which has more recoil, a .50 cal rifle or a .50 cal pistol?

Question

i'm 13 and i want a new hunting gun, which would be easier to shoot

Answer 1

Well, from an energy standpoint, a .50BMG rifle round is far more powerful than either a .50 S&W Magnum or .50AE pistol cartridge.

But, in terms of felt recoil, it's probably less profound in the rifle. .50 calibre rifles are generally pretty heavy and that absorbs a lot of the sensation of recoil you'll feel, plus it's easier to just absorb it into your shoulder when you're laying prone than it is holding a pistol out at arms length.

A .50 calibre rifle is most certainly not to be used for hunting anything short of rhinos in Africa. And a .50 calibre pistol isn't the best choice either, especially for a 13 year old.

I doubt you've done any research and are going on Counterstrike knowledge in this question. Do some research if you really want to get into shooting.

Answer 2

Well, let me see; you want a .50 caliber rifle or pistol for hunting??? Let's get this out of the way first, the .50 BMG Barrett is NOT a hunting rifle. Consider touting a 34 pound rifle in the field and wielding it at say a charging Water Buffalo before it runs you down. What do you think your chances are for a follow-up shot should you miss? And are you going to go hunting without hearing protection on? Would you hear the charging beast coming at you from behind? Unless you don't mind having permenant hearing loss the .50 BMG requires hearing protection.

Pistols: Are you asking about the .50 Caliber Action Express for hunting? This one is a 'better' choice as the weight of the Desert Eagles helps you manage the recoil. The pistol itself is massive and should be fired two-handed. Again, hearing protection is advised as this one is louder than say a 12 gauge firing 3" magnum shells. If not held correctly the Desert Eagle has been known to stove-pipe & jam, so good luck with follow-up shots should you miss your first one at say a charging Tsavo man-eating lion.

Back in the Sixties I heard of a man who built a fifty caliber rifle made to fire the .50 BMG (like the Barrett, but a home-made job). He shot at a Moose, which he did kill, but the rifle's recoil broke his own shoulder. I understand he was a big man. He only used it that one time and scraped it learning the hard way that his old, tried-n-true .30-06 was more user friendly.

Unless you mean the .50 caliber muzzle loader, forget the big fifties for hunting. At least until you turn 21 forget hunting with a pistol and get a .243 Winchester rifle or a .270 if you can handle larger calibers. I've hunted with a .458 Winchester magnum, but I'm almost sixty years old (been hunting since I was younger than you), 5-9 & weigh 210 lbs. The recoil gets your attention but it is not unmanagable. I started with a .22 LR & moved up to a .30-30 like most people of my generation.

Good luck. I hope you enjoy a long and successful life as a responsible hunter.

Best.

H

Answer 3

Depends on what you are talking about.

Are you looking at a 50 bmg or a 50 can muzzle loader? are you looking a a 500 s&w mag or something like that or are you looking at the nifty pics of the 50 bmg single shot pistol on some message board.

The M-2 machine gun is enought to rattle your fillings lose. I spent plenty of time behind one of them.

A 50bmg rifle on the other hand has a muzzle break on it that tends to reduce the recoil of the rifle. that along with the weight of these rifles topping 35# they still have some stiff recoil.

I hadn gun in 50 ae or 500 s&wmag are to different animals. you can hunt with a 50 ae. in most states. How ever I did not find either of these pistols uncomfortable to shoot. other than the DE smackin me in the head with hot brass.

The 50 cal rifle is going to have more recoil because you are launcing a 750gr bullet at almost 3000 fps. That equals a lot of recoil. Seeing as you are burning 250gr of powder and that there is a lot of powder.

Answer 4

On the gun? Very little actually. Barrel and magazine to be specific. The cartridges? A lot, see below (sorry for the long read). The .44mag Desert Eagle is obviously chamber for the .44 mag cartidge. The "50 cal" Desert Eagle is chambered for the .50 AE or Action Express cartridge. The .50 AE has a rebated rim that is the same diameter and thickness as the rim on the .44 mag. This means that the bolt face on the slide is the same for both weapons. The .50 AE requires a larger barrel and magazine to work. If you own a .44 mag Desert Eagle, you can convert the gun to shoot .50 AE by changing the barrel & mag. The opposite is true if you own a .50 and wish to convert to .44 The recoil is significantly more with the .50 AE than the .44 but not unmanageable. The bullets with the .50 AE are generally around 300 grains and have a muzzle velocity of around 1,380 feet per second (with a 6-inch barrel). This gives the bullet 1,260-plus foot pounds of energy at the muzzle. A common 44. mag loading of 240 gr bullet at 1,180 ft/s produces 741 foot pounds of energy. By increasing to near max load the .44 mag can push a 240 gr JHP at 1,542 ft/s and produce 1,267 foot pounds of energy. Max load on a .50 AE will push a 325gr bullet at approx 1430 feet per second, and will produce 1,478 foot pounds of energy. This means the .50 AE is producing 17% more energy than the .44 mag.

Answer 5

Never shot a 50 cal pistol but applying general experiences I would say the rifle. Weight + longer barrel length = less felt recoil I assume the pistol would use lighter loads but even the heaviest load for the pistol should produce less felt recoil in the rifle.

Answer 6

get the rifle but before you get that 50 cal check out the .308 the rifle kicks less due to the longer barrel and weight

Answer 7

The rifle is easier to shoot. Same recoil, technically, but it's easier to hold a rifle steady.

Answer 8

As of right now I do not know of any state that allows a .50 cal handgun (desert eagle) to hunt with. Also being only 13 I do not think you would be able to handle it without help. They are very heavy and for a 160lb man was hard hitting in recoil.

Answer 9

The .50 cal rifle will have alot more recoil, because the cartridge is alot longer..... more powder so more recoil.....