Why dont more people use 50BMG for hunting?(yes, I'm serious)

[k77/22rp]

I look at the price of ammo for 50BMG and the price of ammo for a BIG bore cartridge like 470nitro express there is a big difference,
470NE-$200 for 20rounds
50BMG yugo surplus- $120 for 100 rounds

Pull those FMJ's and put in a softpoint seems to me like you'd have a good DANGEROUS game cartridge.

Is the problem that there are no hunting bullets made for 50BMG, or is it that 50BMG rifles weigh pert near 35 pounds, I realize it may be difficult to tote around a 35 pound 5' long rifle all day.

Or is it just because no one else does???

 

[KSFreeman]

This is because all the gunshop commandos are busy jumping out of black helicopters in Afghanistan and patrolling malls with armour plated scooters to go hunting with .50BMGs. I expect a tremendous surge in rabbits taken with .50BMG when the war is over.

 

[Lavan]

Probably because it is inadequate

Many deer have been only WOUNDED by the anemic 50BMG when gutshot two counties over from the hunter.

 

[Ewok_Guy]

OVER PENETRATION

 

[Art Eatman]

Well, I'm darned sure not gonna tote a big-heavy thingummy around the countryside...

Back when folks first started playing around with the .50BMG, some used surplus military range-finders and shot elk out around 800 to 1,000 yards. I think Montana was the first state to declare that such use was not sporting, was not part of fair chase.

As far as dangerous game, part of the deal is a rifle (or shotgun) which is at least reasonably fast in the handling, the getting on target RIGHT NOW! Sorta hard to do that with a 25- or 35-pound package. By the time you're on target, you're already Chui's supper.

Art

 

[blackamos]

The 50 BMG was made to hit hard targets not soft targets. If the deer is sitting in a Jeep than go ahead and shoot him. You may want to hit the block first so he does not drive away.

 

[Nightcrawler]

I think it might be too much gun in some cases. Sure, maybe for elephant, if you're a rich boy riding around in a Land Rover and only have to fire the rifle once or twice and don't have to carry it.

But for most game....I mean, you shoot an Elk with .50BMG at what we'd consider normal game ranges and there isn't going to be a whole lot of useable meet within a fair sized radius of the wound.

Hunting Shack makes 700 or so grained hollow point .50BMG. I honestly can't imagine why. I suspect a person getting hit in the chest with a .50BMG would be left with a hole big enough to drop a coffe can through. You're prettymuch assured of a one shot stop.

(Even if you hit him in the arm, with his arm say, severed from the elbow, he's going to drop from blood loss pretty quick, to be perfectly morbid.)

 

[uglygun]

Years back I saw some pictures from a hunt/shoot where the person was using a 50BMG to pick off javlina, was using a frangible 50BMG load and splitting the little suckers in half with upper torso shots.


Seems to me if the 50BMG was used it would be an issue of one or the other in relation to over penetration or too much damage to prey based upon the bullet selections out there.

 

[Bogie]

The reason that people make hollowpoint bullets is for TARGET use - it's easier to make a more accurate bullet when you assemble them that way.

I don't know of any "big game" bullets for the .50BMG. I suspect that a shortened, and lighter-loaded version might be interesting.

 

[C.R.Sam]

What Art said plus.....
By the time you have reloaded them with good bullets, they are no longer relatively cheap.

Sam

 

[k77/22rp]

I see...

I wasnt talking about hunting anything in the U.S. with one, because I realize there would be much meat wasted, and I guess it could be unsporting.

Maybe when I get mine I will just use it for pest control

I been trying to think of uses other than, I just want one

 

[cpileri]

I just want one...

Heck, i dont even want it really. i only want it a a big F@#$ Y%& to the people who say we can't own one.
Now, if only they weren't $2K and up...

 

[kidcoltoutlaw]

to long and to heavy.60 inches and 32 plus pounds.primers are about .20 each bullets amax about 1.30 each.i would like to kill a ground hog with mine this summer,thanks,keith

 

[MeekAndMild]

Hmmm. would seem to be an ideal squirrel rifle. You know the way those pesky tree rats try to hide around back of the tree? Well that shouldn't be a problem with the 50. Jest shoot through the tree at em!

 

[johnAK]

>>As far as dangerous game goes,
probably you are thinking about Afrika hunting trip some sort?
rifle being heavy is moot point, since you pay to local guys tote around,
I heard that there's some sort of law in Africa what kind of caliber you can use for hunting, of course bring your own rifle is a major hassle too.

 

[H&Hhunter]

Why not use a .50 BMG for hunting, SDame reason we don't use Super tankers for water skiing. hey it's plenty fast enough it just dosen't corner very well.

JohnAK,
What African country that allows hunting is it hassle to bring your hunting rifles into?
The biggest hassel in the free world has just become?? Come on you almost got it........ one more guess!! yep your right the good old USof A has just passed a law that will require at least 6 weeks of red tape and hassel to recieve an import permit for a foriegn national to bring a gun into the U.S.A.
Kinda makes Canadas little import fee look pale don't it. I wonder what it's going to do to our international hunting market??

The Marxist left sneaks another one in!

 

[Charlie Lima]

H&H Hunter:
From what I hear if you do not register your firearms when LEAVING the USA to go hunt, you are not allowed to bring them back in. As you said the lefties snuck another one in.
As for the BMG as a sporting round, in my little corner of the world there is a 16 lb. weight limit on legal hunting rifles for big game.
The McBros "50" i use at work is 31.5 lbs of pure fun, but I got doubts that even a recoil junkie like me would long love what a 16lb'er would do on the shooter's end of things.

 

[BrianM]

Newbie question:

I've seen .50 ammo that say 'incendiary' and have a blue tip, what exactly does that imply/do?

 

[Art Eatman]

Incindiary as in incinerate as in start fires. Instead of a lead core, there is flammable material of some sort, and an igniter. (I dunno the specifics.)

Think of it as a tracer wihich waits until it arrives to do its thing, rather than burn up during the trip.

, Art

 

[BrianM]

So, they use it to ignite any flammable material on the receiving end? Thank you for the replay, BTW.