Dennis G
07-11-2003, 04:10 PM
Anyone here uses a .50 cal for sport. Anyone belong to the FCSA.
I have been looking around for some time now for a Mauser Model 1918 for under $18,000 if anyone has and information on one pls. post.
But if anyone shoots a .50 BMG sare some storys or something. Tell what kind of rlfe you shoot, Ammo you use, Clubs your in, your MOA, What are the Scopes you use on it.
I have used a L.A.R Grizzly(same as Kirby Allen) and with good optics I found that I like this rilfe alot. Reade Range Whippers Road,
Near Allemans, PA very good place to Shoot a .50
L.A.R. Grizzly .50 BMG $3,500.00
Barret Light .50s starting at $5,500.00
http://www.midwestordnance.com/lar50bmg.jpg
What i was saying about the Mauser i found one for 15,000 but I am not going to by it form mid west ordnance that would be a cold day in hell. If anyone ever bought a gun from them you know what I Mean.
http://www.midwestordnance.com/mauser1918.jpg
I have a good story by Kirby Allen on optics
A group of shooters huddled at the range like a football team around their coach. The focus of their attention was a young man with a strange looking rifle and a box of cartridges that looked more like cigars then rifle ammunition. Being a .50 driver myself there was no mystery as to what the rifle was, but I was a bit concerned with one aspect of his set up. He had indeed purchased a fine rifle, and had match grade ammo on the bench, but it seemed there was not a lot of thought put into what was on top of the rifle.
I respectfully inquired about the optics riding on the receiver, and if it would handle the strain of the big gun’s recoil? The shooter quickly stated, “I’ve used these scopes all my life, and they never let me down!”
I will not state the manufacturer of the scope, or rings but I will say that his total investment would not cover the price of 200 Hornady A-Max bullets. I had heard horror stories of shooters using low priced optics on .50 BMG rifles with little success so I made no value judg-ments, and simply waited to be educated, I did not know if he or I would be the one doing the learning.
To complicate matters, this was the inaugural outing for the novice .50 shooter, and he was noticeably nervous. This, I am sure, was due to the combination of the large crowd, and the anticipation of sending 13,000 foot pounds of energy down range for the first time.
As the shooter snuggled up to the rifle I noticed his eye was dangerously close to the eyepiece staring back at him. Discretely, I leaned over and whispered he may want to pull his eye back on the first shot so he could see just enough to make a shot. He looked up at me curiously, and I responded, “Trust me.” I could not tell if he did, or if he was just scared to death, but he gave the scope another couple inches of space, and touched off his first .50 BMG round through his new rifle. He came off the rifle with a huge smile, a common response from shooting a .50 BMG. He really did not care about where his round hit the target only that he had survived, and had not made a fool of himself in the process.
After the first ten rounds or so the crowd began to thin leaving only a few bystanders, and the shooter, who was by now becoming comfort-able with shooting the big gun. He walked the scope onto target with a few adjustments, and now wanted to see what he could do at 300 yards.
Three A-Max bullets were launched down range, and landed in a group about six inches wide. The owner was satisfied with his first 300 yard group, but obviously wanted better consistency with the next group. Again three shots were sent away, but this time the group had grown to just shy of 10 inches. The red face of the shooter was a sure sign he was not impressed.
The low cost scope and rings took the pounding better then I had expected, at least externally. Inter-nally, it appeared that things were starting to go bad. The owner asked if I would care to shoot a couple rounds just to see what would happen. I carefully fired two rounds at the 300 yard target and received a report of a seven inch spread for those two.
I inquired if the clarity of the scope had always been a little blurry around the edges? He replied, “No,” as he looked through his scope again. Knowing that the fellow was now leaving the state of frustration, and moving into the very angry region I offered to unpack my L.A.R. Grizzly, and let him give it a try. This rifle has proven that it is capable of ½ minute of angle accuracy and better, depending on how well I am shoot-ing. If the groups are larger then they should be, I know it’s pilot error, and not the rifle.
