Can a Near Miss from a 50 cal Still KILL You?

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Will the shockwave from a 50 BMG rip your arm off? DemolitionRanch does some experimenting to find out.

About the author: S.H. Blannelberry is the News Editor of GunsAmerica.

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  • phil elliott October 3, 2018, 3:32 pm

    I believe him, but way back when i was shooting a 7.5x 55 Swiss. Very similar to .308 ballistically, anyway shot a Jackrabbit at about 125 yds. At the shot jumped straight up and fell over, when I examined him he had a small amount of Blood out of the nose, only damage I could find was a groove on the back of the neck, no blood there just cut hair, so shock wave does have some bearing. Granted a Jack is pretty small vs. a .308.

  • Tim P Bassett October 3, 2018, 7:30 am

    Actually he did a reasonably good job at debunking the myth. I read the comments before I watched.

  • krinkov5.45 September 25, 2016, 3:59 pm

    Better to have 50 cal slug miss your neck by 2 inches than to have .22 short hit you in the eye.

  • Buwammi July 30, 2016, 10:10 am

    WOW..What a tremendous waste of time..The internet is truly amazing..Once heard a story of a guy who shot a satellite down with a BB gun..Wonder if they will prove or disprove that on the internet..Can’t believe I watched this…

  • JohnO July 21, 2016, 1:07 am

    FYI, a near miss, is a HIT…

  • Gary Wolf July 19, 2016, 9:54 am

    Some years ago I represented a fellow who killed his father in law with two rounds from a deer rifle. I do not remember the caliber. The first shot was a near miss to the victim’s face. The shock waive deformed his facial features terribly and blinded him. The face was so deformed he could not be recognized. I conclude that a .50 cal round could suck out one’s guts or rip off an arm, no problem.

    • pink mist July 19, 2016, 7:11 pm

      I was a tank gunner in Australia for 6 years and turned kangaroos into pink mist at 1000 to 2000 meters with 105 mm main gun at every available chance with or without a near miss.

      • Marc March 19, 2024, 7:11 pm

        Unsuspecting kangaroos, what a hero. Glad to hear that’s where our tax dollars have been going. You’re a real credit to the forces mate.

    • Jacob December 13, 2017, 6:41 am

      I’m gonna have to call bull on the shockwave hunting rifle round thing. Maybe ricochet shrapnel I could buy but shockwave? There’s hardly any shockwave from a round passing by your head. You’re confusing the air displacement from a giant ass fighter jet with a body or metal smaller than a pin. Ask anyone who has heard “the snap”. They will know what I mean. 50 bmg is a big boy but he’s nowhere near big enough.

  • Tom July 18, 2016, 9:38 pm

    I think a near-miss would kill you because you would be hit if it nearly missed you…you would be ok if it was a near-hit. Compliments of George Carlin!

  • James Brinker July 18, 2016, 6:26 pm

    Near Fire Support Base Maureen in Aug 1970 a 50 BMG round landed ~ one foot from a Strike Force Trooper of the 2-502 Infantry 101st Airborne. He was ok but a little excitable. I listened to the one sided conversation he put over the BN frequency. Blown up sand or rock fragments would be a real danger on a close call. Jim Brinker

  • Joe July 18, 2016, 6:11 pm

    It’s obvious he was actually proving that a 16 inch Navel cannon will kill you with a close miss but he couldn’t get his turret working properly and substituted a BMG .50 and hoped you wouldn’t know the difference.

  • Frank July 18, 2016, 4:53 pm

    Good video! Thanks for doing it and don’t listen to all the comments that show their supposed “superiority” those people are just jealous they can’t be doing what you are doing.

  • JS July 18, 2016, 4:40 pm

    While he was poo-pooing someone’s lack of knowledge, he was having a little sarcastic fun. I like this young man. If you want to see what a .50 will do, check out the sniper shots in Afghanistan on YouTube. When it makes contact it makes explosive mush out of the target.

  • Peter July 18, 2016, 1:49 pm

    The man is young; I am not. He speaks so fast that I understand 25% of that which he says. And, so, it is easy to criticize him.
    I have no expertise in firearms aside from using them.
    Rather than criticize him and critique his video, something I’ve not attempted to make, I’m grateful that he’s not promoting “gun control”. I’m not going to attack one of our guys.

  • Eric Mickley July 18, 2016, 1:29 pm

    If you people responding think that a near miss from a .50 cal cannot kill you, you are crazy! Let me give you a few scenario’s where it would…. #1. The rediculously loud sound/report from the .50 going off startles a Tiger crouching in the brush near you and he attacks and eats you. #2. The same rediculously loud sound startles an idiot standing next to you with his index file her on the trigger of his weapon. #3. The knowledge that a .50 caliber slug is whizzing by your head gives you a heart attack and you drop dead from fear. #4. The powerful .50 caliber round hits the hill above you causing a massive rockslide killing you. #5. The bullet hits a nearby tree, felling it, and the tree falls on you….. I think you get the point, lol. Unless there is an act of God, the bullet pretty much has to actually hit you, lol.

