Hagelberg FH 50

Ardent said:
but there's absolutely no good reason to use a .50 on deer. You'll destroy a huge amount of meat, make way more noise than necessary, and just all around be working hard at being one of the "I do this because I want to." forever adolescent types. Neat gun, but choose a hunting rifle, for hunting. Your .50's not for it. :)

In short, hunting's my favourite sport. Guy's hauling .50's out and setting up a blind ruins things a good deal and gives us a black eye.
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Question
Have YOU ever shot a deer with a 50BMG?
I HAVE, many of them as a matter of fact and can tell you straight up from experience, there is FAR less meat damage on a deer from shooting them with a 50 than there is from a smaller "hunting caliber" like 30-06 for example.

How do you figure that anyone who hunts with a 50 is giving "us a black eye"? With that logic anyone who does anything that is different from something someone else does is bad.
I think the "hunters" who jump out of the truck, spray a few rounds at some animal, run like hell to get it into the truck before someone else shows up to see what is happening and the drive away quickly is ALOT worse, but apparently that is more acceptable to many "ethical hunters"


Here is a photo of a deer shot a few years ago, note how blown up the deer is and by not 1 but 2 " forever adolescent types".

Deadstuff022.jpg
 
gutinater said:
Sorry that wasnt obvious but the deer.comment was a joke
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WHY???
1st do NOT be sorry. 2nd NO reason NOT to hunt with your 50 once you get to know it. You DO need to be very cognizant of where your bullets go as very few do not go through the critters. Expansion is marginal as the bullet jackets are very thick and no too conducive to expansion on deer sized creatures.
 
Very interesting I was under the assumption a 50 calibre bullet would do extensive damage to a deer sized animal seems thats not the case.. Very nice buck by the way
 
I always figured a .50 wouldn't do much damage at all. The bullet wouldn't do much expanding and would probably slide right through leaving a large wound channel, but not much bloodshot meat. Probably a pretty good hunting caliber, just for a very specific kind of hunting. I can't imagine a .50 being much of a bush gun lol.
 
gutinater said:
Very interesting I was under the assumption a 50 calibre bullet would do extensive damage to a deer sized animal seems thats not the case.. Very nice buck by the way
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Why would you expect massive damage? Muzzle velocity is relatively low at ~2750fps and the bullets are not fast opening like a light hunting or varmint bullet. From my limited experience so far, light bullets at high velocities seem to cause way more damage (intended and otherwise) than heavy bullets at more moderate velocities.

Mark
 
gutinater said:
Very interesting I was under the assumption a 50 calibre bullet would do extensive damage to a deer sized animal seems thats not the case.. Very nice buck by the way
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Oh make NO mistake it can be truly gruesome if shot placement is not perfect.
I would only ever recommend taking a true broadside, through the ribs shot. If you tag a shoulder or any heavy bone things can get REAL ugly.

This is 1 that was hit right on the bottom of the sternum, as you can see very little damage unless you eat bones.

AUT_4950.jpg
 
alberta tactical rifle said:
Oh make NO mistake it can be truly gruesome if shot placement is not perfect.
I would only ever recommend taking a true broadside, through the ribs shot. If you tag a shoulder or any heavy bone things can get REAL ugly.

This is 1 that was hit right on the bottom of the sternum, as you can see very little damage unless you eat bones.
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Made an ugly mess of the ribs, but I've seen a lot more damage from a 7mmMag.
 
There are hunting rifles, and there are .50's. Both serve different purposes for good reason, as last I checked a .50 was overkill, overly loud, and gives the public negative perceptions of blasting game 'from a mile away'. But boys will be boys, and supporters of .50 cal hunting feel free to call me a fudd if it makes them happy.
 
Ardent said:
There are hunting rifles, and there are .50's. Both serve different purposes for good reason, as last I checked a .50 was overkill, overly loud, and gives the public negative perceptions of blasting game 'from a mile away'. But boys will be boys, and supporters of .50 cal hunting feel free to call me a fudd if it makes them happy.
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I will grant you that 50 BMG IS overkill for any animal on the North American continent, and even world wide for that matter. I seriously doubt anything over a 30-30 is really required for 99% of hunting in Canada. Looking back 100 years EVERYTHING died by 30-30. Do you not feel that 375 H&H may be a tad of overkill for a 200 lb deer? Your signature line does not reflect that fact.

