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| The 12.7mm M-16. Yes, I said 12.7mm! | |
| 2004-04-21 | |
| While 6.8mm is the hot new rifle round being promoted for next-generation American assault rifles, two companies are quietly promoting a "mini-50" .50 caliber (12.7mm) round as a supplement to currently rifle calibers. The mini-.50 would be used by special forces and law enforcement officers against re-enforced structures, vehicles, and advanced body armor. The U.S. Coast Guard has already bought a quantity of these weapons for use against "Go-fast" boats and some have reportedly appeared in Afghanistan. To create the mini-.50, a .50 caliber bullet is put into a smaller casing (than the standard .50 round used in machine gun and long-range sniper rifles). The smaller casing trades off less propellant for softer recoil, less accuracy over longer distances, but less stress on the barrel and user. The recoil for the mini-.50 is described as being similar to a 12-gauge shotgun. It also makes for a weapon that is easier to carry and faster to employ than the full-sized .50 caliber rifle designs. The Barrett Light .50 M82A1 rifle employed by the U.S. Army and Marines weighs in at 28 lbs unloaded and is 57 inches long while a mini-50 weighs in at around 8-12 lbs loaded and a little over 36 inches long. Like various 6.8mm projects, gun designers built a hybrid rifle using AR-15/M-16 designs to provide some compatibility with existing hardware. For example, a 30 round M-16 magazine will hold 12 of the fat mini-50 rounds. Conversion kits are available, for around $1600 each, to convert an M-16 type rifle into one firing the mini-.50. Portability and round penetration of the mini-50 family are the key traits to this weapons family. Armored glass that resists 7.62mm fire, yields to the mini-.50, as do doors, locks,
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| Posted by:Steve |
| #18 I think I'll stick to my 10-gauge double-barrel for the time being, thanks... |
| Posted by: Old Patriot 2004-04-21 9:41:35 PM |
| #17 I think I'm in love. |
| Posted by: raptor 2004-04-21 6:01:27 PM |
| #16 the round produces an inadequate wound cavity HeyZeus I don't want to be thinking about that stuff. Luckily you can shoot quail with a BB gun if you have steady hand, good dog and are hungry. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2004-04-21 5:38:29 PM |
| #15 Yes Mike, It is all about Kinetic Energy. |
| Posted by: TomAnon 2004-04-21 5:07:40 PM |
| #14 Edward: Regarding your comments on fps, IIRC the muzzle velocity on the original M-16 was well north of 3,000 fps. Considering that force = mass x velocity, the short-barrel M-4 is giving away an awful lot of "oomph" compared to the original. |
| Posted by: Mike 2004-04-21 4:37:24 PM |
| #13 At the top of my wish list is the new AR-10 Ultra. It is now chambered in the .300 Remington Ultra Mag, Short Action. Makes the 7.62 kinda weak and is pretty close to the same weight. See the link at www.armalite.com News Release |
| Posted by: TomAnon 2004-04-21 4:18:34 PM |
| #12 Rich, feet per second is the key to the 5.56 concept (fragmenting and traveling along bones it impacts), and most of the time it just doesn't work at extended distances (due to fps loss) or with a short barrel (poor coming-out-of-the-muzzle fps). I think the minimum's over 2600fps, whereas M4s' 14.5in barrels deliver sub-2500fps performance, rendering them grossly overrated (except in the hands of SOCOM troops who go for headshots anyway). I've heard about the Beowulf, though, and it's reportedly semiauto only. If you configure your sights for the caliber -- good stuff, take it along as a secondary weapon! Oh yeah, I'm enthusiastic about the 6.8x43mm -- it reportedly outdoes both 5.56x45mm AND 7.62x51mm ... |
| Posted by: Edward Yee 2004-04-21 4:10:43 PM |
| #11 Whiskey Mike: IIRC, .50's are not supposed to be used against personnel, only equipment (so my DI told us to aim for the belt buckle ;) Maybe the .499 is a way around this limitation? |
| Posted by: Cthulhu Akbar 2004-04-21 3:53:27 PM |
| #10 If you already have an AR-15 (come on, who doesn't?!?) here's an upper receiver for the .50 Beowulf that drops right on your AR lower with no modifications: .50 upper receiver And the price is right. |
| Posted by: spiffo 2004-04-21 2:50:42 PM |
| #9 The website for Leitner-Wise is http://www.leitner-wise.com/ . There are a few good 'conversions' for the M-16, mostly centered on increasing knockdown power. The 5.56 is not a 'knockdown' round. Even under 100 meters, the round produces an inadequate wound cavity. Having lots of light rounds available is nice; having somewhat fewer rounds that are effective, and that are still effective beyond 150 meters is nicer. Me, I WANT one of these things. Moderate velocity, highish mass (300+ grains), LOTS of energy that can be effectively transferred to the target; what's not to like? Most grunts have put multiple rounds into a body and watched the target not notice (delayed by a few crucial seconds, sometimes longer). They'll 'notice' this, immediately. And this will be used more widely than the article mentions as soon as the troops can get their paws on them. Notice that they're calling this a .499 on the website. Is there some bureaucratic limit? Sounds like it. |
| Posted by: Whiskey Mike 2004-04-21 2:33:24 PM |
| #8 Ummm... Make the casings smaller, I guess, but the idea of a .50 cal M16 on autogettem makes my shoulders hurt... |
| Posted by: Fred 2004-04-21 2:32:09 PM |
| #7 re-tool this fine weapon for .30 caliber, 7.62 NATO, 308. Don't need to retool, the original ArmaLite AR-10 was designed for the 7.62. It was downsized to become the AR-15 for use by the Air Force. Army picked it up and turned it into the M-16. AR-10s are still being made, picture here. |
| Posted by: Steve 2004-04-21 2:31:13 PM |
| #6 I saw this on the cover of some gun magazine the other day, it was called (appropriately enough) the Beowulf. Here's a link to a site some pictures: http://www.gunblast.com/50Beowulf.htm |
| Posted by: H.D. Miller 2004-04-21 2:29:24 PM |
| #5 This new 12.7mm is for specialized use and will not replace the 5.62mm.Never liked the idea of replacing 7.62mm for 5.62mm.liked the heavier slug.Seems they are drifting back to heavier slugs because of experiences in Iraq. |
| Posted by: rich woods 2004-04-21 2:13:08 PM |
| #4 I thought one of the points of the 5.56 is that more rounds can be carried (meaning more firepower), but here they are trading 30 for 12. What gives? |
| Posted by: Spot 2004-04-21 1:46:20 PM |
| #3 The perfect Father's Day gift. |
| Posted by: Mike 2004-04-21 1:44:27 PM |
| #2 Dr. Eugene Stoner's operating system for the venerable M-16 has always been a marvel of simplicity. Though, it is past time to re-tool this fine weapon for .30 caliber, 7.62 NATO, 308. Or better. I understand the Canadians have done so. With surprising results! |
| Posted by: Jack Deth 2004-04-21 12:19:31 PM |
| #1 The smaller casing trades off less propellant for softer recoil, less accuracy over longer distances, but less stress on the barrel and user. Jeebus, I would hope so. |
| Posted by: Cthulhu Akbar 2004-04-21 12:07:30 PM |