The .50 BMG (Browning Machine Gun) or 12.7x99mm NATO is a cartridge developed for the Browning .50 caliber machine gun in the late 1910s. Entering service officially in 1921, the round is based on a greatly scaled-up .30-06 cartridge. The .50 BMG has been made in many variants: multiple generations of regular ball, tracer, armor piercing, incendiary, and saboted sub-caliber rounds. The rounds intended for machine guns are linked using metallic links. The .50 BMG cartridge is also used in long-range sniper rifles and other .50 caliber machine guns. The use in bolt-action and semi-automatic rifles has resulted in many specialised match-grade rounds not used in .50 caliber machine guns. A wide variety of ammunition is available, and the availability of match-grade ammunition has increased the usefulness of .50 caliber rifles by allowing more accurate fire than lower quality rounds.

AvailabilityEdit

The .50 BMG is quite rare due to laws and price, especially in California, where .50 caliber rifles are banned. In the United Kingdom, it is possible to own a .50 BMG rifle as a section 1 firearm.

UsageEdit

Although effective in conventional battles, the .50 BMG is not very useful in a zombie apocalypse. The round is large and heavy, as are guns that fire this cartridge. While it can be used for base defense or hunting, in most cases you will probably be better off with a smaller, lighter round like the 7.62x51mm NATO; unless the situation demands that you make a long range shot. In that case, the .50 BMG is a good candidate, provided you can find match-grade rounds. The .50 BMG is less accurate than the .338 Lapua Magnum, but is less affected by the wind and can fire further. Also, the power of the round is sure to knock down a zombie, and can easily punch through human flesh, making multiple kills with one bullet much easier.