Many of today’s gun-makers started out in a different career path, but soon found a way to mix their expertise with their true passion: guns. David Moore, the owner of Spider Firearms, was born into a family of mechanics and soon found himself working on cars and drag racers.

But then he was able to shoot a .50 BMG rifle, and he started wondering if it was possible to create a bolt action with an AR-15-type upper in the massive chambering. He eventually ended up with the single-shot Ferret50, which author Jay Langston got his hands on for the upcoming November 2013 issue of Tactical Weapons. According to Langston, “The barrel is a stainless steel Lothar Walther Supermatch measuring 34.75 inches in length. The barrel’s 1.3- to 1.45-inch diameter allows 0.4 to 0.47 inches of steel around the half-inch bore, which provides plenty of strength, weight to absorb recoil and mass to dissipate heat. Capping the barrel is a four-vent muzzle brake that does an amazing job. By my calculations, it cuts recoil and muzzle rise by approximately 60 percent.”

To learn more about the Ferret50’s creation, and how it shoots at 100 and 500 yards, check out the November 2013 issue of Tactical Weapons, available on newsstands and digitally September 24, 2013. To subscribe, go to /tactical-weapons/.