.50 caliber handguns
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
There are a number of handguns that fire .50 caliber rounds, or near .50 caliber rounds, and in some cases even larger calibers. Many black powder pistols fired rounds with diameters well above .5 inch. Beginning in the 1900s .50 caliber bullets began to include larger versions of an existing, smaller bullet, such as the .50 Action Express, and specifically designed rounds, such as the .500 S&W, or rifle rounds such as .50 BMG. The biggest source of confusion about big-bore handguns is that they have all have-high recoil and are powerful, however this is function of the amount of gunpowder.
There are automatic, revolver, and single-shot designs, and even some bolt-action examples. They tend to be larger and heavier than most other arms of their type, which helps absorb some of the tremendous recoil associated with firing some rounds. .50 rounds are not inherently 'high power'; they simply use large bullets. It is the barrel length and amount and nature of the cartridge powder that primarily determine the recoil generated.
Though some rounds are seen in heavy machine guns like the M2 machine gun, the bore size has also seen limited usage in sniper rifles, such as the Barrett M82 and the bull-pup Barrett M95. There are also many older fiearms that have much lower impluse, used in handguns in the 19th century.
Other pistol rounds include .480 Ruger , .475 Linebaugh , .500 Linebaugh, .500 S&W Magnum , .50 Remington 12.90 (.508), .50 Alaskan. There are larger modern rounds as well, including .577 Tyrannosaur, .600 Nitro Express, .700 Nitro Express. The two main rifle caliber .50 cal rounds are .50 BMG, and also 12.7 x 107 mm.
- Smith & Wesson Model 500 revolver
- Janz JTL-E 500 revolver
- Tanfoglio Thor Raptor single-shot break-open
- Magnum Research BFR revolver
13 mm Gyrojet
- Webley Boxer Revolver
Other
