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The
.50 Browning Machine Gun (12.7x99mm NATO) or .50 BMG is
a cartridge developed for the Browning .50 Caliber
machine gun in the late 1910s. Entering service
officially in 1921, the round is based on a greatly
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 .50 BMG cartridge is
also used in long-range target and sniper rifles, as
well as other .50 caliber machine guns. The use in
single-shot and semi-automatic rifles has resulted in
many specialized match-grade rounds not used in .50
caliber machine guns. |
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A common method for understanding the actual power of a
cartridge is by comparing muzzle energies. The
Springfield .30-06 can produce muzzle energies between
2000-3000 foot pounds of energy. A .50 BMG round can
produce between 10,000-13,000 foot pounds 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, making the .50 BMG a good choice for
high powered sniper rifles.
To find 50 BMG Rifle dealers, 50 BMG accessories and 50 BMG Rifle
information, visit
50
Caliber Vault. |
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