Look up a .50 BMG round, right now. Do it.
Forget the price for a second. Just look at the size of the cartridge.
Is that the sort of thing that you’d want to shoot with the butt of the thing shooting it against your shoulder?
Most people (especially those that have never handled or fired .50 cal before) would say no.
But here’s the thing. If you’re into extreme-long range shooting, there aren’t that many cartridges better than .50 BMG (cost notwithstanding).
And with a repeater like the ArmaLite AR-50 A1, recoil is actually not really a big concern.
Seriously, keep reading.
.50 BMG Recoil Considerations
Let’s take a .50 BMG cartridge loaded with a 724 grain bullet loaded to such specification that it leaves the muzzle at 2799 FPS.
This cartridge would produce free recoil energy in the area of 84 ft-lbs.
On its face, this seems utterly absurd, especially when you look at something like, say, .223, which produces roughly 5 ft-lbs of recoil energy.
Does this mean .50 BMG produces almost 20 times the recoil energy of .223?
On paper, yes. It is a huge cartridge.
But we have to consider a few other factors here.
Now Let’s Look at the Rifle: Weight
Weight of the rifle is the single biggest thing that cuts back on the .50 BMG’s recoil. In the case of the ArmaLite AR-50 A1, you’re looking at a rifle that weighs more than 37 pounds.
Now considering your average AR-15 weighs about 6 pounds, that’s quite a delta.
By the numbers (and this is not perfect math) the ArmaLite AR-50 A1 weighs more than 6 times what the AR-15 weighs.
Which means you can (again, not scientifically) divide the free recoil of the .50 BMG by 6, since mass is one of the primary determining factors of recoil.
That would give you something in the ballpark of 14 ft-lbs.
That alone is less than the free recoil of .270 Winchester, which can produce recoil almost as high as 18 ft-lbs.
But there’s more to the picture.
And a Muzzle Brake
The ArmaLite AR-50 A1 comes with a muzzle brake, and a good muzzle brake can reduce recoil by as much as 50%.
Let’s just say, in this case, the muzzle brake only reduces recoil by 20%. That leaves you with something in the area of 11 ft-lbs.
Which is comparable to 6.5 Creedmoor, or, if you like, a little more than twice what the .223 produces.
Which really isn’t so bad now, is it?
If the ArmaLite AR-50 A1 was lighter and didn’t have a muzzle brake, recoil would be a problem. But we need to be serious about the fact that the rifle weighs nearly 40 pounds.
In other words, the recoil won’t be nearly as bad as you think it will be.
Conclusion: An ArmaLite AR-50 A1’s Recoil Is Actually Quite Manageable
Here for an ArmaLite AR-50 A1? Check out B&B Firearms. Not only do they sell this (and other) extreme long-range rifles, they offer payment plans, too. Visit their website for more information or get in touch with them directly for details.
