Removing a Dead Tree With Binary Explosives and a .50 BMG

26 Jun, 2015 by Greg Campbell

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If you’re like me, you’ve wasted far too much time on YouTube watching cool destruction with Tannerite or other binary exploding targets. Still, though we have seen it a thousand times, we are still drawn to these videos. Here, a man with Demolition Ranch removes a tree with binary explosives and a .50 BMG round. Check it out:

Binary explosive targets are very popular. Incredibly stable, they cannot be set on fire with a flame or an electric charge. Most will only detonate when hit with a high-velocity bullet strike exceeding 2000 FPS (though there are some mixtures specifically designed to work with rimfire rounds).

A number of people have been injured or even killed by shrapnel when (mis)using a large target mixture at close range. Fortunately, the crew at the appropriately-named Demolition Ranch knew what they were doing, and buried the majority of the charge to direct the toward cutting the roots and base of the dead tree they intended to fall to reduce lateral blast effects.

They were also smart enough to ensure that they took the shot from hundreds of yards away.

We know some folks that think these big blasts of binary targets give gun owners a bad name, but we don’t have a problem with them as long as they are conducted safely.