50bmg AR-15 upper hows it rate?

[2nthechest]

Well I was wondering the Indy 1500 a few weekends ago when I stumbled upon an AR15 with a 50bmg singleshot Ultralite upper mounted on top. I believe it had a DPMS lower, a bi-pod, and a heavy duty stock they said was made by Safety Harbor which I did look up and found, it also had a large NcStar (I think) scope. It was right up my alley as far as what I would like. I have been attempting to research it and find only the upper with prices all over the place. I have found a magazine feed that the mag goes in the side of the upper but I did not care for it. The single shot I looked at was ideal. They were asking $1800 for the set up with some Barrett ammo (maybe 10 or so rounds) I was hoping to get more info on what others think. I took their business card as I am thinking serious about this. I guess my questions are...
Is this a reasonable price?
Quality?
Recoil?
What should I know?

Then I just need to convince my dear wife I need it so she will let me spend that much jack.

Any advice/feedback would be appreciated.

 

[mwilson]

 

[Thunder219]

i've seen some setups like that and have wondered myself...

 

[VUPDblue]

There are 2 things keeping me from buying a .50. The cost of ammo and components, and finding a suitable place to shoot it that reaches out to 1000 yds. and isn't a four hour drive from me. If these aren't problems for you then go for it. Also, Safety Harbor does make good .50 parts, but I have no direct experience with their .50 stuff. Also check Serbu for their offerings in the .50 flavor. Actually, the guy who runs SH used to work for Serbu, so their offerings are very similar.
Recoil is not as bad as one might think. If you've shot something like a .300WinMag then recoil is very similar. Those huge brakes do some good....

 

[hornadylnl]

Stay away from Bohica. The owner is a first class douche bag and liar. From what I've seen, the Ultralite or the Ferret are the best bang for the buck. Ultralite has been renamed to Tactilite. Tactilite T1 "Ultralite" | Tactilite T1 (Single-Shot) Uppers | Models | Zel Custom Mfg. LLC
The fit and finish of the Ultralite blew away the Bohica from the ones I've seen.

The best place to find info on 50 uppers is this site. 50 Cal - AR15.COM
Pretty much every brand of upper has been discussed at great length. Just go through the old posts and read up on them.

 

[hornadylnl]

There are 2 things keeping me from buying a .50. The cost of ammo and components, and finding a suitable place to shoot it that reaches out to 1000 yds. and isn't a four hour drive from me. If these aren't problems for you then go for it. Also, Safety Harbor does make good .50 parts, but I have no direct experience with their .50 stuff. Also check Serbu for their offerings in the .50 flavor. Actually, the guy who runs SH used to work for Serbu, so their offerings are very similar.
Recoil is not as bad as one might think. If you've shot something like a .300WinMag then recoil is very similar. Those huge brakes do some good....

Meh, you can load it for $1.25 a round if look around. Would you rather spend $1.25 a round on 50 or 50 cents a round on crap 308?

 

[VUPDblue]

Meh, you can load it for $1.25 a round if look around. Would you rather spend $1.25 a round on 50 or 50 cents a round on crap 308?

So you've managed to solve the financial part of the equation. Now just figure the logistics out for me and I'll be all set

 

[hornadylnl]

The only range that I know of in Indiana that allows 50's is Bass and Bucks in Wabash. They go out to 750 yards and they have steel from 300 yards out. $15 for the entire day and it's a pretty nice range.

 

[hornadylnl]

Realistically to load 50 ammo, it will cost:
Brass - 75 cents
primer - 25 cents
powder - 30 cents
bullets - 30 cents

That's $1.60 using once fired brass, surplus 860 powder and pulled/resized API bullets.
That's at todays prices not figuring in any shipping and hazmat.

The Lee 50 press kit is $189 at Midway. You'll need a few other small tools but it isn't as hard to get into as one would think. At the last 1500, they were selling API rounds for $3 each. If you figure you save $1.40 a round and have $250 invested in equipment, you'll make your money back in less than 200 rounds. You can buy premium bullets at $2 or less each and can load match grade ammo for less than $3 a round, especially once you have your brass paid for.

