The following is a review I did between my Armalite AR 50A1 and Serbu BFG 50 both in 50 BMG. May help anyone looking to get into the 50 market at an entry level make their decision on which option is right for them. Mine came down to these two rifles and now that I own both I want to share my first impressions.

You can visit my Facebook page “Hafeman Precision” to view the review with pictures as well as a short video showing both actions in operation and highlighting a few differences between them

Written review below



Battle of the 50’s
AR 50 A1 vs Serbu BFG 50 - 50 BMG


Captions have been added below the pictures to explain them better


I included pics of the factory specs from both Armalite and Serbu at the bottom of this review. These are directly from their website.


This is my comparison of the two rifles side by side. I am not affiliated with either company and paid full price for both rifles in this review.


These are first impressions of the rifles before firing them.


• AR 50 vs Serbu Size and Overall Feel:


– AR 50-
58.5” Fully Assembled
49.5” Buttstock Removed
36.2 lbs- As shown in review (Rifle + Bipod)


- Serbu-
50.5” Fully Assembled
20.6 lbs- As shown in review (Rifle + Bipod)


As expected the AR 50 is noticeably heavier. For a target rifle that you want minimal recoil and don’t plan to carry very far from truck to shooting position the AR 50 fits the bill. If you want portable and plan to shoot from something other than prone position or bench then the Serbu would fit that position better. The Serbu would be easier to fire off hand.


- The following is a shake test. Not scientific by any means but gives you a general idea how solid the rifle is when moving it around during general shooting activities. Identifies moving parts and if nothing else gives you a first impression of the rifles tolerances. Like this or not when you pick up a rifle for the first time at a gun shop this can make or break the sale. This was done by simply holding the rifle up and turning/twisting it to cause movement and vibration


Both bipods were left on the gun during this test


AR 50 had very little noise. The AR 50 is built very solid and the only thing you can hear is the bolt handle which is hardly noticeable.


Serbu BFG 50 has a very noticeable amount of noise. Some from then canting feature in the bipod. Some from the Bolt Head in the rifle. Some from the lower receiver where it pins to the upper


• Muzzle Brakes


I wouldn’t say either brake is better than the other as I have not fired the rifles. Both seem to be well designed. AR 50 certainly wins the bad ass award for looks and the Serbu wins the award for a “cleaner” look. Both rifles will have to be fired to give an honest comparison and really both brakes should be fired on the same rifle. The weight difference in these rifles I suspect will make the AR 50 have less recoil therefore not giving an honest comparison. I will say the reviews online seem to favor them both depending on application. Either one I suspect will not win the friendship award at the range when fired next to other shooters.


Double Hearing Protection is a MUST when firing any 50 Cal rifle. So I would suggest both plugs and muffs for either rifle.


•Barrels:


- AR 50-
30” Legth
1-15” Twist
Manufacturer- Wilson


- Serbu-
29.5” Legth
1-15” Twist
Manufacturer- Mossberg


The AR 50 barrel is a heavier profile. Approximately 1/4” thicker. The Serbu measured about 1” before the shoulder for the muzzle brake. The AR 50 measures 1 1/4” in the same spot. This overall thickness seems to follow the same trend through the rest of the barrel (AR being about 1/4” thicker)


• Scope Base


- AR 50-
Four Screws- Multiple recoil lugs (vertical and horizontal)
15 MOA Slope


- Serbu-
Four Bolts- No recoil lugs
30 MOA Slope- Extra $50 from factory
Basic rifle comes with 0 MOA base


The AR 50 has tighter tolerances due to its design. The Serbu has the ability to shift under recoil if not tightened down enough. AR 50 is unable to shift when tightened down due to the lugs. For peace of mind on heavy recoiling rifles I prefer the AR 50 design.


• Action/Bolt Head/Extractor:


-AR 50-
3 Lugs
Sako Extractor


-Serbu-
2 Lugs
Extractor built like a Savage Extractor. See pics below.


* Please see the video on my page regarding the bolt travel etc of both rifles. It is easier watched then understood in writing.


The two rifle actions were compared using a factory 750 Gr Hornady AMAX #8270. This was done in a outside environment and directly mimics the results I had using a snap cap in the video.


The AR 50 was easier to chamber the round. The round could be “thrown” in the chamber without much care and would align and chamber every time.


The Serbu will hang up when loaded the same way as the round contacts the back of the chamber where the bolt lugs contact (more so using a fmj round which was also tested) The tip of the round did need to be set into the chamber to reliably avoid this issue. You could get the round to chamber forcefully if it contacted the rear of the chamber but risk damage to the bullet in doing so.


