.50 Browning Machine Gun (.50 BMG)

Just the mention of a .50 cal sniper rifle conjures up the imagination of 2500-meter kills on human targets. We need to be honest, due primarily to the lack of some really good quality match ammo for the .50, there is no hope of hitting a human target at 2500 meters. The sole purpose for the big .50 sniper rifles is to engage hard targets at extreme range, much like the British SAS used Barrett M82A1's to engage Scud missile launchers in the Gulf War. In this realm, nothing can touch the .50 when it comes to extreme range. There really is not a lot of purpose engaging human targets with a 750gr bullet. Of course, the recoil of the rifle, and the bulk and weight of a .50 sniper rifle (usually in excess of 30 lbs.) prevent it from being used as a serious sniper's rifle. But put that 30lb rifle into a defensive position in a target rich environment and you can really cause some havoc.

Ballistics

U.S. M2 .50BMG - 709gr FMJ-BT at 2850fps

Bullet Drop (Inches)

100y 92m | 200y 183m | 300y 275m | 400y 366m | 500y 458m | 600y 549m | 700y 641m | 800y 732m | 900y 824m | 1000y 915m | 1100y 1007m | 1200y 1098m | 1300y 1190m | 1400y 1281m | 1500y 1373m
+28.2 | +51.9 | +70.5 | +83.6 | +92.9 | +89.3 | +81.4 | +65.0 | +18.2 | Zero | -49.8 | -112 | -191 | -288 | -404

Wind Drift (Inches) 10mph Crosswind

0.5 | 1.9 | 4.2 | 7.5 | 12 | 18 | 25 | 33 | 43 | 56 | 69 | 84 | 101 | 121 | 143

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