What it like shooting a 50 BMG? And what is it used for?

J

Jamie Young

New member
What is this caliber meant for? It seems a bit of an overkill for sniping but I've heard some Urban Legends about its use in the Persian Gulf War. What I heard was some guys were dropped in the desert with some kind of 50cal rifle and they shot depleted Uranium rds into some of the Iraqi tanks. I heard they actually immobilized the tanks by shooting right where the tank drivers sat. Is there any truth to this?
 
The .50BMG was designed to do what the .30 didn't have the zip to do. Destruction of material & vehicles were the intended results, not the production of large, smoking holes in people. Most pre-WW II armored vehicles (and many even today) would have been at risk from a .50BMG projectile.
Patent application was filed on July 31, 1923 & was granted on May 10, 1927.
Info from "John M. Browning American Gunmaker", a book that should be in every well-equipped library.

About killing a modern tank with a .50BMG, I saw a short film sequence of a hyper-velocity projectile (may have been a 57mm) going thru the front slope of a Soviet tank hull and exiting thru the grill doors at the rear. It took a hell of a lot of velocity for even a DU round to penetrate the tank's front slope. I don't see how a man-portable gun could duplicate that feat.
 
In military use, the .50 (and 14.5mm) rifles are intended to be used mainly for disabling valuable enemy equipment, by destroying or damaging parts that can't easily be replaced. For example, a .50 round through the "black box" that controls the launching and targeting on a SCUD makes that missile absolutely USELESS. Similarly, a .50 round through a multi-million dollar Hind helicopter transmission stops that helicopter from being used against your forces, without having to actually destroy that helicopter. Shooting a satellite dish or transmitter array prevents your enemy from communicating with his troops in the field. There are lots and lots of targets like this from a military standpoint, and when you compare the "cost" of a well-trained rifleman, a $1000 rifle, and a $2.50 .50 BMG round to the "cost" of an air strike or infantry assault to do the same thing, it just makes sense to use the .50 sniper. Even with the DU rounds, though, I think the story about shooting tank drivers is an urban legend; it IS confirmed that these were used in the Gulf War to disable SCUDs.
From a civilian usage standpoint, being able to consistently bullseye a 4 foot target from 1000 yards is appealling for the same reason a sub-MOA group at 100 yards is; the last I heard, the record for a .50 rifle at 1000 yards (5 shots) was around 3 and a quarter inches. :-)
I've shot the Iver Johnson / Research Armament Industries .50, and I can say that the recoil was about the same as a pump-action 12 gauge with full-house slug loads; it wasn't nearly as uncomfortable as I thought it would be, and if I won the lottery, I'd probably look at buying one.
Stacey C.
 
From what I've heard, 50 BMG rifles are used only by terrorists and drug dealers. No civillian has a legitimate use for a gun that fires a bullet that big.

However, I do want one anyway ;)
 
The .50 MG was first intended for use against the light armor of the WWI period. It proved effective in WWII and later both mounted on vehicles and in limited ground use against vehicles, buildings, and aircraft in the anti-aircraft role. But it's main WWII use was in aircraft. I am reliably informed that one should preferably not be on the receiving end of the eight .50 MGs carried in the wings of the P-51, P-47, and similar flying machines.

Jim
 
hee hee....

"Most pre-WW II armored vehicles (and many even today) would have been at risk from a .50BMG projectile."

You make it sound like an armored vehicle that can be defeated by .50 Browning is rare. The US Army's M113A2s (all of which, unfortunately, have triclked down to us in the National Guard, instead of being melted down for scrap like the steaming heaps o' crap they are)armor can EASILY be defeated by .50 cal. Hell, .30 cal AP at close range (from an M60, or PKM machine gun) will penetrate the armor from what I understand, then go on to bounce around the inside. They don't call them "rolling deathtraps" for nothing.
 
One version of the half-track of WW II and Korea had a quad-50 mount in the back. Low flying aircraft under 350 mph were "killable", although the turret wouldn't rotate fast enough to keep up with faster stuff. Woe betide any plane flying straight in on you, though!

As a "stopper" for Chinese human-wave attacks, it was simply devastating.

Each solenoid-controlled gun could be tuned to 600 rounds/minute. Typically, the loaders would have the gunner alternating two guns at a time, for a 1,200 rounds/minute output.

