From: Gale McMillan <" gale"@mcmfamily.com>
Newsgroups: rec.guns
Subject: Re: Raufoss .50BMG
Date: 14 Jul 1997 08:11:43 -0400

Brian Glusing wrote:

# Hi Scott,
#
#      I think I can give you the information you're looking for.  Raufuss
# ammunition is Swedish if I remember correctly.  It's a .50BMG round,
# made with an explosive filler (C-4 I think, but don't quote me).  It was
# designed to bring the effectiveness of .50 machineguns up to 20mm
# standards to avoid having to buy a whole new weapon.
#
#    I talked to an Army E.O.D. NCO about 1 1/2 years ago at Ft. Dix, NJ.
# He said that he had traded for some Raufuss ammo (.50 bmg) from some
# NATO troopie while deployed to Bosnia.  His findings?  The stuff was
# EXTREMELY accurate.  He loved it.  His team was using Barrett M82's with
# Leupold Mk4 M3 scopes to detonate mines.  He said making a shot on a 6"
# mine from a couple hundred years with the stuff was like shooting fish
# in a barrel.  He loved everything about it, except that he couldn't
# legally bring any back to the US with him.
#
#      He also said that he found a 7.62x39 version of the same thing but,
# wasn't terribly impressed.  I don't recall how accurate he said it was,
# but it just couldn't carry enough explosive content in a 123 grain
# projectile to do anything devastating.  He said hits on a 1/4 plate
# penetrated, but that he had tried 7.62x39 armor piercing ammo that had
# done the same.
#
#     I have an article about it somewhere in my incredibly messy
# apartment, and if I can find it in the next couple days, I'll post the
# volume number and title so you can get it.  Hope this helps.
#
# #
# # Hi folks,
# #
# # Could anybody give me some info on Raufoss ammunition for the .50BMG?
# # I remember reading something about it but forgot where and what it
# # was.  If I remember right its from Europe correct?
# #
# # Any info or help would be greatly appreciated.

The above story isn't just right. the Multi purpose Raufus round is of
Norwegian developed round that has been licensed to Olin to be
manufactured in this country.  It is an armor piercing,incenderary,high
explosive round with a high explosive charge of RDX.  It is a very
accurate round.  The Navy uses it in their 50 cal sniper rifle and when
we made the rifle for them we were required to test each gun with it.
At a cost of $7.50 each we burned up a lot of your tax dollars.  The
Santa Barbara head stamp had a problem in that some of the cores would
not rotate with the Jacket and you would get an air burst at about 50
yards that would get your attention.