You show us someone who doesn’t want to own a .50-cal and we’ll show you a liar. It’s pretty simple: Big boom = big fun. However, that “big fun” usually comes with a hefty price tag attached to it. Most of the .50-caliber rifles we’ve come to know and love start at mid-four figures. They go right on up to well above $10,000. But what if we said you could have your own .50-cal starting at less than $1,500? All you need is an AR-15. Enter the Safety Harbor SHTF 50 upper conversion.
Safety Harbor SHTF 50 Details
The SHTF 50 upper fits any standard mil-spec AR-15 lower and turns it into a .50-cal bolt-action rifle. The video above explains things pretty well. Safety Harbor offers different scope rails and different barrel lengths, as well as a single-shot or mag fed version. Those interested can also buy just the upper or a rifle package with a single-shot lower included.
Scope rails include a 20 MOA Rail, an “Exacto Rail,” a high rail, and a low rail. Barrel lengths include 18 inches and 29 inches. Safety Harbor originally had 22-inch models, but it appears they aren’t available for the time being.
There’s a good news/bad news situation that follows the info we’ve provided. We’ll start with the bad news. Safety Harbor President Walter Keller states in the video that the upper requires no FFL, while the lower does. However, things have changed since Safety Harbor released that video. As it normally does, the ATF stepped in and ruined everyone’s fun. According to Safety Harbor:
Due to BATFE complications that started in July 2018 we halted production till we could receive an official determination for our SHTF50 upper conversions. Long story short, they determined that our SHTF50 upper assemblies constitute a “receiver” of a firearm. This means that all SHTF50 upper assemblies, from this point on, need to transfer through a FFL dealer.
Now, on to the good news: MSRP. The single-shot upper ranges from $1,450 to $1,850. Meanwhile, the mag-fed version retails between $1,850 and $2,250. So, all things considered, you’re saving a ton of cheddar and you still get that big boom we all love. If you’re not convinced, watch the video above. For more information, please visit SafetyHarborFirearms.com.
