abstract
| - The MK211 RAUFOSS (officially the MK211 Mod 0 U.S. Navy/Crane-USSOCOM Designation) or NM140 MP is a .50 caliber round made for the Barrett M107/M82 and M2 machinegun. It was made by the Norwegian company Nammo AS (Nordic Ammunition) and manufactured under the licence of several American companies, including Winchester, they assemble the components at various locations but actual bullet is always manufactured at the Nammo factory in Raufoss, Norway. It is identified by white paint, overlapped by green, on its tip. This multipurpose concept was developed in the late 1960s based on requirements from the Norwegian Defence Forces for a more cost effective ammunition for use in 20mm airborne guns and airdefence guns. Nammo Raufoss AS holds all patents rights on the concept. The 12.7mm multipurpose concept was introduced in 1981 with a design focused on penetration, fragmentation, incendiary and blast effect. The MK211 round is recommended by John L. Plaster (MACV-SOG, Ret) and his book says that it is the most accurate .50 caliber round on the planet but this is inaccurate as other rounds and hand loaded rounds can be more accurate. It also says that the US Army Snipers use this the vast majority of the time while training - it is pretty much the only round they use.It is a multi-purpose round that can be used on both soft (human targets and alike) and hard (apc, pick-up truck targets and alike) targets - making it a deadly round to be reckoned with. It can also be used for anti-explosive, anti-material, anti-vehicle and impressive suppressive fire, especially in urban areas. The MK 211 is claimed to penetrate up to two inches (50mm) of rolled homogeneous armor - though it is mainly made for anti-material and anti-vehicle roles, not anti-armor. The tracer variant of the MK211 is called the MK300. It is used in a 1-5 ratio through the M2 browning.
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