50 bmg ballistic coefficient

The cartridges have two separate links of the machine gun selected. It is a scaled up version of the venerable .30-06 (standard issue in infantry rifles for the U.S. in both World Wars). When we look at the graph, it is quite a stark contrast between cartridges. Where there are variables, we try to keep them as uniform as possible, but for some cases, it only makes sense to change these variables based on the cartridges. [citation needed], The U.S. Coast Guard uses .50 BMG rifles onboard armed helicopters to disable the engines on boats during interdictions. Brands like Smith & Wesson, Magnum Desert Eagle, Magnum Research, Guncrafter Industries, Ruger Super, Safety Harbour, etc create the best pistols for 50 BMG. [4] A skilled sniper can effectively neutralize an infantry unit by eliminating several targets (soldiers or equipment) without revealing his precise location. 300 yds. No extra bullets are sent. The first 50 BMG ammunition was the 13.2mm TuF to attack against armored targets. The .338 LM is no slouch when it comes to long range shooting. Well, for 50 BMG, you're looking at $11-$16/round for military surplus ammo. 200 yds. They are widely used by civilians as well as military forces. On 14 April 2001, 19-year old Senior Airman Jennifer Donaldson, from the Illinois Air National Guard, made history. Special Offer: Join our private community and get exclusive gun deals, handpicked gear recommendations and updates on law changes, every day! The email address you entered is not valid. This is a hard hitting round with incredible range and power. If you're looking at doing match ammo, you could be paying $5/round just for the bullet, nevermind the powder, primer, brass and other components. On the other hand, 50 BMG is designed for machine gun operations, which belongs to 50 Cal. Not match ammo. There are several variants of this 50 caliber round. The Hornady 750gr AMAX bullet has become popular with its very high ballistic coefficient and is typically the choice for extreme ranges beyond 1500 meters. More importantly, we are interested in how flat a bullet flies over a given distance. This limitation was entirely tactical in nature and was intended to hide the vulnerable M40 and its crew from the enemy until the main anti-tank gun was ready for firing; however, Parks concludes that some U.S. troops assumed the existence of a legal limitation on the use of .50-caliber projectiles more generally. There are two to three inches difference between the highest performing 50 BMG round and the highest 338 LM round. The 50 BMG is the winner of this section..50 BMG vs .50 Beowulf: Stopping Power. Were not going to go too specific with the comparisons here. Excellent quality, and great customer service from Dave Moore of Spider Firearms. The following ins a 500 yd 270 Win ballistic trajectory and drop chart that follows a 130gr Winchester Silvertip with a ballistic coeddicient of .337 from the time it exits the muzzle until it hits the 500 yard mark. How much energy is required to take down an animal varies and the amount that actually gets transferred to the target varies. The firearm has been zeroed in at 200 yards. As the 50 BMG bullet has a high ballistic coefficient, it is used for powerful sniper rifles. Mostly the twist rate of the rifling of 50 BMG is 1 in 15, with eight lands. Ballistic Coefficient is essentially a measure of air drag. It has a thick casting of under 4 inches long with a primer end of 0.75-inch diameter. Firearm Setup. By adding trajectories to the panel on the right you may produce charts and graphs that show the different trajectories side by side. Think of it paired with the energy of the bullet. This is the best ballistic coefficient of any bullet to date. . 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. When a bullet is fired from the barrel, it carries kinetic energy that upon impact is transferred to the target. The .50 BMG round can produce between 10,000 and 15,000 foot pounds (between 14 and 18 kilojoules), depending on its powder and bullet type, as well as the rifle it was fired from. This large amount of force is very destructive to surrounding tissue and organs. We hope that this article has highlighted these differences and provided you with a reliable source for making your own decision of which cartridge better fits your needs. These ballistic coefficient values are said to be accurate to within about 5%. Browning pondered the situation and, according to his son John, replied, 'Well, the cartridge sounds pretty good to start. 50 caliber refers to the bullet of this size shot by a gun, and not the casing. The ballistic coefficient or measure of drag for the .50 BMG is 1.05 which, is higher than any other commercially available around. 50 BMG 750 gr A-MAX Match Item #8270 | 10/Box We carefully select every component to ensure uniformity, then load to exacting specifications to provide pinpoint accuracy. The minimum SD for hunting medium game is .210. 