I can't tell by the exact scale of the photo, but unless there's some severe distortion of perspective, that ammo looks bigger than .50 caliber to me. How do we verify the age and accuracy of the photo and news reporting? Do news reporters actually know what a real .50 cal. looks like. Maybe that's a .25 mm or .40 mm cannon shell.
it's a .50
Great minds think alike! I just said the same thing.
Imagine putting a round that size into a Barrett. Doesn't compute.
The photo is datelined "Norfolk, VA (Oct 12, 2005)" and appears on an official US Navy site.
051012-N-2984R-005 Norfolk, Va. (Oct. 12, 2005) - Draftsman 2nd Class Arturo Chavez stands a force security watch with a .50 caliber machine gun on the fantail of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) as the ship prepares to get underway from Naval Station Norfolk. Truman will be conducting carrier qualifications and sustainment training with embarked Carrier Air Wing Three (CVW-3) off the East Coast of the United States. U.S. Navy photo by Photographer's Mate Airman Ricardo J. Reyes (RELEASED)
Press Here for photo and description
Do news reporters actually know what a real .50 cal. looks like. Maybe that's a .25 mm or .40 mm cannon shell.
The camera angle is what makes the ammo look so large. The gun whith its rusted mount is an M2 .50cal and the corroded ammo is also .50cal.