“When Size Matters . . . MG Arms takes the .50 BMG to a whole new level with the introduction of the “Behemoth.” Oh great. Let’s play to the antis’ ad hominem attack on gun owner’s phallic endowment. If that bit of MG Arms‘ presser [full text after the jump] isn’t enough to tweak the doyennes of civilian disarmament, how about this? “This .50 caliber brute includes a Super Eliminator muzzle brake, stainless steel Match Grade barrel with skip line fluting, Picatinney style handrail with KeyMods, five shot detachable magazine, and fully machined 17-4 stainless steel lower receiver.” Super Eliminator? I just met her! Well I will when I visit the Houston-based gunmaker to ascertain the gun’s price and invite MG Arms to the Texas Firearms Festival. Here’s hoping they didn’t read this post . . .
USA – -(Ammoland.com)- MG Arms to introduce their new .50 Caliber semi-automatic “Behemoth” rifle at the 2015 NRA convention in Nashville, TN, April 10th, 2015.
After years of R&D, MG Arms leaps into the long-range tactical market. This .50 caliber brute includes a Super Eliminator muzzle brake, stainless steel Match Grade barrel with skip line fluting, Picatinney style handrail with KeyMods, five shot detachable magazine, and fully machined 17-4 stainless steel lower receiver.
MGA then adds their distinctive touches with a custom long-range trigger, choice of fully adjustable or custom skeletonized butt stock, and customer’s choice of PTFE or Ceramic metal finish. As always, the MGA Infinity Guarantee backs the Behemoth – 100% satisfaction and complete assurance of quality and reliability.
Military goes custom with MG Arms; well known for high-quality customized precision rifles, MG Arms will display the Behemoth on a decked out Kawasaki KLR650 Dual-Sport Motorcycle. The Firepower Beast has a full mount turret to zero-in on targets, AR-15 saddlebag sidekicks, and special military theme finish.
MG Arms of Houston, Texas, with roots as a custom firearm & ammunition manufacturer, has built a solid reputation based on integrity with a passion for producing only the finest custom firearms for over 35 years. MGA’s dedication to precision engineering backed by their Infinity Guarantee issued on all their firearms has earned them the trust and endorsements of many seasoned shooting and hunting experts.
MG Arms commitment to quality is uncompromising and the Behemoth follows in this rich tradition of “simply the best” from a 100% Made in the USA custom gun builder.
I guess this is as good a place as any to ask the obvious question of what do you do with a .50 BMG rifle? Are there competition classes for this, is there anything you can legally or practically hunt, or are they just range toys for making noise and destroying things? While I think making noise and destroying stuff is fun, it seems like a lot of money for a big muzzle blast and some vicious recoil.
A Volquartsen seems to be a lot of money for almost no muzzle blast or recoil, so whats your point?
The point is that you can fire that Volquartsen at any local range. Here in MD, there’d be no place to shoot a .50.
So therefore everybody else should not be able to buy it because Marylanders can’t easily utilize it? Huh?
Instead of busting this guys’ balls, how about you reread his original post. He’s simply asking the question of does this thing fulfill any real purpose in a collection, or is it just an expensive novelty and/or conversation starter?
1000 yard matches mostly. Or 1000 yard elephant hunting I guess.
I mean they’re cool but not for me personally. Closest range I could shoot it at is in a different state.
While I think making noise and destroying stuff is fun…
You could have stopped right there. If the only thing that was allowed to be sold in this country had to meet a “basic life necessity” requirement then I’d venture that 80% of the economy would vanish.
Be careful, pointing that out could get you accused of hating the second ammendment or being Obama’s butler or something. First rule of TTAG, never accuse anything gun related of being gratuitous, impractical, or un-needed. The moment you do that, you’re automatically a red-coat, commie, progressive, vegan nazi.
Yes you are.
Rightfully so!
I agree! Don’t be a commie.
You don’t imply to other people that “they don’t need it” – especially when that topic is guns!
Just to clear up any misconceptions, fun and noise is a thoroughly good reason to buy a gun. I just wondered what else you could do.
Chris Kyle actually hated 50 bmg for sniping. Here’s his quote:
“The fifty is huge, extremely heavy, and I just don’t like it. I never used one in Iraq. There’s a certain amount of hype and even romance for these weapons, which shoot a 12.7x99mm round. There are a few different specific rifles and variations in service with the US military and other armies around the world. You’ve probably heard of the Barrett M-82 or the M-107, developed by Barrett Firearms Manufacturing. They have enormous ranges and in the right application are certainly good weapons. I just didn’t like them all that much. Everyone says that the .50 is a perfect anti-vehicle gun. But the truth is that if you shoot the .50 through a vehicle’s engine block, you’re not actually going to stop the vehicle. Not right away. The fluids will leak out and eventually it will stop moving. But it’s not instant by any means. A .338 or even a .300 will do the same thing. No, the best way to stop a vehicle is to shoot the driver. And that you can do with a number of weapons.”
