Gun Review: Noreen Firearms ULR 2.0 .50 BMG Rifle

Before we go one step further, I want to go on record as stating that every American son of liberty should have access to and experience with a rifle that fires the greatest cartridge that John Moses Browning ever made, the .50 BMG (Browning Machine Gun) round. 

That being said, any rifle chambered in .50 BMG might seem price prohibitive and that will be true for some. But with the correct budgeting, owning the most powerful centerfire rifle available can be done. Particularly if you don’t try to shoot your wad all at once.   

Noreen Firearms ULR 2.0 .50 BMG

A couple of years ago I walked into my favorite ranch store in Laramie, Wyoming and behind the gun counter was something I had never seen before. The rifle was big — very big — and painted in a desert camouflage pattern. I figured it had to be a .50 BMG and the clerk confirmed that it was indeed a Noreen Firearms ULR rifle. The man behind the counter indulged me and passed the massive gun over for my inspection. I had that conflicted feeling in my guts. I really wanted to buy it right there and then, but the reasonable devil talked me out of it. No, the reasonable devil’s name is not Nancy. 

I imagine that many of you have felt the same way as I did for the last year or so. You keep thinking that you should have grabbed that gun when it was available. Well, this Spring, for my birthday, I went back to my favorite ranch store, and this time I found the ULR 2.0. It’s the new version (introduced in December) of the rifle I passed on previously. That day there was no hesitation and I think I surprised the clerk when 45 seconds after he handed me the massive rifle I said, “Okay, I’ll take it. Let’s start the paperwork.”

Like most rifles chambered in 50 cal, the ULR 2.0 from Noreen Firearms of Belgrade, Montana, is a big mamajama, tipping the scales at 24 pounds. That’s empty, with no scope or bipod. Barrel length is 30 inches and the overall length for the gun is 50 inches, according to my Black & Decker tape measure, with the factory stock in place.

This rifle is a single-shot, bolt action with no magazine. Each round of .50 BMG is loaded by inserting a cartridge onto the very large bolt and then chambering it. Inside of the action is an adjustable Timney Trigger.       

At the moment the MSRP for the ULR 2.0 .50 BMG rifle is $2,695. What I paid for it is none of your business, but I will tell you it was a good bit less than the MSRP…which is to be expected with most guns. 

Setup

And so I had given myself a .50 BMG rifle for my birthday. Next I needed to accessorize it.

The first step was a bipod. This wasn’t terribly difficult as I’ve been using and trusting Harris Bipods for better than 25 years now. I simply needed the adapter to mount the bipod to the Picatinny rail on the belly of the forearm. On top there is pic rail running the entire length of the “receiver” front to back. The pistol grip is an AR-15 A2 version and it’s just fine.

The Noreen adjustable stock that came with the rifle seemed functional and useful. However, the Devil noticed that it was mounted to the back of the receiver by a Pic rail. “Could we put a side folding stock on this .50 BMG?” the Devil asked. It just so happened that I had discovered a brand new S.A.S Tactical Folding Stock from Samson Manufacturing at the NRA Annual Meeting. The S.A.S is adjustable and fits nicely onto the ULR 2.0. With the stock folded, the storage length for the rifle is now a much more manageable 42.5 inches.

Glass

While the .50 BMG cartridge is a ballistic sledgehammer, it’s also an extremely accurate and effective long range cartridge. As we live out west in rifle country, I was anticipating engaging targets far beyond those of standard east coast short ranges. Such a cartridge warrants good glass. 

I had been wanting to try out a VUDU long range optic from EOTech for some time now and this seemed as good a time as any. I ordered the VUDU 3.5-18×50 FFP (first focal plane) scope. They have a number of reticle choices and I went with the Horus H59 as I had very little experience with it and wanted more. This optic had milliradian or MRAD adjustment as well as an illuminated reticle feature. The optic also comes with an extended shade.        

Range Time

In addition to the Noreen ULR 2.0 now fitted out with a rifle scope, bipod, and a new stock, I took some PMC Bronze 660 grain FMJ ammunition as well as premium Hornady 750 grain A-MAX load. The Hornady A-MAX has the distinction of having the highest G1 ballistic coefficient of any factory rifle cartridge. The A-MAX G1 BC is 1.05, which is essentially perfect. FYI, that perfection comes at a price. 

Before I squeezed off the first shot, I looked down the .50 caliber bore and rough zeroed the scope on paper so that my first shot would be close to center on the target I had set up at 50 yards. It was. And after two more shots and some minor adjustments, I moved the target to 100 yards to establish a base zero.

Yes, the rifle produces recoil. I would say it’s akin to shooting high brass 12 gauge rounds. The 24+ pounds of weight absorb some recoil and the massive muzzle device out front is absolutely critical. No, I was not able to stay on target and spot the impacts from my shots. In the owner’s manual for the rifle, Noreen Firearms states that you must use extreme pressure moly grease which I found at Harbor Freight and applied to the bolt in the places specified by the manual.

This wasn’t my first experience with a .50 BMG rifle as I have previously worked with both auto-loaders and bolt-guns from Barrett Firearms as well as a different version of a single-shot .50. This is a good time for a hat tip to Ronnie Barrett, without whom the civilian .50 BMG rifle likely wouldn’t exist, at least not like it does today with as many rifles and ammunition choices. 

I purposely took about five minutes or so between shots. When you touch off a round of .50 BMG it’s similar to being at the center of a controlled explosion. If you aren’t careful, you can and will develop a nasty flinch. To avoid a flinch, the shooter absolutely must put all their focus on rifle marksmanship fundamentals and let the ignition surprise them. If you start anticipating the recoil, it’s all over from an accuracy standpoint. 

Over a period of about an hour I fired ten rounds. Depending on the load and where you buy it, you can expect to pay $4 to $8 per round for .50 BMG ammunition. The tightest three shots from the Hornady A-Max went into 1.25 inches. That’s not sub-MOA, but I expect some barrel break-in and imagine that those groups will tighten up. 

As my range is in the mountains, there are plenty of large rocks around. There was one at about 150 yards that was the size of a bowling ball. A round of PMC FMJ turned it into gravel which is always a cool experience and worth the $4 trigger pull. Before stepping away from the range, I put the last shot dead center into the head of a silhouette target.

While I’m just getting started with the ULR 2.0, the rifle and all of the accessories performed as advertised. The EOTech VUDU scope is crystal clear and dialing it in was easy. As any rifle shooter knows, after you have a solid 100-yard zero established, the rest is just math and wind calls.

I’m looking forward to more range time and I might just change the ULR’s black finish to something more interesting. Stay tuned. 

Specifications: Noreen Firearms ULR 2.0 Rifle

Caliber: .50 BMG
Action: Bolt
Barrel Length: 30 inches
Overall Length: 50 inches
Weight: 24 pounds
MSRP: $2,695

 

Paul G. Markel is a combat decorated United States Marine veteran. He is also the founder of Student the Gun University and has been teaching Small Arms & Tactics to military personnel, police officers, and citizens for over three decades.