.50 caliber
 | This is a lore summary, presenting intradiegetic or in-universe information about the subject. For game characteristics and similar data, consult the table on the right. |
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.50 caliber rounds are an ammunition in Fallout: New Vegas, Fallout 4, Fallout Tactics: Brotherhood of Steel and Van Buren, the canceled Fallout 3 by Black Isle Studios.
Contents
Background
First introduced into service in 1921, the .50 MG round has served with distinction, used as ammunition for heavy machine guns and anti-materiel rifles alike. The availability of a number of specialized cartridge types ensures that a weapon using this ammunition can be adapted for a number of tactical purposes.
Variants
.50 MG, full metal jacket (ball)
The 675 grain .50 MG Full Metal Jacket ammunition is the vanilla variant of this powerful round, boasting excellent ballistic performance and dealing tremendous damage on contact. The power of the round, however, also makes it difficult to handle, as the recoil is severe.
.50 MG, armor piercing
A specialized variant of a standard .50 MG bullet, designed for use against lightly armored vehicles, protective shelters, and personnel. The softer metal jacket covers a dense penetrator, while the bullet is loaded with a higher powder load, leading to improved muzzle velocity. However, improved performance against armored targets leads to impaired performance against softer targets, as the higher velocity reduces the amount of kinetic energy transferred to the target on impact.
.50 MG, explosive
A variant of the .50 BMG bullet, where the normally solid projectile contains high explosive material. The round is designed so that it detonates the explosive on contact with the target, with the resulting explosion causing major damage to the target.
.50 MG, match (hand load)
Match grade rounds are manufactured with extremely tight engineering tolerances and a high level of quality control. The resulting cartridge is perfectly suited for competitive shooting due to its superior ballistic performance, resulting in improved damage and much greater accuracy at range.
.50 MG, incendiary
Another specialized variant of the .50 MG round, the incendiary bullet is packed with highly flammable material. The entire bullet is designed to ignite the target on impact, making it devastatingly effective against soft and lightly armored targets.
.50, depleted uranium
 | The following is based on Fallout Tactics and some details might contradict canon. |
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The apex of .50 MG ammunition, depleted uranium (DU) rounds are designed for piercing armor. The density of the penetrator, made from the aforementioned DU, is high enough to ensure that the round will be capable of defeating nearly all types of armor it faces, short of reinforced bunkers and main battle tanks.
.50 caliber, jacketed hollow point
 | The following is based on Van Buren and has not been confirmed by canon sources. |
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A hollow point bullet with a metal jacket, designed to combine the best of both worlds.
