Assuming a BC of 1.05–I’m using the BC for a match-grade .50 BMG bullet, which might be high–and using a 921gr bullet with a 3300fps muzzle velocity, you’re going to see about a 13’ drop at 1000y. That’s pretty significant.
If you compare that to a .338 Lapua Magnum, .685 BC , 250gr at 3030fps, you end up with a 18’ drop at 1000y. Also significant.
So it’s a bigger, heavier rifle, and it will definitely go through body armor, but you aren’t really seeing a huge gain in functional range, and the ammunition (since 14.5x44mm is an HMG bullet) is likely not nearly as consistent as .338LM and so likely not as consistent at long range.
BC - ballistic coefficient. How your bullet reacts to the air. It’s a combination of weight and shape of the bullet. Higher is better for long-range shooting.
gr - grains. The weight of a bullet. 5.56x45mm (standard AR-15) uses bullet weights as low as 55gr, and as high as mid-70s. Lighter bullets are easier to push faster (which is why AR-15 rifles tend to be pushing bullets to 3200fps with pretty minimal recoil).
fps - feet per second, usually measured at the muzzle. Bullets slow down as they head down range, due to air resistance.
Bullets don’t travel in a straight line; the second they leave the barrel, gravity is acting on them, and they’re getting pulled down. So you’re always shooting in an arc. For short ranges, that arc is pretty negligible. For a long range shot, you may need to be pointing significantly higher than your target. In the case of the rifle pictured, you should need to aim about 13’ above a target that’s 1000 yards away in order to have your bullet hit (that’s your “hold over”). If there’s wind–and there almost always is–you’re going to need to compensate for that by aiming to the right or left (“windage”). A spotter makes this much easier; your spotter should be trainer to read winds. They should also be trained to see where the bullet hits, so you can make an adjustment, e.g., one target to the left, one half target low.
(I’ve only gotten to shoot longer range a handful of times, the last time with a spotter, and the spotter made it so easy to get on target. Check out 9HoleReviews on YouTube for examples of how that works with a really excellent marksman and spotter.)
Anti-materiel is it’s primary purpose. For that 14.5mm beats the .338. The pictured weapons are for penetrating engine blocks that are stationary or moving with simple motion, within a greater effective range, not body armour (but will all the same). Long range extreme precision is secondary but is still a feature of 50cal and 14.5mm (top 3 records sniper kills are with a 50cal/14.5mm: #3 is actually with one of those type rifles).
I don’t really see the real benefit.
Assuming a BC of 1.05–I’m using the BC for a match-grade .50 BMG bullet, which might be high–and using a 921gr bullet with a 3300fps muzzle velocity, you’re going to see about a 13’ drop at 1000y. That’s pretty significant.
If you compare that to a .338 Lapua Magnum, .685 BC , 250gr at 3030fps, you end up with a 18’ drop at 1000y. Also significant.
So it’s a bigger, heavier rifle, and it will definitely go through body armor, but you aren’t really seeing a huge gain in functional range, and the ammunition (since 14.5x44mm is an HMG bullet) is likely not nearly as consistent as .338LM and so likely not as consistent at long range.
I understood some of those words
BC - ballistic coefficient. How your bullet reacts to the air. It’s a combination of weight and shape of the bullet. Higher is better for long-range shooting.
gr - grains. The weight of a bullet. 5.56x45mm (standard AR-15) uses bullet weights as low as 55gr, and as high as mid-70s. Lighter bullets are easier to push faster (which is why AR-15 rifles tend to be pushing bullets to 3200fps with pretty minimal recoil).
fps - feet per second, usually measured at the muzzle. Bullets slow down as they head down range, due to air resistance.
Bullets don’t travel in a straight line; the second they leave the barrel, gravity is acting on them, and they’re getting pulled down. So you’re always shooting in an arc. For short ranges, that arc is pretty negligible. For a long range shot, you may need to be pointing significantly higher than your target. In the case of the rifle pictured, you should need to aim about 13’ above a target that’s 1000 yards away in order to have your bullet hit (that’s your “hold over”). If there’s wind–and there almost always is–you’re going to need to compensate for that by aiming to the right or left (“windage”). A spotter makes this much easier; your spotter should be trainer to read winds. They should also be trained to see where the bullet hits, so you can make an adjustment, e.g., one target to the left, one half target low.
(I’ve only gotten to shoot longer range a handful of times, the last time with a spotter, and the spotter made it so easy to get on target. Check out 9HoleReviews on YouTube for examples of how that works with a really excellent marksman and spotter.)
Anti-materiel is it’s primary purpose. For that 14.5mm beats the .338. The pictured weapons are for penetrating engine blocks that are stationary or moving with simple motion, within a greater effective range, not body armour (but will all the same). Long range extreme precision is secondary but is still a feature of 50cal and 14.5mm (top 3 records sniper kills are with a 50cal/14.5mm: #3 is actually with one of those type rifles).
Maybe it’s just easily accessible ammo.
Yeah, other calibers are available, but this might be the most abundant around.