A little question for anyone who knows HMGs

[Snakeye]

I read quite a lot about air warfare, including stories about Vietnam helicopter crews.
Now they keep talking about .51 caliber HMGs, which are also reffered to as 12.7mm HMGs.
AFAIK 12.7mm is .50 caliber.
EG: 12.7x99 -> .50 browning MG round
the russians also use 12.7mm rounds(though I think it's 12.7x101) for some HMGs(DShK or so..)

Now why are the russians .51 caliber while the US .50, but both have 12.7mm?

Hope that wasn't too confusing..

Snakeye /infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif


anything you do can get you killed, including doing nothing

 

[I_ABuGa]

while you're at it

my question is the second set of no.s in 12.7x99. Does the 99 denote the number of rounds?

-------------
Shit Happens... and with great regularity too. We just have to deal with it one turd at a time.

 

[DeadeyeDan[ToA]]

No, it's the length of the cartridge.

12.7x99mm means the width of the projectile is 12.7mm, and the length of the cartridge is 99mm.

_______________________
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[Gryphon]

That's not quite correct. 99mm is the length of the cartridge case, not the total cartridge length.

As to why it was referred to as .51 caliber, it was either a misprint or someone didn't do proper research (big surprise).

Gryphon
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[Snakeye]

that with the mistake I thought too, but I read it too often in various books all by men who served in the military.
Whatever; not everyone who writes a book knows enemy guns - and since Gryphon himselsf said it was a mistake..who am I to doubt the grandmaster!

Snakeye /infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif
thanks..

anything you do can get you killed, including doing nothing