The .50 BMG is a heavy machine gun cartridge that has served for nearly a century now in the equally famous M2 machine gun. In that 100 years, the round has found its way from machine guns into rifles that can be handled and fired by a single person. Long-range shooting with a .50 BMG rifle is a world unto itself, with highly specialized ammunition, optics and firearms. Auto-Ordnance, a subsidiary of the Kahr Firearms Group, is stepping into that world with the Thompson TAO50, a rifle announced last year and appearing on the market in 2025.
Auto-Ordnance calls its TAO50 “a revolutionary bolt-action rifle designed to redefine long-range shooting power and precision.”
The TAO50 is a magazine-fed, bolt-action rifle. The bolt rides on a patent-pending roller bearings system and uses a left-side bolt handle. Its 10-round detachable box-magazine is of the Barrett M82/M107 pattern and one magazine is supplied with the rifle. An M1913 Picatinny rail runs the length of the surfaces of the upper receiver and handguard for the mounting of optics and accessories.
Auto-Ordnance’s Thompson TAO50 combines cutting-edge and innovative engineering with compatibility with popular firearms already on the market.
The 29” barrel is precision-rifled with a 1:15” twist-rate and its muzzle threaded 1x14 TPI for the attachment of a .50 BMG bolt-action compatible suppressor. It comes capped with Auto-Ordnance’s patent-pending, high-efficiency muzzle brake, which the company says makes it one of the the softest recoiling .50 BMG rifles on the market.
The TAO50 is available with hard-anodized finish of either matte black or flat dark earth (FDE) (pictured).
Despite being a rifle that is 61” overall and weighs 25.5 lbs., the TAO50 seeks to maintain AR-15 familiarity and compatibility, with a Magpul PRS Gen 3 precision adjustable stock, MOE+ grip and a Timney AR-style trigger. A bilateral safety lever is placed in the traditional AR position above the pistol grip. The rifle comes equipped with an Accu-Tac bipod.
The TAO50 has AR-15 familiarity and compatibility, with its Magpul furniture and bilateral safety lever.
The TAO50 has a hard-anodized finish on metal components that can be had in matte black or flat dark earth (FDE). Lest you forget this is an Auto-Ordnance product, the classic Thompson bullet logo is etched into the rifle’s lower receiver and muzzle brake.
The classic Auto-Ordnance Thompson bullet logo is etched into the lower receiver and muzzle brake.
The Auto-Ordnance TAO50 comes in a custom-fitted, wheeled hard case and has an MSRP of $8,700 for the matte black rifle and $8,800 for the version with the FDE finish. For more information, see the company’s website.
The TAO50 comes in a fitted hard case with room for all of its accessories.