• Safety Selector


- AR 50-
Switch located in rear of bolt. Works more like a firing pin stop then a Safety. The firing pin will still drop when the gun is fired on safety however the notch in the bolt will not allow it to contact the round. The firing pin travel is stopped severely short of making contact with the primer.


- Serbu-
The Serbu does utilize an AR 15/10 style lower on the rifle. This rifle features a simple safety switch as seen on any standard AR 15.


My preference between the two safeties goes to the Serbu. The safety is extremely easy to operate as is most AR 15 style throw levers. The AR 50 does take a bit of pressure to move from safe to fire.


The biggest difference is if you attempt to fire the Serbu on safe it will simply do nothing as expected. The AR 50 will more or less attempt to fire but be unable to as it stops the firing pin. This does however require you to re-cock the rifles bolt to reset the firing pin.


It should be noted that if you fire the AR 50 on safety, although the safety stops the firing pin, there is absolutely no way your able to flip the rifle to fire without resetting the bolt. In other words you can’t trip the trigger, throw the safety lever to fire and have the rifle go off. You will need to reset the bolt to move the safety lever.


• Buttstock


- AR 50-
- Fully Adjustable height for cheek comb and recoil pad
- Removable
- Cheek rest has a rubber texture added to it


- Serbu-
- Not adjustable


Hands down my preference goes to the AR 50. The Buttstock on the AR is comfortable. The Serbu is like resting your face on a piece of steel tubing. You could apply something I’m sure to the Serbu to improve it, but as is, AR 50 is much better.


• Fit/Finish
Both rifles come in the same Manganese Phosphate finish. So I expect to hold up to about the same abuse before showing wear. The AR 50 does have a few blemishes in the finish where the Serbu does seem to be for the most part flawless in the finish. I don’t buy guns to look at so I honestly could care less about the finish on one over the other. If you buy them to use both are excellent. If your hanging over a fireplace the Serbu would have the edge.


• Bipods


- AR 50-
- GGG Bipod
- Height adjustable
- Heavy Duty
- Con- No correction for canting (non-tilting)


- Serbu-
- Serbu Brand Bipod
- Does not adjust for height
- Cants (Tilts to correct for uneven ground)
- Heavy Duty
- Con- The canting feature on bipod has no way to lock. So the rifle freely tilts back and forth and must be held in place to fire. (Much like a Harris with the same features and no pod-lok or ability to add resistance.


The AR 50 comes with the GGG Bipod. The Serbu bipod is an add on at checkout. I prefer the GGG between the two


• Triggers


- AR 50-
- Shilen Trigger - Single stage
- Can be swapped with any Rem700 compatible trigger
- Advertised pull approximately 5 lbs


- Serbu-
- AR 15 Trigger with custom hammer/springs
- Advertised pull approximately 6 lbs
- Serbu will install a set trigger for an additional $200.
*This rifle features the standard trigger advertising 6 lbs pull


The following results were from 10 consecutive trigger pulls. 5 on each rifle. Taken round robin style without letting the trigger gauge turn off. This was taken with a digital Lyman gauge.


- AR 50 -
1) 5 lbs 8 oz
2) 5 lbs 8.5 oz
3) 5 lbs 11 oz
4) 5 lbs 8.5 oz
5) 5 lbs 6.5 oz


- Serbu -
1) 9 lbs 13 oz
2) 9 lbs 9.5 oz
3) 9 lbs 6 oz
4) 9 lbs 9 oz
5) 9 lbs 13 oz


The trigger on the AR 50 was “to me” a bit smoother/cleaner break.


• Overall


Without firing either rifle I would prefer the AR 50 over the Serbu if given the chance to own either and I was primarily bench/prone target shooting. If I was transporting the rifle for a decent distance then Serbu would be better as it’s shorter and lighter.


The overall quality on the rifles I feel the AR wins in this category. It has a way more solid feel to the rifle and isn’t nearly as “loose” sounding when handled.


The AR also has the better trigger and ability to adjust the Buttstock to the shooters preference.


• Price


- AR 50-
$3021 all taxes included out the door from J’s Sport Supply in Powers MI. (I highly recommend them)
- This Rifle includes GGG Bipod


- Serbu-
$2720 all taxes and shipping included from Serbu to FFL. With Bipod/30 MOA Scope Base


Thank you for taking the time to read my review. More to come when some rounds go down range!


Hafeman Precision