50 Cal 647 Grain Ball pulled bullets. A sniper consists of the bipod, handle, brake, and removable magazine. [1]) is a .50in (12.7mm) caliber cartridge developed for the M2 Browning heavy machine gun in the late 1910s, entering official service in 1921. Velocity fps: 2940: 2806: 2677: 2551: 2428: 2309: Energy ft lbs: 12666: 11541: 10499: 9534: Ballistic Coefficient - BC of 0.364 seems to be way low, standard BC for Ball Ammo should be in the 0.650-0.670 range. A .50 in caliber cartridge developed for the M2 Browning heavy machine gun in the late 1910s, entering official service in 1921. The common rifling twist rate for this cartridge is 1 in 15in (380mm), with eight lands and grooves. Designed for long range training and target practice. The round is a scaled-up version of the .30-06 Springfield but uses a case wall with a long taper to facilitate feeding and extraction in various weapons. To begin, these selected rounds all have excellent BCs that most would be more than happy with. However, sectional density, the relationship between . Rifles chambered for the .338 LM are a bit heavy to haul around the backcountry for most people, but it is much more manageable than a rifle chambered for a .50 BMG. For the 50BMG, we are not going to give a specific round. Heck, the BC of a bullet can change based on temperature, altitude, and pressure. According to the American Rifleman: "Actually, the Browning .50 originated in the Great War. However, bullets shot from pistols are slower as the gunpowder takes longer to burn. So, it is evident that the bullet is dangerous and needs care while in use. Smith and Wesson Serial Number Lookup: 7 Pre-Model Number Versions, Marlin Serial Number Lookup: Learn All About Factory Records, How to Install Zastava M70 Scope Mount: 4 Things You Should Know, 0.50-inch diameter and 5.5-inch long casing. Before we wrap up the article, we wanted to pick a round from each cartridge that we really like for certain applications. The ballistic coefficient is derived from an equation that uses several bullet and cartridge variables. Price Per Round: $2.90. Copyright 2023 ShootersCalculator.comALL rights reserved. It answered a lot of my questions. While it is one of the more expensive rounds on our list, you are paying for incredible performance that comes close to matching hand loaded rounds from the experts. The .50 BMG cartridge is also used in anti-materiel rifles. The .50 Browning Machine Gun (.50 BMG, 12.799mm NATO and designated as the 50 Browning by the C.I.P. Lake City 50 BMG Ammo Details. The following improvements will be made: Please sign up for our newsletter so that you can be alerted the moment these new features are launched! Spitzer. "[5], The round was put into use in the M1921 Browning machine gun. Sign up to receive new product announcements, special offers, and the annual product catalog. Inside the cartridge consists of a core made of manganese molybdenum steel, a point filler, and a seal of the lead-antimony base. The standard projectile on which all Hornady Bullets were compared was the G1 Model, based on work begun in France and refined at the U. S. Army Ballistic Research Laboratories, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland. This is near impossible to handle accurately unless accessory gear is used to help absorb and stabilize the rifle. [14], Some civilians use .50 caliber rifles for long-range target shooting: the US-based Fifty Caliber Shooters Association holds .50 BMG shooting matches. somehow. From a hunting perspective, the advertised ballistic data confirms that all three cartridges have both the necessary sectional density (SD) and initial muzzle energy for both medium and large game hunting applications. Cases are carefully selected based on strict criteria: wall thickness uniformity, internal capacity, case weight and consistent wall concentricity. The cartridge itself has been made in many variants from armor piercing to tracer rounds, though most factory loads that can be accessed by civilians are the typical bullets. In the case of the 338 Lapua vs 50 BMG, we still feel the same. There are various types of weapons used for 50 caliber bullets. The primer type specified for this ammunition is Boxer primer that has a single centralized ignition point (US and NATO countries). In regards to ballistics, the .50 BMG has a bigger, heavier bullet that delivers a reliable killing shot at ranges up to 3300 yards and take down medium-sized game at these incredible ranges.. They can easily enter through light armors and hit targets. It can disable most unarmored and lightly armored vehicles. These are used by both civilians and military forces for various purposes. This comparison is interesting because of how similar the sectional densities are despite the major differences in bullets. Since a .50 caliber bullet is manufactured with a solid metal surface and core, it is very powerful. Almost all rounds have a ballistic coefficient of less than 1.0, but large rounds like the 50 BMG can exceed this normal BC. ?Ballistic Coefficient: 1.070?Sectional Density: 0.412?Special attention should . We are not huge advocates of its use in