The Gun Counter

Am thinking about getting a bolt gun 50 BMG. Likely one of the Serbu bolt guns.

Quality and accuracy of the non-barret choices is welcome, but the real reason for the post is reloading for feeding it.

I can get surplus ammo for $3-4.50 per round which creates its own reusable brass.

Powder isn't a big deal other than quantity per shot.

Once fired brass is about $0.80 to $1.10 per

projectiles- seems like factory new good stuff is on the same par price wise with pulled bullets -- which seems VERY ODD
new is ~$2-3 per pill.
pulled pills are $$1.90 - $5 per pill. the more expensive ones are API / APIT / tracer, but
A 650ish grain pulled pill that has no enhancements and is a tad beat up from the pulling process is almost the same price as a factory new Hornady of the same weight and just a little cheaper than the 750gr Hornady A-tip.

The worst thing -- NO ONE seems to have any 50 bmg primers anywhere and if they did, they were to be sold at +$1.00 per primer.

reloading
press set up $400-$2000 ok, is what it is
brass call it $1 per. likely get 4 to 5 shots, minimum although some claim with annealing every 4-5 shots they get 20+, so no big deal
powder is over $1 per shot
Primer is over $1 per shot
projectile is over $2 per shot
so call it $4.25 per shot to reload Plus cost of press / dies add in another $1 or $2 depending on volume
looks like no savings to reloading, but perhaps better performance for accuracy, but that is gonna eat up a lot of time / cost to dial it in. For each variant. hmm

why no primers?
why do pulled bullets (not the special ones) cost as much as new factory options?

Precision wrote: ↑Sun Feb 04, 2024 4:32 pm Am thinking about getting a bolt gun 50 BMG. Likely one of the Serbu bolt guns.

I'd look hard at State arms gun if you're looking to get a shell holder gun "Big Bertha" is a 40 lb beast that in my opinion, is the best shell holder style 50 on the market.

Precision wrote: ↑Sun Feb 04, 2024 4:32 pm why no primers?

Because primers are the first thing to disappear during an ammo shortage, and the last thing to return to normal. Add in the unique nature of the bmg primers, and you can see why they're obscenely priced. Even before the shortages, they were typically an order of magnitude more expensive than regular primers

Sounds like you should stock up and then eventually get into the reloading. Look at gun shows, I have seen .50 primers at several advertised.

I think I have talked myself into getting the Armalite AR50A1

Nice

Reloading 50 BMG can be a wash cost-wise compared to buying surplus ammo, especially with current primer shortages driving the price up. While reloading offers the potential for better accuracy, the upfront investment in press, dies, and finding primers can be significant.

Pulled bullets can be a good value, but their pricing can be close to new depending on the type and pulling process. Focus on finding standard pulled bullets for the best price point if accuracy isn't a major concern for plinking with surplus brass.

I was waiting for him to actually do something over the line. Spam link in other thread deleted, Ban Hammer Applied

I did get the armalite. About 20 round through the pipe. haven't shot it past about 50 yards. Can't at the house and the place I was supposed to get 250, got scrubbed due to some damn photographer wanting pretty pics or something. But we did get a photo with the bullet in flight. looks about 9 inches long

Nice. Do you mind sharing the photo? Hope you get to take some long shots with it soon.