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Armalite 50 BMG AR-50A1 ammo advice?

WEATHERBY460

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Minuteman
Jul 12, 2011
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Just purchased one. What is some good preloaded ammo to purchase for it? I'm looking for accuracy, but hopefully not too expensive. Also, what are good hunting bullets for it? Thanks
 
When I had mine the hornady 750gr was pretty accurate for what it was. I'd hold .8 moa ish. I shot some HSM and it was similar but made it harder to clean than the hornady. I still think I have a 10rd box of the Hornady on my ammo shelf somewhere
 
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Hi,

Accuracy + BMG + loaded ammunition = NOT going to find it to be inexpensive.
Randy at Thunder Ammo would be my first suggestion for loaded accuracy.

What are you hunting?

Sincerely,
Theis

As point of note, all of what might reasonably be considered their "hunting" ammo is loaded with the A-Max.

Bullet selection...OP, are you planning on reloading? And are you serious about using 50 BMG anything on a 300 pound deer? 700 pound mature bull elk, minimum, please.
 
Do you actually need any expansion for hunting when using a .50 BMG?
A straight hole is probably going to be about as big as a lot of other bullets expand to, not to mention the shockwave when it hits.
 
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Do you actually need any expansion for hunting when using a .50 BMG?
A straight hole is probably going to be about as big as a lot of other bullets expand to, not to mention the shockwave when it hits.
you do not. I seen a white tail deer being hit from about 475yrds with 750gr Hornady and there was literally no usable meat besides hind quarters - wasted tenderloin and a backstrap - it was basically a mush inside from the shockwave...
deer will DRT even if grazed, in my opinion, with a 50 - I am a meat hunter, so wasting 2/3 or better of an animal seems not very sportsmanlike to me, but if a person is a bad shot - I guess they need to step up a caliber to harvest that game.
 
hunting deer with a 50 BMG???
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hunting deer with a 50 BMG???
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I think this guy might need them for the long shots past 400:

im new to this forum and new to the 6.5 Grendel but am NOT new to killing deer. I do crop damage shooting every year and kill on an average of 50 deer a year. Ive killed them with everything from a 556 to a 300 ultra mag. When I hear someone claiming a round like this is a capable 500 yard deer killer I cringe! You don't even have a 243 and even that is marginal for 300 yard deer. 400 is "doable" with a 2506 or 240 wby 270 o6 ect. 400 is a LONG shot on living game and in my opinion is where you should be stepping up to a 257mag 7 mag ect and 500 is 30 cal mag time. These are living animals and don't deserve to just be eventually killed they deserve a quick humane death. To me the absolute max id shoot at a living animal with a Grendel is 250 yards and that might even be a stretch. I shot 3 deer this year at a 100-200 yards with a bo using 110 barnes bullets and yup it killed all three but all of them left the field and needed tracking. Id have to guess that 3/4s of the guys that recommend it have never done it and probably haven't killed more then a half a dozen deer in there lives. I guess the mail question id ask them is WHY? Don't you have a gun better suited to long range deer KILLING. Does it make you feel somehow more skilled because you can use a pop gun to kill deer at 500 yards. Maybe you should consider a 22lr! Statues would be built! Grendel is a neat little round. As is the Bo but out past 250 yards use them on paper deer. The real ones would appreciate it.
 
I do not exactly agree with some above. I am considered and consider myself a good shot and a hunter. I have routinely hunted (still am) deer and placed shots out to 500m with my 6.5x55 rifles. I practiced and did extensive load development (PER RIFLE) for about 4yrs prior to start taking shots at deer beyond 200m. I also deal with private hunting land and private shooting range where I am the only, more less, one who is hunting/using it - so I can have plenty of time to set up my ground blinds and my beer can targets to see what my capabilities are. I also pour ballistic blocks with bones and hide over it to see what expansion/bullet retention/penetration my rounds will do at various distances... I typically place a shot where I sever a spinal column in the area close to the neck and that either DRT or paralyzes deer (with no pain felt). I hunt with 140gr Lapua Naturalis now exclusively and prior to that I hunted with 123-160gr pills.
if one knows what he/she is doing, I do not think its unethical or unsportsmanlike to take long shots, however!!! that takes literally years and thousands of rounds of practice. I was shooting 800m 8" plates with 100% success via bench shooting. Shooting paper and shooting an animal (with anticipation of movement, angles, backstop, etc) are two entirely different disciplines - so one should practice for a specific type of a shooting (or all). To me, wasting an animal by doing extensive meat damage, marginal shots (wounded and dying for days in the woods somewhere being chased by coyotes, wolves, bear, etc.) is the same as an animal abuse...
I see some 'hunters' here in WI talking about these long shot and long terrain and 300WM and 338LM rifles - motherfuckers can't make it to the bathroom and back to the bar without being winded and having shortness of breath... Chances this guy will go up even 100m up the rocky hill (not even talking 1/3 or half a mile, so 500-800m) to retrieve a mountain goat are literally slim to NONE - they will have to have a Flight For Life EMS helicopter on standby for those 'story tellers'....
 
Just purchased one. What is some good preloaded ammo to purchase for it? I'm looking for accuracy, but hopefully not too expensive. Also, what are good hunting bullets for it? Thanks

Just sell it and buy something else. 50 BMG rifles are like buying a boat you'll Bust Out Another Thousand in just ammo.