My new friend lined my rifle up on target and sent two rounds on their way. This time the news was better, 2.5 inches. He fired another two and scored an honest sub 2 inch group. The problem was beginning to show itself to us.
The rifle he purchased was a high quality rifle so I offered to mount my scope on his rifle to see if his optics were the culprit. In a few minutes we had his rifle bore sighted, and pointed at the 100 yard target. The first three rounds produced a 1 inch clover leaf.
He was so happy he almost hugged me. I let him use my scope to finish up his remaining ammo. He thanked me, and said his next project was to save up for a quality scope for his new favorite rifle.
Use What the Experts Use
This novice .50 BMG shooter made the same mistake many in the shooting world do — trying to get away with low quality optics on rifles that produce substantial recoil. When I began looking for a scope for my .50 BMG rifle I was fortunate in that I had plenty of experience scoping heavy recoiling firearms, and knew of many sources of information on the topic. One only has to flip through the pages of Very High Power to see what scopes are preferred. The two top scopes are the Leupold Mark 4’s and Night Force NXS scopes.
These optical instruments are as good as they get for long range shooting, and leave little to complain about unless you do not have the $1000 to $1500 to invest. Before I go any further, let me say that if you CAN afford them, or are willing to save your pennies until you can, these scopes are the best way to go. The quality and features found on these scopes are well worth the price tag, and once you shoot one, you would probably be willing to pay that much again just to keep it.
The Leupold Mark 4 has a 40 mm objective lens, 30 mm main tube, target style turrets, and a side focus parallax adjustment. They can be purchased with a variety of reticle options including fine cross hair, ¼ minute target dot and ¾ mil-dot, with the mil-dot being the most useful for long range shooting. These are fixed power scopes that come in 10 and 16 power which is adequate for 1000 yard shooting.
Many shooters have their scope power boosted by one of the custom shops like Premier Reticle often doubling the power of magnification. The vertical adjustment of the Mark 4 is well over 100 minutes, enough to stretch the trajectory of the .50 BMG out to 1000 yards, and more without the use of special mounting systems. Price of the Mark 4 will vary from $1000 to $1200 depending on the model and distributor.
The Nightforce NXS line of scopes, produced by Lightforce USA, Inc., may be the most versatile scope for the .50 BMG shooter. These also have a 30 mm main body tube, side focus parallax adjustment, and target turrets like the Mark 4’s, but differ in that they have either 50 mm or 56 mm objective lenses, and are all variable power ranging from a 3.5-15 x 50mm up to the powerful 12-42 x 56mm with three more models in between.
Other features include illumin-ated reticle, which is shooter controlled for different light conditions, 95 minutes of elevation adjustment, and recoil and impact tested to 1200 G’s. The Nightforce NXS scopes are well suited for work up close as well as far away. For those using the .50 BMG as a hunting round these could be the very finest option as they permit low power for close range (500 yards and less) shooting, and also plenty of top end power for long range shooting at small targets or competition. These scopes will run in the $1200 to $1500 price range, again depend-ing on model and distributor.
Now that we know a little more about what most experienced .50 BMG shooters use for optics, what does that do for those of us just starting out, and simply cannot invest that much in a scope. All is not lost, but we do need to know what we are looking for in a more affordable, quality scope that will handle the strains and special requirements of a .50 BMG rifle. So what are the specifications we absolutely need? There are four:
1. It must be able to handle the recoil of the .50 BMG. A pretty simple and straight forward require-ment, because if it mechanically will not stand up to the repeated pounding, then what use is it?
2. It must have adequate elevation adjustment for zeroing the rifle at extended distances i.e. in excess of 400 yards. The .50 BMG does not have a laser flat trajectory; so we need to have plenty of ele-vation. A typical hunting scope does not have enough elevation.
3. It must have appropriate magnification. We have to be able to clearly see and aim at targets at whatever range we decide to shoot at. For shooting out to 1000 yards fixed power scopes should be a minimum of 10 power with 16 power even better. Ranges beyond this may require more magnification depending on the target size. Choosing between a fixed or variable power scopes is strictly a personal preference decision.