    • Nobodyknows808 February 1, 2017, 6:14 pm

      Kunar province a dishka .52 the russian 50 cal one round came within 8inches of my ACH(Kevlar as we used to call it but the stupid heavy helmet that’s good for protecting your head from shrapnel and not taking a direct hit/covering a grenade with it to take one for the team) the round actually pushed me down and it left a burn mark on my ACH. However, the round has to hit a human to rip or explode parts into mists. I have hit many guys while in the turret and when you miss nothing happens. I have used Kentucky windage many times and got within inches and only gave burns to Taliban but not rip body parts off unless it was a direct hit.

  • Alfonso Alfredo Rodriguez July 18, 2016, 10:35 am

    This man is a typical example of a man with too much time in his hands, too many guns, no idea of what he is doing and above all, no education. Yes, maybe he managed to get a high school diploma, maybe even some college (I doubt it) but he shows that history nor science are his strong points. I have seen some of his videos, a lot of bad information and badly constructed tests. I am glad he is into GOT but is that all he has read, he is in serious trouble. So let me see, the AR15 gets its designation because it adopted in 1915 just like the 1911 was adopted in 1911. How about all the M1 or M2 designations for other US military weapons, does it equate of 1901, 1902 or just Millennium 1 of the current era designated AFTER CHRIST? WOW, I am impressed!!! He lives in the world of IDIOCRACY.

    • david July 18, 2016, 1:08 pm

      Its satire.

    • Alex July 18, 2016, 1:10 pm

      He does have a college education. He actually is a veterinarian. Maybe you should do some research before judging someone.

    • William Reed July 18, 2016, 1:21 pm

      The 1915 comment was a joke.

    • Ken July 18, 2016, 1:35 pm

      The term “AR-15” signifies “Armalite rifle, design 15”.[7] Today, Colt uses “AR-15” for its semi-automatic civilian rifles and thus many use the term only for Colt AR-15s and clones made by other manufacturers. This article discusses the original design intended for military users and its major variants.

    • DocLoch July 18, 2016, 1:58 pm

      Ha, Jokes on you. I think you are wound a little too tightly and need to go to a spa or something. Dry humor is not your forte. First of all the initial comments were meant to be jokes, I’m pretty sure. Also Matt at Demolition ranch actually has a Doctorate in Veternary medicine, so now your deductive abilities look pretty weak as well. All in all I would just take life with a little less mustard.

  • Combat Watch July 18, 2016, 9:33 am

    MIND BLOWN!! 30-30, 38-55, 45-70 – First number is caliber, second grains of black powder. Glock 17 – Gaston Glock’s 17th Patent. Some guns are named after the date they entered into military service, 1903, 1911, 1919, etc. But most have no relation to date of inception, M14, M16, M4, M9.
    It was a good demonstration though.

    • Deteee July 18, 2016, 10:18 am

      It was meant to be a joke, it’s making fun of young, self proclaimed, “gun experts”

    • Luap July 25, 2016, 1:31 am

      30-06 = 30 caliber-1906

    • Luap July 25, 2016, 1:35 am

      Just as the Armalite Rifle-10 “AR-10” was invented prior to the AR-15.

  • Alan July 18, 2016, 8:59 am

    LOL!! Hey, that must mean I’m a “gun expert” too!!!!!

  • Tim Tucker July 18, 2016, 8:45 am

    Can we find someone older than stale embryo to make these videos? Credibility….completley un-done by the incredibly lame intro re: WWI references.I weep for the future of America if THIS is all we can muster from young men…..

    • John L July 18, 2016, 10:40 am

      Yeah! How dare he inject even a modicum of humor in a gun video. By the way, that is Dr. Embryo to you. Or Dr. Matt as he is known on his other channel , vetranch.

    • Formerly July 18, 2016, 11:08 am

      It was tongue-in-cheek my friend. Before generalizing a whole age bracket, perhaps realize that he, being an individual who has a YouTube channel with almost 2 million subscribers and subsequently even more millions of views, was being facetious about his own gun knowledge, which for some reason was lost on you. If we are generalizing, I’m sure that your age bracket was duly mocked in its day by the preceding one. Problem is, they all die off, meaning that no one gives a shit what they think in the end. That will apply to you and me as well, when our times come.

  • Joe July 18, 2016, 5:45 am

    Alright, so maybe if your arm is directly behind the intended “human” target and in the line of fire, it could take your arm off.
    And stick the arm and possibly go through the arm of somebody behind you and in the line of fire…

  • Joe Black July 18, 2016, 3:46 am

    Great mythbuster. It seems a lot of myths get started around the tables at gunshows where rumour is the rule. Myths will thrive without common sense or putting them to the test to put them to rest.

  • Joe Black July 18, 2016, 3:34 am

    Great mythbuster! A lot of legends get started around gunshow tables where the guys barely passed their drivers license exam. If you don’t use common sense or put it to the test you can’t put it to rest.

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