50 cal videos

[Ranb]

Not much traffic here lately. Couple of 50 cal videos to enjoy.

https://www.youtube.com/watc?v=vAjLe9GoNMo

Small subsonic round, sounds like a car door slamming.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmwS1qrzy_0

Full power 50 bmg round, still rather loud.

Ranb

[JO 753]

Still loud enuf to wake you up, unless youre the target.

[TJrandom]

Perfect for squirrel hunting...

[Gawdzilla Sama]

That's properly ".50" cal., please. I had to explain that to noobs all the time. A "50 cal" would be fifty times the diameter of the bore of the weapon. This rule makes the common mistake of referring to the older five inch guns on ships at Pearl Harbor as "5"/.38" even funnier. (The barrel would be 1.9" long.)

[JO 753]

...A "50 cal" would be fifty times the diameter of the bore of the weapon.

Not 100?

[Gawdzilla Sama]

...A "50 cal" would be fifty times the diameter of the bore of the weapon.

Not 100?

Why would it be 100 if a it's "50 cal"?

[TJrandom]

There were two videos shooting `50` cal - so... 2 x 50....

[JO 753]

.5 iz 1/100 uv 50, even with the superfluous 0. But, I dont no the trade jargon, so asked.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

.5 iz 1/100 uv 50, even with the superfluous 0. But, I dont no the trade jargon, so asked.

The system changes somewhere around 20mm, but not always the same way in different countries. Below 20mm the caliber is the diameter of the bore of the barrel. A "fifty cal" is a sloppy way of saying ".50 cal."

[TJrandom]

.5 iz 1/100 uv 50, even with the superfluous 0. But, I dont no the trade jargon, so asked.

The system changes somewhere around 20mm, but not always the same way in different countries. Below 20mm the caliber is the diameter of the bore of the barrel. A "fifty cal" is a sloppy way of saying ".50 cal."

Expressed as hundredths of an inch... so 50 cal is 1/2 inch. No?

[Matthew Ellard]

I think there are lots of different national nomenclature systems simply due to tradition.

A German WWII 88mm L/56 PAK41 was a 3 & 1/2 inch bore, where the length was 56 times the bore diameter. The L/56 indicated it was a high velocity gun. PAK41 meant Panzer Anti-Kannon (tank killer) 1941 model.

However, a British WWII QF 17 pounder was a "Quick Fire" 76.2mm (3inch) gun with the shell and charge combined, like the German 88mm. It was L/55 but it didn't say that in its name. The shell did not weigh 17pounds. This was a legacy from the Royal Navy and just a name.

It can be very confusing. The Germans captured thousands of Russian 76.2mm guns and thus had to make ordinance for both their German and Russian gun types. That was part of the German logistical problem. Russia by losing most of its tanks and guns early in the war could standardise ordinance manufacture later in the war. NATO makes big efforts to get all members to standardise for the same reason.

[psychiatry is a scam]

off topic question .
guy joined 3/30/2005
and this is his first post ???

[TJrandom]

off topic question .
guy joined 3/30/2005
and this is his first post ???

He had a post in 2014 too.... expect another in 2020.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

.5 iz 1/100 uv 50, even with the superfluous 0. But, I dont no the trade jargon, so asked.

The system changes somewhere around 20mm, but not always the same way in different countries. Below 20mm the caliber is the diameter of the bore of the barrel. A "fifty cal" is a sloppy way of saying ".50 cal."

Expressed as hundredths of an inch... so 50 cal is 1/2 inch. No?

No, .50 cal. is .5 inches.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Matthew, the gun makers used caliber to mean the bore of the gun for a long time, before guns got really big. When they had to stop referring to a gun by the weight of its shot, e.g. "64 pounder", the usage of the term to indicate the length of the barrel came into use. 5" guns on US battleships were intended for anti-torpedo boat use, so they could be stubbier than ones intended to shell enemy ships at long range. The shorter barrel made them easier for the gun crew to swing, they were cranked around by hand in most cases. The typical 5" gun on US BBs at Pearl Harbor was the 5"/38. 5"/54s came into service during the war as "dual purpose" (surface and AAA) guns when powered mounts were common. The "modern" USN BBs carried ten dual mounts, five on a side, with the longer guns in turrets designed for destroyers.

[TJrandom]

.5 iz 1/100 uv 50, even with the superfluous 0. But, I dont no the trade jargon, so asked.

The system changes somewhere around 20mm, but not always the same way in different countries. Below 20mm the caliber is the diameter of the bore of the barrel. A "fifty cal" is a sloppy way of saying ".50 cal."

Expressed as hundredths of an inch... so 50 cal is 1/2 inch. No?

No, .50 cal. is .5 inches.

