The .50 BMG, .308, And The .223

[billt]

http://img29.imageshack.us/img29/9754/50bmg308223001.jpg

http://img197.imageshack.us/img197/4417/50bmg308223004.jpg

http://img18.imageshack.us/img18/549/50bmg308223003.jpg

Just a few size comparison photos I threw together. 50 rounds of .50 BMG, .308, and .223. It really shows the difference. All are effective in their own environments, but just something about the .50 BMG cartridge that stands out. The case they are in is a MTM 100 round 12 Gauge Shotshell box. It comes with 2, 50 round trays. I removed the top one and use it for a loading block, and with the other one at the bottom, it makes a great 50 round transporter for the .50 BMG. Bill T.

[Bushman]

Bill, I read once that the .50 BMG is proportionally the same as a .30-06 that they used to scale up to the much larger round. I guess they figured that if it worked so well in the M1 Garand, the BAR and light machine gun, that it should work just as well in a larger platform. What an awesome round that must have been in war time. A buddy of mine used to talk about the "Ma duce" in Viet Nam where a couple of .50's were mounted side by side for 2x the firepower. The fighter planes had six of them firing simultaneously, right?

[billt]

Bill, I read once that the .50 BMG is proportionally the same as a .30-06 that they used to scale up to the much larger round. I guess they figured that if it worked so well in the M1 Garand, the BAR and light machine gun, that it should work just as well in a larger platform. What an awesome round that must have been in war time. A buddy of mine used to talk about the "Ma duce" in Viet Nam where a couple of .50's were mounted side by side for 2x the firepower. The fighter planes had six of them firing simultaneously, right?

Some had as many as 8, four on a side. I can't imagine how much .50 brass is at the bottom of the Pacific from all of the dogfighting that took place in so many of those Pacific battles. Bill T.

[Hi Ball]

Bill-T,..........HOLY COW!:eek: That is a very impressive round the 50BMG, especially when you stack it up against the .308 caliber. I have never shot one of those big rounds, it sure packs one heck of a lot of muzzle energy. The book states over 12,000 pounds at the muzzle with a 750 grain bullet!
Bill have lots of fun with your new TOY!!!:D :D :D

[Bushman]

Were all the cases of .50 BMG made out of brass? Given that they would not be reloaded, I would think that they might have been made out of steel for combat use.

[Bayrat]

Cool Bill, thanks for posting them.

And don't forget all the brass raining down all over Europe too. Years of B17's which usually had 10 and escorting them, the Mustangs with 6, plus the Thunderbolts had 8.


Bayrat.

[billt]

Were all the cases of .50 BMG made out of brass? Given that they would not be reloaded, I would think that they might have been made out of steel for combat use.

I've never seen or heard of any steel cased .50 BMG rounds. The wall thickness and the length of the case itself would make it very difficult to draw, and require too many dies. It may have been done, but I have never heard of it. Bill T.

[billt]

Cool Bill, thanks for posting them.

And don't forget all the brass raining down all over Europe too. Years of B17's which usually had 10 and escorting them, the Mustangs with 6, plus the Thunderbolts had 8. Bayrat.


Another thing to notice when you watch WW II war footage is that when ever you see 2 or more fighters strafing, they always fly staggered, never in line. This was done because of all of the spent brass pouring out of the wing guns. A .50 BMG case hitting a propeller, or worse a windshield at 400+ knots would cause a variety of damage. Bill T.