4. It must have appropriate eye relief. Rifles chambered in the .50 BMG do not all weigh the same. A 20 to 30 pound rifle has plenty of recoil and a lot of momentum which if stopped by your eye brow will not be quickly forgotten. Three and a half inches should be considered minimum and four inches is pre-ferred.
It is a simple matter to find a scope with some of these features, but to get one that will satisfy them all reasonably well becomes difficult without the $1000+ price tag. In researching different brands of optics I found many scopes that would meet three out of the four criteria, but only a select few that had enough elevation to reach out to 1000 yards. The only optic manufacturer that looked attractive for my needs was Burris.
Introducing the
Black Diamond
About the same time I was scope shopping, Burris came out with the Black Diamond line of rifle optics which had several features not employed in earlier Signature and Fullfield models. I have mounted Burris scopes on over three dozen rifles and handguns, many of which produce substantial recoil energy. The fixed and variable power Burris handgun scopes on my big bore hand cannons, including .50 caliber rounds (not the .50 BMG); have taken every punishing round in stride, and come back looking for more. Burris scopes on rifles chambered in .375 Rem. Ultra Mag., .416 Rigby and .458 Winchester Mag. have done the same.
Recoil has never been a concern of mine when dealing with Burris optics. Having said that, I sent off an e-mail to Burris to ask their opinion about mounting a Black Diamond scope on a .50 BMG rifle? Their reply was, “Burris will warranty their scopes when mount-ed correctly on any rifle or hand-gun,” that was enough for me!
A new feature of great importance was the 30 mm main tube which allowed for greater elevation adjustment along with light transmission compared to other series of Burris scopes. On paper it seemed that the Black Diamond would be able to take the .50 BMG past 1000 yards using the 750 gr. A-Max with a muzzle velocity of 2700 feet per second. The problem was that it would be close, with little elevation adjust-ment left if needed. This was a real concern as I wanted 1000 yard capability, that is until I realized that the Black Diamond could be purchased either in the standard Mil-Dot reticle or Burris’s own Ballistic Mil-Dot.
These reticules provide a built in increase in vertical adjustment. For example, if you only have enough adjustment to zero the cross hairs at 850 yards you can use the reference points on the lower half of the vertical stadia to make shots well past 1000 yards, two qualifi-cations down, two to go.
Black Diamond scopes can be ordered in 4-16 power, 6-24 power and 8-32 power. All of which are adequate for long range shooting, but I decided the 6-24 would be the best for my needs. Three down and one to go.
Eye relief is perhaps more critical for a .50 shooter than any other single feature. Shooters can not accurately fire a rifle if they think the scope is going to bite them after every shot. The Black Diamond 6-24 power is listed as having an eye relief of 3.5 to 4 inches. This is admittedly at the marginal level for a 30 pound class rifle, still it is enough if set up correctly. There we have it, all our requirements are met.
Other features that the Black Diamond scopes sport is a 50 mm objective lens with a shooter viewable bell mounted parallax focus ring. While a side mounted focus is much easier to use, the traditional bell adjustment is considerably more affordable. The Black Diamond meets both sides in the middle as it is easier to use and see from a shooting position than the traditional parallax adjusting ring, but not quite as user friendly as side focus.
As a note of interest, at the time of this printing, Burris has released a side mounted parallax adjust-ment on the 4-16 SF model. This is a feature that I feel will allow the Burris to compete more on the long range optics scene. Another feature that Burris used in the Black Diamond line was to combine the power ring and ocular lens housing into one unit, and to employ a “quick focus” eye piece. To adjust the power, you simply turn the entire eye piece. This adds to the scope strength and reduces the number of seals needed in the scope. Target style turrets are standard on the higher power Black Diamond scopes, and can be re-zeroed once the scope is set where you wish.
The cost of these Burris Black Diamond scopes is one of their best features. The one I purchased was the 6x-24x 50mm with the Ballistic Mil-Dot reticle and had a price tag of $599.99 when ordered through Midway USA. The price has since elevated to the $625 range but with all the features included, this is a very affordable long range optical system.
