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Thread: Bullet identification

  1. #1
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    Bullet identification

    On for the ex forces amongst us, or others with knowledge of firearms perhaps. I picked up these 2 items a few years ago during a tramp across the top of a range used by UK Armoured Regiments. The top item is clearly a copper jacketed, iron cored .50 calibre round, the bottom one has me baffled. Its diameter across the impingement rings is around 10.8mm and it seems to be solid carbon steel. The .50 cal has clear rifling marks, the steel one none, maybe the steel doesn't get marked up like a copper jacket or it was fired by something smooth bore. What fires rounds like this?


  2. #2
    Master murkeywaters's Avatar
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    Looks like a centre punch (tool) or could it be an inertia round that pierces armour?

  3. #3
    Discarding sabot round?
    Looks like maybe an armour penetration job?
    Not depleted uranium one hopes😬

  4. #4
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    Quote Originally Posted by GOAT View Post
    Discarding sabot round?
    Looks like maybe an armour penetration job?
    Not depleted uranium one hopes
    Maybe you joke but it did cross my mind so I borrowed the use of an XRF gun to check. The .50 cal core shows through at the base and on one side where the jacket has split, its iron/steel. All the elements present seem to thankfully be benign!
    Last edited by Padders; 14th January 2020 at 12:09.

  5. #5
    Grand Master Dave E's Avatar
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    The profile of the point makes me think that it might be the steel penetrator core from a SLAP (sabot) round. There are/were a couple made in .50 BMG, but I couldn't find a picture of the 'naked' penetrator on a quick Google.
    Dave E

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  6. #6
    From memory, Winchester or Remington made a round called accelerator?
    Think this used the sabot principle, probably a degree of filter down from a military design, maybe used to overcome ballistic vests etc?

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by Dave E View Post
    The profile of the point makes me think that it might be the steel penetrator core from a SLAP (sabot) round. There are/were a couple made in .50 BMG, but I couldn't find a picture of the 'naked' penetrator on a quick Google.
    Yes that might make sense. ~Being 10.8mm, maybe the sabot is chambered for .50 cal or maybe even 20mm. Is there anything in between in use? As you say the projectile has a boat tail but an unusual non-ogival nose, its just like a triangle in profile so not like a spitzer bullet shape. I am assuming it is solid steel but I suppose it might have a core of a different metal, hopefully not DU! Neither is hugely heavy, the .50 is 44.4g, the 10.8mm is 27.6g, I would expect DU or even Tungsten to be more obvious.

    I can see why being shot at by BMG bullets usually has a binary outcome, they miss you live, they hit you, not so much.
    Last edited by Padders; 14th January 2020 at 13:18.

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