.50 Caliber AmmunitionThe .50 cal. cartridge was developed for use with the Browning .50 cal. machine gun, in use since immediately after World War I. It has remained in use since as one of the main weapons for infantry, aircraft, armored vehicles, naval vessels and other applications of the versitile weapon. The heavy .50 cal. rounds were originally packed into wood .50 cal. boxes, later into steel chests or .50 cal. ammo cans. For aircraft and other platforms, the rounds are stored in special containers in the gun bays, almost always in long belts.
.50 caliber Cartridges Description
The .50 caliber Browning Machine Gun (BMG) cartridge was developed following the First World War as a heavy machine gun cartridge. It was adopted by the U.S. Army in 1923, and has been in continuous service since that time. The dimensions of the .50 caliber M2 Ball round are shown in the drawing on the left (from TM 43-0001-27, Army Ammunition Data Sheets, Small Arms). The 709 grain FMJ bullet is measured at 3050 fps for the M2 Ball round in the M2 machine gun (USMC data). The weight of 100 rounds of linked M2 ball in ammunition can is approximately 35 pounds. The caliber .50 cartridge consists of a cartridge case, primer, propelling charge, and the bullet. There are more than 20 types of ammunition issued for use in the caliber .50 machine gun, color coded on the tip to enable identification of loose rounds, tabulated below. The ammunition is fed to the machine gun linked with the M2 or M9 metallic links in disintegrating belts. Types of U.S. .50 cal. CartridgesThis listing of .50 cal. cartridges includes most of the types used by the U.S. military:
Cartridge, Caliber .50, Saboted Light Armor Penetrator (SLAP)Cartridge, Caliber .50, Saboted Light Armor Penetrator (SLAP) has a metal core penetrator that consists of a reduced caliber tungsten slug of .30 inch diameter. The penetrator is wrapped in a plastic sabot (called a shoe) that has the full .50 inch diameter. There are two configurations, ball (M903) and tracer (M962). According to Defense Industry Daily (1 Apr 2010):
Future of the .50 cal. Cartridge
Although in service since before 1920, the .50 cal. M2 machine gun continues in use with all branches of the U.S. services as well as around the world. The .50 cal. ammunition thus has a secure place in military procurement for many years to come, perhaps renamed as 12.7 x 99mm in metric equivalent terms. In addition, the .50 cal. cartridge has found a new application with tactical rifles such as the Barrett M82A1, long-range sniper rifles used to interdict OPFOR personnel and destroy light equipment at ranges in excess of 1500 meters. Find More Information on the InternetThere are many fine websites that have additional information on this topic, too many to list here and too many to keep up with as they come and go. Use this Google web search form to get an up to date report of what's out there. For good results, try entering this: .50 caliber cartridge. Then click the Search button. |
