A .50 BMG from a WWII M2

The .50 Browning Machine Gun (12.7 × 99 mm NATO) or .50 BMG is a cartridge developed for the Browning .50 Caliber machine gun in the late 1910s, which entered service officially in 1921. The round is based on a scaled-up 30-'06 cartridge. The cartridge itself has been made in many variants: multiple generations of regular ball, tracer, armor piercing, incendiary, and saboted sub-caliber rounds. The rounds intended for machine guns are linked together for belt feed using metallic links. M2 machine gun round from a B17. ... M2 machine gun round from a B17. ... John Moses Browning (January 21, 1855 – November 26, 1926), born in Ogden, Utah, was an American firearms designer who developed myriad varieties of weapons, cartridges, and gun mechanics, many of which are used in the U.S. military and elsewhere to this day. ... A machine gun is a fully-automatic firearm that is capable of firing bullets in rapid succession. ... Rimmed, centerfire . ... This article is about the . ... .30-06 Springfield cartridge specifications. ... An example of FMJ bullets in their usual shapes: pointy (spitzer) for the rifle and round for the pistol. ... Tracers are special bullets that are white phosphorus-tipped or contain a powder in their base that burns very brightly during their flight. ... An Armour piercing shell is a type of ammunition designed to penetrate armour. ... Incendiary refers to any fire that has been deliberately set. ... An APFSDS separating from its spindle sabot Anti-tank flechette round with its sabot A sabot refers to a device named for a shoe used in a firearm or cannon to fire a projectile or bullet that is smaller than the bore diameter. ... A Kinetic energy penetrator, an example of a Sub-caliber round. ...

The .50 BMG cartridge is now also used in long-range target and sniper rifles, as well as other .50 machine guns. The use in single-shot and semi-automatic rifles has resulted in many specialized match-grade rounds not used in .50 machine guns. The M40, United States Marine Corps standard-issue sniper rifle Sniper rifle is a term most frequently applied to rifles used by military or law enforcement to ensure accurate placement of shots at greater ranges than other small arms. ... Match grade refers to something suitable for a match, that is, able to compete with others. ...

The actual specified maximum diameter of an unfired .50 BMG bullet is .510 inch; while this appears to be over the .50 inch (12.7 mm) maximum allowed under the U.S. National Firearms Act, the barrel of a .50 BMG rifle is only .50 inches across the rifling lands, and slightly larger in the grooves. The oversized bullet is swaged to size upon firing, forming a tight seal and engaging the rifling. While subject to current political controversy due to the great power of the cartridge (it is the most powerful commonly available cartridge not considered a destructive device under the National Firearms Act) it is popular among long-range shooters for its accuracy and external ballistics, and it is one of the few cartridges that delivers accuracy (if match grade ammunition is used) at ranges over 1,000 yards (900 m). It is one of the reasons that .50 was chosen as the upper limit, as this cartridge and weapons that fire it were specifically included. The National Firearms Act is a United States federal law passed in 1934 that mandates the registration of all Title II weapons - that is, all sound suppressors or silencers, all fully-automatic and burst-fire firearms, all rifles with a barrel length less than 16 inches (406 mm) (SBR) and... Rifling of a Canon de 75 modèle 1897 A 35 caliber Remington, with a microgrove rifled barrel with a right hand twist. ... Swaging is a metal forming technique in which the metal is plastically deformed to its final shape using high pressures. ... A destructive device is a firearm or explosive device that, in the United States, is regulated by the National Firearms Act of 1934. ... External ballistics is the part of ballistics tht refers to the behavior of a bullet after it exits the barrel and before it hits the target. ...

A wide variety of ammunition is available; the availability of match grade ammunition has increased the usefulness of .50 caliber rifles by allowing more accurate fire than lower quality rounds. Matching the availability and price of the higher-quality .50 ammunition is an impediment to producing large-caliber rifles using a different round such as 20 mm. Boxes of ammunition clog a warehouse in Baghdad Ammunition is a generic military term meaning (the assembly of) a projectile and its propellant. ... The meaning of the word match grade initially is something suitable for a match, i. ...

History

A .50 BMG cartridge case. The case is 99 mm long (about 4 inches).

