will 50 cal really punch through concrete?

.50 what? What type of cartridge are you referring to? There's a few of them, not to mention black powder.

Assuming you mean .50BMG. This might give you an idea:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lprGoEpDXJQ

The M2HB starts shooting at 7m 35s.

ak47 and up will go through concrete

Umm, I assume your talking 50 bmg and no concrete will not take 50s, if it was a foot thick and steel reinforced you'd be safe for awhile, but a m2 would chew holes in that in a single belt.

Most concrete walls can't take 3006 or if we're talking cinder block walls ARs and AKs make short work of them.

Oh and the general rule with 50 caliber MGs is you can run and die tired or you can hide and die a coward, unless you have earthen barrier 10 feet plus thick yours probably wasting your time.

It all depends on the concrete. I've shot through ungrouted concrete block with lowly 5.56mm NATO.

And .50BMG will certainly not penetrate a few feet of reinforced poured-in-place concrete.

You betcha it will!

Unless you are talking about a 20' thick reinforced concrete blast bunker of some sort.

Typical 6" - 12" concrete foundation & wall used in home construction offer little resistance at all to a .50 BMG.

Rc

Fishbed77 said:

It all depends on the concrete. I've shot through ungrouted concrete block with lowly 5.56mm NATO.

And .50BMG will certainly not penetrate a few feet of reinforced poured-in-place concrete.

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I'd also say it depends on the type of bullet used. There are some where the penetration is just jaw dropping.

http://www.survivalmonkey.com/pages/50bmg-ammo-primer/

Here's a great ID chart for the .50 BMG. Yes, a .50 can easily pass through a few feet of concrete if it's armor piercing. Then you got Depleted Uranium and other types. There's also Armor Piercing Incendiary which explodes once it passes through.

The nastiness of war implements aside, the ballistics and construction of these rounds are purely amazing.

1HK, a .50bmg FMJ single shot will go through crappy middle- east solid-concrete block walls (even the "good" iranian concrete which is their version of "contractor grade"), rip across a 20' room, and go through the other side like the kool-aid man's pissed- off little brother. Not much fun for those in in the building when that happens...

I've never been around to shoot up anything reinforced, but the API will go through and burn down any vehicle I've seen, I'd guess a main battle tank would stand up to it. Also, tracers will generally go through a civilian vehicle and have enough "flaming bad luck" to set something in the vehicle on fire too.

.50s are also wicked- good on anything that had a fresco of Saddam painted on it

I hate using movie references, but that scene in BHD where the delta operator grabs the M2, swivels around and starts blowing off small balconies and parapets is a pretty accurate impression. What it doesn't accomplish through kinetic energy it makes up for in motivation, being a semi- auto belt fed jackhammer and all.

The man-portable rifles really only suffer from that rate of fire being diminished. But un-hardened targets don't stand much of a chance.

Let's not confuse slump/cinder block with concrete. Ungrouted cinder block won't stop a .223.

First off, there are NO DU rounds for the .50 BMG period. I still don't know where this rumor started, probably on the net. Just like the one where if it passes close enough to your head the shockwave will tear your head off. LOL

Yes, a 50 BMG round can penetrate concrete but it does have its limits and if you fire enough of them in the same spot it will go through even thicker concrete. Just don't over hype the round, I've heard some tall tales over the years. I love shooting the 50 and collecting the different rounds but I also know there's more hype about the .50 then most rounds on the market.

Two of the baddest .50 BMG rounds ever made are the SLAP and the Mk211 mod 0 Raufoss! I would hate to be on the receiving end of either of them.

"Just don't over hype the round, I've heard some tall tales over the years"
Always bigger fish in the sea (sometimes much bigger )

TCB

I used a .50 cal M2 in 'nam. A wonderful weapon. Keep in mind it is much more powerful than a jackhammer. With AP, time and ammo. There is no safe place if I can see you or know you are there except maybe in a pill box with 30 inch plus walls or on the other side of a tank. I saw one demolish a block wall in seconds. Regular houses and shops are no serious barrier to a 50 BMG.

I have a few bigger rounds on my desk but mine are not those stupid metric crap. Are those .22 or what?

12.7mm = 50cal

12.7x99 = 50BMG (on the left)

TCB

Some hunks of 1" plate steel I shot with mine.





It was leaned up against an 8" diameter oak tree that is also penetrated, after both of them it went over 3' deep into a red clay embankment (longest rod we had).

AP impacts on right and left, API in the center.

Hey Barnbwt, got any rounds you want to trade?

What in God's name is that on the far right and what fires it?!

The .50BMG belongs to a group of cartridges on a list of most exaggerated for performance. The .45ACP is another. It is not that the .50 and .45 are not outstanding performers, it is that folks just aren't satisfied with reality. With the .50BMG the worst hype involves its use as an aircraft armament. There are actually people who will tell you with a straight face that WWII fighter pilots learned to take out German tanks by ricocheting .50AP into the underside of the tank. That is perhaps the most extreme example. Average concrete walls and buildings will not resist the .50BMG for long. Hoover Dam might take a while for a Ma Deuce .50BMG to penetrate. The thing to remember is that compared to a 3,000Ftlb .30-06 cartridge the .50BMG is a 12,000Ftlb cartridge, and the combined power of four .30-06 cartridges are nowhere near as powerful as one .50BMG.

Field Tester said:

What in God's name is that on the far right and what fires it?!

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Russian KPV

Are there bullets for the BMG made from Tungsten Carbide or any other super strong metals?

Nom de Forum said:

Russian KPV

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I looked up the round and was surprised by how many rifles shot it.

Look up the Mk211 mod 0 Raufoss round for the .50, its the baddest round made for the .50 other then the SLAP rounds.