On the subject of aircraft MGs I can't resist posting this pic of a Maurauder on a bombing mission. 1 picture = 1,000 words.
On the subject of aircraft MGs I can't resist posting this pic of a Maurauder on a bombing mission. 1 picture = 1,000 words.
My mistake on the British Service P-40, the nose machine guns were 50 cal, the wing machine guns were 30 cal or 303 cal ?
You would think that if you are loading belts of ammo for synchronised MG's, you would not pack them in boxes of 20.
So would the boxes of 20 have been used for sniper rifles? (due to the better quality control). I had heard that was a possibility but have no facts to back it up.
Here is a B-25 with a bit more grunt 12 x 50's going forward 14 if the top gunner points his forward there was another variant that had 8 x 50's in the nose but also had a 75mm pak cannon on the underside port side they used it against u-boats but it would have been used against anything land based as well because that is one hell of allot of lead coming your way not something I would want to be on the receiving end of. Note the blast shields on the fuselage mounted ones when they tested it originally the pilots noted that when firing the skin near the muzzles was dishing in and out by the concussion of the MG firing so they installed the shields this was a field mod having this much up forward and am not sure that it was a factory done thing mainly used in the Pacific theater of operations.
Last edited by CINDERS; 09-03-2017 at 09:59 PM.
That's what I have.Originally Posted by RCS
I didn't know that.
They just broke the boxes down and linked the ammo up in the particular form the pilot wanted or the mission called for. It's just how ammo was shipped.
Regards, Jim
Quick guide to B-25 variants: here.
OK, correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought the DI ammo is Berdan primed (hence, not reloadable) and it's the DIZ ammo that is Boxer primed.
I've got some oddball .303 ammo. I still have 300 rnds. of the FNB stuff in the box, an unopened 48 rnd. box of D.I. Mk VIIz, 3 rnds of Aussie MQ stuff, and a box of 10 hunting rnds made by Imperial but sold by Canadian Tire in the box under the "Mastercraft" brand. I recently discovered that I also still had 5 blanks as well.
All Defence Industries ammo was Boxer primed and used the DI as maker ID and the Z as powder indicator.
The other Cdn maker was Dominion Arsenals, DA hs, and they used Berdan primers and cordite through 1945.
I've had lots of excellent reloading out of DI brass. Long lasting...
Regards, Jim
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