If you have a 50 caliber sniper rifle, how do you take down a tank?

Question

What do you aim for?

Answer 1

Anything you want - won't make a difference.

Answer 2

The gas canisters the tank is conveniently rolling on by, lol

Answer 3

You could aim for the tracks, hoping to cause enough damage to immobilize it, or slow it down.  If you miss, run.  

Answer 4

The radio and call in a couple of apaches to take out the tank.

Answer 5

You ask The Hulk nicely.

Answer 6

Kinda reminds me of a line from Saving private Ryan....."Might as well be spitwads"

Answer 7

A .50 cal could not take down a tank. It MIGHT be able to punch a hole through a lightly armoured APC though.

.50 cals would be more suited to things that either aren't armoured, or have little armour. Taking out a Jeep's engine block is different then blowing through the side of a tank.

These days our armoured fighting vehicles are pretty much immune to .50 cal machine guns and such, and so if a machine gun can't do the job, a sniper rifle won't.

Answer 8

You wouldn't destroy a tank. You would aim for the treads to disable it though.  

Answer 9

you dont

Answer 10

WOW we have some really dumb people on here. To me this question Falls under OP-SEC Operation Security which means that oh yea that's right I'm not gonna tell you. Cause if you were really smart which I know you are you would know that many terrorist go on sites like these to find out bits and peices of military information so they can use it agianst us.....thanks again bro for aiding the guys we are fighting....d**n Liberals

Answer 11

  you aim for yourself and save the tank the shot. this is suicide to take on a tank. even a bradly will be a push. Second shot, I get one first, you dead, No not a good idea. Try call in air support much better idea.  

Answer 12

You are better off hitching a ride, with the gas crunch and all

Answer 13

on a U.S. or British tank you have to go for the tracts.

That Chobham armor is to darn tough for a .50 caliber round.

All other tanks, just hit the same spot twice with a depleted uranium round.

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secret ?

ha-ha

I learned this watching "The Military Channel" on cable !

I was watching "Future Weapons" and they made it very clear that a modern .50 cal sniper rifle with depleted uranium rounds will punch through a tank with Two perfect shots (one over the other)

They also said that for a decent sniper that's not hard at all and then they did a demonstration to prove it.

Answer 14

If you are looking to take on a tank made in the last 40 years, forget it.  A 50 cal might do some damage to a World War II error tank, but modern armor you will not be able to stop.

Answer 15

A 50 can pierce up to 1/2" of armor at 500 yards. it wouldn't be able to take down a battle tank. It could however blind such a tank if the sniper was able to hit all or most of the view ports and cameras. this would blind the tank and make it useless. The crew would have to open up and expose themselves that would be suicidal. It can however punch through some of the APC's and armored cars out there. Though that varies massively depending on the vehicle in question. In WW1 Tanks had vary thin armor and a 50 could punch through them quite easily. Since WW2 the tank has been quite impervious to a 50 and in fact use the 50 to sweep of boarders. this is done buy a fellow tank who sees you have boarders they want to open a hatch and drop a grenade in. The friendly tank will take his 50 and hose down your tank killing the boarders and not hurting your tank except the paint job of course and maybe the antennas.

Answer 16

Oh good grief!  You don't...even if you take out the commander there is at least one other crewman on the tank qualified to command it and once you have killed the commander you have announced your presence and the gunner, who is the normal replacement, will merely go to a 'buttoned down' state and drive right on through.  You have done nothing but satisfied your own lust by killing the man in the first place.  And then you have to contend with the infantry that will undoubtedly be traveling with the tank in a combat environment.  PT test really counts at that point.  My advice is that if you are sitting there, even with a 20 mm rifle you let the tank pass.  You can't stop it let alone hurt it.  Good luck to you

ADDITIONAL:  Okay, award me all the thumbs down you want but the bare truth of the matter is that there is no place on a modern battle tank that is vulnerable to small arms fire, not even from above, the traditional soft spot on a tank.  And unfortunately for you large caliber people the .50 caliber is considered a small arm when you're talking about military ordinance.  Rather than award me thumb's down step up and explain to all of us where you think a tank is susceptable to small arms fire.  Kill the whole crew, well I suppose its possible but not really very likely.  Good luck to you all.

...Been there done it...

Answer 17

You aim for the tank with your TOW, or LAW, or SMAW, or Dragon...Then maybe you will have an effect on it.

Answer 18

Ask Michael Bay. He is an expert at blowing things up:

The Island.

Pearl Harbor.

Transformers.

Bad Boys I & II.

Armageddon.

The Rock.

Answer 19

Take it down in what way?

Do you want it so the drive can't see? Or wait for all crew members to open their hatches and stick their heads out?

Do you want to damage the main gun? (won't happen)

Shoot at the engine bay and watch the .50 cal round bounce off? Shoot at the .50 cal on top and hope to damage it? or the M240 machine gun?

The only way is to wait for the driver to stick his head out and at least two more crew members to climb out to be shot...

Answer 20

If you had a legitimate military reason to take out a tank you would know how to do it, because you would have been trained how to do it.

Why are you asking a question like that on this site.

Answer 21

I don't.  I let it go by and pick a better target.