At approximately 48,000 ft⋅lbf (65,000 J) of kinetic energy, the 20mm round, as fired out of the Anzio rifle, has nearly four times the energy of the .50 BMG cartridge fired out of a comparable rifle, which is around 12,200 ft⋅lbf (16,500 J) of kinetic energy. The .600 Nitro Express, the second most powerful African big game rifle cartridge, has around 8,200 ft⋅lbf (11,100 J) of kinetic energy. This makes a 20mm Anzio rifle 5.85 times as powerful as a rifle chambered in .600 Nitro Express.
The Anzio 20/50 has approximately 22,000 ft⋅lbf (30,000 J) of kinetic energy with an 800-grain (52 g) bullet. It does this by taking the .50 BMG projectile, which already is relatively large and travels extremely fast, and increases the already supersonic bullet to over 1.3 times its normal flight velocity, creating more kinetic energy without the need for a larger and heavier projectile. Though its kinetic energy is significantly lower than the 20mm round, it is almost as effective due to its smaller surface area, meaning that it has less material to punch through, making it easier to penetrate, but the lighter bullet makes transferring energy over longer distances and into targets less efficient.
