Robar RC50 Thoughts?

[JohnsMyName]

A friend of mine has a very good condition Robar RC50 he offered to sell me. I am in the market for a 50 BMG and prioritize accuracy. I am familiar with Robar's coating and appreciate that, but don't care to pay a premium for "rarity" since they are now out of business. I've read very little about these rifles except that they are light and supposedly accurate. Does anyone have first hand knowledge of these rifles? Does anyone make a direct fit chassis for them? Are the mags proprietary and/or can others be modified to fit? He's asking $5,500 for the rifle, thoughts on that or should I consider something else like an M99 for $2,500 less.

 

[secondofangle2]

For $5500 you are close to a DT HTI chassis and you can get a custom barrel spun up for it for about $1500, and also have option to run 416 barrett or 375CT. Another option is Armalite AR50 with a custom barrel. The only way you're going to get accuracy is with a barrel from a custom maker, or an AI which is $13K. My McMillan TAC-50 was a tack driver with a 32" Lilja; my DT with a 41" lilja is the most accurate rifle I've ever owned in 35 years. a true 1/4MOA 50 BMG, repeatably. A guy here in Utah will put PacNor or whatever you want on an AR50 and do trigger work too. Beauty of the TAC-50 was ability to install a Rem700 style trigger eg Jewell. DT trigger is good too. May be able to put a custom tube on a Serbu or Barrett too, something to consider. I'm not familiar with their triggers, which is another key component for accuracy, since it's the interface between the weak link (the shooter) and the rifle. THat's part of the reason M107 is shit for accuracy (despite what some will say) - a 7# military trigger (and the floating barrel in the receiver).

Also, I wager the Robar will not have good resale value, since it's no longer made, compared to the other options.

 

[DJL2]

When I was a young man, folks were winning comps with the M99 (and perhaps the M95 as well, don't recall). It was, perhaps, the best deal going for punching targets at extended range... nowadays, lots of ELR calibers out there to chose from... but, personally, if I were getting into the game it would be with a current production rig, no matter the caliber.

 

[JohnsMyName]

secondofangle2 - Some good points there. I really like the DT system, but they're going for $7,000 nowadays and I'm trying to keep budget down. I wasn't thinking about the available triggers before, that's a great point.

DJL2 - Agreed on many ELR calibers, but I'm specifically looking to add a 50 BMG to the family. Ability to put a new chassis is a must!

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[KZP]

I wouldn't want a rifle that comes from an out of business manufacturer unless it was an investment collectable I wasn't going to use.

There is also the Cadex Tremor 50 which has a comfortable chassis. Barrel is made by Bartlein. It's on the light side at 26lb (I added weights to mine to get 36lb), but comes with a folding stock which makes transport easier. Pretty sure it uses any Remington style trigger. Stock one goes down to 2.5lb~, can be single or two stage.

They might be more than you want to spend though. You can live chat with Euro Optic and see if they are offering discounts. Sometimes they will knock off $1k from list price if you ask for a discount. Every now and then I see lightly used ones for sale on auction sites for 2k to 3k less than msrp.

 

[AMMOWASTER]

secondofangle2 - Some good points there. I really like the DT system, but they're going for $7,000 nowadays and I'm trying to keep budget down. I wasn't thinking about the available triggers before, that's a great point.

DJL2 - Agreed on many ELR calibers, but I'm specifically looking to add a 50 BMG to the family. Ability to put a new chassis is a must!

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50's aren't like most of the bolt actions we deal with regularly so there aren't really a lot of chassis options because there is no standard action. In general you should probably buy it in the configuration you want it in. I think the Robar guns were built on Mcmillan. The price is probably ok if you like the exact configuration it is in.

I would probably steer you towards an AR50 is you like chassis guns and prioritize accuracy. Bonus points for being currently produced so there's at least a chance for factory support.