.50" Browning M33 ball ammo............

[Peter Laidler]

Hi there in Forum land. Can anyone help. We need to recalibrate 'a quantity' of .50 Browning HMG sights and need the current trajectory above the line of sight for Canadian made .50" M33 ball ammo.

We need ranges from 100m (zeroing range) out to 2,200m

Thanks

Information

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[Brit plumber]

Hi Peter, I take it Manroy Eng can't help? Don't know if they have an involvement with ammo.

[jmoore]

Isn't the M33 basically the same as the old M2 ball? 700gr solid core FMJBT at 2700fps? Whatever data I have at the house will be for the M2 ammo.


Otherwise, I'd just be doing the "Google" thing...

[Peter Laidler]

Thanks for the help lads, but we've got it almost by return from another forum member. I can't go into details but it's been a great help

[jmoore]

All righty, then!

Went home and researched a bit- no M33 data, but a wealth of specs on the M2 round- which are quite varied! Low MV of 2700fps (Barrett), to 2800 all the way up to 2950fps all out of the 36" Browning barrel.

Good "reliable" sources included as well, i.e., US Army documents, Melvin Johnson, and the "History of Modern U.S. Military Small Arms Ammunition" Vol.I and II.

Bullet weight officially 709.5-22gr. (so average actually just under 700gr.)

Looks like a close mate of the M33 was developed in the 1930s w/ the same weight (668gr) bullet at about 2900fps+ vel. of of the 36" bbl.

[Peter Laidler]

I have passed that info on too JM. Thanks

[jmoore]

Just FYI, The current M2 MV seems down a bit from the 1940's and '70's U.S. documents- the reason for the 2800fps that's most commonly seen on the quick Google search I just did a few moments ago is not explained, though . I do know that folk I've talked to (whom I trust) that are back from Iraq report using a large amount of 1940's vintage ammo (!!!). No reports yet from current operators in Afganistan, and I didn't think to ask anyone in 2002 back when I was on base much more regularly.

[Jeremy]

Just FYI, The current M2 MV seems down a bit from the 1940's and '70's U.S. documents- the reason for the 2800fps that's most commonly seen on the quick Google search I just did a few moments ago is not explained, though . I do know that folk I've talked to (whom I trust) that are back from Iraq report using a large amount of 1940's vintage ammo (!!!). No reports yet from current operators in Afganistan, and I didn't think to ask anyone in 2002 back when I was on base much more regularly.

Yes, we used truckloads or WW2 ammo.

As we were building up our supplies they were directly shipping ammo from the States or off the MPS ships which was very "new" ammo. Someone in Europe made the note that all the ammo sitting bunkers there to fight the Russkies was still "good" but old...

So they started rotating old ammo out of Europe to Iraq.

I had all years of Ball, AP, API and Tracer and even an odd belt or two of blue tip Incendiarys...

[Maple_Leaf_Eh]

If it is Canadian ammo, how about asking SNC Lavalin which owns Investisements Valcartier Inc (IVI) which took over Dominion Arsenals (DA)?