In some cases you might be surprised. Thus, to begin zeroing on an optically centered scope, you have to come down 30 minutes at the start. To use either of these rounds, muzzle brakes and other support is needed to use rifles chambered for these cartridges. In addition to the usual tables and graphs of drop, velocity, and windage, Modern Ballistics has these unique features: Sight Angle. The.50 BMG is quite legal for buying without the need for a special license or process. On the other hand, a 50 BMG is a type of 50 Caliber round. Price Per Round: $2.90. The increased interest in the .338 LM in civilian circuits has resulted in more round options though still limited compared to other competition and hunting rounds. 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. Usually, these can leave a severe wound. As far as the BCs go for these two cartridges, both show phenomenal numbers. 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. In context of the 338 Lapua vs 50 BMG where both are popular long distance rounds and to a smaller extent hunting rounds, velocity is a key component to our comparison. 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 .510 diameter. So there is a fine line a lot of hunters try to walk when it comes to penetration. To make it as accurate as possible, it is important that you input the most accurate information that represents shooting conditions, your firearm, and cartridge. Its tough for us in this situation because the 50 BMG is such as unique round and it makes it seem as if the .338 LM falls short in most categories and this is not the case. While there are parties who will place one cartridge over the other, we are not looking to do that in our comparisons. The ballistic coefficient is derived from an equation that uses several bullet and cartridge variables. SHTF 50: Safety Harbor's .50-Cal Upper Conversion for AR-15s The AccuBond bullet used is perfect for the proper expansion needed while not sacrificing penetration for large game animals. Out to 400 yards, there is little to no difference between the two cartridges. Apart from machine guns, snipers and anti-materiel rifles use this cartridge. In regards to their BC a spitzer bullet has a high coefficient and is suitable for long-range shots, and the boattail spitzer is even superior making it one of the best bullets for long-range targets exceeding 1,000 yards. Still, some might be unfamiliar, so we want to touch on what exactly a ballistic coefficient is before we move on to the comparison. Get My Cartridge Comparison Handbook! . Almost all rounds have a ballistic coefficient of less than 1.0, but large rounds like the 50 BMG can exceed this normal BC. Its also not the most expensive .338 LM factory load that is available. Zero Range (yd) Subject to political controversy due to the great power of the cartridge (it is the most powerful commonly available cartridge not considered a destructive device under the National Firearms Act), it remains popular among long-range shooters for its accuracy and external ballistics. For the .50BMG, we would recommend the Hornady A-MAX Match 750gr round. Calculating Trajectories . It has an aluminum color tip with a heavy build. Loaded specifically for precision big bore rifles, a wide variety of ammunition is available, including ball, tracer, armor-piercing, incendiary, and A-MAX rounds, with accuracy being priority number one. The higher the value, the better the bullet can travel through the air. The .338 Lapua Magnum has a much shorter history than the other cartridge we will be examining in this article. 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. Bullet velocity is a very important ingredient of successful long-range shooting. Even so, computer generated data is a proven and safe means for comparing two cartridges as we will do here. With a degree in Microbiology and several years of doctoral work manipulating bacterial genes, he attempts to merge the rational and unbiased thinking of scientific research with the passions of hunting and fishing. . Muzzle 100 yds. Users can easily use them for personal use. Regardless, a round with a higher BC is going to maintain a higher BC than a second bullet since both would be effected in the same way. 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. To begin, these selected rounds all have excellent BCs that most would be more than happy with. We can estimate penetration based on the sectional density because of what the SD is derived from. More importantly, we are interested in how flat a bullet flies over a given distance. There's a reason militaries worldwide still use a 50 BMG bolt-action rifle for sniping. The common rifling twist rate for this cartridge is 1 in 15 in (381 mm), with 8 lands and grooves. Special Offer: Join our private community and get exclusive gun deals, handpicked gear recommendations and updates on law changes, every day! I'm Mike, one of the oldest writer of Sniper Country! . When comparing the 9mm handguns available, two models that always top the discussion are the Walther PPQ and the Glock 19. While this is important to understand, its equally important to remember that the SD, while a good means for comparing two cartridges, only tells part of the story when it comes to penetration. It is a great investment if you want to get into long range shooting and will be especially useful if you handload. We also see that all rounds for both cartridges leave the muzzle at more than 2,500fps and maintain supersonic speeds out to the 1,000-yard mark. We dont have a single set of data we can look at to determine stopping power. The projectiles are high quality hand pulled 647 grain M8 API projectiles which have been cleaned, resized, and inspected before loading. Hornady's original goal: "Ten bullets through one hole.". And this is simplifying the topic since we are leaving out expansion, which is also going to play a role in penetration. Most people who are using a .50 BMG are not hunting and are looking at extreme distance shooting. 