other than cool...Why 50 bmg

[kisfish]

Other than being cool as you know what .....why own a 50 bmg. I have shot the barret several times and enjoy them. It just brings a smile to my face. I can think of no practical reason to have one except I want one. Anyone buy one and wish they hadn't.
I am running out of reasons why I shouldn't get one.

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[titsonritz]

Screw tracking blood trails.

 

[OldTengu]

You can stop a car by shooting the engine.

 

[slimmer13]

Other than being cool as you know what .....why own a 50 bmg. I have shot the barret several times and enjoy them. It just brings a smile to my face. I can think of no practical reason to have one except I want one. Anyone buy one and wish they hadn't.
I am running out of reasons why I shouldn't get one.

There for awhile, it was the king of the ELD game. Then came all the Lapuas and Cheytacs and Snipetacs etc which took over.

Not sure about now, but at one time, if you wanted to send a big heavy bullet a long way for cheaper than the rest, you could get (relatively) reasonable .50 BMG ammo.

 

[Red98422]

Other than being cool as you know what .....why own a 50 bmg. I have shot the barret several times and enjoy them. It just brings a smile to my face. I can think of no practical reason to have one except I want one. Anyone buy one and wish they hadn't.
I am running out of reasons why I shouldn't get one.

yeah the only downsides are cost and ammo availability....other than that they are one of the most enjoyable things you can do with your cloths on (btw I don't own one for the above reasons but have fired a few....very enjoyable)

 

[JedB]

Distance.
Distance is your friend.

 

[Certaindeaf]

California outlawed them so..

 

[Andy54Hawken]

You can stop a car by shooting the engine.

This is very true..it will stop the car nicely.
Andy

 

[FourTeeFive]

If I lived on the other side of the mountains I'd own one. On the coastal side there are very few places to shoot past 300m, much less 1000m+. But for long-range shooting fun it's relatively affordable as compared to 338 Lapua, due to availability of surplus ammo. Not cheap, but not insane. So for now I'll stick with my 308.

 

[titsonritz]

California outlawed them so..

And Barrett responded with the .416 Barrett (which is arguably ballistically superior to the 50 BMG) and will not sell to any California government agency including spare parts and service for existing weapon.

 

[ZA_Survivalist]

Why a 50BMG.. simple, for credible threats:
Manbearpig
Sasquatch
Hillary Clinton in heat

 

[Certaindeaf]

And Barrett responded with the .416 Barrett (which is arguably ballistically superior to the 50 BMG) and will not sell to any California government agency including spare parts and service for existing weapon.

Yep.

 

[The Heretic]

You can stop a car by shooting the engine.

Maybe. There is a vid of a guy trying to take out an F-150 (IIRC) while it sat running. It took a number of shots.

 

[The Heretic]

California outlawed them so..

This is why I bought one.^^

That said, the reasons I came up with are:

1) Long distance shooting beyond 1 KM, indeed, out to 2 KM

2) Penetration. Various ammo, AP, API and APIT will do a much better job of penetrating light armor (of vehicles) than most other shoulder fired civilian owned rifles. Add Raufoss/Mk211 on top of that, and you will do better than anything else that isn't an NFA firearm.

3) The size and the blast.

4) The ownership of something that most other people don't have.

 

[P7M13]

When your Cialis® no longer works.

 

[Nosferatu]

for the R.O.U.S's

 

[PaulB47]

No government wants you to have one.

 

[Andy54Hawken]

Maybe. There is a vid of a guy trying to take out an F-150 (IIRC) while it sat running. It took a number of shots.

Can't really say about a F-150 or the example cited...
And granted my experience below is not the "norm" for most folks who own or shoot a rifle that shoots .50BMG.

Without wanting to go into too many details :

When on a Peacekeeping tour in Bosnia...

I did shoot a car that initially did stop at the first check point of our "road block" , but then decided to continue on through.
The actions the driver took , fell under the rules of engagement for me to take a shot.

I was in a hide position on a hill overlooking the check point / road block armed with a M82A1
Distance to where I shot was 400 yards....one shot and I hit the car... In the front , the bullet eventually striking the engine block and stopping the car with one shot.
Cartridge used was the M20 Armor Piercing Incendiary Tracer.

The car was a small 4 door hatchback sedan of the VW Golf type....although it was not a VW Golf...just similar in size and styling.

We used the M82A1 most often in a "fixed" position in urban or built areas....it was a excellent way to stop a vehicle without using a lot of bullets that may end up going where you do not intend them to go.

I am very glad that I did not have to lug that rifle around very far or often...it weighs in around 35 pounds.
Andy

 

[The Heretic]

 

[Andy54Hawken]

Well again in my experience....it worked.
And also again...my experience was not the "norm" for most folks....and perhaps even lucky.
( For me ...not the car in question )
Andy