It's interesting that the .50 caliber machine gun when given to a heavy weapons squad attached to a platoon, they can effectively fire that weapon with devistating effects to the target at ranges greater than 300 yards. Even at 900 yards the gun can punch right through car as long as it doesn't hit the engine block. A single .50 caliber mind you.
A pilot on the other hand gets six of them strapped to his wings and claims they can't effectively hit or damage anything outside of 300 yards.
I tell you what, we'll do a little test. Park your Volkswagen or Geo Metro out in a field and I'll fire a .50 cal at it, no wait, I'll fire six of them at it. We'll see how much damage it does.
I know that example is a little drastic but trying to give people who have never fired such a powerful weapon before an idea of it's awsome power needs that kind of example. I would not want a single .50 cal fired at me if I was even a mile away.
I think where people get confused is that the training pilots received told them not to waste ammo taking a shot that is very very hard to hit but rather to get in close before firing. The training and tactics employed dictated ranges not the guns themselves, the guns could fire effectively well beyond 300 yards.
Kuben
