(06-07-2015, 01:05 AM)OttoVann Wrote: Modern .50 calibers are lethal as fuck depending on the cartridge. Yeah .50 BMG fucks up modern lite-armor vehicles, or blows through concrete buildings - but the cartridge is fucking HUGE. It's also shooting a (usually) milled steel round, amongst other flavors .50 bmg comes in. Its got a massive amount of powder pushing that bullet to unreal amounts of force.
However even .50AE will obliterate shit coming out of a pistol, or that .50 smith and wesson has for their super revolvers - but .50 isnt just lethal because its .50. The cartridge behind and caliber is what makes it lethal.
Yep, just for example, a Brown Bess Musket has a muzzle velocity of 1000 fps (feet per second). That's a very optimal number by the way. Musketballs would often be too large or too small, powder charges could very, and barrels very quickly became fouled.
A 9mm pistol, for example can be around 1500 fps, plus it is a pointed, copper jacketed round. Even those could not go through the steel body armors of the day. Most modern 50 caliber sniper rifles can easily go over 3000! fps, and as Otto says, often have steel penetrating cores. They're a totally different beast.
