I was 13 years old when I fired my first .50 BMG at Camp McCoy Wisconsin, courtesy of a friendly Lieutenant. I shot most of a belt and destroyed a large hunk of concrete. I can still shut my eyes and visualize the concrete chunks and dust flying. Little did he know what those 80 or so rounds would lead to. I now have reamers for 21 different .50 caliber cartridges from the diminutive .50 American Eagle to the .50 BMG. 

The .50 Alaskan has always been a favorite in lever guns and the Encore. It does suffer from a short list of bullets suitable for lever gun use, but handloaded with surplus 50 BMG bullets in single shots is the best fun gun of the lot.