The .50 BMG, also known as 12.7×99mm NATO, and designated as the 50 Browning by the C.I.P., 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, as well as many non-NATO countries. 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.
Barrett Firearms Manufacturing is an Australian-owned, American manufacturer of firearms and ammunition located in Christiana, Tennessee. It was founded in 1982 by Ronnie G. Barrett for the purpose of building semi-automatic rifles chambered for the .50 BMG ammunition, originally developed for and used in M2 Browning machine guns. Barrett began this work in the early 1980s, and the first working rifles were available in 1982, hence the designation M82. Barrett personally designed every part of the weapon. He marketed the weapon and mass-produced it utilizing private funds. He continued to develop the rifle through the 1980s, and developed the improved M82A1 rifle by 1986. Barrett was acquired by the NIOA Group on 17 January 2023, solidifying the long-standing relationship between the two companies.
A .50 caliber handgun is a handgun firing a bullet measuring approximately 0.5 inches (12.7 mm) in diameter. Historically, many black powder pistols fired bullets with diameters well above a half inch. However, following the development of smokeless powder, the focus shifted to smaller-diameter bullets propelled at higher velocities, and the development of .50 and larger calibers in handguns became uncommon.
Accuracy International Limited is a British firearms manufacturer based in Portsmouth, England. The company specializes in sniper rifles and anti-materiel rifles.
The Barrett M99 is a single-shot anti-materiel rifle that was first introduced in 1999 by the Barrett Firearms Company as a less expensive alternative to the company's higher-priced offerings. The rifle uses a bullpup configuration with a pistol grip. Its primary market was long-range competitive target shooters and in 2001, a shooter set a world record at 1,000 yd (910 m) with the M99 by shooting a 5-shot group which measured 4.09 in (10.4 cm).
The .510 DTC EUROP is a French rifle cartridge developed by Eric Danis in order to comply with firearms legislation of .50 BMG rifles in Europe. In response to the .50 Caliber BMG Regulation Act of 2004, which banned future sales of .50 BMG shoulder-fired rifles in California, long-range shooters in that state have begun to adopt this cartridge as a manner of following the new legislation.
The .50 Caliber BMG Regulation Act of 2004 is a law in the state of California that effectively banned all .50 BMG-caliber rifles from being sold in the state. The law took effect on January 1, 2005.
The XM312 is a heavy machine gun derived from the XM307 25 mm autocannon and chambered for the .50 BMG cartridge. It was designed in response to a request by the U.S. military for a replacement for the aging M2 Browning heavy machine gun, and as a complement to the heavier XM307 Advanced Crew Served Weapon grenade launcher.
The AS50 is a semi-automatic .50 BMG anti-materiel precision rifle manufactured by British firearms producer Accuracy International. It enables operators to engage targets at very long range with high accuracy using explosive or incendiary ammunition, and employs a gas operated semi-automatic action and muzzle brake, allowing for lower recoil than the AW50 bolt-action rifle and faster target acquisition. The rifle is highly transportable, ergonomic and lightweight. It can be disassembled in less than three minutes and serviced without tools.
Serbu Firearms is an American manufacturer of firearms based in Tampa, Florida, founded by mechanical engineer Mark Serbu.
The .416 Barrett, also known as 10.4×83mm, centerfire rifle cartridge is a proprietary bottlenecked centrefire rifle cartridge designed in 2005. It is an alternative to the large-caliber .50 BMG in long-range high-power rifles. It was designed in response to a request for a medium/heavy rifle cartridge combination that was issued from Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane Division in late 2004.
The Barrett M90 is a bolt-action, bullpup rifle chambered in .50 BMG. It was designed and manufactured by Barrett Firearms Company. In 1995, Barrett stopped production of the M90, and replaced it with the M95.
The Barrett XM500 is a gas-operated, semi-automatic, anti materiel/sniper rifle currently in development by the Barrett Firearms Company. It is fed by a 10-round detachable box magazine situated behind the trigger in bullpup configuration.
An underwater firearm is a firearm designed for use underwater. Underwater firearms or needleguns usually fire flechettes or spear-like bolts instead of standard bullets. These may be fired by pressurised gas.
The DSR-Precision DSR-50 is a bullpup bolt-action anti-materiel rifle developed and manufactured by DSR-Precision GmbH and chambered in .50 BMG. It is essentially an upscaled DSR-1.
The TRW Low Maintenance Rifle or LMR was a proposed insurgency weapon designed by TRW Inc. of the United States during the Vietnam War. The intent was to produce an easy-to-use and operate firearm which could be disseminated to insurgent forces supporting the United States' military interests. The design utilized the same 5.56×45mm NATO ammunition and STANAG magazines as the M16 rifle. It would have been equipped with the M6 bayonet along with its M8A1 scabbard.
The MICOR Leader 50 is a heavy semi-automatic sniper rifle of US origin. The weapon has a bullpup layout.
The ZijiangM99 is a semi-automatic anti-materiel rifle first introduced in 2005. It has since seen use by the People's Liberation Army Navy and Marine Corps in anti-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden, and has been seen in the hands of various rebel groups involved in the Syrian Civil War.
The Desert Tech Hard Target Interdiction (HTI) is a bullpup bolt-action sniper and anti-materiel rifle designed and manufactured in West Valley City, Utah, United States by Desert Tech.
The Cyclone is a series of three bolt action rifles created by British company Steel Core Designs: the LSR, which fires 7.62x51mm NATO, the MSR, which fires .338 Lapua Magnum (8.6x70mm) and the HSR, which fires .50 BMG (12.7x99mm). Cyclone rifles are primarily designed for military use, and have seen limited usage by military and law enforcement units since 2017 in marksman roles.
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