The Proof is in the Shooting
I felt that I had found an exceptional scope for half the cost of the traditional .50 BMG optics. Now it was time to find out if, like my new friend mentioned earlier, I had not spent enough on my scope. At the range I settled the big Burris in a pair of Leupold Mark 4 rings and tightened them down. One very important note here, spend the $100 to $150 to get a pair of Mark 4 or Badger rings, DO NOT try to save money on the rings — enough said. At the first shot, the scope, which I believed to be well forward, came back and gently touched my right eye brow. Needless to say, before the next round the scope was moved another ½ inch forward, and I have never felt it since.
If there is any area that I would say is a bit weak on the Black Diamond scope it is in the eye relief area. A solid 4 inch or even 4.5 inch relief would be much better. Three and a half inches is fine for those shooters accustom to the momentum created by a .50 BMG.
The term “momentum” is not one often used when referring to the recoil force of a rifle. Let me explain how in fact it is different than “felt recoil.”
“Recoil” is the force exerted on a rifle from a bullet that has been accelerated from a resting state, down and out of a barrel. “Momen-tum” is the energy that rifle possess-es once it is in motion as a result of “recoil.” This is the energy that the shooter must absorb to stop the rifle’s rearward movement.
In a standard hunting rifle that weighs nine pounds there is not a significant amount of momentum, and therefore the average shooter easily stops the rifle in a short distance. When dealing with a .50 BMG, often times “felt recoil” is quite comfortable, but the force needed to stop the “momentum” of a 30+ pound rifle in motion is much greater then most shooters are accustomed to, and the result can be bloody noses, and eyebrows.
For the shooter who is new to these rifles, pull your eye away from any scope far enough to just see the middle portion of the scope reticule, enough to aim accurately. Once you learn how to hold your body to absorb the “momentum” of the big rifle without your head swinging forward, you can then approach the scope in a more traditional manner.
The Burris Black Diamond has been fully up to the task on paper targets that I have shot at 300, 700, and 1000 yards. The caution I had with the internal elevation adjust-ment turned out to be of no concern as my rifle is now zeroed at an even 1000 yards with plenty of adjust-ment left over.
This Burris has been able to steer my Grizzly well enough to shoot many sub 4 inch, three shot groups at 700 yards and a personal best three shot group of 5.95 inches center to center at 1000 yards. Its consistency has been all I could ask for and its clarity seems as good as other top end scopes on the market, including the Leupold Mark 4.
An example of this occurred last fall when I was load testing one evening at my 1000 yard range. On this particular occasion I headed to the range at the close of the day, and the sun was directly above my target and quite low on the horizon. Though the glare was quite bad from the setting sun, the Black Diamond still allowed me to clearly aim at the 10 inch black bulls eye. The clarity of this scope has impressed me in all types of light from dawn to dusk. For the money, it’s a very bright, and clear optical tool.
Conclusion on .50 BMG Scopes
My conclusion on choosing a quality scope for a .50 BMG rifle goes as follows. If you have the means, go with either a Leupold Mark 4, or one of the Nightforce NXS scopes, they are as good as money can buy. If you really want to get into shooting the .50 BMG at long range as accurately as possible, but can not afford one of these scopes, I can tell that the Burris Black Diamond will allow you to shoot past 1000 yards with exceptional accuracy and reliability.
Remember, one must accept that you will not get all the fancy features that are standard on a $1500 scope, but, of course, some of those are not necessary anyway. One also has to realize that eye relief may be of greater concern with the Burris and other scopes not specifically designed for the .50 BMG. This is really only a problem if the scope is not set up correctly for the shooter or if an inexperienced shooter is behind the rifle.
All in all, the Burris Black Diamond is a very quality optic and I feel it is surprising we do not see more of them in the .50 BMG world. At nearly half the price of other scopes in this category, it should be very attractive to those getting into our extreme sport.
I have worked with, and gained a lot of trust in, the Burris Black Diamond on my .50 BMG, and can give an honest approval of it for that use. Maybe on my next .50 BMG rifle I’ll try something different.
