Tag Archives: 50 bmg

MII Board clears HITRON shoot

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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Petty Officer 2nd Class Anthony Phillips, a precision marksman at Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadron, shows a group of VIPs the weaponry used at HITRON during missions Tuesday Feb. 23, 2010. The VIPs were at HITRON to view an advanced screening of an upcoming episode of Top Sniper featuring HITRON on the Military Channel Thursday at 9 p.m. EST. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Bobby Nash.)

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Petty Officer 2nd Class Anthony Phillips, a precision marksman at Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadron, shows a group of VIPs the weaponry used at HITRON during missions Tuesday Feb. 23, 2010. The VIPs were at HITRON to view an advanced screening of an upcoming episode of Top Sniper featuring HITRON on the Military Channel Thursday at 9 p.m. EST. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Bobby Nash.)

The U.S. Coast Guard last week announced the fatal shooting of an Ecuadorian man was in accordance with U.S. and international law and fully complied with the agency’s tactics and procedures.

Javier Darwin Licoa Nunez, 35, of Ecuador, was killed during a law enforcement operation 195 miles north of the Galapagos Islands Aug. 30, 2016. The USCG’s Major Incident Investigation Report made public this week found that Nunez, part of the crew of a suspected “go-fast” cocaine smuggling boat, died from fatal internal injuries caused by bullet fragments after a helicopter-borne Coast Guard marksman fired 10 rounds into the engines of the vessel while attempting to stop the craft.

More in my column at Guns.com.

50 Cal BMG for the Common Shooter

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When the .50 caliber Browning Machine Gun round (12.7x99mm NATO) was introduced in 1921, it revolutionized the heavy machine gun/small cannon. It has been used in every war since then but hundreds of countries and is still is wide spread use around the world. The cartridge is large enough to sink ships, shoot down low flying aircraft, and disable unarmored vehicles. Capable of firing accurately out to and including 2600-yards with an 800-grain bullet, it is truly next level.

Since 1985, its use by hobbyists had expanded dramatically. Then, a good quality .50 rifles cost over $10,000 and was very hard to find outside of military circles. Today thousands of shooters enjoy making precision shots from 600-1000 yards regularly with these long-range systems. The Fifty Caliber Shooter Association (http://www.fcsa.org) sponsors over a dozen organized 1000-yard shoots around the country each year and has over 4000 members.
While still not as affordable as an old .22LR and a bucket of rimfire rounds, owning and shooting a .50BMG is close enough to many shooters to be able to swing.

Continued in my column at Firearms Talk