Take a minute to learn some of the history of the .50 cal, and why is was seen as the most powerful ammunition of the planet.

It is one of history's mysteries how a weapon can rule the battle fields across the continents for over a century! Developed in the latter days of World War I, the .50 cal Browning Machine Gun (BMG) is still a hot favourite with Military all over the world. The 50 cal was specially designed as heavy arms fire, and remains the most successful ammunitions ever developed. Its rumoured the 50 BMG sent chills down the spine of German field Marshall Herman Goring in WW2.

The man to design such a formidable weapon, conferring military superiority to the US army throughout history was the son of a modest gunsmith. John Browning designed the fully automatic heavy machine gun back in 1910, but it wasn't until 1921 that the round entered service officially. Soon, more than 57,000 BMG's were in the hands of soldiers fighting on the Western Front.

Many know the .50 BMG was designed as an anti-aircraft weapon, but few understand why. In 1918 the German military invested in thicker armour for their personnel carriers, to hold up against the American artillery. It was then; the gun guru from Utah was approached by the Military to design a heavier machine gun to penetrate this armour. It was during this time that the famous M2 .50 cal machine guns were born. History shows from WW1 through WW2, the Korean War and most recently in Iraq & Afghanistan, the BMG has been an indispensable part of the US army.

The ammo round is based on a greatly scaled-up .30-'06 cartridge. The machine gun was based on a scaled-up M1919 / M1917 design that Browning had initially developed around 1900 (but which was not adopted by the U.S. military until 1917, hence the model designation).

In more recent times the .50 cal has found a following in the civilian market, where specialist manufactures have developed sophisticated target rifles. To learn more about the sporting uses of the .50 BMG, check out the FCSA (Fifty Caliber Shooters Association) website - www.fcsa.org