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! But they are also dangerous and must be used with caution during operations to avoid fatalities. and the speed of the bullet. We have no desire to act as a moral compass, you do what you want, but the arguments are out there, and we wanted to address it. For further comparison, you'd be hard pressed to find a 5.56 load recipe that hits 1,400 ft-lbs. At present, some US law enforcement use 50 BMG weapons, as well as snipers. If you decide to make a go with the .338 or the 50 BMG, with some practice, youre going to have an accurate cartridge. [4] A skilled sniper can effectively neutralize an infantry unit by eliminating several targets (soldiers or equipment) without revealing his precise location. While it travels in the air, it causes a shockwave which is equally dangerous to make a severe wound. Not match ammo. An upgraded variant of the M2 Browning HB machine gun used during World War II is still in use today. By understanding these different parameters, we can not only better adjust to specific shooting conditions and be aware of our limitations, but we can also begin to tease apart certain situations each of these cartridges might be better suited. You will be sent the quantity of bullets that are ordered. Access features of the Reloading Handbook on your mobile device with the Reloading App. To do this, we have selected several rounds for each cartridge we are comparing. The Federal Ballistics Calculator lets you quickly determine the trajectory for any rifle or handgun load, and save data for an unlimited number of loads. And if you need the performance of the 50BMG, you are probably already aware of what you are in for and with todays modern gear, you are perfectly capable of using this cartridge efficiently. I doubt too many microbiologists discuss the BCs of ammunition! 50 BMG basic cartridge dimensions-All sizes in inches (in). We also know that this bullet can enter very tough materials easily. 500 yds. [17] However, some other countries produce the ammunition with Berdan primers that have two flash holes. We also want to note that while we are taking each category and looking at them independently, all of these categories are interwoven with each other, including recoil and stopping power that we will look at shortly. This comparison is interesting because of how similar the sectional densities are despite the major differences in bullets. Before we wrap up the article, we wanted to pick a round from each cartridge that we really like for certain applications. The email address you entered is not valid. The incredible energy of the 50BMG overshadows the .338 Lapua Magnum, which in its own right possesses a great deal of kinetic energy. There are various types of weapons used for 50 caliber bullets. The energy is only part of the equation to stopping power, but it is an important one to examine nonetheless. Description. The .50 BMG was developed during World War I when looking for an effective anti-aircraft round. Decades later, the .50 BMG was chambered in high-powered rifles as well. A very interesting and well written article by an educated man with a surprising background. The price for both is about equal per 20 rounds, though the 50BMG factory loads often come in boxes of ten rounds. The rounds intended for machine guns are made into a continuous belt using metallic links. So, here is a table below: During the war, 50 calibers were used against light armor vehicles and aircraft due to their penetration power. How important the ballistic coefficient is with shooters often depends on the distance of shots they are taking. Heck, the BC of a bullet can change based on temperature, altitude, and pressure. Barrett Tillman, American Rifleman,February 23, 2017, Last edited on 14 February 2023, at 19:38, SaudiYemeni border conflict (2015present), world record for the longest confirmed kill, Learn how and when to remove this template message, Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane Division, https://www.americanrifleman.org/articles/2017/2/23/the-50-cal-browning-machine-gun-the-gun-that-won-the-war/, "MCWP 3-15.1 Machine Guns and Machine Gunnery", "Browning Machine Gun Caliber .50 HB, M2", "Canadian elite special forces sniper makes record-breaking kill shot in Iraq", "Hotshot sniper in one-and-a-half mile double kill", "British sniper Craig Harrison (The Silent Assassin) breaks record, kills target from 1.5miles away", NATO Infantry Weapons Standardization, Per G. Arvidsson, ChairmanWeapons & Sensors Working GroupLand Capability Group 1 - Dismounted Soldier NATO Army Armaments Group, "Army Ammunition Data Sheets for Small Caliber Ammunition", Cartridges for Long-Range Sniping Rifles by Anthony G Williams, Igman Ammunition Cal. It has a .30-06 Springfield design with a long taper case wall for various types of weapons. The 50 BMG is another caliber with . The cartridge itself has been made in many variants: multiple generations of regular ball, tracer, armor-piercing (AP), incendiary, and saboted sub-caliber rounds. If you do not have a Shooting Chronograph, I strongly suggest you purchase one. 