Opinions on "Ferret" 50 bmg rifles???

Captlevi

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Jan 8, 2008
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Hello all, this is my first post on this board but I have been a lurker for a good while and would like to ask a quick question....I have been shopping for a 50bmg for about a year but I can't make up my mind on what I want to get, I am very interested in the "Ferret" rifles as they seem to be a well made gun that fits my needs. i just want good accurate rifle for plinking at about 1200 meters and I just love the BOOM that a big 50 makes. I have some experience with a Barret but I would rather have a 36 inch match grade barrel like the "Ferret" has.


Any info would be great!!!


Capt Levi


PS, what kind of barrel life is expected out of such a gun??? I have heard all kinds of numbers but would like some real world ##s
 
I bought a Ferret 50 cal upper to go onto my AR15 lower. Unfortunately in Canada, being on anAR15 lower makes the rig a restricted rifle, so can only be used at approved ranges. I have built another lower that has solved this problem.
Back to the question, the recoil is very light, the accuracy is pretty good. At 1000 I can easily keep 3/4 moa groups, sometimes 1/2 moa.
For all out accuracy there are better options I believe, but as a fun gun, the Ferret is a great choice.
 
Thank you for the reply and info, what other options would you suggest?? I would like to stay under 5k on the price and I prefer a long barrel on my guns, single shot or repeater.

Thanks...
 
Thank you for the reply and info, what other options would you suggest?? I would like to stay under 5k on the price and I prefer a long barrel on my guns, single shot or repeater.

Thanks...

If you are in the U.S. your options are plenty. in Canada the options are very limited. Due to our government making certain makes and model prohibited, and then the U.S. government deciding that they will not allow the export of anything 50 to Canada, the number of options here are basically the Steyr HS50, which is a fair gun, PGW, if you have a 500 year life span you may get 1, a Gallin which are really nice, but costly. A Barnard which has yet to be proven, an RPA which is very spendy, or 1 of the small manufacturers custom built 50s like mine.
If in the U.S. it is quite possible to get into the 50 game for the money you speak of, here however 5K will not buy even the gun.
I have shot many of the makes. The McMillan is decent and accurate, State Arms builds a really decent rifle for well under the $$ you have to spend and Larry Lyle the owner is a great guy to deal with, and there are plenty more I am sure that would fit your bill, assuming you live in the U.S.
I gave up paying alot of attention to what is currently available in the U.S. shortly after Mr. Bush closed access to us here, mostly for the "fat ,broke kid in a candy shop" syndrome.
 
Dave, the owner of Spider Arms, is one hell of a man and avid supporter of shooting sports and firearms rights. His rifles are top notch and do very well in FCSA 1000yd matches.

I'd highly recommend becoming a member of the Fifty Caliber Shooters Association (Dave is actually on the board of directors) to get access to the members forum if nothing else. It's the best $40 related to 50 shooting I ever spent.

FCSA - Dedicated to Sporting Uses of the .50 BMG - Fifty Caliber Shooters Association

Have you called them yet? Dave is a no BS kind of guy and will give you a honest advice on what will best fit your wants and needs.

Good luck.
 
Thanks for the info, does anyone know the approx barrel life on one if it is cleaned properly and I don't get it to hot??
 
Anybody have a link to either one of these rifle makers web sites?
I have always wanted a 50 but their price is a bit to high , its hard to justify dropping a few thousand dollars all at once
 
I have been kicking the 50 idea around for a while myself.

I have seen them in Shotgun news for a while. What about the Safety Harbor upper that fit your AR lower. It seems hard to beat with a price-$1850.00 for a mag fed bolt action 50BMG????????

I like the big boom too!gun)
 
I have been kicking the 50 idea around for a while myself.

I have seen them in Shotgun news for a while. What about the Safety Harbor upper that fit your AR lower. It seems hard to beat with a price-$1850.00 for a mag fed bolt action 50BMG????????

