From: dmunroe@hpvclmun.vcd.hp.com (Dave Munroe)
Newsgroups: rec.guns
Subject: *** .50 BMG info ***
Date: 18 Dec 92 01:56:25 GMT


Keywords: .50 BMG, Sugg-50, Barrett, FCSA

I've received many requests over the last few days regarding the Sugg-50,
the Barrett 82A1, and the FCSA.  The info I have on the Sugg-50 comes from
an article in Very High Power, the FCSA publication; the info I have on the
Barrett 82A1 comes from my experience shooting it in FCSA matches since 1990.


				* * *

First, here is some info on the FCSA:

  Very High Power is a quarterly newsletter published by the FCSA for its
  members.  Membership in the FCSA is open to anyone interested in the .50
  BMG cartridge; you need not own a .50 BMG rifle to join.

  Membership is $20/year; $35/2 years; $90/5 years.

  Membership and Editorial office:

	Fifty Caliber Shooters Association
	11469 Olive St. Rd., Suite 50
	St. Louis, MO.  63141

				* * *

Eric Williams of the FCSA wrote an article about the Sugg-50, which I para-
phrase below.

The Sugg-50 was invented and is being built by Ron Sugg.  To me, the rifle
suggests the appearance of a bazooka with a large harpoon coming out the front.
The receiver is a titanium tube with a titanium and steel breech at the rear.
The barrel recoils inside the main tube and its muzzle brake is what suggests
the harpoon like appearance to me.

The breech is a horizontally sliding block action and is very strong.  The
rifle is said to have very low recoil, "even those afraid to shoot anything
that kicks more than a .243 Win. will like it".  The article says that Ron's
12-year old son is quite fond of firing the gun.  The low recoil is attributed
to both the muzzle brake and barreled action that recoils within the main
tube assembly.  The action returns to battery by a pneumatic buffering system
"similar to the buffering system of a real cannon".  The recoil is spread out
over a quarter of a second, rather than just a few milliseconds.

The main tube rests on your shoulder; there is a fairly large trapezoidal
frame beneath the tube which you can hold on to.  A built-in bipod can be
extended from the frame.  No accuracy testing was done for the article, but
Eric mentioned that the high center of gravity of the rifle might not make
it suitable to benchrest shooting.

The quality of the rifle and workmanship is very high.  At $3750, it is the
most expensive of the bullpups.  Eric says that the Sugg-50 easily wins in the
quality of workmanship department.


				* * *


The following is based on my 3-years experience with a Barrett 82A1.

The Barrett 82A1 is a .50 BMG semiauto intended as a military weapon more
than a super-accurate benchrest rifle.  Still, the 82A1 can deliver 2 MOA
or better performance.  Based upon what I've seen in 1000-yard FCSA matches,
the most critical factor is being able to read the wind properly.

I should mention here that FCSA matches have evolved into two classifications:
an "open" class, similar to "unlimited" in Silhouette, and a "production"
class.  The production class weapons are "off-the-shelf" rifles bought from
a manufacturer like Barrett or McMillan and are used with little or no
modification.  Unlimited weapons are usually built on a McMillan action and
are essentially custom rifles.

In these matches, the unlimited and McMillan type rifles are usually fired
from a bench with the front and rear of the rifle supported by elaborate
rests and sandbags.  Although they're not quite "rail guns", they are so
well anchored that the wind and the accuracy of the weapon are the only
factors in their match results.  The Barrett 82A1's, with the exception of
one that I'll mention later, are at a disadvantage for several reasons.  One,
being that it is intended as a military weapon to handle ammo from a variety
of sources, the tolerances are not as tight as on the custom rifles.  Two,
the bipod places the front end of the rifle too high for a seating position
or for supporting the back end of the rifle.  Three, the magazine holds 11
rounds and therefore extends below the rifle quite a ways.  These factors
make true "bench rest" shooting from an 82A1 a challenge when compared to
the other rifles.

This does not mean you can't do well with it.  Two years ago I was having
trouble staying on the 60" target at 1000 yards because of the wind (15 mph).
During the sighting period, then-FCSA-president Lynn McMurdo, spotted for
me by watching the wind flags and telling me how to adjust my aim.  With his
help in reading the wind, he walked my shots into the 12" black center of the
target and kept me there.  On another occasion both I and two Navy Seals were
shooting our Barretts at the 1-mile barrel (a 55-gallon drum on the hillside
at the Reno match) and both of us were able to walk our shots onto the barrel
and hit it consistently.  So, the Barrett is accurate - it's just a question
of degree.  The custom rifles are shooting groups of less than 1 MOA at 1000
yards; the record (using .50 BMG) is currently held by Phil Keller: 5.25" for
five shots.

The one Barrett 82A1 that is an exception was modified by Neal St. Sauver, a
talented and amazing man who, unfortunately, is no longer with us.  Some of
his modifications involved replacing the stock bipod with a shorter adjustable
one of his own design, cutting down the magazine to hold just five rounds (thus
allowing the rifle to be used in a seating position), and making an adjustable
rear stand to support the rifle.  With these modifications, his Barrett was
rock-solid on the bench and could be adjusted easily.  It was truly competitive
and he did win matches with it.  I was in the pits running his target a few
years ago when he put four shots into about five inches in the black.   Alas,
the fifth was a flyer outside the black, otherwise he might still hold the
record today.

-Dave