I have been looking around for some time now for a Mauser Model 1918 for under $18,000 if anyone has and information on one pls. post.
But if anyone shoots a .50 BMG sare some storys or something. Tell what kind of rlfe you shoot, Ammo you use, Clubs your in, your MOA, What are the Scopes you use on it.
I have used a L.A.R Grizzly(same as Kirby Allen) and with good optics I found that I like this rilfe alot. Reade Range Whippers Road,
Near Allemans, PA very good place to Shoot a .50
L.A.R. Grizzly .50 BMG $3,500.00
Barret Light .50s starting at $5,500.00
http://www.midwestordnance.com/lar50bmg.jpg
What i was saying about the Mauser i found one for 15,000 but I am not going to by it form mid west ordnance that would be a cold day in hell. If anyone ever bought a gun from them you know what I Mean.
http://www.midwestordnance.com/mauser1918.jpg
I have a good story by Kirby Allen on optics
A group of shooters huddled at the range like a football team around their coach. The focus of their attention was a young man with a strange looking rifle and a box of cartridges that looked more like cigars then rifle ammunition. Being a .50 driver myself there was no mystery as to what the rifle was, but I was a bit concerned with one aspect of his set up. He had indeed purchased a fine rifle, and had match grade ammo on the bench, but it seemed there was not a lot of thought put into what was on top of the rifle.
I respectfully inquired about the optics riding on the receiver, and if it would handle the strain of the big gun’s recoil? The shooter quickly stated, “I’ve used these scopes all my life, and they never let me down!”
I will not state the manufacturer of the scope, or rings but I will say that his total investment would not cover the price of 200 Hornady A-Max bullets. I had heard horror stories of shooters using low priced optics on .50 BMG rifles with little success so I made no value judg-ments, and simply waited to be educated, I did not know if he or I would be the one doing the learning.
To complicate matters, this was the inaugural outing for the novice .50 shooter, and he was noticeably nervous. This, I am sure, was due to the combination of the large crowd, and the anticipation of sending 13,000 foot pounds of energy down range for the first time.
As the shooter snuggled up to the rifle I noticed his eye was dangerously close to the eyepiece staring back at him. Discretely, I leaned over and whispered he may want to pull his eye back on the first shot so he could see just enough to make a shot. He looked up at me curiously, and I responded, “Trust me.” I could not tell if he did, or if he was just scared to death, but he gave the scope another couple inches of space, and touched off his first .50 BMG round through his new rifle. He came off the rifle with a huge smile, a common response from shooting a .50 BMG. He really did not care about where his round hit the target only that he had survived, and had not made a fool of himself in the process.
After the first ten rounds or so the crowd began to thin leaving only a few bystanders, and the shooter, who was by now becoming comfort-able with shooting the big gun. He walked the scope onto target with a few adjustments, and now wanted to see what he could do at 300 yards.
Three A-Max bullets were launched down range, and landed in a group about six inches wide. The owner was satisfied with his first 300 yard group, but obviously wanted better consistency with the next group. Again three shots were sent away, but this time the group had grown to just shy of 10 inches. The red face of the shooter was a sure sign he was not impressed.
The low cost scope and rings took the pounding better then I had expected, at least externally. Inter-nally, it appeared that things were starting to go bad. The owner asked if I would care to shoot a couple rounds just to see what would happen. I carefully fired two rounds at the 300 yard target and received a report of a seven inch spread for those two.
I inquired if the clarity of the scope had always been a little blurry around the edges? He replied, “No,” as he looked through his scope again. Knowing that the fellow was now leaving the state of frustration, and moving into the very angry region I offered to unpack my L.A.R. Grizzly, and let him give it a try. This rifle has proven that it is capable of ½ minute of angle accuracy and better, depending on how well I am shoot-ing. If the groups are larger then they should be, I know it’s pilot error, and not the rifle.
My new friend lined my rifle up on target and sent two rounds on their way. This time the news was better, 2.5 inches. He fired another two and scored an honest sub 2 inch group. The problem was beginning to show itself to us.