hunting, but if you have the desire to take it to the field, your biggest concern is how it flies, in which case check out the next section. This Federal American Eagle 50 BMG ammunition is perfect for target shooting, competition shooting, long-range hunting, and long-range shooting. This Ballistic is so strong that it can literally obliterate the point it touches within its effective shooting range. Since 50 BMG cartridges are unique, these have a limited number of sniper rifles built with adequate quality. Some of them can also be semi auto-loading guns. They are easily portable to shoot at great ranges with destructive forces. Your Savings: $43.50 (9%) 50 BMG M33 Ball Military Grade ammunition with a 660 Grain FMJ Bullet & Brass Case. With such differences in cartridge specs, we can assume that the ballistic performances are going to be quite different as well. 50 Caliber ITEM NO: 50A BULLET TYPE: FMJ-BT WEIGHT: 660 grain BALLISTICS (barrel length: 36 inches) VELOCITY (feet per second) Muzzle: 3080 100 Yds: 2854 200 Yds: 2639 300 Yds: 2444 400 Yds: 2248 500 Yds: 2061 ENERGY (foot-pounds) Muzzle: 13688 BULLET PATH (inches) Muzzle: +1.50 100 Yds: +3.10 200 Yds: +3.90 300 Yds: +4.70 400 Yds: +2.80 500 Yds: 0 Factory loads for civilian purchase are limited with most of the available rounds coming with bullet weights between 650 and 750gr. When it comes to hunting, there are great options for the .338 LM. Both are considered powerful and unique bullet rounds. But it differs from other types of 50 caliber bullet rounds. [38] Connecticut specifically bans the Barrett 82A1 .50 BMG rifle. These bullets are magnetic. New reloading data must be opened as a PDF document in an up-to-date compatible PDF viewer. Thank you. And we know we have harped on this several times throughout the article, but we are going to talk regarding cartridge versus cartridge rather than round to round. [9] The former record for a confirmed long-distance kill was set by U.S. Marine sniper Carlos Hathcock in 1967 during the Vietnam War, at a distance of 2,090 meters (2,290yd; 1.30mi);[10] Hathcock used the .50 BMG in an M2 Machine Gun equipped with a telescopic sight. The trajectory is what just about every hunter or competitive shooter of every skill level will be interested in when comparing two different cartridges. While it is only two factors that go into stopping power, they are the best for comparing two cartridges besides comparison in the field. However, the strength depends on the sturdiness and power of the rifles used for this bullet. To measure the ballistic coefficient, we need the BC projectile that is equivalent to the ballistic coefficient in a point mass trajectory of below 20 degrees. You make up some cartridges and we'll do some shooting. document.write(new Date().getFullYear()) Copyright Hornady, Privacy Policy | CCPA Request | Accessibility Policy | Terms of Use, Designed and developed by IdeaBank Marketing. Retail Price: $478.50. To be able to push such large bullets to speeds that make them useful is going to take a good deal of powder and both have the casings to hold it. This is why it is used in heavy-duty shootings. For assistance, contact customerservice@barnesbullets.com or by phone at 800-574-9200. With two rounds that are extremely popular in long distance shooting, accuracy is, of course, going to be a category that generated a lot of interest. . If you do not have a Shooting Chronograph, I strongly suggest you purchase one. This justifies the strength of the snipers and their sturdy build for heavy operation. Joined Feb 9, 2010 Messages 6. .50 BMG Ballistics Variables Bullet Weight: 661 grain Ballistic Coefficient: 0.62 (G1) Scope Height: 3 inches Ambient Conditions Temperature: 59 Pressure (absolute): 29.92 inHg Cross Wind (90 or Full Value): 1 mph MODEL 82A1 .50 BMG (29 BARREL) MODEL 82A1CQ .50 BMG (20 BARREL) DOWNLOADS A .50 BMG round will penetrate most commercial brick walls and concrete cinder blocks. Pull-out cloth belts were also used at one time, but have been obsolete since 1945. Availability: Out of Stock. DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) contracted with Teledyne Scientific Company to develop the EXACTO program, including a .50-caliber guided bullet. Find load data for your cartridge. You will be sent the quantity of bullets that are ordered. Apr 23, 2011 #1 Does anyone know the B.C. The cartridge itself has been made in many variants from armor piercing to tracer rounds, though most factory loads that can be accessed by civilians are the typical bullets. If you decide to make a go with the .338 or the 50 BMG, with some practice, youre going to have an accurate cartridge. Introducing the latest products from the worldwide leader in ammunition. They are intended mainly for long-range shooting. This data was taken from the standards used by the ballistic calculator for the .338 LM and the .50 BMG rounds. Federal Ammunition 50 BMG Ballistic Data. But, if you need the performance, its just something you have to deal with, especially if you dont reload. During wartime, especially