The round was conceptualized during WW1 by John Browning in response to a requirement for an anti-aircraft weapon. The round itself is based on a scaled-up .30-06 Springfield design, and the machine gun was based on a scaled-up M1919/M1917 design that Browning had initially developed at the turn of century (but which was not adopted by the U.S. military until 1917, hence the model designation). The new heavy machine gun, the Browning M2 .50 caliber machine gun, was used heavily in aircraft, especially during World War II, though its airborne use is limited to helicopters at present. It was and still is used on the ground as well, both vehicle mounted, in fixed fortifications and on occasion carried by infantry. The incendiary rounds were especially good against aircraft, and AP rounds for destroying concrete bunkers, structures, and lighter AFVs. Image File history File links 50bmg. ... Image File history File links 50bmg. ... Eight . ... This article is about the . ... An armoured fighting vehicle (AFV) is a military vehicle, equipped with protection against hostile attacks and often mounted weapons. ...

The development of the .50 round is sometimes confused with the German 13 mm TuF, which was developed by Germany for a Anti-tank rifle to combat British tanks during WWI. However, the development of the U.S. .50 round was started before this later war German project was completed or even known to the Allied countries. When word of the German anti-tank round spread, there was some debate as to whether it should be copied and used as a base for the new machine gun cartridge. However, after some analysis the German ammunition was ruled out, both because performance was inferior to the modified Springfield .30-06 round and because it was a semi-rimmed cartridge, making it sub-optimal for an automatic weapon. The round's dimensions and ballistic traits are different. The M2 would, however, go on to function as an anti-armour machine gun, and decades later, be used in high-powered rifles. The concept of a .50 machine gun was not an invention of this era; this caliber (.50) had been used in Maxim machine guns and in a number of manual machine guns such as the Gatling. An anti-tank rifle is a rifle designed to penetrate the armour of vehicles, particularly tanks. ...

During World War II it found use in penetrating lightly armoured vehicles, including aircraft. An upgraded variant of the Browning machine gun used during World War 2 is still in use today as the well known M2 machine gun. Since the mid-1950s, some armoured personnel carriers and utility vehicles have been made to withstand 12.7 mm machine gun fire, thus making it a much less flexible weapon. It still has more penetrating power than light machine guns such as general purpose machine guns, but is difficult to maintain and aim in field conditions. Its range and accuracy, however, are superior to light machine guns when fixed and water cooled, and has not been replaced as the standard caliber for western vehicle mounted machine guns (Soviet and CIS armoured vehicles mount 12.7 mm DShK, NSV, which are ballistically very similar to the .50 BMG, or 14.5 mm KPV machine guns, which have significantly superior armour penetration compared to any 12.7 mm round). Combatants Major Allied powers: United Kingdom Soviet Union United States Republic of China and others Major Axis powers: Nazi Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Harry Truman Chiang Kai-Shek Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tojo Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead... This article is about the . ... A general purpose machine gun (GPMG) in concept is a compromise weapon, a machine gun intended to fill the role of either a light machine gun or medium machine gun, while at the same time being man-portable. ... The M249 SAW, one of the most popular 5. ... The DShK (ДШК, for Дегтярёва Шпагина Крупнокалиберный, Degtyarev-Shpagin Large Calibre) is a Soviet heavy anti-aircraft machine gun firing 12. ... ToqerTV via NSV Nullsoft Streaming Video (NSV) is a media container designed for streaming video content over the internet. ... The KPV heavy machine gun is a Soviet designed 14. ...

The Barrett M82 .50 Caliber rifle and later variants were born during the 1980s and have upgraded the anti-material power of the military sniper. A skilled sniper can effectively neutralize an infantry unit by picking off several soldiers at a very long range, without revealing his precise location, then spend a few hours moving to a new position (whether the infantry unit decides to hunt down the sniper or to retreat), before firing again. However, due to the great destructive power of the ammunition, such heavy-caliber sniper rifles are considered anti-material weapons. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

The round is different from the one used in the Boys anti-tank rifle, developed in the 1930s in Britain, which used a belted design and a slightly larger-diameter bullet, .55 Boys (13.9 x 99B). Boyes Anti-tank Rifle Type Anti tank rifle Nationality United Kingdom Era World War II History Date of design 1937 Production period 1937 - ? Service duration 1937 - 194? Operators United Kingdom, Empire/Commonwealth, War service World War II Specifications Type Bolt action rifle Calibre . ...