The rifle he purchased was a high quality rifle so I offered to mount my scope on his rifle to see if his optics were the culprit. In a few minutes we had his rifle bore sighted, and pointed at the 100 yard target. The first three rounds produced a 1 inch clover leaf.
He was so happy he almost hugged me. I let him use my scope to finish up his remaining ammo. He thanked me, and said his next project was to save up for a quality scope for his new favorite rifle.
Use What the Experts Use
This novice .50 BMG shooter made the same mistake many in the shooting world do — trying to get away with low quality optics on rifles that produce substantial recoil. When I began looking for a scope for my .50 BMG rifle I was fortunate in that I had plenty of experience scoping heavy recoiling firearms, and knew of many sources of information on the topic. One only has to flip through the pages of Very High Power to see what scopes are preferred. The two top scopes are the Leupold Mark 4’s and Night Force NXS scopes.
These optical instruments are as good as they get for long range shooting, and leave little to complain about unless you do not have the $1000 to $1500 to invest. Before I go any further, let me say that if you CAN afford them, or are willing to save your pennies until you can, these scopes are the best way to go. The quality and features found on these scopes are well worth the price tag, and once you shoot one, you would probably be willing to pay that much again just to keep it.
The Leupold Mark 4 has a 40 mm objective lens, 30 mm main tube, target style turrets, and a side focus parallax adjustment. They can be purchased with a variety of reticle options including fine cross hair, ¼ minute target dot and ¾ mil-dot, with the mil-dot being the most useful for long range shooting. These are fixed power scopes that come in 10 and 16 power which is adequate for 1000 yard shooting.
Many shooters have their scope power boosted by one of the custom shops like Premier Reticle often doubling the power of magnification. The vertical adjustment of the Mark 4 is well over 100 minutes, enough to stretch the trajectory of the .50 BMG out to 1000 yards, and more without the use of special mounting systems. Price of the Mark 4 will vary from $1000 to $1200 depending on the model and distributor.
The Nightforce NXS line of scopes, produced by Lightforce USA, Inc., may be the most versatile scope for the .50 BMG shooter. These also have a 30 mm main body tube, side focus parallax adjustment, and target turrets like the Mark 4’s, but differ in that they have either 50 mm or 56 mm objective lenses, and are all variable power ranging from a 3.5-15 x 50mm up to the powerful 12-42 x 56mm with three more models in between.
Other features include illumin-ated reticle, which is shooter controlled for different light conditions, 95 minutes of elevation adjustment, and recoil and impact tested to 1200 G’s. The Nightforce NXS scopes are well suited for work up close as well as far away. For those using the .50 BMG as a hunting round these could be the very finest option as they permit low power for close range (500 yards and less) shooting, and also plenty of top end power for long range shooting at small targets or competition. These scopes will run in the $1200 to $1500 price range, again depend-ing on model and distributor.
Now that we know a little more about what most experienced .50 BMG shooters use for optics, what does that do for those of us just starting out, and simply cannot invest that much in a scope. All is not lost, but we do need to know what we are looking for in a more affordable, quality scope that will handle the strains and special requirements of a .50 BMG rifle. So what are the specifications we absolutely need? There are four:
1. It must be able to handle the recoil of the .50 BMG. A pretty simple and straight forward require-ment, because if it mechanically will not stand up to the repeated pounding, then what use is it?
2. It must have adequate elevation adjustment for zeroing the rifle at extended distances i.e. in excess of 400 yards. The .50 BMG does not have a laser flat trajectory; so we need to have plenty of ele-vation. A typical hunting scope does not have enough elevation.
3. It must have appropriate magnification. We have to be able to clearly see and aim at targets at whatever range we decide to shoot at. For shooting out to 1000 yards fixed power scopes should be a minimum of 10 power with 16 power even better. Ranges beyond this may require more magnification depending on the target size. Choosing between a fixed or variable power scopes is strictly a personal preference decision.