Well, I stand corrected then. Half corrected, maybe.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

It's very confusing because the system evolved rather than being developed beforehand. The average non-historical fanatic wouldn't know or care about the subtle difference. Note that the English still use "weight of round" rather than bore diameter, except when they don't.

[JO 753]

Expressed as hundredths of an inch... so 50 cal is 1/2 inch. No?

No, .50 cal. is .5 inches.

I am also quoting this post in the Why havent aliens contacted us? topic.

[scrmbldggs]

Point taken.

[Nobrot]

(Slightly OT)
No doubt a lot of confusion is caused by the media reporting these things but when does a machine gun become a cannon? Is it rate of fire, calibre or what.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

(Slightly OT)
No doubt a lot of confusion is caused by the media reporting these things but when does a machine gun become a cannon? Is it rate of fire, calibre or what.

Depends on the country and the branch of service in that country. I called my .50s "cannons" because nobody could stop me. In general, however, a cannon is not "man portable", tracks or wheels to get it where it's going. You can cause a lot of argument with that definition, however. 'Cause we ain't got nothin' better to do!

[Nobrot]

(Slightly OT)
No doubt a lot of confusion is caused by the media reporting these things but when does a machine gun become a cannon? Is it rate of fire, calibre or what.

Depends on the country and the branch of service in that country. I called my .50s "cannons" because nobody could stop me. In general, however, a cannon is not "man portable", tracks or wheels to get it where it's going. You can cause a lot of argument with that definition, however. 'Cause we ain't got nothin' better to do!

Got it. Now as for firing a 50 cal .50 cal from the shoulder, I'd rather get someone else to do it. Or join the navy.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

(Slightly OT)
No doubt a lot of confusion is caused by the media reporting these things but when does a machine gun become a cannon? Is it rate of fire, calibre or what.

Depends on the country and the branch of service in that country. I called my .50s "cannons" because nobody could stop me. In general, however, a cannon is not "man portable", tracks or wheels to get it where it's going. You can cause a lot of argument with that definition, however. 'Cause we ain't got nothin' better to do!

Got it. Now as for firing a 50 cal .50 cal from the shoulder, I'd rather get someone else to do it. Or join the navy.

The Browning M2 .50 cal. heavy machine gun puts 93.75 pounds of lead in the air in one minute*. If anyone tells you they stood up to that amount of recoil ask them to kiss your ass on the town square at high noon.

And I was in the Navy. I worked a .50 first time when I was fourteen, worked all summer cleaning barns to earn the privilege.


*You need a couple of loaders and an utter disregard for what you're doing to the barrel to pull that off. I did it once with a twin mount, 182 pounds of lead, which is ... a lot ... of boxes of ammo. But it was fun.

[Matthew Ellard]

Note that the English still use "weight of round" rather than bore diameter, except when they don't.

The English should be taken out and shot for their naming systems.

The English QF 2 Pounder used shells that weighed 4 & 1/2 pounds.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ordnance_QF_2-pounder

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Note that the English still use "weight of round" rather than bore diameter, except when they don't.

The English should be taken out and shot for their naming systems.

The English QF 2 Pounder used shells that weighed 4 & 1/2 pounds.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ordnance_QF_2-pounder

Reverse penis measurements. Very British.

[Nobrot]

The Browning M2 .50 cal. heavy machine gun puts 93.75 pounds of lead in the air in one minute*. If anyone tells you they stood up to that amount of recoil ask them to kiss your ass on the town square at high noon.

And I was in the Navy. I worked a .50 first time when I was fourteen, worked all summer cleaning barns to earn the privilege.

*You need a couple of loaders and an utter disregard for what you're doing to the barrel to pull that off. I did it once with a twin mount, 182 pounds of lead, which is ... a lot ... of boxes of ammo. But it was fun.

Thanks for that. But those things sound bloody dangerous to me. I mean you could easily slip on an empty cartridge and twist an ankle or something. I'll take my chances with the depth charges.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

The Browning M2 .50 cal. heavy machine gun puts 93.75 pounds of lead in the air in one minute*. If anyone tells you they stood up to that amount of recoil ask them to kiss your ass on the town square at high noon.

And I was in the Navy. I worked a .50 first time when I was fourteen, worked all summer cleaning barns to earn the privilege.

*You need a couple of loaders and an utter disregard for what you're doing to the barrel to pull that off. I did it once with a twin mount, 182 pounds of lead, which is ... a lot ... of boxes of ammo. But it was fun.

Thanks for that. But those things sound bloody dangerous to me. I mean you could easily slip on an empty cartridge and twist an ankle or something. I'll take my chances with the depth charges.

I lived in a power tub, which had a mesh floor. We had local people volunteer to clean out the brass pit underneath, they sold the brass. (And yeah, we used men because they could wear skivvies down there, no "surprises" left behind.)

I still have a .50, it's on "long term loan" to a certain state emergency reaction team. They pay the rent in ammo.