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). It has the velocity, the BC, and the trajectory to make shots of even 1,500 yards. It saw service with the military in both Afghanistan and Iraq and is still in use with military personnel today, but it has also found a loyal following among civilians. For this article, we are going to explain the BC in the simplest of terms. Caliber means the diameter of the bullet, so a 50 caliber bullet is half an inch in diameter. These include heavy stopping power that can be carried over incredible ranges. Since the mid-1950s, some armored personnel carriers and utility vehicles have been made to withstand 12.7mm machine gun fire, restricting the destructive capability of the M2. Trajectory follows a similar trend where both show very flat trajectories, though the 50 BMG excels in this category as well. The ballistic coefficient gives you an idea of how streamlined a bullet is. They are easily portable to shoot at great ranges with destructive forces. The .50 BMG cartridge is also produced commercially in a wide range of specifications, including armor piercing, tracing, and incendiary. document.write(new Date().getFullYear()) Copyright Hornady, Privacy Policy | CCPA Request | Accessibility Policy | Terms of Use, Designed and developed by IdeaBank Marketing. This cartridge can easily take shots at 1,000+ yards just as the 50BMG, but there might be more dramatic adjustments needed to be made for these shots when compared to the 50 BMG. Parks theorizes that the misconception originated in historical doctrine discouraging the use of the M8C spotting riflean integral .50-caliber aiming aid for the M40 recoilless riflein the antipersonnel role. Some of them operate by recoil principle, while others use gas. Even after the differences between 50 Cal vs 50 BMG, we see that they are quite similar in various features. 50 Cal is generally known as the bore and the nominal bullet diameter. We are not going to sit and mess around with the short range trajectory. With modern firearms, the majority of centerfire rifle cartridges can be tolerated with regards to the recoil. Its because 90% of their shots are coming at 250 yards or less. kilojoules). If we have two bullets with the same weight, but different diameters, the smaller diameter localizes the force to a smaller area and gives you deeper penetration. Both of these cartridges are going to produce a tremendous amount of recoil. Hornady Match rifle ammunition is loaded with the most accurate, consistent match bullets in the world, featuring our AMP bullet jackets. Velocity fps: 2940: 2806: 2677: 2551: 2428: 2309: Energy ft lbs: 12666: 11541: 10499: 9534: Various ammunition is also available to allow firing with lower quality bullets. 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.. Both cartridges have the velocity needed for long range shooting though the 50BMG seems to show slightly higher velocities and this gap between the cartridges widens as the rounds move downrange. Please let me know how it can be improved upon. To make it as accurate as possible, it is important that you input the most accurate information that represents shooting conditions, your firearm, and cartridge. For assistance, contact customerservice@barnesbullets.com or by phone at 800-574-9200. Customer Reviews. I enjoyed reading it. How much energy is required to take down an animal varies and the amount that actually gets transferred to the target varies. But those that dont assault weapons are accepted by all applicable federal laws and made legal everywhere. Browning pondered the situation and, according to his son John, replied, 'Well, the cartridge sounds pretty good to start. This is a hard hitting round with incredible range and power. Fillable and printable Ballistic Chart 2023. Fill, sign and download Ballistic Chart online on Handypdf.com The numbers with the 50BMG rounds are astounding, especially to some who might only be familiar with the more common hunting rounds. During World War II the .50 BMG was primarily used in the M2 Browning machine gun, in both its "light barrel" aircraft mount version and the "heavy barrel" (HB) version on ground vehicles, for anti-aircraft purposes. Our .50 BMG ammunition is ready for action. It also has a strong recoil force as the cartridge is filled with powder. Even if we had all of the rounds and a couple days to generate some MOA measurements it still might differ on another day in someone elses hands. They can easily enter through light armors and hit targets. Federal Ammunition 50 BMG Ballistic Data. Just for comparison of how intense the recoil energy is for these two cartridges, some common hunting rounds such as the .30-06 and .308 are generating recoil in the 20-26ft.lb range when using a 7lb rifle with the same conservative powder loads. 