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By Barrett TillmanAccording to “experts,” a .50 caliber sniper rifle

can destroy an airliner. Therefore, civilian owner-ship of .50 caliber rifles should be banned.

In 2005 CBS News aired a program addressingthe “threat” that privately owned .50s pose to airtravel. The onscreen critic was Tom Diaz of the Vio-lence Policy Center. He told CBS, “I just think thatthere are certain occasions when we say in oursociety, this product is such athreat to our health and safe-ty, and in this case, ournational security, we will notallow it.”

The gun-rights side of thesubject was provided by Ron-nie Barrett, who needs nointroduction to Blue Pressreaders. Asked about his high-ly successful M82, he stated,“It’s a target rifle…a high-endadult recreational toy. Anyrifle in the hands of a terroristis a deadly weapon.”

That includes airlinershijacked because passengersare prevented from defendingthemselves.

Apparently the worst-caserealistic scenario floated by.50 banners is aircraft on theramp or taxiing. In fact, mili-tary snipers can use .50s onhard targets such as parkedaircraft, radar dishes, or vehi-cles. Put a couple of 700-grainers through a jet engine,and that airplane is groundedpending repairs. But that’s aninconvenience, not a disaster.

Incidentally, rifle shooters(and some gun banners) knowthat any hunting-caliberround will easily penetratethe aluminum skin of anycommercial and most militaryaircraft – from way out there.The difference is that gunbanners are selective in whatthey tell you.

So, how about hitting anairliner in flight?

The only way to do so would be a plane takingoff or landing. Assuming the .50-caliber terroristgot within range (perhaps between a quarter andhalf a mile) he would need a no-deflection shotfor much chance of a hit. But that means position-ing oneself directly ahead of or behind the flightpath at a metropolitan airport – and shooting in amatter of seconds.

A side view probably offers better chances for ashooting position. But from 400 to 500 yards, a full-

deflection shot on a jetliner landing or climbing at130 to 150 knots would require a lead of perhaps100 to 150 feet or more to hit a desired spot –assuming the shooter was fast and accurate with a30-pound piece of metal.

If anyone has a way to practice that shot, itwould be fascinating to observe. First you’d have torent a 737 or better – starting at about $120 aminute, never mind the return deposit on the air-

plane. Then you would need aHaji/Hajj/Hadj (however it’sspelled) jet pilot to fly itaround the pattern until yourshooter dials in his lead for agiven speed and distance.

And incidentally, bargain-basement discount .50 ammogoes for about $3.50 a pop.

Are you starting to see apattern?

Assuming a hit, whatwould be the likely result?

We can tell you with someprecision: It would be a half-inch diameter hole in an air-plane weighing around 35tons, not counting fuel, whichwould depend upon takeoff orlanding configuration.

Couldn’t that hit kill some-body?

Yes, it could. But whybother to shoot one or twoairline travelers when you canblow up dozens of peoplewith one bomb? Or thousandsif you hijack an airliner full ofdefenseless passengers.

But could a .50-caliber hitdestroy the airplane?

No. And here’s why.During World War II and

into the jet age, the standardU.S. fighter aircraft armamentwas six Browning M2 .50 cal-ibers. They cycled at 800 rpmor more – at least 13 roundsper second. Times six equals78 for a one-second triggersqueeze. That’s a lot of 700-grain projectiles starting at2,800 foot-seconds.

How effective was that armament? Across theboard it typically resulted in 60 percent of enemy air-craft hit in air combat assessed as destroyed, thoughthat figure is optimistic. We won’t address thosecredited as “probables” because their fate is unknow-able, but the large majority certainly survived.

In the Pacific Theater, the combined efforts ofArmy, Navy, and Marine fliers resulted in nearly1,000 Japanese aircraft credited as damaged in aeri-

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THE .50 CALIBER MYTH

These USAF photos depict just some of thebattle damage sustained by the A-10 Thunder-bolt II piloted by Captain Kim Campbell, withthe 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing, over Bagh-dad during a close air support mission in Iraq.

January 12 Blue Press Section 3 11/14/11 11:08 AM Page 48