monopod directly from him? How often would you suggest running the cleaning rod down the barrel during my first shooting? I will probably have all my accessories before the rifle actually comes in. I checked the date on my deposit and it wasn't as long ago as I thought it was May 9th. I guess I am just getting excited waiting for it.

[50 shooter]

I've had the Mk-IV rings on my AR-50 for 5 or so years now and haven't had any problems. Torque them down right and you won't have any problems with them coming loose or the scope moving.

Yeah, drop Darin an email and tell him I sent you. I'm not sure if he'll give you a discount or not as he doesn't want to undercut Armalite. You just might get it faster then dealing with Armalite as they usually wait to place orders with him.

Breaking in a rifle is always one of those things where you can get a different answer from whoever you ask. Just try to give the barrel time to cool between shots, if you feel like going through the process clean it after each shot for the first 20. From there just clean it after every few rounds up through about 65. After that just clean it when you see the accuracy drop or when you get home from the range. Get a good copper solvent, lots of patches, a good .50 jag, bore brushes....

[laytonj1]

I have a Barrett M99. I'm really happy with it. Shot the tightest 100 yard group I have ever shot from any rifle with it... 3 shots less than 1/4 inch. And I had a witness.

Jim

[drwindmill]

My dealer still has not gotten my AR-50 in. How long have others waited for their AR-50 to come in?

[MTMilitiaman]

My brother spent about half of his sign on bonus on an AR-50 with Nightforce optics. Man that thing is a trip!

He's got the Armalite 50 MOA rail and Prince bipod. The scope is an NXS 8-32x56 with NP-R2 reticle, in SEI rings. The reticle works on a similar concept as mil dot but with minute-of-angle instead of mils. It is easy to use with a little practice and works very well. The scope it top notch and works very well on this system. The one bad thing about this rifle, really, is that even by .50 BMG standards, it is very big. It comes in at a hair under 50 pounds scoped. While this makes it very stable and helps reduce recoil, it also makes it big enough to be impractical for anything requiring you to hump it any distance at all. Even at 1200 yards at 22x, the rifle is very stable. If I get a long range rifle setup, I'll have similar optics but will stick with the 5.5-22x56 with NP-R2. The 5.5-22 has a lot more internal elevation adjustment. The 8-32 and 12-42 models all range on 22x anyways, and on 22x you can see an amazing amount of detail at incredible distances. I just don't see how the added magnification is worth giving up internal elevation adjustment.

Being way out in the boon-toolies, we've had the opportunity to take it out and stretch it legs out a little, but we haven't found adequate range facilities to actually sight it in at known ranges and get a drop chart worked up for it. My dad is loading a case full of Hodgens 50BMG under a 750 gr Barnes Long Range Solid in IMI brass. Again, we haven't really printed this load on paper much. Mostly we just shoot at stumps on hillsides 1000 to 1200 yards away. The rifle seems accurate enough in that it takes a couple adjustments to walk the rounds onto a target of unknown range, but the reticle of the Nightforce allows pretty good range estimation as well as providing handy MOA reference points that help you determine how much you need to move your point of impact.

So you got this beast of a rifle set up on a shooting mat and you crawl up behind it. You pull the stock into your shoulder and open the bolt. With the bolt open, you look through the scope to get a feel for it, and maybe debate with yourself about going through with this before this little voice in your head calls you out--"shoot the freaking rifle you pansy!" Holding the 5 inch long round in your hand you slide it into the receiver, then close the bolt and again pull the stock into your shoulder. Futilely attempting to quell the remaining anxiety you make sure the stock is tight in the shoulder, focus on fundamentals, let out a deep breath, click off the safety, wait for natural respiratory pause, and BOOM!! A blast of warm compressed air hits you in the face like an 18-wheeler passing you on the freeway. Gravel and small bits of debris 6 to 8 feet on either side of the rifle's muzzle are blown a foot off the ground. And from the target you hear the authoritative 'thump' of the big round hitting its mark. "That wasn't too bad," you think to yourself, "about like a 30-30, or maybe a light dove load through an autoloader." Providing you have good ear protection, you can shoot the AR-50 all day long and not be any worse for wear. It really is an awesome shooting experience--everyone who has shot that rifle gets behind it a little nervous. But as soon as that trigger breaks, they always end up with a goofy ear-to-ear grin on their face asking for another round.

The trigger on my bro's rifle isn't bad. It might be heavier than it feels just because the rifle is so big and you find yourself concentrating on that dot 3/4 of a mile away...nobody has ever complained about the trigger pull after shooting it.





That said, I am waiting for Armalite to come out with a left-handed AR-30 in .338 Lapua, because it just seems like it would be so much more practical to have 2/3rds the range of the .50 at 1/3 the weight.

[10 MickeyMouse]

My dealer still has not gotten my AR-50 in. How long have others waited for their AR-50 to come in?

Armalite is 6 months behind right now. They've gotten so many orders for AR-50's this year that they can't keep up-even after quadrupling production.

[drwindmill]

Does the AR come with a scope mounting rail? So all I will need is the rings?

[MTMilitiaman]

The AR comes with a 15 MOA rail that should be good to 1000 yards or farther, depending on how much internal elevation adjustment you scope has. Most scopes will require the 50 MOA base, sold separately, if you want to reach out to a mile or more, which was what my brother bought the rifle for.

[drwindmill]

What rings did your brother go with? These are Picatinny or Weaver?

[MTMilitiaman]

30mm Smith Enterprises, picitanny.

[Robert M Boren Sr]

http://www.smithenterprise.com/image....50_BMG.lg.jpg