I tend to trust his opinion on such things.
http://precisionrifleblog.com/2015/01/17/american-sniper-chris-kyle-rifles/
What does stopping a vehicle or killing its driver have anything to do with achieving the satisfaction of controlling and mastering a powerful piece of machinery?
Some folks, like me, might get their kicks by controlling powerful inanimate machines while other azzhats like to control people.
Now really, who is more dangerous?
Assuming you’re not trolling, the point is you can do everything with 338 that you can with a 50 but lighter and cheaper. If you want big boom, go with 338.
Well I guess anybody making 50BMG stuff should just close up shop….Vhyrus has spoken.
If you want a bigger boom go with the 50. Also, 338 is not cheaper. They are about the same price with 50 bmg which can be acquired for $2.25/rd. If you fire a lot of it, and really want to make it cheap, there is a great deal of very plentiful once fired 50bmg fired at military installations. This is guaranteed once fired and typically good quality stuff. Roll your own for maximum savings.
I’m going to throw the BS flag on his claim that you can only stop a vehicle by shooting the driver.
If you smash one of the cylinders, that car will stop. Every time, or it won’t be able to accelerate, and it might cause catastrophic engine braking.
A 5.56mm can stop a car that way, but a .50BMG is more likely to. Just like with shooting the driver. It’s all about shot placement. If you shoot the driver in the arm, he might be very capable of maintaining control of the vehicle. If the vehicle’s engine is hit in the right spot, the engine could seize, which would stop the vehicle, even if it were remotely controlled.
It’s true that if you hit the engine in a non-critical location then it could be that the vehicle will only stop after fluids leak out, but the same is true if you hit a person in a non-critical spot.
Chris Kyle may have been a good shot, but engines are definitely not his specialty. Shot placement is critical. If you miss the engine the vehicle is going to keep going. If you hit the block in the right spot the engine would seize. If you hit the driver you would stop the vehicle also. However, if one’s goal was to disable a vehicle shooting the driver wouldn’t accomplish such.
Reasons why I need this gun
1. Cuz it’s awsome
2. Hunting. Grizzly, polar bear, rhino or elephants at distance.
3 hunting whales?
4 self defense
5 practical defense of large ranch or other area where vehicle attacks are possible.
6 should we ever need to over through the governemnt.
7. The government is a lot less likely to do evil shit knowing we have these
8 cuz it’s soooo awsome
9 pisses off liberals
I would love to have one of these. But I have friends with 1000+ acre ranches where you can easily set up impromptu 1200 yard shooting ranges. If I didn’t have access to long range shooting areas, I don’t think I’d have any interest in this gun.
As it is, living in CA nixes my chances of ever getting my hands on one anyways.
I see quite a few 50’s at the range I go to every weekend. Its the only 1000 yard range in the south east that I know of. Guys mostly practice on the 600 yard range and move over to 1000 when they feel up to it. While I personally wouldn’t own one its fun to watch from a distance. Close up and the blast is just unbearable for me unless I’m right behind the shooter.
Sure there are a few other guns with 1000 yard capabilities but the 50 is like owning an exotic car. Nobody really needs one but need has no business in a free society.
Slow,
You can use it for whatever you want to use it for. Same with any other gun. The 50 bmg is hard hitting, shoots flat, and works great for long range targets (like over a mile). A better question is not what can you do with it – but what can you not do with it!
This would make a great deer gun for me. I’m just imagining all the headshots and deer heads literally exploding. Soft, tender, adrenaline free meat, with no wound channels to cut out. Just make sure there is a solid backstop and good to go. Also I wouldn’t need to lug it around, I can just mount it on the roof and shoot it out into the field. Headshots right from my home! Super.
This is what I would do with it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgxmFvRvEL0
I could never afford to feed it
I’m not sure how “behemoth” is a phallic term.
Duh!
Be
He (masculine)
Mothra (huge monster)
Couldn’t be much plainer than that.
Some people can’t keep their head outta the gutter I imagine. I always thought behemoth was a biblical monster.
The “phallic” part of the press release was this, I guess: “When Size Matters . . . MG Arms takes the .50 BMG to a whole new level with the introduction of the “Behemoth.”
I’m glad that the lower receiver is “fully machined” – I guess the rifle wouldn’t work very well if it was only partially machined, though.