4. It must have appropriate eye relief. Rifles chambered in the .50 BMG do not all weigh the same. A 20 to 30 pound rifle has plenty of recoil and a lot of momentum which if stopped by your eye brow will not be quickly forgotten. Three and a half inches should be considered minimum and four inches is pre-ferred.
It is a simple matter to find a scope with some of these features, but to get one that will satisfy them all reasonably well becomes difficult without the $1000+ price tag. In researching different brands of optics I found many scopes that would meet three out of the four criteria, but only a select few that had enough elevation to reach out to 1000 yards. The only optic manufacturer that looked attractive for my needs was Burris.
Introducing the
Black Diamond
About the same time I was scope shopping, Burris came out with the Black Diamond line of rifle optics which had several features not employed in earlier Signature and Fullfield models. I have mounted Burris scopes on over three dozen rifles and handguns, many of which produce substantial recoil energy. The fixed and variable power Burris handgun scopes on my big bore hand cannons, including .50 caliber rounds (not the .50 BMG); have taken every punishing round in stride, and come back looking for more. Burris scopes on rifles chambered in .375 Rem. Ultra Mag., .416 Rigby and .458 Winchester Mag. have done the same.
Recoil has never been a concern of mine when dealing with Burris optics. Having said that, I sent off an e-mail to Burris to ask their opinion about mounting a Black Diamond scope on a .50 BMG rifle? Their reply was, “Burris will warranty their scopes when mount-ed correctly on any rifle or hand-gun,” that was enough for me!
A new feature of great importance was the 30 mm main tube which allowed for greater elevation adjustment along with light transmission compared to other series of Burris scopes. On paper it seemed that the Black Diamond would be able to take the .50 BMG past 1000 yards using the 750 gr. A-Max with a muzzle velocity of 2700 feet per second. The problem was that it would be close, with little elevation adjust-ment left if needed. This was a real concern as I wanted 1000 yard capability, that is until I realized that the Black Diamond could be purchased either in the standard Mil-Dot reticle or Burris’s own Ballistic Mil-Dot.
These reticules provide a built in increase in vertical adjustment. For example, if you only have enough adjustment to zero the cross hairs at 850 yards you can use the reference points on the lower half of the vertical stadia to make shots well past 1000 yards, two qualifi-cations down, two to go.
Black Diamond scopes can be ordered in 4-16 power, 6-24 power and 8-32 power. All of which are adequate for long range shooting, but I decided the 6-24 would be the best for my needs. Three down and one to go.
Eye relief is perhaps more critical for a .50 shooter than any other single feature. Shooters can not accurately fire a rifle if they think the scope is going to bite them after every shot. The Black Diamond 6-24 power is listed as having an eye relief of 3.5 to 4 inches. This is admittedly at the marginal level for a 30 pound class rifle, still it is enough if set up correctly. There we have it, all our requirements are met.
Other features that the Black Diamond scopes sport is a 50 mm objective lens with a shooter viewable bell mounted parallax focus ring. While a side mounted focus is much easier to use, the traditional bell adjustment is considerably more affordable. The Black Diamond meets both sides in the middle as it is easier to use and see from a shooting position than the traditional parallax adjusting ring, but not quite as user friendly as side focus.
As a note of interest, at the time of this printing, Burris has released a side mounted parallax adjust-ment on the 4-16 SF model. This is a feature that I feel will allow the Burris to compete more on the long range optics scene. Another feature that Burris used in the Black Diamond line was to combine the power ring and ocular lens housing into one unit, and to employ a “quick focus” eye piece. To adjust the power, you simply turn the entire eye piece. This adds to the scope strength and reduces the number of seals needed in the scope. Target style turrets are standard on the higher power Black Diamond scopes, and can be re-zeroed once the scope is set where you wish.
The cost of these Burris Black Diamond scopes is one of their best features. The one I purchased was the 6x-24x 50mm with the Ballistic Mil-Dot reticle and had a price tag of $599.99 when ordered through Midway USA. The price has since elevated to the $625 range but with all the features included, this is a very affordable long range optical system.
