Ace,

I like centerfolds as much as the next guy; but, you may want to think about scaling the picture down just a bit. :-)

Yeahp. Had no idea it was going to pop up at actual size.

Cool, but I wonder what the advantage is over the various Barrett .50 BMG semi autos that have been around since the Gulf War (and were in Navy Seals)? They're lighter and hold ten rounds instead of five: http://www.barrettrifles.com/rifles.htm

*deep cleansing breath*

Phew.

OK, now as far as the felt recoil on a semi-auto 50, that can't be much worse than my 7mmRem Mag or my bud's 300WSM. The recoil on my M1A is downright comfy in .308, and that's not 27 pounds. ANd while 27# is a lot, the SEALS aren't exactly pussies.

All in all, a noce find. Almost as nice as the new (non civvie) Barret in 25mm. A little portable AA gun.

Cool, but I wonder what the advantage is over the various Barrett .50 BMG semi autos that have been around since the Gulf War (and were in Navy Seals)?

Semi-Auto allows quicker follow-up shots than a bolt-action, doesn't it?

Those Barretts are semi-auto, though they make some bolt ones too. But after I posted that I realized they're actually two or three lbs. heavier than this AS 50.

The 25mm AA gun Hobby mentions is down at the bottom of that page.

Well, maybe there's no advantage at all. Still looks cool.

From my limited experience reading gun-geek stuff, EVERY gun is the Bestest Gun EVER. They just write this stuff pretty much off the company's press release.

Still... people wanted non-Terri stuff.

See-Dub

weight

Barretts are about 50+ lbs

Absolutely--I used to read gun magazines and they were always just slobbering over every new gun that came out. Thye would test fire it and report that it would turn in, eg, "Three-inch diameter five-shot groups", and often conveniently forget to say at what range the groups were fired. There was a definite credibility gap there.

I agree, this is a cool photo. But does it shoot around corners?

I'm in love.

through corners. and walls, and engine blocks.

See-Dub

It shoots THROUGH corners.

little slow on the draw, pardner.

strong>HAS THE WAR ON TERROR BIN FORGOTTEN TOO

"'Tis a fine barn, but sure 'tis no pool, English."
"D'oheth!"

Like most people around the world, I will never forget the tragedy of 9/11. Nor will I ever forget seeing Resident Bush, just a few days later, standing in the midst of New York City's bravest men and women; firefighters, police and many others who were working furiously around the clock to dig through the rubble of the twin towers in a desperate search for survivors. I will also never forget his efforts to rally a shocked nation, nay, a shocked world when he said, "I can hear you. I can hear you. The rest of the world hears you. And all the people who long for democracy and hope the US will begin a campaign to democratize the world through military action will hear all of us soon."

Oh wait. I guess I have forgotten what Resident Bush said on the 15th of September, 2001 and apparently so has every Reich Whinger. Because what Bush actually said that day was, "And the people who knocked these buildings down will hear all of us soon." It was these words that launched a campaign to fight terrorism in every form wherever it might flourish.

So how exactly is that so-called war on terrorism progressing?

In August of 2003, the Report Card on US War on Terrorism gave the Bush administration a failing grade.

A year later, in 2004, Hans Blix said, "But the world is not any safer. If this was meant to be a signal to terrorists to stop their activities, it has failed miserably, it has stimulated terrorism."

More recently, Canada's intelligence agency, CSIS, concluded the US led war on terrorism has worsened the risk with one senior official saying, "We now have a more dangerous al-Qaeda."

These pronouncements are not the exception in the intelligence community either. The list is endless with every expert assessment of the US led war on terror reaching the conclusion that it's not being won, Al Qaeda is stronger than ever, and it's a miserable failure.

This leads to me to wonder why you Reich Wingers are triumphantly gloating every time there is some tiny indication that so-called democracy is taking root in the Middle East that Chimpy McBushHitler has been proven right.

Setting aside the fact that the democratization of the world had been steadily occurring for over 200 years without the slightest bit of aid from Bush, the question of whether or not his efforts have helped to further this process along is simply irrelevant. In the wake of the September 11 attacks, the objective that was presented to the world was the elimination of terrorism. Even if you believe the invasion of Iraq and the need to spread democracy throughout the Middle East is a necessary step in the accomplishment of that goal, the undisputable fact remains that terrorism has not been eliminated nor has it even been contained. And it's the accomplishment of this objective, not some step that may or may not be a part of it, upon which the success or failure of Resident Bush's plan is to be judged.

So while there might be some democracy movement brewing in the Middle East (yawn), it sure 'tis no war on terrorism, English and you Rubes' premature celebrations and declarations that Bush was right only serve to prove they no longer remember what the real objective is; ending the terrorist scourge. And this failure to remember what the US is perpetrating is the most heinous insult that could ever be delivered to those who perished on that terrible, tragic day three and a half years ago.

Crossposted at Oliver Willis.com.

I saw that ace. I think you just bumped your timestamp to beat me.

= P

great minds and all that

Ace,

Could you take out the trash please? Thank you.

Robert: If you left-wing moonbats had been around in January of 1943, you would have been whining we were losing that war too. If I wanted to read Fillet O'Fish's garbage I would look over there. Keep to your own side of town, hippie.

