Scaling the AK up to .50 BMG…how hard could it be? Today we find out, with a detailed looks at all threee iterations of Brandon Herrera’s AK-50 project.
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I find myself hoping that they documented the entire process, and did so including all the “anthropological bits”, not just the technical ones.
One of the things I find fascinating with things like this? It’s more the “people” side of it, not the “device” side. What motivated the design, how did they approach it, why did they chose those specific options and modifications as it went on…
I mean, yeah… It’s a lot like arrowheads: They’re fascinating things to find out in the wild, something that makes you start up out of your day, look around, and imagine what the scene around you must have looked like when that arrowhead was lost.
Yet… You wonder “How did they lose this…?” Was it someone’s practice arrow, or was this the last one in the quiver before starvation late in some fall, and there’s a lodge somewhere that didn’t make it through to spring, with everyone inside starved to death in the winter cold?
How did the guy that knapped that arrowhead out of flint learn his skills? What was his life like? How did the whole thing work, within the band or tribe? Did the knapper do his work as a specialist, or was he “just another guy” making his own tools?
The arrowhead is interesting; the background surrounding the human element that made and used the arrowhead is absolutely spell-bindingly fascinating, at least to me.
@ Kirk: I’d be more interested in your speculations about what motivated the firearms in question. You usually have some incisive insights into the thinking behind various designs and decisions. In the case at hand, I’m drawing a blank for any really practical reason for the project. The possible drawbacks seem to override the understandable wish to carry Zeus’ thunder bolt on a single round one’s shoulder. Coming with recoil, packing ammo, wear and tear on rifle-size components…
‘Sling’ not single’. ‘Coping’ not ‘coming’.
I’d be curious about the use of this (or other) short-barreled 50 BMG weapons. There isn’t enough barrel length to burn the powder in the cartridge case, leading to (I would guess) horrible ballistics. Kind of analogous to a 7 inch barrel 5.56 AR…
According to https://cfm-calculator.com/physics/Muzzle-Velocity-Calculator.php muzzle velocity could be estimated used following formula
v = SQRT(2 * P * A * L / m)
where v is velocity, P is pressure, A is cross-section area, L is barrel length, m is bullet mass. All but L are constant if we stick to one cartridge, therefore
v = SQRT(L * q)
where q is constant factor. https://ammoterra.com/product/san-511-precision-rifle claims that M33 gives muzzle velocity 2800 f/s from 27.5 inches long barrel, therefore q = 285090.91, which for 20 inch barrel would give velocity of 2387.85 f/s, whilst this is considerable slower this is still a lot of energy.
All that really needs to be done is to select a propellant that will burn sufficiently in that length barrel, and there you go.
It is possible to do, even in your 7″ barrel 5.56mm example.
Granted, standard ammo won’t perform at its best, but handloads will do what you need.
It’s like a flower or a kitten; who says it has to be useful?
Like any weapon, the AK-50 says a lot more about the designers and the group of people it came out of than it does the actual physical fact of the weapon. I mean, look at a lot of the stuff decorating the various preserved arsenals of Europe; how much of what’s on display there is actually at all practical? As opposed to “We thought it looked cool…”
I’d put the AK-50 into the same category as the Tsar Cannon in Moscow, or Orban’s Cannon in Istanbul: Simply things that reflect their origins like mirrors held up to history.
Practical ain’t in it, unless we’re invaded by people who have magical powered armor or there’s a sudden problem with pestilential T-rex variants brought back by someone else’s hubris.
Some things just exist to be cool, with no other real justification. I’d say this is one.
Kirk, better candidate for such book-story would be Hmg stg44 (failed) pseudo-copy.
I reckon making that/trying (unwisely) in several calibres was harder then designing from scratch .50bmg gun
And who invented beer, or vodka, I mean why would you… Little green men, if you ask me; giving cavemen a hint. Without also supplying modern designs/materials etc; you know for a laugh, see what they come up with. Eventually. As a joke.
You know like that movie Mars attacks, with that Nuke caputuring balloon; whoopie cushion.
Which is not to say that Comet is anything other than a Comet, something that big, ok, going that fast… But still; it could release a whole load of “Fart” gas, upon Sun contact, that could make it change colour, spit out gas jets in any direction, and move position. Really.
“(…)change colour, spit out gas jets in any direction, and move position. Really.(…)”
Please provide reliable source supporting claim that A.34, Cruiser Tank, Comet can do so.
Sell guns, aliens “They having the T.V” .50Bmg, no better time.
Ain’t having T.V “Little green men fecking withy internet if ask me.” I said your starship was probably a comet, hee…
I think he’s actually referring to
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3I/ATLAS
An actual comet, in space, that a considerable number of astrophysicists are exercised about at the moment.
Not everything with a name has tracks, armor or a cannon.
clear ether
eon
Really? HOW CAN ONE POSSIBLY LOSE PARTS FOR A UNIQUE WEAPON???
Was heroin or alcohol involved?
Multiple moves of a household or workshop?
THIS Dude does NOT ABIDE!
Did the development of any other caliber generate such comments? Brandon Herrera loves AK’s as I do and wanted to develop what appears by his videos an excitement to take the the AK to another level.
There’s precedent for the whole thing, too… Remember that the SKS was effectively a downsized version of the PTRS-41, which was itself an upsized version of some of Simonov’s earlier efforts in 7.62X54R…
It’s amusing as all hell to imagine this as history merely rhyming to itself.
