What Is the Most Powerful Gun You Can Legally Buy?

Wondering what is the most powerful gun you can legally buy? You’re not alone. This article will attempt to answer this question. 

Here in the US, compared to most other countries, the number of options you have what it comes to guns you can legally own is simply incredible. And this list certainly includes some really big and powerful guns. One of the most common questions we across is which is the most powerful gun you can legally buy. This article will attempt to answer this question. 

Most Powerful Gun You Can Legally Buy Without ‘Complex’ Licensing 

Without the need for going through any extra legislative hurdles, a civilian can buy rifles up to a caliber of .50BMG. Rounds of these sizes are used for piercing through tank armor and blasting a target that may be taking cover behind a wall of reinforced concrete from a mile away. The Barrett M82 semi-auto version is one such rifle that uses these rounds, and is one of the most powerful weapons easily accessible for civilian use. 

With a muzzle velocity of 851.3 m/s and delivery over 15,000 foot-pounds of energy, these guns are overkill, even for hunting elephants. In most states, all you need to buy this weapon is a simple background check and a budget of about $3,500 to $11,000, depending on the market and condition. 

Most Powerful Gun Available for Civilian Use 

Say you have the time, patience, and the money to deal with NFA laws, tax stamps, finding an FFL licensed dealer, and other associated difficulties with acquiring a Class 3 weapon; what is the most powerful gun you can get your hands on? The ambiguity of the laws tends to make this question a bit difficult to accurately answer, but the Anzio 20MM rifle is a good candidate. 

This is a seriously massive weapon, weighing up to an astonishing 130 lbs. and delivering a jaw-dropping 48,000 foot-pounds of energy, which is more than four times that of an M82. Outside of blast bunkers and perhaps modern MBTs, there are few other things that this gargantuan rifle won’t be able to shoot through given the right ammo and skill. Its effective firing range is 2.81 miles, which is just a bit shy of the furthest we can see on a clear sunny day.  

Wait…There’s More!

Legally, there are no restrictions to the gun size, provided it is one of those antique black-powdered loading rifles. This means, provided you have lumps of cash just sitting around and are not using explosive rounds, you can have a replica of the old Dahlgren howitzer constructed for your own use. This 50-pounder was used for destroying ships and was capable of delivering over 11 million foot-pounds of energy.

We hope we’ve satisfied your curiosity. So, stay awhile and take a look around!