To the question of why own a .50 – I bought a really nice one, a Bluegrass Armory Viper 50XL, back when Congress was thinking of banning them. (Always a good market incentive!). It was a great rifle, extremely accurate, and very well built. It was not, however, much fun to shoot. Even with double hearing protection, after about five rounds the concussion would get your nose running and head pounding. You can protect your hearing with external plugs and muffs, but a .50 transfers quite a commotion directly into your head from bone contact with the stock.
I ended up selling mine after a year or so to finance another project. My buddy, who bought his at the same time that I got mine (several years ago) still has his, but never shoots it. The biggest problem we had here in Western Washington is the lack of suitable ranges. Shooting a .50 at a 200 yard range is just silly, and the nearest 600 yard + range is a couple hours away. Most ranges don’t even allow the use of .50s, because of potential berm damage.
If I lived out in the desert with long sight lines and the ability to practice shooting across a canyon, I’d still have mine – pulverizing rocks at 1200 yards or more is a hoot; for the first 10 shots or so.
Best fun I had at a range was 50 cal black powder.
I think they are speaking towards, “We 100% machine the lower, rather than using a casting or forging.”
That may have benefits, that might not. Forgings are stronger than a billet machined piece. 17-4 Stainless is an excellent forging medium.
Castings usually are meh.
They probably do such a low number of these that paying for forging tooling is just not worth it. If that is the case, their statement is just smoke out the rear.
Ruger’s products are mostly investment cast. And they certainly don’t have a habit of failure.
The Ruger heavy revolvers are more stout than most other handguns in the market, modulo the speciality pieces like the Freedom Arms revolvers.
Firearms made from machined bar stock can be significantly weaker than from castings. All you need is to make sharp inside corners and you get stress risers in the piece and you’ll see problems eventually, usually cracking.
Just to let everyone know, High Caliber Training Center north of Urbana Illinois off US Highway 45/ Cunningham Ave has a fantastic indoor range that will handle. 50 BMG round. I’m not an employee but live nearby and shoot there occasionally. Very nice staff.
“50 BMG” and “indoor range”. Yeesh. The thought makes me cringe.
Behemoth is a very large mythological beast. If the anti’s have a fixation on “phallic endowment” that’s their problem. Or yours?
Read the first three words of the post again.
Ad campaign courtesy of God (Though His “behemoth” probably didn’t eat brass and spit lead)
15 “Look now at the Behemoth, which I made along with you;
He eats grass like an ox.
16 See now, his strength is in his hips,
And his power is in his stomach muscles.
17 He moves his tail like a cedar;
The sinews of his thighs are tightly knit.
18 His bones are like beams of bronze,
His ribs like bars of iron.
19 He is the first of the ways of God;
Only He who made him can bring near His sword.
20 Surely the mountains yield food for him,
And all the beasts of the field play there.
21 He lies under the lotus trees,
In a covert of reeds and marsh.
22 The lotus trees cover him with their shade;
The willows by the brook surround him.
23 Indeed the river may rage,
Yet he is not disturbed;
He is confident, though the Jordan gushes into his mouth,
24 Though he takes it in his eyes,
Or one pierces his nose with a snare.
(Job 40:15-24)
I can’t help but wonder what a “long range trigger” is? I have an idea what a target trigger is, and what a single stage and two stage trigger is, but I have never heard of a “long range trigger” until today. Does it mean I can fire the rifle while 200 yards away? Does it mean the trigger won’t work unless the target is at least 500 yards away?
For a better phallic name, try Leviathan.
If I had a 50 and some day I will I will run with a aupressor. Also I will buy a 418 cheytac 1st.
This rifle is gratuitous FUN. That’s all the justification it needs.
I wish I had enough dough to get one!
Meh, five round mag. Can I get it belt – fed?
While I have no actual need for this by any means, and I can guarantee I can’t afford it. I have this wonderful imagery of sitting in a 100 ft tall tower stand knocking off deer and pigs at +1000 yrds. Ahh to dream to dream…
Quite frankly, I don’t understand the attraction of 17-4 PH stainless. It is more corrosion resistant than 416, the most common stainless used in guns, and stronger, but it is less easily machined. 416 easily meets all requirements for strength in firearms applications. It’s used for barrels and receivers. A .50 doesn’t have some absurd MAP – it’s on par with a .30-06 for pressure. It doesn’t need some new un-obtainum material to manage the pressures any more than a .30-06 does.
I don’t ever see myself building up a .50 BMG, and the reason is that I’ve been on a firing line with .50’s. They’re obnoxious. I think a .338 LM or .408 CT is a better long-range rifle with a better bang:buck ratio, pardon the pun.
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