WW2, the US coast guard, and military used 50 BMG rifles towards helicopters. Military Requirement: due to the rounds being from Lake City Ammunition . Barnes Solid Bore Rider Bullets 50 BMG (510 Diameter) 750 Grain Spitzer Boat Tail Box of 20 Developed to reduce pressures and allow higher velocities, this bullet is constructed of a homogenous metal throughout with no lead core or jacket to separate on impact. This ammunition usually contains Swedish brass and perfect military specifications. It has a .30-06 Springfield design with a long taper case wall for various types of weapons. R. remrifle333 Member. To be effective, a bullet must be able to penetrate through sometimes very thick hide and bone to reach vital organs. I'm Mike, one of the oldest writer of Sniper Country! The two most important variables are the Initial Velocity and the Ballistic Coefficient. (We'll get to the meaning of "G1" in a moment.) It couldnt be more clear that the 50BMG carries exponentially more kinetic energy with it than the .338 LM rounds. The 338LM rounds under our specifications have recoil energies ranging between 29 and 33ft.lb. [35], In the United States, Washington, D.C. disallows registration of .50 BMG rifles, thus rendering civilian possession unlawful. With that, you have a better chance at running into .338 LM rounds than a box of 50 BMG. It boasts a BC of 0.874, and some indicators point to a 0.900 BC at 2,900 fps. Thank you. 2023 Optics Bible - WordPress Theme by Kadence WP, 50 Cal Vs. 50 BMG : Which One To Choose [ Know Differences], 223 vs 3006: What to Choose After In-Depth Comparison. Most of the cluster around the same amount of energy, but there is some variation. The email address you entered is not valid. Description: Lake City 50 BMG ammunition consists of Lake City brass, boxer-primers and 660 Grain projectiles. A custom-made 12/70 slug shell with a shortened .50 BMG tracer bullet for 12 gauge shotguns. The .338 Lapua Magnum has a much shorter history than the other cartridge we will be examining in this article. The 338 LM was designed and produced in the late 1980s. Weapons such as machine guns, rifles, and regular hand pistols are easily compatible with this bullet. To handle these rounds in the field, youre going to have to haul around a 30+lb rifle. The bigger the ballistic . Coming up on wounded animals, especially if they are predators, can be dangerous and being able to drop them cleanly takes this risk away. The higher the ballistic coefficient, the better the bullet can resist wind drag and wind drift which would make the bullet less likely to be pulled off of its flight path and, in theory, be more accurate. The 50 BMG rounds are quite impressive with BCs all above the .7 mark and one round coming in with a 1.05BC. Although 50 cal is a very penetrating bullet, research has found something to stop it. Hornady Match rifle ammunition is loaded with the most accurate, consistent match bullets in the world, featuring our AMP bullet jackets. 500 yds. It can shoot up to ranges of 330 yards and floats in the air for about seven seconds, before dropping to the ground. While the .50 BMG round is able to deliver accurate shot placement (if match grade ammunition is used) at ranges over 1,000-yard (910m), smaller caliber rifles produce better scores and tighter groups in 1,000-yard (910m) competitions. Those values would be correct if you were shooting the ammo out of a "military weapon system" at the upper end of the velocity spectrum in the 3,000 fps range. Both of these cartridges have found a place in the long range shooting. Its because 90% of their shots are coming at 250 yards or less. Ballistic coefficients were originally defined by Ingals as a number indicating velocity erosion due to air drag for a given bullet compared to a standard projectile of the same shape- 1 inch in diameter and weighing 1 pound. Different 50 caliber bullets are used for various purposes that have individual compositions. Copyright 2023 ShootersCalculator.comALL rights reserved. As time goes, they are becoming more popular among shooters and hunters. In addition, these snipers will have less drift from the winds of the bullet. The auctioneer claims that it is only one of twelve built and the only other known example resides at the Ford Benning sniper school. Though they also carry quite a significant amount more powder and as we saw previously, you pay for it with the recoil. It has a diameter of .50 inches, with a casing length of 99 mm and an overall length of 138 mm. As we mentioned earlier, the velocity has a lot of influence on other aspects of the bullets behavior such as expansion. It will a produce a line graph showing the bullet drop and flight path of the bullet. I was also surprised with thebackground. As we mentioned above, firing these rounds often requires heavy firearms and other pieces of gear that help negate this recoil. Within the United Kingdom, it is legal to own a bolt action .50 BMG rifle with a section 1 Firearms Certificate. At present, some US law enforcement use 50 BMG weapons, as well as snipers. And this is simplifying the topic since we are leaving out expansion, which is also going to play a role in penetration. 