50 Caliber Bonanza!
12-10-00 HenchPAC Exclusive
Well, some things just catch you by surprise, intimidate the sh!t out of you, and you just suck it up and then BLOW THEM AWAY!
That was the case on Sunday, 12/10/00, when TP3 and Henchster hit the Angeles Forest shooting range for a FAST test of our new .50 BMG caliber Barrett M-99 model rifles. I had only shot mine once, and only put 20 rounds through it, only to find out when I got home that the scope had been loose, and my whole day's sighting was out the window.
TP3 was even less prepared for what happened. He had just received his M-99, and had just hand fitted a Night Force Extreme 8-22x56mm scope. I was fortunate enough to have had my scope bore-sighted, and it still needed a couple clicks after shipping. TP3 was going to have a LONG day, or so I thought.
We got to the range early, in fact TOO early. We were there and unloaded, ready-to-go, by 7:45am. Unfortunately, the range doesn't open until 9am, and shooting doesn't start until 9:15am. We were going to have a LONG wait, or so we thought.
About 8am, a truck pulled up next to us. I was about ready to walk up and warn them that they may want to move a ways away, since we would be shooting .50 cals, when, low and behold, they started unloading a Browning H-2, pintile mount, and tripod! Check this baby out!
They weren't even half started! It turned out that it was Frank and his crew from Arm USA, Inc in Anaheim CA., (714-520-4600, fax 714-520-4650, and by the way, some of the friendliest folks you'll ever meet, they do all kinds of guns, plus gun safes, and they didn't pay me to say this!) and they were doing a demo of ALL their currently stocked .50 BMG guns for potential customers! They brought a total of five, count 'em 5 different .50's, ranging in price from the $2,400 LAR Grizzly, up to the ridiculously expensive Accuracy International which listed for $11,000, and that's without the custom anodized $4,000 U.S. optics scope. This rifle was a BEAUTY and here it is:
Unfortunately, even Frank admitted that it wasn't quite perfect. Despite it's cost and weight, he says it has the highest recoil, as the current muzzle brake is a stop-gap measure until the factory can perfect it's own design. The gun shows extreme promise, and the workmanship is beyond excellent, but it's probably a few production units away from ready for consumption.
Here's the LAR Grizzly, you can almost hear TP3 saying: "Breech loader?"
Actually, I was impressed with this gun's quality for the price. Unfortunately, it IS a breech loader, which to me personally, is just a little too dangerous given the power of a .50 BMG round. If you happen to drop the breech assembly AFTER putting a live round in it, "Duck, and cover" or "Kiss you @$$ goodbye!"
Now, HERE'S a piece of work:
That's the EDM Windjammer take-down tactical .50 BMG. DAMN! I WANT one of these. At $7,250.00 without rings or optics, it's out of my CURRENT price range, but for those with type C budget, (Type A= low budget; type B=high budget, type C=NO budget) this is the gun. First, it comes apart, (and goes back together!) slick as something from a James Bond movie, it has a five round magazine, and it has the look that just boils your blood. Workmanship? Somewhere between an H&K and something built in a futuristic heaven.
Here's the Armalite AR-50. This gun is HEAVY (42 pounds) but has low recoil, accuracy, and the Armalite name. I looked at these before I bought my Barrett and was not impressed by the pictures I saw, but having seen it in person I now have a new-found fondness for this fire monster. I LOVE the MASSIVE tank-style muzzle brake!
O.K., here is TP3 surveying our Barrett M-99 model .50 BMG rifles. I was surprised that Frank did not bring out a Barrett product, as they are well-known for their reliability, performance, and GREAT customer service. (Blatant plug for Sheri and Tony inserted here, THANKS to you both!) That's my olive drab 99 serial number 26 in the foreground, and TP3's Black Widow in front of him. The barrel on my AR-15 sitting next to TP3's spotting scope looks PUNY compared to the barrels on the .50s!
CHECK OUT ALL THESE .50's! Seven, count 'em, 7, .50 BMG guns, six, count 'em 6 different types of .50s!
From nearest to farthest, TP3's Barrett M-99, Hench's AR-15, Hench's M-99, the H2, the LAR Grizzly, the EDM Windjammer, the Accuracy International, and the Armalite AR-50. Enough to bring a tear to your eye, eh?
Now, for the report. I put 45 rounds through my M-99, and TP3 put about 30 through his. As we're lazy, recreational shooters, we didn't clean our barrels until we were done for the day. Since we're cheap, we were shooting Ammoman.com's South African surplus. (Blatant plug here for Eric, THE Ammoman!) Since we're amateurs, we didn't measure any wind, (other than me sticking my saliva-wet finger in the air a couple times when the wind kicked up) or calculate any distances. We were told the silhouettes we were shooting at were between 700-750 yards away.
It wouldn't be a report, or news, without some news to report. The news? Even with a hangover, and some quick adjustments to his new gun/scope, TP3 was DEAD on at 750 yards on his THIRD shot! From that point on, only the trembling of his still-recovering nerves were to blame for anything but a perfect shot. He dropped a Lynx silhouette at 600 yards right through the neck and heart, and he left a LOT of lead on the deer silhouette that was at 750, they'll have to re-paint that baby!
In fact, NOTHING was close to the accuracy of TP3's M-99/NightForce optics combo. This became apparent amongst the many shooters there, who often asked to look through TP3's scope to see what it looked like, and several others that shot it. Most were right there on their FIRST shot, a testament to the user friendliness of the M-99, and the quality of the NightForce Extreme scope. I think I'm going to have to get one for my M-99!
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