.50 CALIBER AT WORK

Dear STORMBRINGER:
I have a question about the .50 bmg as used in special-purpose military sniper rifles. I read a work of fiction recently that repeatedly asserts that the .50 caliber "destroys people" "blows men apart", and so on. Is this realistic (at a few hundred meters)? I would have thought ball ammunition would put a .50 caliber hole straight through them without slowing down much or expanding much, the way a .458 caliber bullet does when shooting a human-sized animal. Am I wrong?
Sincerely,
Michael


Michael -
Trust me . . . a .50 bullet explodes a head at any range:


Garbage in, Garbage Out is a good way to understand the damage done by any non-exploding (cannon) projectile. Take the energy in foot-pounds striking the victim, subtract the energy of the projectile exiting the victem the result is a very accurate measure of the damage inflicted. A .50 BMG ball round with 10,000 ft lbs of energy exiting a torso with 8500 ft lbs of energy does no more damage than an old 50 cal muzzle loader.

"Destroys people" sounds pretty close, "blows men apart" could be a stretch, it will do considerable damage but stops short of actually cutting you in half like some claim. at any rate, 12,000+ FT/LBS of energy could ruin your day.

Hope this helps - S.L.







"Meanwhile, never flinch, never weary, never despair." - Winston Churchill


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CARTEL WARS

Situational Awareness, on-going SW Border area violence: This vehicle was encountered in Nuevo Laredo after a firefight:



M2 .50 caliber machinegun mounted inside a Chevy Suburban, used in a firefight in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico - less than one mile from the United States border. This is an example of the weaponry the Mexican Police are going up against on a day-to-day basis.

Intel has confirmed that the cartels along the Southern California border have recruited members of the San Diego area, Logan Heights Street Gang for narcotics, weapons and human smuggling.

How long will it be before we began see this kind of weaponry along the San Diego and Imperial County border, or right on the streets of the border towns and cities?



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