AR 500 Rifle from Big Horn Armory Now Shipping

Earlier this year, Big Horn Armory introduced its latest big-bore rifle, the AR 500 in 500 Auto Max. The big-bore AR-style rifle is a thumper.

AR 500 Rifle: .50 Cal Firepower in Three Shots?

Big Horn Armory has been delivering semi-custom big-bore lever action rifles since 2012. With the addition of the AR-500 to its lineup, Big Horn Armory has expanded into the AR platform. The company stated, “The AR 500 is the most powerful AR-style rifle available in a big bore cartridge.”

To beat the California deadline preventing the purchase of AR-style rifles, Big Horn Armory shipped to California AR500 customers first. In a Facebook post, the company stated:

Guns started shipping in earnest, last week. Almost all of those guns were shipped to our California brethren. They need the guns in hand this coming week to comply with CA law. After June 30th, guns like ours will no longer be legal, except for guns registered prior to the deadline. We hope the rest of our customers understand this additional short delay. Guns for the free portions of our country will commence shipping this week.

Big Horn Armory Says …

In a press release about the AR 500, Big Horn Armory said:

The gas operated AR500 was designed and produced by Big Horn Armory in the USA and is based on a DPMS style AR 308. The lightweight aluminum receiver features grooves cut into the front of the mag well for a confident grip and additional grooves in the front of the trigger to allow a finger rest while not firing. All steel parts have been salt-bath nitrite finished for corrosion resistance.

“All we do at Big Horn Armory is design and make big bore guns,” Greg Buchel, president of Big Horn Armory, said. “Using the 500 S&W magnum cartridge as our springboard, we wanted to bring back the concept of hunting using big bore cartridges for the simple reason it puts game down immediately, regardless of the bullet's construction or speed. As hunters ourselves, our goal is to bring game down efficiently and ethically.”

The 500 Auto Max was developed by Big Horn Armory using a 500 S&W rimless straight walled casing. With a variety of loads available, the 500 Auto Max can exceed 4,000 FPE easily, making it the choice for Dangerous Game, world-wide.

The AR500's precision machined stainless steel barrels are surface hardened to Rc82 with Big Horn Armory's Nitride process for consistent downrange performance and in-the-field dependability. The 18-inch barrel is threaded at a ¾-inch x 28 TPI, standard for most 50 caliber muzzle devices and ships with a standard flash suppressor.

Big Horn Armory's 500 Auto Max is a rimless version of the 500 S&W with the same ballistics. It is capable of feeding and firing any .500 diameter bullet between 200 and 700 grains. The AR500 has an adjustable gas block to allow the user to run sub sonic loads using a suppressor. 500 Auto Max ammunition is currently shipping from Buffalo Bore and Underwood Ammo. It is also available at Midway USA.

The Big Horn Armory AR500 rifle is capable of taking any big game animal. For law enforcement or military use, the AR 500 is the ultimate checkpoint duty rifle replacing the .50 Beowulf, or CQC rifle in a short barrel configuration, or as a powerful breaching weapon capable of clearing any obstruction, including bullet proof glass.

Big Horn AR 500 Specs:

Caliber: 500 Auto Max
Twist rate: 1:24
Barrel length: 18-inches
Magazine capacity: 5 rounds
Weight: 9.55 lb
MSRP: $1,999
To learn more about the AR500 rifle visit Big Horn Armory