.50 BMG

.50 BMG
From left: .50 BMG, .300 Win Mag, .308 Winchester, 7.62×39mm, 5.56×45mm NATO, .22 Long Rifle
Type	Heavy machine gun Anti-materiel rifle
Place of origin	United States
Service history
In service	1921–present
Used by	NATO
Wars	World War II Korean War Vietnam War Cambodian Civil War Falklands War Persian Gulf War The Troubles Global War on Terrorism War in Afghanistan (2001-2021) Iraq War Mexican drug war Sri Lanka Civil War Syrian Civil War War in Iraq (2013–2017) Yemeni Civil War (2014–present) Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen Saudi–Yemeni border conflict (2015–present) Russian invasion of Ukraine
Production history
Designer	Winchester Repeating Arms Co. and Frankford Arsenal
Specifications
Case type	Rimless, bottleneck
Bullet diameter	12.98 mm (0.511 in)
Land diameter	12.65 mm (0.498 in)
Neck diameter	14.22 mm (0.560 in)
Shoulder diameter	18.14 mm (0.714 in)
Base diameter	20.42 mm (0.804 in)
Rim diameter	20.42 mm (0.804 in)
Rim thickness	2.26 mm (0.089 in)
Case length	99.31 mm (3.910 in)
Overall length	138.43 mm (5.450 in)
Case capacity	292.8 cm3 (4,519 gr H2O)
Primer type	#35 Arsenal Primer
Maximum pressure (TM43-0001-27)	378.68 MPa (54,923 psi)
Maximum pressure (EPVAT)	417.00 MPa (60,481 psi)
Maximum pressure (C.I.P.)	370.00 MPa (53,664 psi)
Ballistic performance
Bullet mass/type Velocity Energy 647 gr (42 g) Speer 3,044 ft/s (928 m/s) 13,310 ft⋅lbf (18,050 J) 655 gr (42 g) ADI 3,029 ft/s (923 m/s) 13,350 ft⋅lbf (18,100 J) 700 gr (45 g) Barnes 2,978 ft/s (908 m/s) 13,971 ft⋅lbf (18,942 J) 750 gr (49 g) Hornady 2,820 ft/s (860 m/s) 13,241 ft⋅lbf (17,952 J)[2] 800 gr (52 g) Barnes 2,895 ft/s (882 m/s) 14,895 ft⋅lbf (20,195 J)
Test barrel length: 45 in (1,100 mm) Source(s): Ammoguide.com [1]

The .50 BMG (.50 Browning Machine Gun), also known as 12.7×99mm NATO, and designated as the 50 Browning by the C.I.P.,^[1] is a .50 in (12.7 mm) caliber cartridge developed for the M2 Browning heavy machine gun in the late 1910s, entering official service in 1921. Under STANAG 4383, it is a standard service cartridge for NATO forces. The cartridge itself has been made in many variants: multiple generations of regular ball, tracer, armor-piercing (AP), incendiary, and saboted sub-caliber rounds. The rounds intended for machine guns are made into a continuous ammunition belt using metallic links.

The .50 BMG cartridge is also used in anti-materiel rifles. 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.^[3]