David,

Thank you VERY much for that info. That's exactly what I was looking for. There is lots of info for the "tactical" nonsense, but trickier to find proper hunting info. And because it's a .50, I want to make sure I have enough "material" on the barrel to be safe, but also have a decent handling rifle. And from the sounds of things, your rig sounds perfect.

Oh one last thing, is your barrel ported/braked or not?

Thanks very much for your help -Cameron