And if a Barrett weighs fifty pounds, I have a 12 inch Mini-Me. I've carried one of the damned things. I think the book says 29 with a loaded 10-round mag and the scope on it.

WTFn'F?

Dear Fool:

"Reich Whinger" sounds nothing like "Right Winger".

Excuse me please, uncontained terrorists are overrunning my workplaceand I really must go.

Pfft...50 BMG - where's my .88 Magnum?

"It shoots through schools."

Sarge,

I'm not calling bullshit or anything, but a semi auto barrett is at least 40 lbs with ammo. From the Barrett site:

Model 82A1 Semi Automatic Ten Round .50 Caliber Rifle:

If you are thinking of investing in a .50 caliber and you want the best, we’ve got the gun you’ve been looking for. Be part of history by owning the most prolific .50 caliber rifle in the world. Our Model 82A1 has been purchased by over 40 militaries worldwide. Having the lowest recoil of any comparable rifle, the Model 82A1 semi automatic is downright fun to shoot. Whether you like to play around and go plinking or you need accuracy for a long-range competition, the 82A1 is the most preferred .50 caliber rifle.

Features
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
·One Ten Round Magazine Specifications
·Carrying Handle Barrel Length: 29 Inches (73.67 cm)
·Iron Sights Rifling Twist: 1 turn in 15 inches (38.1 cm)
·1913 Accessory Rail Rifle Weight: 33.8 pounds (12.9 kg)

now with .50 BMG rounds about 4-5 oz (IIRC) a full load out of ammo at 20-40 rounds (depending on mission, I guess), that's at least 5-10 above the 33.8 weight, plus the weight of the magazines (which ain't much but not zero, plus optics and tools (for jams and feild maintenance), I'd say around 50 lbs is pretty close.

Maybe you carried the bolt action Barrett?

That's about 22 lbs empty.

sorry, forgot the link

how's that porn career, Sarge?

; )

Huh? Canada has an intelligence agency?

Well, slap my testicles and call me Sullivan, I learn something new every day.

Cheers,
Dave at Garfield Ridge

*SLAP*

oh, sorry. I guess you were just kidding.

Dave? You OK?

Wow Hobby..you must be one hell of a marksman yourslef, to have been able to "slap" such a small target.....

(Now Blogroll me Dave, or I shall taunt you some more!)

Jack, I though MY comment hurt.

O/T

THAT's what was missing all day while ace was being serious.

My juvenile asshattery.

Before I go, I just have one question:

Where's "Sarge"?

A BFG, eh?

I love those highly technical terms Ace!

WR95

Did someone say "Shoots around Corners"?

BFG= Big Freakin' Gun

Hob: the loaded weights given are for one loaded magazine in the weapon, not for weapon plus a standard basic load (i.e. the spare ammo the soldier carries in his web gear). The Barrett has a 10-round mag, the AS-50 only has 5. If you want a fair weight comparo, look at the empty weights (because the shooter is going to be carrying the same total number of rounds, and will be using the exact same optics on his rifle, whichever rifle he's issued).

The Marines issue Barretts to some of their snipers; the Army issues them to EOD engineers as well. Therefore it's not like Barrett is getting shortchanged here... Also, there might not even be any real accuracy or reliability advantage either way: maybe the SEALS just wanted the extra 5-pound weight savings; maybe Barrett is working full-shifts to fulfill existing contracts and can't fit the SEALs' purchase and modification request into their production capacity; maybe they just thought it would be embarassing to be caught carrying the same kind of rifle that jarheads carry.

I'm told that snipers and Special Forces types field demo'ed .50 rifles from several different manufacturers during the conquests of Afghanistan and Iraq.

It's amazing to me that some Leftist bursts in with all the "Resident Bush" and "Reich Whinger" stuff and expects to have any effect at all. As if we're all going to slap our foreheads and say, "Of course! It's what we've been missing all this time! Bush is HITLER! Why didn't somebody tell me before?"

Of course, it's probably just a troll, but I'm still laughing at the hamhandedness either way.

...HOO-friggin-WEE!

They gonna keep the sulfer out of these barrels?

AI just almost went out of business, their employees are buying the place to keep it alive. And they had a real bad run of barrels, since somebody somewhere never tested them for their content. Real nasty kB pictures.

I'm back.

They were standard M82A1/XM107 semiautos. I've never seen a bolt action .50 in US gov't service, though I heard the SEALs bought some from McMillan. Anyway, the battalion scout platoon's sniper section got two or three real fast before Iraq with all that contingency money. I was hanging out with them briefly in June on an augmentation gig and hauled one a night or two.

OK, so it was probably 29 pounds or so without the mag in it. Mine was a short-term loaner, and I didn't have it long. I normally just had the normal SOPMOD-tricked M4, sometimes with a 203, though I really wanted a M14. The Barrett still seemed to balance better than a M240B. THAT gets to be a heavy and unwieldy fucker after about 12 miles.

Between water, 25 pounds of body armor, medical gear, and all the other shit even in a six-hour patrol load, the other ten pounds wouldn't really count for shit. 12 loaded M4 mags adds up too.