Thursday, August 23, 2007

War Really Is Hell Today

 Ronnie Barrett, call your office

Here's a condensed look at last night's Future Weapons test of the AS50, a .50 Cal semi-auto sniper rifle. Host Richard "Mack" Machowicz was himself a Navy Seal, which may be what allowed him entrée' into this field test.

“Looks like the U.S. Navy SEALs just got a brand new tool for the War on Terror. The boys at NSWC Crane (Crane Division, Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane, Indiana) have apparently been busy little beavers over there. One of the projects they've been working on is this little .50 BMG badboy. It's called the AS50 Semi-Automatic Rifle, and it's the result of NSWC Crane's teaming with Accuracy International (AI).

At approx. 27 pounds empty/dry weight (according to the AI representative at their booth), the AI AS50 is relatively lightweight. DefenseReview got a chance to handle it (and lift it) at its SHOT Show 2005 debut, and was surprised at how light it felt, for a semi-auto .50 caliber rifle. One of the pictures DefRev shot at SHOT (which we will be releasing soon) shows...  [more]
”

Go here to find out how to buy one for your next turkey shoot.
8/23/2007 12:38:00 PM 9 Comments

"If the number of Islamic terror attacks continues at the current rate, candlelight vigils will soon be the number-one cause of global warming. "
Argus Hamilton


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9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Semi auto? I see him working a bolt in the video

8/23/07, 1:46 PM
Rodger the Real King of France said...

Then you didn't watch the video, did you?

8/23/07, 1:53 PM
Anonymous said...

I don't understand something. Is a bolt action rifle more accurate than a semi-auto fired in single shot mode?

Had a laugh that the target range was on Solsbury Plain and thinking about Peter Gabriel "climbing up on Solsbury Hill" hopefully in the serpentine mode.

8/23/07, 2:35 PM
Anonymous said...

Other than weighing a couple of pounds less, is it really any different than the Barrett M82?

And, yes, a bolt action is generally more accurate than a semi-auto, in part, because it has fewer moving parts. The semi auto uses part of the gases generated in firing the weapon to push back the bolt, eject the spent cartridge, and reload the weapon. This adds another component into the mix because the amount of gases pushing the bullet down the barrel are not necessarily as consistent from shot to shot as they would be in a bolt-action. That means the weapon is not as consistent shot to shot and, therefore, not as accurate.

You asked.

8/23/07, 2:45 PM
Anonymous said...

AI's bolt action .50 is $13,000, and their US distributor doesn't list the semi-auto .50. I guess if you gotta ask, then you can't have or afford one.
That's an impressive recoil absorber, a huge recoil difference from the .50 boltie he fired in the tunnel.
Wonder when somebody will come out with a 20mm sniper rifle for those 3 mile shots?
Lt. Col. Gen. Tailgunner dick

8/23/07, 4:11 PM
Anonymous said...

So much drama! Dramatic when he takes off his glasses; the whole dialog. Intresting weapon none the less. Not sure that it worth the 13K price tag though.

8/23/07, 5:00 PM
Anonymous said...

Barrett already sells the M107 Long Range Sniper Rifle (semi-auto) to the US Army with a typical accuracy of 1 minute of angle. Claimed accuracy of the AS50 semi is 1 and 1/2 minutes of angle (equivalent to about 1 and 1/2 inches at 100 yards). The Barrett M107 was voted one of 2005's Top 10 Military Inventions by the U.S. Army. It appears that the AS50 is lighter than the M107, which has an unloaded weight of 29 pounds, by several pounds. That appears to be its only advantage. Use of titanium parts to affect weight reduction will certainly drive up the cost. I wonder if Accuracy International is using this as a marketing opportunity to try to get some of Barrett's business. BTW properly designed 50 caliber rifles don't have unmanageable recoil - my personal experience proves that.

RKV

8/23/07, 7:17 PM
Anonymous said...

It's actually the tolerances of the head spacing, tighter on the bolt action.
Just thought I'd clear that up.
Oh and if you watch closely the rail on the thing creates a wave effect on the scope, I'm thinking the vote is still out on it's consistency in accuracy round after round.
I'm an old jarhead, what can I say?

Did it really say "get yours at walmart"?

8/23/07, 9:08 PM
Anonymous said...

Not necessarily a tighter headspace (distance between breech block and shell rear face) but a more *consistent* headspace, shot-to-shot.

(I agree, that poor scope was taking a beating. The deflection was incredible!)

Still an impressive rifle.

8/23/07, 9:54 PM

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