The problem I see with "US" (the gun culture) is that we are so busy condemning our own, the anti- (gun, hunter,free thinker, you name it that wants us to quit hunting, quit shooting and behave like an Orwell character) are quietly waiting for us to exterminate our culture from within.

This mentality of good guns or calibers versus bad guns or calibers is not enhancing our cause at all. Seems sort of like the very last 2 dinosaurs on earth fighting over who will die first.

The problem with the gun culture is ignorance. I set up at several gun shows every year and sponsor several long range shoots as well as host a 50 cal shoot. The reason I do is to try and educate the masses that all the Male Bovine Manure that surrounds the 50 is just that, crap. The outrageous claims that have been made about what the 50s recoil like, how they destroy trains planes and automobiles with a single shot is pure fiction that needs to be set right. This if it were related to road vehicles would make every semi truck evil and only mini Coopers "good" cars

Your comment about "blasting things from a mile away" is inflammatory to all of the long range hunters as it suggests a reckless mentality by all who hunt long range which I can assure is NOT the case with any serious long range hunter.

There are bad apples in every discipline of everything, not just hunting. "street racers" give many of us with who choose to drive performance cars.
Because I own a fast car does that also make me a menace on the road?
Same mentality I believe.

I really dislike the division in the gun culture, we are all an endangered species, we NEED to stick together to survive.

I am not a stalk and shoot hunter who shoots thing at close range, yet do not condemn those who do. I believe it is a skill, 1 in fact I no longer possess.
Shooting anything at long range is also a skill, 1 that few really possess.
Not trying to inflame, just trying to get you to ponder.:cheers:
 
CanuckWR said:
Alberta tactical What is your bullet and load choice for hunting? I have heard AMAX's but I think you would have a better practical knowledge. Also have you taken anything larger? Moose or elk perhaps?
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Amaxs can be VERY destructive. I use 750 gr bonded JHPs that were made by Wildcat bullets. Unfortunately Richard is no longer in business.
I am trying several other manufacturers swaged JHPs, but at this time have limited 1st hand experience with those on game at distance at this time.
Besides deer I have piled up a couple bison , 1 moose and a small herd of Holsteins that had to be put down for CWD, all with a 50. The cattle were shot as experimental subjects for various bullet testings once they were condemned, and within seconds of the vet applying a .22 cal headache.
 
alberta tactical rifle said:
The problem I see with "US" (the gun culture) is that we are so busy condemning our own, the anti- (gun, hunter,free thinker, you name it that wants us to quit hunting, quit shooting and behave like an Orwell character) are quietly waiting for us to exterminate our culture from within.

This mentality of good guns or calibers versus bad guns or calibers is not enhancing our cause at all. Seems sort of like the very last 2 dinosaurs on earth fighting over who will die first.
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I see it as like the experiment with the monkeys. When all is fine on the outside, they are peaceful to each other.
But when they are prodded with pain from an outside source, instead of uniting against a common enemy, they begin to fight each other.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1404421/pdf/jeabehav00184-0118.pdf
Not calling anyone a monkey, just refering to an experiment.:cheers:
 
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OK back on to the original posters questions.
The gun arrived here last night, looking at it up close the problems he is experiencing are not major and are easily solved. The action is much like a single shot Cooey is as far as the back of the action can get crushed slightly making for a very hard to install bolt. A simple matter to "spread" the back of the action solved the hard to get the bolt in. After blackening with soot on the bolt we found that the nose of the bolt was galling on the back of the barrel, after removing .005, problem solved, bolt now operates slick.

Interesting design, the whole butt is part of the bolt so the butt and bolt must be removed to load, kinda odd but functional.
The trigger is best described as requiring "strong fingers" to discharge. Obviously a very safe firearm as no way to have an A.D. with this baby.

As for accuracy overall , shooting it will be the real test. Personally given that a constant cheek weld seems unlikely and with the trigger pull being as it is it may not group as well as other rifles can produce, but for a fun gun in 50 caliber for not much money, it seems like a good deal.
 
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