The Proof is in the Shooting
I felt that I had found an exceptional scope for half the cost of the traditional .50 BMG optics. Now it was time to find out if, like my new friend mentioned earlier, I had not spent enough on my scope. At the range I settled the big Burris in a pair of Leupold Mark 4 rings and tightened them down. One very important note here, spend the $100 to $150 to get a pair of Mark 4 or Badger rings, DO NOT try to save money on the rings — enough said. At the first shot, the scope, which I believed to be well forward, came back and gently touched my right eye brow. Needless to say, before the next round the scope was moved another ½ inch forward, and I have never felt it since.
If there is any area that I would say is a bit weak on the Black Diamond scope it is in the eye relief area. A solid 4 inch or even 4.5 inch relief would be much better. Three and a half inches is fine for those shooters accustom to the momentum created by a .50 BMG.
The term “momentum” is not one often used when referring to the recoil force of a rifle. Let me explain how in fact it is different than “felt recoil.”
“Recoil” is the force exerted on a rifle from a bullet that has been accelerated from a resting state, down and out of a barrel. “Momen-tum” is the energy that rifle possess-es once it is in motion as a result of “recoil.” This is the energy that the shooter must absorb to stop the rifle’s rearward movement.
In a standard hunting rifle that weighs nine pounds there is not a significant amount of momentum, and therefore the average shooter easily stops the rifle in a short distance. When dealing with a .50 BMG, often times “felt recoil” is quite comfortable, but the force needed to stop the “momentum” of a 30+ pound rifle in motion is much greater then most shooters are accustomed to, and the result can be bloody noses, and eyebrows.
For the shooter who is new to these rifles, pull your eye away from any scope far enough to just see the middle portion of the scope reticule, enough to aim accurately. Once you learn how to hold your body to absorb the “momentum” of the big rifle without your head swinging forward, you can then approach the scope in a more traditional manner.
The Burris Black Diamond has been fully up to the task on paper targets that I have shot at 300, 700, and 1000 yards. The caution I had with the internal elevation adjust-ment turned out to be of no concern as my rifle is now zeroed at an even 1000 yards with plenty of adjust-ment left over.
This Burris has been able to steer my Grizzly well enough to shoot many sub 4 inch, three shot groups at 700 yards and a personal best three shot group of 5.95 inches center to center at 1000 yards. Its consistency has been all I could ask for and its clarity seems as good as other top end scopes on the market, including the Leupold Mark 4.
An example of this occurred last fall when I was load testing one evening at my 1000 yard range. On this particular occasion I headed to the range at the close of the day, and the sun was directly above my target and quite low on the horizon. Though the glare was quite bad from the setting sun, the Black Diamond still allowed me to clearly aim at the 10 inch black bulls eye. The clarity of this scope has impressed me in all types of light from dawn to dusk. For the money, it’s a very bright, and clear optical tool.
Conclusion on .50 BMG Scopes
My conclusion on choosing a quality scope for a .50 BMG rifle goes as follows. If you have the means, go with either a Leupold Mark 4, or one of the Nightforce NXS scopes, they are as good as money can buy. If you really want to get into shooting the .50 BMG at long range as accurately as possible, but can not afford one of these scopes, I can tell that the Burris Black Diamond will allow you to shoot past 1000 yards with exceptional accuracy and reliability.
Remember, one must accept that you will not get all the fancy features that are standard on a $1500 scope, but, of course, some of those are not necessary anyway. One also has to realize that eye relief may be of greater concern with the Burris and other scopes not specifically designed for the .50 BMG. This is really only a problem if the scope is not set up correctly for the shooter or if an inexperienced shooter is behind the rifle.
All in all, the Burris Black Diamond is a very quality optic and I feel it is surprising we do not see more of them in the .50 BMG world. At nearly half the price of other scopes in this category, it should be very attractive to those getting into our extreme sport.
I have worked with, and gained a lot of trust in, the Burris Black Diamond on my .50 BMG, and can give an honest approval of it for that use. Maybe on my next .50 BMG rifle I’ll try something different.