ar-15, .338-lapua, .300-win-mag, .50-bmgI’m looking for one company that makes either a .300 Winchester Magnum or .338 Lapua Magnum upper, and .50 BMG upper for the AR-15 (both should be bolt action, magazine fed). Does anyone make both without being egregiously expensive (over $5k)? For those wondering, the AR-15 lower requirement is to preserve a common manual of arms. Purpose for the .338 is learning long range shooting, and would like to retain a consistent feel.
Tactilite makes one for 338LM and .50BMG.
Since your stated goal is maintaining the manual of arms, the only way to truly accomplish this would be to have an AR-platform gun that fires .338 LM or .300 WM. Lucky for you, such a rifle exists. The Bad News .338 LM semi-automatic (now available in .300 WM). You won’t get closer to keeping the same manual of arms unless you somehow shrunk it down.
For only uppers available in both .338 LM and .50 BMG, you can see TacLite. Some of these models also take Accuracy International magazines in the off chance you get an AI bolt-gun in the future.
Finally, in .50 BMG you have the option of the Ferret 50. They also offer lowers dedicated to the task of attaching very-large-caliber uppers.
The following portion of my answer may not be a direct answer to your question but based on the information you’ve given through question and comments, I can’t recommend strongly enough that you reconsider your plan. All three of these calibers, as well as your choice in equipment and allocation of funds are terrible choices for your stated goal of “learning long range shooting.”
If you’re willing to invest $5000 in JUST an upper, how much are you willing to spend on a scope? Quality glass will take you MUCH farther than a high-end rifle, and as you upgrade your rifle it’s an investment you can carry with you. That’s a pretty healthy budget, and I have to wonder how much you’ve set aside for ammo and training.
Very-large-caliber uppers are an extremely niche item, and I’d recommend you use one of the widely available .308 AR-platform guns if you want to learn on a magazine-fed semi-auto. In the AR-platform .308 market $5000 can get you a rifle, a really good scope, an exceptional scope mount, a fair amount of ammo and leave you with a couple hundred dollars left to find good training.
To speak again about the quality of scopes, if you’re shooting at ranges that warrant any of these calibers (a minimum of 1000 yards unless you’re shooting at armor or material targets, which you’re not), a quality scope is not just optional but required. At these very long ranges the things that make lower quality scopes lower quality will dramatically hinder your ability to get solid and consistent hits.
Finally, I recommend you review this question regarding long range caliber selection: http://firearms.stackexchange.com/questions/516/what-is-a-good-commonly-available-long-range-cartridge/520#520. I outlined in my answer there the myriad reasons for selecting an entirely different caliber than the three you’ve listed. Especially emphasized in my answer there is the ability to practice more. To become proficient at long-range shooting you will need to fire many thousands of rounds, and these three calibers are really only feasible for learning if the ammo is supplied to you at no cost (say, by a police department or the military) or you’re independently wealthy.
All content is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.