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Can you plink with a 50 caliber rifle?

No. You plink with a .22. You PLUNK with a .50.

Anybody try one of those .50cal uppers for the AR-15? I'm too cheap to get a Barrett (though it's beginning to look like it may be a good investment).

"(though it's beginning to look like it may be a good investment)."

Any big bore gun is a good investment right now if you have a place to bury them.

That's what they're going after.

I do not shoot a 50 caliber rifle. I'm a accuracy nut, but I don't need the big cannon to get what I want. Most of the long range records are not held by the big 50 cal. That is some politicians fantasy, then when you add a couple of not so honest, ballistic ignorant journalist you have a story. The story may sound good, even good enough to get a law passed, but it is a crock of the type that could only be concocted in some capital building someplace by politicians who are short on integrity and who are desperate to get their names on an anti gun bill that sounds good and will catch the publics eye.
But the story, and the Bill is still a crock.
What is true is that most premium bolt action rifles in any one of several different calibers can be modified to shoot 8 inch groups at a half mile. By the time you buy a great hunk of glass to put on top of it, the whole set up will cost you under $3,000 and never raise an eyebrow from anyone you buy the pieces and parts from. The gum smith that tricks out the rifle and mounts the glass will know that you want a accurate rifle, and he will appreciate your knowledge in how to get it that way, but he has customized many rifles in this way, so he won't think much about it.
The part of this scenario that is difficult is finding someone who can shoot at this level. This is the type of shooting is where you have to know everything about the shot. Exactly how long it is, the angle of the shot, how many degrees up or down the target is as compared to straight and level. Someone who can do the geometry of the bullet flight in their head, a Man who is good at doping the wind and who has a good steady hand with the 2oz trigger. As you sand bag the rifle in preparing for your shot, all eyes are on the target a half mile away. As you snuggle down into your rifle, continually watching the wind flags to make sure that any changing data is recognized, considered, and compensations are made, you have your nerves under control and are slowing and synchronizing your heart beat. When your finger caresses the hair trigger your body and mind must be calm and quiet as if you are dead. That final light touch of the trigger must be between heartbeats and cause no movement of the rifle at all with the exception of the blast of noise and muzzle jump. The muzzle brake takes care of most of the movement and localizes the noise. The target will never hear the explosion within the cartridge contained within the rifle a half mile away and less than one half second before the spiraling bullet bisects the center of mass of the selected target. The second bullet can be launched just as much accuracy within a few seconds. No 50 Caliber rifle that I know of has ever been used in a crime. As far as I know, none of the people who shoot this cannon have ever been trained to shoot at people or use this 25 + lb cannon to hunt with. It's much too heave to pack around. These huge 50 caliber monsters are few and far between. The rifles I described above are exist by the thousands all across our country for the purpose of long range hunting and long range shooting. They are totally legal and a blast to shoot. The politicians in this country need to get real and be honest in what they are trying to do.