What about Mauser Tankgewehr https://tanks-encyclopedia.com/ww1/germany/mauser-tankgewehr-m1918 which generally looks like up-scaled Gewehr 98, however internally it is not as
The bolt also featured four locking lugs, two at the rear and two at the front, instead of the traditional Mauser two at the front and one at the rear set up. and it is magazine-less. This was first anti-tank rifle produced at mass scale and usage of 13,2 mm cartridge provoked development of similar cartridges, including, but not limited to 12,7×99 mm.
Aye, but… It isn’t full auto, and doesn’t have a bannana mag. I mean, if you wanted a .50 Ak; surely you’d want a direct copy of a Romanian AKM in full auto, because you was drunk and won the lottery and wanted a oversize Ak; because you did. Otherwise, sober… I mean the Barret, or if you wanted to mess around with something in the U.S which could possibly be… Lighter, or some usuable point, on a Barret… An AR one… Unless he just doesn’t drink enough, I mean if someone had said that to; I’d have gone “What a giant Romanian Akm that Goliath could fire on full auto, in some biblical epic movie, with someone else lobbing rocks at him from a sling… What? Ring Kentucky Balistics, I won the lottery.” Unless that is just me.
“(…)in full auto,(…)”
If you need full-auto fire-arm of 12,7 mm caliber with said feature then use 6П62 https://guns.fandom.com/wiki/6P62
Pkm, version, seen that before, gotta love a Pkm. But is it 399.99 no. So lets crack on, Alien invasion – Sales.
Australin triangle bolt thing, 399.99.
Daweo, this development is videogame material!
Might work as, some sort of Jatimatic “Wouldn’t look like an Ar, especially… Bar the stock/pistol grip.” an AR version; you know, but to shorten/lighten the big bastard. Have the carrier rotate the bolt, as it rotates thus pushes forward a big fuck of hinged extra carrier going over the breech on an incline. Point; try and lighten everything else, and have a short “stubby” sort of action… Target market; Squirel shooters in… Virginia. Radioactive future Squirels… Wants to be cheap, like; profit via sales volume.
“Brandine! Look what I bought from Walmart! An anti tank/radioactive squirel rifle. Ten rnd belts… 399.99…
The inclined bolt mass thing, could feed the belts… Cheaper no mags…
The carrier will move back as per and rotate, said hinged inclined counterweight, feeding the belt… Be along those lines… Polymer, bit of that shit hi-points use; who in Virgina would buy that? “You? but apart from you.”
Be a rotating thing on the out side of the carrier, which by moving back, creates a move forward/up incline. 12 month, warrenty*
*For defective parts, please contact po. box 17864 republica srpska.
Wouldn’t buy that! I believe in it, lets make one; all jokes aside, it would be better than the shit the U.S gun market now sells you anyway, and cheaper. This Ak thing is no good probably costs 100k whos got 100k these days “You?” but I bet, not you, and you.
Hee! I like that, belts… It’s good.
“(…)short “stubby” sort of action(…)”
If you need 12,7 mm weapon with such trait then use А-12.7 https://www.airwar.ru/weapon/guns/a127.html
That is cannon, mind you, if we can make that in semi auto and sell it walmart for 399.99 I am all ears; folks will want to reload ammo probably “Might cost a bit, to fire.” Bit big that Daweo, and not enlighting, big soviet cannon Russian cannon. Looking at it, might have a short action. Can’t read the cyrillc sript sorry.
Anyway, a Barret must be a better design for a .50 than this; all that extra material, doing nothing. Better trying to make an actual Ak, a reliable Ak in .450 soccom or something, probably.
It’s not going to be fired, at a heavy semi auto fire rate is it; thus, all the extra material, for no reason over a Barret.
Unless that is the point? Fun… All for that, it will handle semi auto rapid better I.e. Than a Barrett for “sports” shooters, pumpkins etc, ok if so, fair play!
“(…).450 soccom(…)”
What is this?
Similar to a light .45-70 but with a much smaller case. .458 whatever… Aliens, folk need it. Cheap, export market there for Russia if Vlad the peaceful compared to most Russians hadn’t invaded Ukraine in a half arsed compared to most Russians way. I don’t blame Vlad personally, he could see it being unpopular with anyone outside of Russia. Anyway thats the world we live in.
Having been to Germany, why anyone thinks them re-arming is a good idea… You can’t have Danzig, or Austria. France, etc, we know theres lot’s of Germans here and there but just give it a rest like everyone else does. More or less; Russia.
12.7x99mm .50bmg 399.99 semi auto, ak ak ak! Mars attacks, coin it in. And if they don’t who cares; 12 month deffective parts warrantly from Serb controlled parts of Bosnia… They’ll be a delay, but you’ll get your parts; have translate the issue back and forth a bit. You get that with wifi in the U.S etc.
I’ve never belived in Aliens incidentally, I always thought out perfect planet was it; out of everything, everything meaning most of that you look up at are ghosts; dead things you could never reach. Which I took as an allegorical meaning, like the Bible or most things. Science explanation; you know if all of that “The universe” was on the atomic scale, virus’s etc… It might be in an aliens petri dish, who is our size and everything to them is our scale. So meh, fascinating though isn’t it; well it should be the unfathomnable sky, everytime it goes dark.
I know it isn’t to a significant amount of folk, now… If aliens exist? If they are like us, in the main, we are going to have to try a shoot them. To protect our own morons.
Nah, we’ll welcome them in the name of diversity, even if they live by eating our brains. And our women will breed with them because we are ‘prejudiced against the brain eaters’. The template is pretty well fixed.
I look at this and see mostly a downsized Lahti L-39.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lahti_L-39
Other than the gas piston being above the barrel as per Kalashnikov practice rather than below it, both are pretty much Remington Model 8 clones.
Meaning, copies of a John Moses Browning design.
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eon