A Brief Historical look at a Rifle that strikes Fear into the minds of the AdversaryPosted on 07/06/2017 6:41:16 AM PDT by w1n1
A Brief Historical look at a Rifle that strikes Fear into the minds of the Adversary
The Barret .50 BMG Rifle was developed in the 1980’s by a man known as Ronnie Barrett. Barret M82 was completed in 1982 and was the first working version to be released. The .50 BMG is a powerful cartridge that has been used since the 1920’s. It is capable of destroying explosive ordnances and vehicles and is best used for long-range shooting. Typically, it is used for shooting from distances of over 300 yards.
The first use of the .50 BMG cartridge was in the Browning M2HB machine gun. Because of its power, the cartridge was used in the Second World War by militaries around the world. Ronnie Barrett developed the Barret .50 BMG in an attempt to create a semi-automatic rifle chambered for the .50 BMG cartridge.
The rifle is preferred because of its capacity to fire aircraft, vehicles, and buildings, including enemies hiding behind barriers. The M82A2 was developed in 1987 and is used in firing moving objects such as aircraft. To do this, you have to place it on your shoulder and point at your target.
The Barret .50 BMG rifle is about 5 feet long and is close to 30 lbs. in weight. Most .50 BMG rifles weight over 20 lbs. With this particular rifle, the cartridges are fed from a steel magazine, which is detachable and double-columned. Read the rest of the .50 BMG story here.
I wonder what the recoil is on it, at 30 pounds it shouldnt be too bad...maybe.
“and point at your target.”
These ASJ articles are know for there hare research ...
A local range gas one you can shoot for $10/round. One round is enough for most. I plan to try it some day myself.
Two reasons. First, the muzzle brake takes a huge amount of the kick out, while blowing the hat and goggles off your spotter if he is sitting in the wrong spot. The manual warns you not to shoot the gun without the muzzle brake, or you will break your shoulder.
Second, 50BMG powder is slow-burning, so you get more of a slow push against your shoulder instead of a quick stab. That also really helps.
To put it in perspective, my shoulder would rather I put 50 rounds through the Barrett than a 30-06 or .308.
I have three BMG .50 shells I found on a mountain in Tokyo. The head stamps are De Moines ‘44 and ‘45. Pretty awesome, eh? Real relics with real history. I still can’t figure out why they were on the ground though, or where they came from.
I mean shell casings.
Sorry about your “accident”...
yeah it said 70% reduction using MB, but damn, that must make it loud as hell!!
wow... better than a .308?
My guess would be from an American airplane.
Maybe strafing a target or a bomber defending itself or a fighter trying to shoot down a Japanese plane.
An airplane?
Want one.
L
They must have a hell of a time getting "aircraft, vehicles, and buildings" in the cases!
Dragging the enemy out from behind barriers and stuffing them in a .50 BMG case might be easier...
B29 automated .50 cal rounds would auto-eject rounds with soft primer strikes. Lots of "live" .50 cal. ammo over Japan....even more brass ;)
It’s roughly comparable to standard 12 ga...
Not an issue except for the excessively recoil shy...
WWII era fighters ejected spent casings upon firing, usually through ports in the underside of the wings. BMG .50 was pretty much the standard gun on fighters that would have seen any action over Japan.
Almost all American fighters and bombers used the .50 cal
THAT is cool! Those are quite possibly the spent casings from American aircraft fighting over that area.
I bet your wallet gets more attention that your shoulder.
My dad was the Engineering Officer for a squadron of P-51’s in Burma/China. Photos of the damage six 50’s did to buildings and ships are amazing. I know the Germans had cannons and the modern A-10 has a gun that is incredible. But six 50’s could tear up stuff real well, too. The difference between the damage the British 30 caliber guns did and the American 50’s did is huge.
Aparently no Japanese fighters used that round. Looks like some did use .50 cal, but not the same case.
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