Against wave assaults, barrels didn't last long. The normal use pattern was to say to yourself, "Fire a burst of six (pause), fire a burst of six..."

All four cans filled with 210 rounds, each, and four guns turned loose at once! Yowzah!

:), Art
 
One version of the half-track of WW II and Korea had a quad-50 mount in the back.
Click to expand...

Ah, yes, the Quad-.50. I forgot the exact model designation (M-16?M-60? it was similar to a current infantry weapon), but I believe they used to call those the "AFE" gun....anti-frickin'-everything. :)
 
Nightcrawler, didn't mean to imply that things like M113's were proof against a .50BMG. I reckon that when I type "armored vehicle", I'm usually picturing a main battle tank.

I've fired the old M2HB mounted on a tripod & that was a lot of fun. Can't imagine how cool blasting away from the gunner's seat of a Quad would be.....

According to one source, the power turret version of the Quad .50 was the M45....the M16 was a modified M3 halftrack with an M45 mount installed...
 
My uncle used to shop the auctions at Kelly AFB in 1946/1947. Never knew what would be in a "Lot". We had several plates of about 5/16" (IIRC) armor plate from airplanes.

.30 M2 GI ball would gouge but not penetrate at 100 yards. 150-grain Hornady Spire Point handloads would blow a 1/2" hole through it. The extra 200-300 ft/sec made a difference. I imagine a .50 would zip on through at quite a few hundred yards.

During WW II in France, my father's company pulled back to a rest camp for a week or so. One day, a P-51 pilot got lost and strafed the camp. When he came back for seconds, Pop ran out to a jeep-mounted .50 and kept up his end of the conversation. Apparently got a few hits. The camp CO got a letter from the Army Air Corps suggesting they study airplane silhouettes; the CO responded that the AAC teach navigation...

FWIW, Art
 
Thanks Drundel that was a cool little clip. As I connect at 256k there was no download time. :D

sks
 
.50 in Gulf War

I, too, have heard bits and pieces of stories of the .50 fired from a sniper's rifle used to disable lightly armored targets at extreme ranges, and seem to recall a bit of info on a 1000+ meter hit on a single enemy soldier. If anyone knows where verified and hopefully detailed info could be found, I would be most appreciative. I figure it must be buried in still classified battleground after-action reports, but maybe some is out there somewhere.
 
One of the soldiers from the firing battery that was part of Task Force Smith destroyed a T34/85 with a M2 HB. He was firing down on it from a hill and caused secondary fires with the ammunition inside the turret. Today the 50 cal serves on as a duel purpose gun primarily anti-light material (trucks, planes, houses, softer APC) and secondarily antipersonnel.
 
Jhp147:

During Vietnam a marine sniper named Carlos Hathcock took a 1500 (?) yard shot from a M2 with a scope on it and hit his target. I can't find my book about him so I can't recall exact details, perhaps someone else will know.
 
Hathcock's .50 long shot

I think it was about a 2000 yard shot, but can't recall, I remember doing the math and it was well over 1 mile.

He was on a hill inside the perimeter covering a patrol, when an officer looking over his shoulder pointed out a VC stooping over a stump getting a drink from a stream. THe O asked how far away H thought the guy was, gunny replied "I know EXACTLY how far, it is ____ yards because I sighted this rig in on that stump he's leaning over, watch this..."

BOOM.

Smack.

Hit him in the chin as he rose from the drink.

I think it is the longest recorded confirmed hit on a human.
 
I can only answer the first part of your post regarding what it's like to shoot a 50. A friend set up an Armalite 50 bolt gun at the local range and I got behind it. I shot prone, positioned on a drop cloth on the cement pad with the muzzle over the dirt. When I touched off the round, the corrugated roof shook, I slid back a few inches on the cement, and a dust cloud blasted ten feet to each side of the muzzle. What a rush!
 
Hathcock hits

Drundel and C87, I recall that account, now that you mention it. I was thinking about a Gulf War hit with a Barrett 82 or whatever .50 is used for sniping now rather than an M2. Still don't know exactly where I heard of it.
 
I have also fired the old M2HB mounted on a tripod and all I can say it it's the most fun you can have with your clothes on. :D
 
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