50 BMG ammo is a large, round sniper bullet. 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.[16]. In our minds, there is no one cartridge that is above and beyond better than another. Military Applications: Note: We have selected two different 50 BMG loads to demonstrate here. Other than armed forces, civilians use this bullet round for target shooting and sports. Some of them operate by recoil principle, while others use gas. Bullet mass/type Velocity Energy; 647 gr (42 g) Speer: 3,044 ft/s (928 m/s) 13,310 ftlbf (18,050 J) 655 gr (42 g) ADI: 3,029 ft/s (923 m/s) The .50 BMG was developed during World War I when looking for an effective anti-aircraft round. The primary military use of this round is in the M2 Browning machine gun and anti-materiel rifles such as the Barrett M82. The Spitzer is a very popular and aerodynamic bullet shape. .50 BMG 100yd Drag Function: G1 Ballistic Coefficient: 1.050 Bullet Weight: 750 gr Initial Velocity: 2820 fps Sight Height : 1.5 in Shooting Angle: 0 Wind Speed: 0 mph Wind Angle: 90 Zero Range: 100 yd Chart Range: 200 yd Maximum Range: 10201 yd Step Size: 20 yd International Standard Atmosphere Altitude: Sea Level (0 ft) It excels in all of the ballistic categories that we have covered in this article. In ballistics, the ballistic coefficient ( BC, Cb) of a body is a measure of its ability to overcome air resistance in flight. A wide variety of ammunition is available, and the availability of match grade ammunition has increased the usefulness of .50 caliber rifles by allowing more accurate fire than lower quality rounds. PMC X-Tac Match .50 BMG Ammunition 10 Rounds 740 Grain Solid Brass Projectile 2830fps 50XM. Both of these rounds are going to shoot flat at 300 yards, but the real reason is that if you are using these cartridges to take shots at that range, there is no helping you anyway. Heavier bullets with the same diameter are going to penetrate deeper than lighter rounds with the same diameter. We went conservative with the powder weight because these are factory loads and are not normally loaded near max capacities. Put me on the Waiting List. Machine guns use it as a continuous belt of rounds. While the .338 rounds have a much smaller diameter than the huge .50 cal rounds, the exponentially heavier bullet weights of the 50BMG rounds make up for the large size. As we have done in previous sections, we are going to look at our ten selected rounds. This can be useful in comparing cartridges or loads. Barrel Lengths & Velocities for the 50 BMG. 50 Caliber has different types of rounds, while 50 BMG is a particular one. It was developed for the M2 Browning machine gun over 110 years ago, and was based on the .30-06 Springfield cartridge. The less a bullet drops during its flight, the easier it is to make adjustments for longer distance shots. Its a culmination of several factors including bullet energy, penetration, bullet expansion, and shot placement. Today, there are various types of bullet rounds manufactured that are measured in 50 calibers. Three distinct and non-compatible metallic links have been used for .50 BMG cartridge belts. We arrived at these numbers by using a 15lb firearm for the 338 LM rounds and a 30lb firearm for the 50 BMG rounds, which are common weights for rifles chambered for each cartridge. It has velocities that compete with the 50 BMG rounds, one of the flattest trajectories when compared to other .338 LM factory loads, and a ballistic coefficient of nearly .8. Encased in Barrett head-stamped brass, every cartridge is loaded with noncorrosive powder and primers as well as a 661 gr projectile using state-of-the-art machinery. Its range and accuracy, however, are superior to light machine guns when fixed on tripods, and it has not been replaced as the standard caliber for Western vehicle-mounted machine guns (Soviet and CIS armored vehicles mount 12.7108mm NSVs, which have similar dimensions to .50 BMGs). The two most important variables are the Initial Velocity and the Ballistic Coefficient. Any armor with composite metal foam is strong to stop a 50 cal bullet. My problem is that the upper came with a 30 minute rail. Zero Range (yd) It comes in different types like tracer, armor-piercing, usual ball, incendiary, and sub-caliber rounds. For a lot of cartridge comparisons we have done, recoil is usually not that huge of an issue. The AccuBond bullet used is perfect for the proper expansion needed while not sacrificing penetration for large game animals. The .50 Browning Machine Gun (.50 BMG) was developed for the Browning .50 caliber machine gun in the late 1910sas countries began producing armored vehicles leading up to WWI. ", "How Will Illinois Law Banning Some Firearms Affect Gun Owners? Can a 50 cal rip your arm off? It has a sectional density around 0.44, a ballistic coefficient around 1.13, and it's carrying less than 15,000 ft-lbs of energy at the muzzle.

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