 

[2nthechest]

What about the 1800 dollar price for the set-up

 

[hornadylnl]

What about the 1800 dollar price for the set-up

I'd say the lower is worth $200 if complete and the uppers run $1600 new. If it is the Ultralite bipod, they are pretty pricey. As far as the NcStar scope, I'd figure that as a freebie. I'd have to see the whole setup but $1800 doesn't sound out of line.

 

[shibumiseeker]

$1800 is a decent price for the gun. Not great, but not ripped off either. Safety Harbor makes good kit. The NcStar should be taken off and either put on a gun that won't hurt it, like a .22lr, or used to pound tent stakes.

I'll second the recommendation to check out the 50 cal forum on ar15.com, it's one of the better places on the net for the .50bmg.

I can reload plinking ammo for the .50 for under a buck a round. I've done brass tests and I can easily get more than ten reloads (best I've done is 19) out of brass loading lightly and using surplus pulled bullets that have been resized. I can reload match ammo for about $2 a round with most of the cost in the bullet.

I have an 850 yard range on my property and occasionally can do 1000 yard at a neighbor's farm. Regardless of that, it's still fun to shoot it at 100 yards.

 

[ambushunter]

I would think that its about avereage priced

 

[2nthechest]

I called them and they said it is a family members personal gun with less then 20 rounds fired. The scope was a NcStar 24x50 or something. they did say that the owner was gonna make a ftf sale for $1600 tonight if it was not sold today. Any suggestions? I don't want to miss what may be a good deal. Plus coming up with a little more cash may pose a problem which also might mean I miss out. if the guy has to have the money tonight then I will have to pass it on to the next buyer.

The details they gave me...

DPMS complete lower with heavy duty hammer
Ultralite 50bmg upper (24" I think)
Ultralite bi-pod
Safety Harbor stock
NcStar scope
10-15 rounds of Barrett ammo


I know the offer they have so I know where I have to be plus a FTF makes it a bit nicer. If I don't come up with the funds and someone here is interested send me a PM and I will get you there info before he has it sold tonight. They made it sound as if he needed to sell it off tonight due to a financial situation.

 

[shibumiseeker]

If you want someone to tell you to buy it, then buy it. It's not the deal of a lifetime (though if you could get it for $1600 it's a good deal). a 24" barrel is not going to do you 1000 yard shooting very well but it is a good shorter range length and very good for shoulder firing the gun. You can take the scope off and find some suc--- er, tacticool wannabe to sell it to and maybe recoup a little money towards a decent scope for it.

I own 2 .50s and love them both. I wouldn't mind having the UL50 in 24" as an addition to my collection but I'm not in the market right now just recently having funded another gun I'm still paying for.

 

[MoparEric]

ALS 50 cal

has anyone saw the upper from ALS. hxxp://www.50bmg.net/ I've been looking for info on this conversion. thanks for the info.

 

[shibumiseeker]

has anyone saw the upper from ALS. hxxp://www.50bmg.net/ I've been looking for info on this conversion. thanks for the info.

ALS is also good kit. One of the best uppers for the price for accuracy. They've had 2 KBs and this summer ALS came out with an upgrade for their bolt, so if you are looking at a used one make sure it has the updated bolt. ALS will replace it free of charge.

 

[INMIline]

An INGO member built that rifle.

 

[MoparEric]

any info on it, other than the website? Thanks

 

[Benjamin]

Just a thought but with some used 50 BMGs going for less than $2500 especially the AR50s it might just be worth buying the complete rifle. I mean you're going to spend $1600+ for just the upper and get a single shot rifle that you need an AR lower to shoot. I think a used AR 50 might be a better choice, especially since they are known for shooting around 7-8 inch groups with match ammo at 1,000 yards.