Looking for a place to shoot and compete with big 50s!

I spend a lot of time here in the classifieds section and have spent more money on actions, barrels and stocks then I care to know. I enjoy the heck out of shooting the Savages in many different barrels and calibers.

A few years ago my dad and I purchased a 50 BMG, I'm still waiting for one to come out with a barrel nut so I can easily swap barrels :) , we also joined the FCSA (Fifty Cal Shooters Association) as we found out there was a location close by that we could shoot and compete at. So now a couple times a year I take out my two 50BMG rifles and complete against other shooters for score and group size at 1,000 yrds. I am getting better and I'm even making my own 50 cal match bullets now.

Here is a look at the bullets I make

http://i636.photobucket.com/albums/u...ps0074d29c.jpg

and the guns I shoot them from

http://i636.photobucket.com/albums/u...ps2ecfc73a.jpg

http://i636.photobucket.com/albums/u...ps3a40ea62.jpg

It is getting harder to find gun clubs that allow us to shoot these awesome calibers. What a lot of fun they are too. So far my best group is 7" at 1k with my own bullets. I am looking to break that this year. There are only a few gun ranges in the US that allow us to shoot these 50s in competition, I'm lucky to live within a three hour drive of one of these ranges.

The knowledge and information I'm looking for from you guys is any additional locations/gun clubs that might be willing to support an FCSA sanctioned match. We need 1,000 yrds and target area with pits that allow targets to be marked for score. Below is a rough map of the few locations that have a FCSA sanctioned shoot each year. It is marked with a 400 mile wide circle. I'm looking for some new areas in the locations outside of these circles, or heck any new locations would be a bonus. I'm thinking somewhere around Phoenix, Salt Lake City, Kansas City and maybe SW Texas could certainly benefit from a place to shoot and watch these awesome guns in action.

http://i636.photobucket.com/albums/u...psfacumpld.png

Here is a look at the "pits" that protect the scorer and allow use to score the targets quickly while the shooter is still on the clock.

http://i636.photobucket.com/albums/u...ps34a7b354.jpg

http://i636.photobucket.com/albums/u...ps7ad0a628.jpg

http://i636.photobucket.com/albums/u...ps1bf51b93.jpg

and a look at the range I shoot/compete at

http://i636.photobucket.com/albums/u...ps0c18eba5.jpg



If you know of any gun ranges that might meet the requirements to allow such a match please feel free to let me know. If you are ever in the area of these matches I urge you to look into checking it out, ask to help in the pits, it is awesome to see the bullets strike the target and hear the crack of the bullet pass by. Ask questions from the shooters, I have known members to let others shoot their big 50s before! How cool is that!

Here is a link to the dates these matches will be held, the black circles on the map represent where they are. Certainly some of you must be in driving distance of these locations and would love to see, take part or even shoot a big 50BMG!

http://www.fcsa.org/wwwroot/visitors/matches.php

Thanks for the help

Good shooting and swage on!

Brian Thurner

Hey Brian cool stuff for sure nice job on the bullets, what do they weigh and what do you think there BC is, speaking of which if ever you get bored I have load data for Barnes originals, there 300gr @ 4300 fps + and there 450gr just shy of 4000 fps, I am sure I could have hit the mark if I did not run out of them, same as the 300s I also ran out of them and had not reached pressure signs yet.

Dean

Thanks Dean. My bullets come in at 825 grains and by the BC programs I have available they are a very close match to the Hornady A-Max at around 1.05 BC but I can't really confirm that yet. Shooting 50 cal at 1k I'm really only concerned with how small the group is :)

Brian

they have 50cal FCSA matches at our club.....

http://palominogunclub.org/174/fcsa-...h-description/

posted before i seen your post of events.

i'm not sure but mtc in lake city, mi may be able to do matches
http://www.marksmanshiptrainingcente...ange_info.aspx

I don't see any mention but I thought it said it was good for 50's

They do shoot them at Williamsport. Mark King 717 834 6284 has been very involved in building them
for quite awhile now. Of coarse he is also well known for building record holding 6mm dashers.
I have 2 friends who had Mark build one for them on Bat actions which i believe is about all he uses for them.
One is a competetor at Williamsport, and has also been using his for hunting. The other guy strictly uses his for hunting.
As i recall their using about double the powder charge im using in my 338 Big Baer.
They are also getting pretty much the same velocity with the 750 gr Amax. The one guy cant shoot his while sitting down for more than a few shots.
The other guy built his because he couldnt hit deer at beyond 1500 yds with his 338x378. Guess what, he cant hit them with this thing either even at 1300.
If only our ability could keep pace with our imagination. lol

Yep, we got Williamsport on the schedule already.

Got to be some more ranges out there that allow 50s and would be interested.......

Thanks

Brian

What are you using for powder, RL50 ?
IMHO guns like that need a range with a setup of benches at 1500 or even 2000 yds.
That way they wouldnt be being compared with other cartridges they cant compete with at 1000 yds.
As for hunting with them, or any large cartridge for that matter, especially in the eastern part of the country
there will be very few days with conditions suitable for using them.
Unless theres snow on the ground even finding animals at the longer distances can be extremly difficult.
Then theres the little problem known as hitting them. In the 4 seasons ive had my 338 weve used it on exactly
one deer. And to be perfectly honest we could have taken that with a smaller cartridge.