Power

A common method for understanding the actual power of a cartridge is by comparing muzzle energies. The Springfield .30-06, the standard caliber for American soldiers in World War II and a popular caliber amongst American hunters, can produce muzzle energies between 2000 and 3000 foot pounds of force (between 2711 and 4067 joules). A .50 BMG round can produce between 10,000 and 13,000 foot pounds (between 13558 and 17625 joules) or more, depending on its powder and bullet type, as well as the rifle it was fired from. Due to the high ballistic coefficient of the bullet, the .50 BMG's trajectory also suffers less "drift" from cross-winds than smaller and lighter calibers. In physics, a foot-pound force (symbol ft·lbf) is most of the time incorrectly abbreviated to foot-pounds, is from the English Engineering System and U.S. customary unit of mechanical work, or energy, although in scientific fields one commonly uses the equivalent metric unit of the joule (J). ...

Legal controversy

Since the adoption of .50 BMG rifles by military sniper units, there has been a growing gun control movement in some states, including California, New York, Massachusetts, Hawaii, and Illinois, to ban civilian possession of .50 BMG rifles and ammunition. Bill AB50 in California, passed in 2004, classifies all .50 BMG rifles of any action type as assault weapons, which are illegal to import into the state or transfer to any but a state agency or dealer licensed to purchase them. Although the bill's sponsor, California Assemblyman Paul Koretz, has claimed that the .50 BMG "would be an ideal choice for use in an act of terrorism," no violent crime has ever been committed with a .50 BMG rifle in the United States. It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Gun politics. ... This article is becoming very long. ... Official language(s) English de facto Capital Albany Largest city New York City Area  Ranked 27th  - Total 54,520 sq mi (141,205 km²)  - Width 285 miles (455 km)  - Length 330 miles (530 km)  - % water 13. ... Official language(s) English Capital Boston Largest city Boston Area  Ranked 44th  - Total 10,555 sq mi (27,360 km²)  - Width 183 miles (295 km)  - Length 113 miles (182 km)  - % water 13. ... This article is becoming very long. ... Official language(s) English Capital Springfield Largest city Chicago Area  Ranked 25th  - Total 57,918 sq mi (149,998 km²)  - Width 210 miles (340 km)  - Length 390 miles (629 km)  - % water 4. ... A civilian is a person who is not a member of a military. ... Although there is no precise definition of the term, an assault weapon is generally defined as a semi-automatic firearm that is similar in name, appearance, or design to a fully automatic firearm or military weapon. ...

After AB50 was passed, Barrett proceeded to cease sales and service of .50 BMG rifles to California law enforcement agencies. An official press release from the owner of Barrett Firearms can be found on the company's website, as follows: "Barrett cannot legally sell any of its products to lawbreakers. Therefore, since California's passing of AB 50, the state is not in compliance with the U.S. Constitution's 2nd and 14th Amendments, and we will not sell nor service any of our products to any Government agency of the State of California." The Barrett Firearms Company was founded in 1980 by Ronnie Barrett. ...

In response to legal action against the .50 BMG in the United States and Europe, an alternative chambering has been developed. The .510 DTC Europ uses the same bullet, but has slightly different case dimensions. .510 DTC cases can be made by fire-forging .50 BMG cases. The new round has almost identical ballistics, but because of the different dimensions, rifles chambered for the .50 BMG cannot fire the .510 DTC, and vice versa, and therefore do not fall under many of the same legal prohibitions. History The . ...

Media reports on the .50 BMG often vastly overstate the power of the rifle. One such report by the Associated Press claimed it was used to penetrate tank armor[1] and that it was useless for hunting; both statements were later retracted. The primary civilian users of .50 caliber rifles, which range in price from around $US2000[2] for single shot models to nearly US$8000[3] for the Barrett M82A1, are long-range target shooters; the Fifty Caliber Shooters Association, for instance, holds .50 BMG shooting matches nationwide[4]. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

See also

• .50 caliber handguns
• 12 mm caliber
• 14.5 x 114 mm
• List of firearms
• List of rifle cartridges
• Raufoss Mk211
• .510 DTC Europ
• Gun control in the United States (by state)

There are a number of handguns that fire . ... This article lists firearm cartridges which have a bullet in the 12 mm (.472 in) caliber range. ... The 14. ... Located below is an extended list of small arms, ranging from pistols to machine guns and even to large handheld devices such as grenade launchers and anti-tank rifles. ... From left to right: .50 BMG, 300 Win Mag, .308 Winchester, 7. ... The Raufoss Mk211 round The Raufoss Mk211 is a . ... History The . ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ...

External links

• 50 Caliber Shooter's Association: Dedicated to the Sporting Uses of the .50 BMG

• Barrett Firearms Manufacturing, Inc.: Message from Ronnie Barrett, regarding legal issues surrounding his rifles

References

• Fifty Caliber Institute page on California AB50, with secondary sources