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) Huston is a hunting enthusiast who believes your success in the field is directly correlated to the amount of preparation at home. Excellent quality, and great customer service from Dave Moore of Spider Firearms. This is the web home of Modern Ballistics: the world's most sophisticated small arms exterior ballistics program for the personal computer. You would be surprised how many of them have never given their rounds BC a thought. Obviously, this would be an advantage for shooting round out at 1,000 yards or more. [citation needed], The U.S. Coast Guard uses .50 BMG rifles onboard armed helicopters to disable the engines on boats during interdictions. However, bullets shot from pistols are slower as the gunpowder takes longer to burn. This is useful to get a legalized firearm with licenses. I was also surprised with thebackground. This is roughly the same as saying that the projectile in question possesses low drag, although some meaning is lost in the generalization. 50 Cal 647 Grain Ball pulled bullets. Sign up to receive new product announcements, special offers, and the annual product catalog. 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. The difference between the two rounds is as followed with the 50BMG showing a flatter trajectory. We are working on a massive list, but this list won't be ready for a few weeks or months. Military Applications: Note: We have selected two different 50 BMG loads to demonstrate here. This is why they fit perfectly to any automatic or belt-fed snipers, machine guns, or pistols designed for this cartridge. 50 BMg bullets have a high ballistic coefficient of more than 1.0 to resist drifts from wind in flight. These have the strength to destroy materials with a collection of ammunition. It has a diameter of .50 inches, with a casing length of 99 mm and an overall length of 138 mm. We will bring this up several times throughout our discussion but keep in the back of your mind that your ultimate choice should consider all of these results together rather than focusing on one independent category. cartridge. Thank you. These are extremely large rounds that require heavy weapons as well as other equipment to shoot accurately. Re: 50 BMG goes subsonic at 1500 Yards? [4], The development of the .50 BMG round is sometimes confused with the German 13.2mm TuF, which was developed by Germany for an anti-tank rifle to combat British tanks during WWI and against aircraft. They wanted a heavy projectile at 2700 feet per second (f.p.s. While these two cartridges might overlap in some shooting applications, we think there are niches where they stand apart as well. This round is packaged in 150 CT Military Surplus ammo can. For hunting, a lot of hunters want expansion to cause a larger wound and more damage. Coming up on wounded animals, especially if they are predators, can be dangerous and being able to drop them cleanly takes this risk away. We think a flat trajectory also gives you a little more room for mistakes when it comes to judging distance quickly, as is sometimes the case when hunting. While it is only two factors that go into stopping power, they are the best for comparing two cartridges besides comparison in the field. 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. From the bullet seating to the optimal charges and velocities, Hornady Match ammunition is designed to live up to company founder, J.W. However, Los Angeles banned this bullet round. Though they also carry quite a significant amount more powder and as we saw previously, you pay for it with the recoil. You can find an email form and contact information here. Required fields are marked *. It is still a good idea to check legality before making a purchase. As the 50 BMG bullet has a high ballistic coefficient, it is used for powerful sniper rifles. Each cartridge is loaded with either Hornady A-MAX bullets, our high-performance boattail hollow points, or the new, radically superior ELD Match bullets. The trajectory is what just about every hunter or competitive shooter of every skill level will be interested in when comparing two different cartridges. 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. Like most cases, there are better performing rounds for each cartridge type, but on average, the 50 BMG rounds excel in this category, and that distinction becomes clearer the greater the distance. [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. No extra bullets are sent. These are excellent speeds for long range shooting, especially when shot from a rifle with the proper twist rate to stabilize them in flight. . A 290 grain 50 BMG is a relatively robust round. For a lot of cartridge comparisons we have done, recoil is usually not that huge of an issue. You might be strictly a hunter or strictly a competition shooter, but the majority of us are a mixture of both. The .50 BMG is a bigger, heavier bullet that delivers a reliable killing shot up to an astounding range of about 3300 