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A .50 caliber handgun is a handgun firing a bullet measuring approximately .5 inches in diameter. Historically, many black powder pistols fire rounds with diameters well above ½ inch. However, following the development of smokeless powder, the focus shifted to smaller-diameter bullets propelled at higher velocities, and .50 and larger calibers in handguns became very uncommon.

In the twentieth century, several new cartridges of half-inch diameter were developed, with the .50 Action Express (1988) being the first to achieve wide popularity. The diameter was further popularized by the development of the .500 S&W Magnum in 2003. Additionally handguns were chambered for earlier rifle rounds such as the .50 Browning Machine Gun (.50 BMG).

There are automatic, revolver, and single-shot .50 caliber handgun designs, and even some bolt-action examples. They tend to be larger and heavier than most other arms of their type, which helps absorb some of the tremendous recoil associated with firing some rounds. Though .50 rounds are not inherently more powerful than other cartridges, many .50 cartridges propel a bullet of relatively heavy weight, increasing relative recoil.

Despite being featured in many video games and action films as the weapon of choice for some members of elite military and law enforcement units, in reality the .50 caliber pistols' combination of heavy recoil and relatively low magazine capacity make these weapons a poor choice for military, law enforcement, or criminal use; they are primarily adapted for emergency defense against the attack of large predators, such as bears.^{[citation needed]}

Contents 1 Partial list 1.1 .50 GI 1.2 .50 Action Express 1.3 .500 S&W Magnum 1.4 Other 2 See also 3 Notes

[edit] Partial list

[edit] .50 GI

• Model No. 2 50GI

[edit] .50 Action Express

• Desert Eagle .50 AE
• Automag V
• Grizzly Mark V

[edit] .500 S&W Magnum

• BFR .500 S&W Magnum
• Raging Bull Model 500
• Smith & Wesson Model 500
• JTL-E .500 S&W Magnum^[1]
• Thor Raptor (.500 S&W Magnum pistol)

[edit] Other

• Model 83 .500 WE (.500 Wyoming Express revolver)
• Ruger Bisley .500 Linebaugh (.500 Linebaugh revolver)
• Ruger .500 Maximum JRH (.500 Maximum JRH revolver)
• BFR .50 Beowulf (.50 Beowulf revolver)
• Remington M1865 Navy (.50 Remington pistol)
• Tranter .577 (.577 Boxer double action revolver, 5 round cylinder)
• Bland-Pryse .577 Revolver
• Braendlin .577 (.577 Boxer double action revolver, 6 round cylinder)
• Webley .577 (.577 Boxer double action revolver, 4 round cylinder)
• Gyrojet (13 mm pistol)
• Zeliska (.600 Nitro Express revolver)
• Thunder .50 BMG (.50 BMG pistol)^[2]

[edit] See also

• List of handgun cartridges

[edit] Notes

1. ^ "Revolver JTL-E in calibre .500 S+W". JTL - Janz-Präzisionstechnik, Labortechnik - Feinmechanik. Archived from the original on 2009-09-10. http://www.webcitation.org/5jhEAwNcj. Retrieved 2009-09-08. 
2. ^ Fjestad, S.P. (2004), Blue Book of Gun Values (25th ed.), Minneapolis, MN: Blue Book Publications, Inc., ISBN 1-886768-45-5