The U.S. Army and Special Operations Command are stepping up efforts to procure a lighter, modernized .50-caliber machine gun more easily transported than the standard 85-pound M2.
The goal is not to replace the M2, a combat fixture for 70 years, but to augment the inventory with a .50-caliber weapon that brings the same firepower at less than half the weight, Army officials said here at the Feb. 27-29 winter convention of the Association of the U.S. Army. Early models of the Light Weight .50-caliber (LW50) are expected to be delivered this year.
Serbu, makers of the BFB-50 single shot .50 BMG rifle and the Super-Shorty shotgun, announced that their semi-automatic .50 BMG rifle will be available sometime after July. I think they had it on display at SHOT.
The BFG-50A is a magazine-fed, gas-operated .50 BMG rifle. It takes standard 10-round M-82 magazines. It has a 3-lug rotating bolt, dual plunger ejectors, sliding plate extractor, hydraulic recoil buffer. The bolt locks into a barrel extension which is threaded to the barrel. The bolt lug and barrel extension locking surfaces are helical. The gas system is similar to that used on a Ljungman AG-42 or MAS 49/56.
As with our BFG-50 single-shot rifle, all our barrels are chambered with our own reamer design which allows surplus ammunition to be fired but gives far greater accuracy than can be achieved with barrels using a machine gun chamber. Barrel length: 26.0″, overall length: 52.5″. Rifle weighs 25 lbs unloaded. The BFG-50A uses a highly efficient 8-port “Shark Brake” muzzle brake. Barrel/barrel extension and handguard are removable to allow different barrel and handguard lengths and configurations.
In early July we’ll be delivering a small number of rifles to a very high priority customer and will be moving to full production shortly after that. Price is still expected to be right around $5000.
CMMG have announced an .50 Black Powder AR-15 Upper!
To fire, the powder charge and bullet are loaded via a ramrod. Using a standard magazine with a single shot follower, an unloaded 5.56 case is loaded into the mag, inserted in magazine well and loaded just like a standard rifle.
Once the rifle is fired, the empty brass is ejected manually and then reloaded.
…
It is a modified .223 case that uses a 209 primer. Currently .50 cal. Should have pricing and other specs tomorrow.
Interesting! As one commenter said
Can you imagine the face of an unsuspecting
game warden the first time he runs across these..
They have yet to announce pricing.
UPDATE
This isn’t a loaded case, it is a 209 primer in a piece of .223 brass. There is no way a live round or a blank will load into the “chamber”.
UPDATE
A video of it in action. Actually, it looks pretty good.
The Chinese have two types of gas operated semi-automatic .50/12.7mm caliber rifles. Both only shoot at 2 MOA with standard ammunition.
This is enough for anti-material work but well below western sniper rifle standards. For comparison, the Barrett M82 is supposed to shoot sub MOA (less than 1 MOA).
It is available in either 12.7×108mm or .50BMG.
If you live in a state or country that does not allow civilian ownership of .50 BMG rifles there are alternative cartridges with similar ballistics to the .50 BMG.
Ammoguide.com compares the .50 BMG, .510 DTC, .416 Barrett and .50 Fat Mac.
This video made me laugh. Near the end they show this kid who can’t stop lifting his head as soon as he pulls the trigger. He of course completely misses the target.
A very interesting article about investing in machine guns…
Randy Powell has a .50-caliber machine gun he would like to sell you —but he can’t afford to.
The monster, sitting in a cage in back of his gun store and shooting range in Lawrenceville, can cut down a tree — and could easily fetch $30,000 in a perfectly legal sale. But for Powell, the sale would be the equivalent of hawking a Picasso or vintage wine.
The gun increases in value exponentially each year.
“I bought that gun for $10,000 about 10 years ago,” he said. “I could make a lot of money if I sold it but it’s an investment more than anything. There is no wholesale market. If I want another one, I may have to pay more than that.”
USCitizen is off to the Gunblogger Rendezvous (I wish I could go!) and has posted a photo of this luggage:
Contents:
* One Kimber Pro Carry in .45 Auto with three magazines: empty
* One leather inside-belt holster for 1911 pistol(not pictured)
* One Bushmaster AR-15 lower assembly with 6-position collapsible stock
* One Bushmaster XM15 E25 Shorty AK Carbine Upper assembly with M-203 heat shield, ETC 37 mm Flare Launcher and Leupold 6.5 - 20 variable power scope
* One Jonathan Arthur Ciener .22 LR caliber conversion kit for AR-a5, consisting of bolt assembly and two 20 round .22 LR magazines: empty
* One DJHT .50 caliber BMG upper assembly with variable power, lighted reticle, Mil-dot scope and M-60 bipod
* Three (3) thirty round and one (1) twenty round capacity AR-15 magazines: empty.
* One (1) set foam hearing protection from Remington (not pictured)
* Case by SBK of Orange, CA - with four (4) locks
* Total weight 60.5 pounds
I think the only thing missing is a few more magazines!
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I want this blog to appeal to a worldwide audience and so I will be focusing on firearms and shooting rather than country specific politics. There are already many great blogs defending your rights!
 United States
Hi, welcome to my blog! This blog is dedicated to all things firearms related. I hope you enjoy it.