yards. Still, we think that we can get some valuable information by examining the kinetic energy associated with our various rounds as the move from the muzzle down range to 1,000 yards. As the 50 BMG bullet has a high ballistic coefficient, it is used for powerful sniper rifles. Both are going to penetrate just about any hide or armor that is out there, its what they were designed to do, and we have seen from the velocities that they are going to speed and power behind them to get the job done. The ability to hit distant targets is . Typically, long range rifle bullets have a ballistic coefficient of 0.5 (G1) or above. The proof/test pressure is listed as 65,000psi (450,000kPa). This gun was later developed into the M2HB Browning which with its .50 caliber armor-piercing cartridges went on to function as an anti-aircraft and anti-vehicular machine gun, capable of penetrating 0.9 inches (23mm) of face-hardened armor steel plate at 200 meters (220yd),[6] 1 inch (25mm) of rolled homogeneous armor at the same range,[7] and 0.75 inches (19mm) at 547 yards (500m).[8]. 50 BMG has a 12.7mm diameter and is also used in snipers and machine guns. Firearm Setup. Seriously, these are heavy duty rounds that fill a very specific niche in the shooting world. The eight-year-old National Guard Sniper School is the only U.S. military sniper school open to women and Jennifer was the first female graduate to complete the first counter-sniper course for the Air Guard security personnel. Lets take a look at the velocities of each round from the muzzle out to 1,000 yards. The two most important variables are the Initial Velocity and the Ballistic Coefficient. 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. By adding trajectories to the panel on the right you may produce charts and graphs that show the different trajectories side by side. The mass is one of the bullets. If the bullet passes through cleanly, remaining relatively intact, not all of the energy is transferred to the target. In addition, these snipers will have less drift from the winds of the bullet. It is strong enough to hold a large volume of pressure. With extremely tight tolerances and strict quality control, all Hornady Match ammunition features superior lot-to-lot consistency. To be effective, a bullet must be able to penetrate through sometimes very thick hide and bone to reach vital organs. The 50 BMG rounds range from 72 to 87ft.lb of recoil energy. The bottom line is this. It was developed for the M2 Browning machine gun over 110 years ago, and was based on the .30-06 Springfield cartridge. The 50 BMG does have several rounds that break the .9 and even 1.0 mark, but the 338LM is nothing to scoff at either. It will a produce a line graph showing the bullet drop and flight path of the bullet. It can shoot up to ranges of 330 yards and floats in the air for about seven seconds, before dropping to the ground. The primer type specified for this ammunition is a boxer primer that has a single centralized ignition point (US and NATO countries). 50 Caliber has different types of rounds, while 50 BMG is a particular one. There is no doubt that the cartridge has the power and the trajectory to take on this challenge, but there is always the ethical question of taking shots at animals from these ranges. A lot of competitions wouldnt allow a .50 caliber round, but if you just enjoy taking shots upwards and beyond 1,000 yards, the 50 BMG is hard to beat. 12.799mm Technical data", "Technical Manual Small-Arms Ammunition, TM9-1990, U.S. War Department", "SHOT Show 2006 New Rifles, Shotguns, Pistols Offer Enhanced Performance", "Weaponry: .50 Caliber Rifle Crime," GAO Office of Special Investigations letter", "CHAPTER 943 OFFENSES AGAINST PUBLIC PEACE AND SAFETY", "Are .50 BMG rifles legal in California? That all said, there are deals out there. [37][41] In Illinois, it is legal to possess a .50 caliber rifle only if it was acquired by January 10, 2023, and it is registered with the state police by January 1, 2024. A high number means the bullet is more efficient at resisting air friction (negative acceleration). There are several variants of this 50 caliber round. G1 Ballistic Coefficient Must be between 0.001 and 1.0. We will shortly look at the averages of these cartridges, but want to point out again that while some of the numbers might seem like drastic differences, and technically they are, its critical to observe the individual rounds, specifically the .338 LM. The Heat Shield tip on the ELD Match bullet creates the perfect meplat and outperforms BTHP bullets. A .50 BMG round can effectively disable a vehicle when fired into the engine block. I agree with Michael. heres what ive seen on a ballistic calculator Trajectory Input Data Manufacturer: Hornady Description: A-Max Caliber: 0.510 in Weight: 750.0 gr Ballistic Coefficient: 1.050 G1 Muzzle Velocity: 2700.0 ft/s Distance to Chronograph: 10.0 ft Sight Height: 1.50 in Sight Offset: 0.00 in To gain more knowledge and quick learning, a comparison table is always the best form. In this Article: RecoilBallisticsTrajectoryStopping PowerAccuracyPrice & AvailabilityPriceApplicationsBest Rounds In this cartridge comparison, we are going to take a look at the 6.5 Creedmoor vs .243 Winchester.