I like the big boom too!gun)


Yep, I was thinking about a 416 but it does not boom like the big 50!!!lol
 
I have had several over the years. The first 50 BMG rifle I purchased was an LAR Grizzly bullpup rifle. It was a great rifle to learn on. I ordered it with the match chamber so some surplus ammo would not chamber in it but that was of little concern to me as I only shot my own handloads using inspected pulled ball projectiles or the A-Max. With good loads, the rifle easily would hold moa at 1000 yards with my best three shot group measuring 5.566" ctc at 1K. That was with the 750 gr A-Max loaded to around 2630 fps.

The rifle was accurate, reliable and had a good trigger although not adjustable. Price wise, its hard to beat as they are right around $2000, one of the lower priced complete rifles but still very accurate. It is also very compact with its full 36" length barrel, its still MUCH shorter them most conventionally designed 30" barreled rifles.

The down side of this rifle is its slow to get into action for follow up shots if that is a concern because the bolt is integral with the recoil pad. Also, its not the most comfortable 50 BMG rifle to shoot. Currently they list the rifle at $2350 for the blued rifle. Here is a link to LAR.

largrizzly.com - Grizzly Big Boar

The second rifle I owned was a Barrett 82A1

As far as shear firepower, this is probably the most awsome rifle on the planet from a shear firepower and portability stand point. If you want to be able to hit a truck size target at 1000 yards, the Barrett 82 will certainly offer all the accuracy you want, If you want to shoot sub moa groups at 1000 yards, you will be challanged dramatically. Its design also limits what bullets can be used in the semi-auto mode, generally only ball or similiar shaped projectiles.

This is probably one of the funnest rifles I have ever shot but it was not as accurate as I wanted. It was very easy and comfortable to shoot as well. Bad thing is that your looking at $8000 for the currect retail price. They can be had for less then that but they are spendy, no way around that and for pure precision shooting, they will not satisfy you in the end that way, this is why that rifle is no longer with me. here is a link to Barrett, they also have a couple bolt action models as well which are more consistant on average and less expensive although they do not have the best triggers out there.

Barrett Rifles

My current 50 cal rifle is the Armalite AR-50. This is the biggest of the three 50 cal rifles I have owned and its also the most comfortable to shoot with any load compared to the Barrett or LAR. It is also the loudest 50 BMG I have ever shot but thats because the brake is so efficent.

Cost wise, your looking at around $2600-$2700 depending on where you buy them. You can get aftermarket Rem 700 triggers that work great for precision trigger pulls and while the stocks are not all that pretty, they are set up well for rock solid shooting and are actually very comfortable with adjustable CP and butt plate.

I would call this rifle an upper end working rifle in fit and finish but it is what it is, a heavy single shot bolt rifle. They generally will easily hold moa out to 1000 yards and with preferred taylored loads they can be extremely accurate playing with the 1/2 moa range with some consistancy. My personal best three shot group at 1000 yards came with this rifle but after I fitted a new Lilja barrel to it chambered in my 510 Allen Magnum (50BMG Improved) which was a 3.987" ctc three shot group. That is by far my best group and that is not the norm but the rifle has that potential, I do not all the time.

AR-50 .50 BMG RIFLE

For the money, if you want a convetionally designed bolt action, the AR-50 is probably one of the best choices out there and for the money, they are hard to beat and extremely comfortable to shoot. My wife shoots my 510 AM with no problem at all.

Hope this helps some.

Kirby Allen(50)
 
The company is having trouble betting barrels according to Dave, the owner. I have been waiting over 2 and a half years for a Ferret Supercomp and have yet to receive it. I would suggest one look elsewhere.
 
I have been kicking the 50 idea around for a while myself.

I have seen them in Shotgun news for a while. What about the Safety Harbor upper that fit your AR lower. It seems hard to beat with a price-$1850.00 for a mag fed bolt action 50BMG????????

I like the big boom too!gun)
On 3/29/2016 paid $1500. down to have a Ferret50 built by this company. Delivery date was supposed to be July/August 2016. No gun. Four more date given as delivery dates, still no gun. Drove to FL from WV in November 2016, visited gun shop and was told I would have my gun before Christmas. In Feb. 2017, company admitted they has no barrels to build guns with. We have requested a full refund three times. Now our phone calls are ignored. If you take money for something and never deliver, customer should be refunded, this is fraudulent activity.
 
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