Topic: .50 caliber hollow points (Read 26075 times)

BrandonL337 · « **on:** December 09, 2009, 08:08:47 PM »

I'm wondering how .50 cal hollow points affect human tissue specifically when shot at the human head, jaw, chest, and stomach

Also are there any semi-automatic alternatives to the desert eagle that I can use? I want my character to use a .50 cal at least at first but those long barreled revolvers don't really work for him stylistically

I would also like to know what kind of guns modern organized crime syndicates use

Bob Mueller · « **Reply #1 on:** December 10, 2009, 02:18:46 AM »

The Desert Eagle is a semi-auto pistol, not a revolver. It's a very intimidating piece, no matter which end you're on. The caliber you're talking about there is a .50 Action Express, abbreviated .50AE

If you want a revolver in a very large caliber, there's the .454 Casull cartridge, sometimes called the .454 Casuli. Ruger makes a Super Redhawk in that caliber; Taurus makes a Raging Bull. The Raging Bull comes in a 5-inch model. I wouldn't want to shoot many .454 rounds through a 4-inch barrel though, not without a lot of ice for later.

There's also the Smith & Wesson model 500, chambered for .500 S&W Magnum

Here's a list of .50-caliber handguns at Wikipedia for a starting point, too.

As far as injuries, range is going to play some part. These guns are still handguns, and won't develop the muzzle velocity of the .50 BMG cartridge fired from a rifle, so you're not going to get the explosive impact you would from that rifle or machinegun. Still, I'd guess that a couple of center-mass hits are going to put the average person on the ground pretty hard, bleeding heavily.

As far as typical mob gun, I'd say there isn't one. It's not like there's a group procurement program like law enforcement has. I would guess upper-level goons who occasionally have money might like the more expensive pieces, like Sigs or HKs, but most probably aren't spending the money they get on hardware, and will take what they can get. I doubt you're going to see many Hi-Point brand guns though either. Mob guys have a reputation to uphold. Lee or Jim could probably speak better to that, though.

BrandonL337 · « **Reply #2 on:** December 10, 2009, 06:40:05 PM »

I am aware that the D. Eagle is a semi-auto, I'm looking for a different one to dissasociate myself from the name, Desert eagle is too flashy and while Dante(my character) is going for intimidation, he isn't going for flash.

I'm going for close range for the head, chest, and stomach shot and point blank pressed to the jaw for the jaw shot.

I'm trying to tear the mobsters jaw right off with the shot to really establish my character's nature to the readers, is that possible to do?

One last question, is there some kind of recoil suppressor out there that I can use for Dante's .50 cal? I want him to be physically human even if he's gone off the deep end mentally

Bob Mueller · « **Reply #3 on:** December 11, 2009, 03:56:58 PM »

Almost all of the guns in that Wiki link have some sort of compensator. The advantage of the DE is that it's gas-operated, whereas the Auto-Mag and Grizzly are recoil-operated. Gas-operated guns have less felt recoil.

Pretty much any gun of that caliber is going to be flashy, both for size, and discharge. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Tom_500_nightfiring.jpg for an idea of the fireball.

Contact wound to the jaw is almost certainly going to take the jaw off.

You might check this link and see if any of the listed ranges might have something to rent you in the caliber you're looking at, to get an idea of the actual effects.

Lance Charnes · « **Reply #4 on:** December 13, 2009, 11:47:42 AM »

If you're looking for non-flashy intimidation, the long-barrelled .44 Magnum (aka "Dirty Harry gun") would fit the bill. Ammo is a lot easier to come by than .50 rounds, and thus harder to trace back to a buyer. Having fired one as a teenager, I can assure you that a normal human can shoot the thing without fitting it with gadgets. It sounds like a small artillery piece going off. It can kill cars. And old-school carries its own resonance, doesn't it?

producer103 · « **Reply #5 on:** May 31, 2017, 06:22:41 AM »

As far as the mob, if you're referring to "hitters" they favor .22 and .25 caliber guns because they are cheap, concealable and leave virtually no ballistic evidence that can be tracked back to them. They "pop" the target and then toss the gun in some salt water somewhere so IF anyone finds it, any evidence has long since been destroyed by the salt water. A .50 caliber round would leave mountains of evidence, any .50 caliber handgun will be prohibitively expensive, ultra easy to track by the feds and would hurt like hell to shoot. The rifle favored by Marine Scout Snipers fires a .50 caliber round and the recoil is considerable. I can't imagine packing that round into a weapon you can hold in your hand, but if you did, it's highly possible your target could very easily be blown or torn apart. That's a lot of energy being dispersed into a body that's nearly all water. They would NOT survive and you would definately hear from the F.B.I. and the A.T.F.!