What's the most powerful rifle in the world?

Answer 1

The 20mm Japanese Type 97 anti tank rifle, 40662 ft.lbs

While the 50BMG may be the most powerful cartridge commonly available in the US, it isn't in the class of the biggest and most powerful rifles. For that you are going to have to look to the various 20mm anti-tank rifles that Japan and Switzerland made. The Swiss 20x138mmB Long Solothurn, for the S-18/1000, comes in at 35543 ft.lbs but the Japanese 20x125 for the Type 97 20 mm ATR tops that with 40662 ft.lbs. This tops even the M50 20mm rounds fired by the Vulcan gun.

Some might claim that these are canons, based on the arbitrary 20mm boundary, in that case we'd have to go for the Russian PTRD-1941 14.5mm anti tank rifle firing the B32 round at 23,967 ft.lbs.

The new 25mm Barrett rifle is larger caliber but lower velocity than the old anti tank rifles.

For the people answering below, the 700NE and 50BMG are both well under 20,000 ft.lbs and the 4 bores were black powder and since energy is 1/2mv^2 they don't produce anything like the power of the high velocity anti-tank rifles.

Answer 2

In guns fired fromm he shoulder, there were a few 2 bores made in the 19th century. Sir Samuel Baker had one in Africa in the 1880's. It fired an 8 ounce round ball or a somewhat heavier conical bullet. He said that when he fired it, it spun him about like a "weathercock in a hurricane". He was a big man, but the rifle was, "the son of a very large cannon", as some Arabs said. there are more nominal 4 bores. They are usually 5.5 or so bores actually, but they are powerful enough. With a conical 4 ounce bullet before a full ounce plus charge of powder, a 20 pound rifle of this caliber had 212 foot-pounds of recoil in a test done in a recent magazine. These giant 5.5 to 2 bores amke the vaunted .700 Nitro or .50 BMG seem like toys. Some still exist, so they are the most powerful. As I said, one was tested in a recent rifle mag.

Answer 3

The M60 isn't a assault rifle it used to be the main squad automatic weapon before the introduction of the lighter and more versatile M240 and M249B. A .40 handgun will achieve penetration a brick wall, you've never actually fired a gun that didn't have a joy stick have you? In terms of sheer knockdown power pretty much anything chambering 7.62 (AK-47 or HK G3) is going to your most powerful assault rifles.

Answer 4

Well, let's get downright Huge.

Go to the Security Arms website, and go to their photo archive. (The largest collection of gun-identifying photographs I've ever found on the net-bookmark it!) This takes a few moments to load- it's LARGE.

Scroll down until you locate the Lahti 20mm anti-tank rifle, and the Solothurn anti-tank rifle.

They look like rifles they call 'em rifles, but they're about 8 or 10 feet long and weigh about as much as a Ma Deuce!!
But they are shoulder-mounted (in a prone position), and can be operated by a single soldier, so I suppose they are rifles.

They killed tanks with these monsters.
A .50 cal bullet, (slug only), is about the size of half a hot dog.
The 20mm bullet (slug only), is about the size of an ENTIRE .50 cal round (bullet and brass!)
Is that big enough for ya?

Answer 5

In terms of ft-lbs, it is a close toss up between the 50 BMG and the 700 Nitro.

I have seen loads for the 700 Nitro that allegedly generate over 14500 ft-lbs of energy (http://www.accuratereloading.com/700ne.html)

However, the 50 BMG has very similar numbers. The 50 BMG with an 800 gr. bullet alledegly produces about 14800 ft-lbs of energy at the muzzle. Many of the numbers for other bullets are between 13000 and 14000 ft-lbs.

Between the two, it is a toss up. I don't think Holland and Holland makes the 700 Nitro Express anymore (and when they did, I think rifles went for about $30K a piece). The 50 BMG is still mass produced and a cheap rifle can be picked up for a couple of grand.

Answer 6

Well, since you are stipulating 'rifle,' then that would be the .700 Nitro Express. The .700 NE was designed from day one to be a dangerous game rifle and made to be carried into the field to hunt with. The .50 BMG Barrett fires a heavy machine gun round and was not designed as a hunting round nor is the Barrett designed as a hunting rifle intended to be carried into the field as it is too heavy and unwieldy for that purpose.

H

Answer 7

The Barrett M82A1 .50 Caliber Semi-automatic rifle (Military version used in Iraq) Fires the 50 BMG Round Full Metal Jacket or the Military .50 caliberJacketed Armor Piercing Round (exploding, and only available to the military)

Answer 8

either the barrett 50 or the new .408 round. They are both cabable of hitting 2700 yards on the range but the .408 is more accurate and has a higher muzzle velocity so can kill better soft targets at the range limit. The .50 cal is better for hard targets or urban fighting due to the heavier bullet weight. Good question and I saw this stuff on futureweapons. I would take a barrett into action cause i believe in automatic firepower, its easier to pull the trigger and miss then try to readjust fire after reloading with a bolt action style.

Answer 9

By rifle I assume you mean a long arm that is able to be handheld.The newer Barrett Is what I'm going with.I automatically pictured the GAU-8 in my head when I read it though.Dunno why

Answer 10

The 20mm Vulcan