Sunday GunDay features a brief history of the legendary.50 BMG, some tips on loading and some fun pictures from FCSA matches held in the Western USA. Fifty Caliber Shooters Association website is a must-visit for fans of Heavy Artillery. You’ll also find photo collections, animated slide shows, and range maps. On the FCSA Photo Gallery page, there’s a map. Click on the gray links to view images of that venue. There are also articles on the FCSA competition, as well as the “care and feed” of the 50-caliber big rifles.
About the.50 BMG cartridge The.50 Browning Machine Gun is a cartridge designed for the Browning machine gun of.50 caliber in the late 1910s. It entered official service in 1921. It is a standard NATO cartridge under STANAG 4383. John Browning developed this round in World War I as a response to the need for an antiaircraft weapon. It was based on an enlarged.3006 Springfield design used in a machinegun based upon a sized-up M1919/M1917 that Browning originally developed around 1900. According to The American Rifleman, “The Browning.50 was born during the Great War.” The marginal French 11 mm design influenced American interest in an armour-piercing round, which led U.S. Army Ordnance Officers to consult Browning. The officers wanted a projectile with a high velocity of 2700 FPS but there was no ammunition available. Browning thought about the situation, and according to his son John said, “Well, the cartridge seems pretty good to begin with.” You make some cartridges, and we’ll shoot’.” Are you a.50 BMG zealot? You’ve got a taste for heavy artillery. Visit the FCSA Photo Gallery. You’ll find hundreds photos from Fifty Caliber Shooting Association matches and 50 Cal Fun Shoots in 11 states, plus Australia, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Select a club and state using the brown buttons to access the Gallery Page. Click on the colored buttons to select the event date after selecting the location. You can view photo sets dating back to 2002 so you can see how hardware has evolved over the years. You can compare different archives to see how terrain changes from one range to the next — from the alpine setting of Raton to the hot and dry Nevada desert. This gallery is a treasure trove of.50 Cal history. Here are some sample images.
Alliant’s Powder for 50 Caliber Applications and Reloading Powder for.50 BMG
Alliant introduced Reloder 50 in 2009. This powder has a low-burn rate and is designed for long-range rifle shooters. Alliant claims that the powder burns “a little slower” than Winchester 860 and has excellent consistency from lot to lot. The load density is optimized for 50 BMG cases and similar cases. Like Reloder 17, Reloder 50 employs a process which penetrates the kernels with the burn-rate-controlling chemical. This should result in a flatter, longer pressure curve and more velocity than can be achieved with conventional powders. Alliant claims that Reloder 50 has “superior velocities and the ability of burning cleaner (with less residue).” Reloder 50 is available in 1-lb (#150527) or 8-lb containers (#150528). Forster and Lyman BMG Trimmers.50
Forster and Lyman developed.50 Cal case trimmers for Big Fifty enthusiasts. The Forster.50 Cal AccuTrimmer’s cutter tip is sharper than that of the Lyman.50 Cal Case Trimmer. The Forster tool is more expensive, however. The Forster.50BMG trimmer costs $125.18 from Precision Reloading as opposed to $85.21 for the Lyman.50BMG trimmer on Amazon. We recommend that you pay more for the Forster because the cutter head is sharper and we prefer its collet style case-holder. The Forster does the job faster and with less effort. NOTE: Grab your Forster while it’s still available. We believe Forster has stopped production, but some vendors have stock. Giraud .50 BMG Case/Bullet Comparator
Giraud Tool produces a comparator that is suitable for 50-Cal cartridges. The double-ended comparator is very versatile. In one orientation, you can measure cartridge OAL and base-to-ogive length. The comparator can be used to measure cartridge headspace when it is reversed. The Giraud.50 BMG comparator gauge, which costs $33.00, is made of 303 stainless steel and can be used with any vernier, dial or digital caliper. Click HERE for more information.
