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Author Topic: Why Are P-47 Guns Staggered?  (Read 2447 times)

Offline Halo

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Why Are P-47 Guns Staggered?
« on: February 20, 2005, 09:25:32 AM »
Have always wondered why the P-47 guns are staggered.  Most wing guns have their muzzles aligned straight across.  

Looks snazzy, but is there any advantage to staggering gun barrel alignment?
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Offline Sikboy

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Why Are P-47 Guns Staggered?
« Reply #1 on: February 20, 2005, 09:28:48 AM »
It might have something to do with belt feeding 8 guns.

But that's just my non-googled  guess.

-Sik
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Offline Captain Virgil Hilts

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Why Are P-47 Guns Staggered?
« Reply #2 on: February 20, 2005, 12:24:48 PM »
In order to keep the guns close together and feed/eject the ammo, they were staggered. Look at the nose of the P-38 and you'll see that the guns in it are staggered as well.
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Offline frank3

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Why Are P-47 Guns Staggered?
« Reply #3 on: February 20, 2005, 03:34:19 PM »
Sikboy is right, it has to do with the feeding gunbelts.
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Offline Halo

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Why Are P-47 Guns Staggered?
« Reply #4 on: February 20, 2005, 03:37:10 PM »
Huh, makes sense, and improves the aesthetics too.  Thanks.

Which of course makes me wonder why seemingly most comparable contemporary fighters did not use that feed design, e.g., Hellcat, Mustang, Warhawk, early Spit and Hurri.  

Or if they did, it was not reflected in protruding staggered muzzles.
« Last Edit: February 20, 2005, 03:41:41 PM by Halo »
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Offline Cobra412

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Why Are P-47 Guns Staggered?
« Reply #5 on: February 20, 2005, 04:30:46 PM »
D Mustangs did have a staggered design.  I can post some photos if you'd like.  The B Mustangs also had a staggered configuration.  Spitfire Mk 1s had a staggered design.   So did the Spitfire Mk VB and VC with 20mm and brownings.  The F6Fs had a staggered design and so did the P-47s.  The P-40Es though not staggered like the usual configuration did have the center gun mounted slightly higher on each wing.  The P-40Ds did actually mount one M-2 slightly aft of the other two guns.
« Last Edit: February 20, 2005, 04:39:33 PM by Cobra412 »
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Offline Halo

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Why Are P-47 Guns Staggered?
« Reply #6 on: February 20, 2005, 08:41:50 PM »
I Googled around trying to snag more info, but pictures of open gun bays are not easy to find.  

Did see small pic of early F-4F .50s and one of early Spit .303s that showed their machineguns also were staggered or offset -- they normally look even only because their muzzles don't protrude from the edge of the wing.

So as several of you have said, staggered or offset appears to be the norm, not the exception.  

And I guess none appear more formidable than the dramatic angle of the eight .50s on the P-47s.  

Unless it's eight .50s in the nose of an A-26, modeled so far only in ancient Air Warrior.
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Offline BaDkaRmA158Th

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Why Are P-47 Guns Staggered?
« Reply #7 on: February 20, 2005, 11:41:13 PM »
B-25J's had 12 forward fireing .50's not includeing if the top gunner has his gun turned forwards also,14 .50's woooWEE!



18 .50's on one bomber...:aok

http://www.photovault.com/Link/Military/AirForce/show.asp?tg=MYFVolume15/MYFV15P11_12
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Offline hacksaw1

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Diagram of p-47 belt feed
« Reply #8 on: February 21, 2005, 01:22:37 AM »
This is not a high quality drawing, but you can see that the four belts are staggered.



Regards.

Cement1
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Offline bustr

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Why Are P-47 Guns Staggered?
« Reply #9 on: February 22, 2005, 06:16:59 PM »
And how many yards long was the average belt?????? Thats where the term I gave e'm the whole 9 yards came from.
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Offline hawker238

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Why Are P-47 Guns Staggered?
« Reply #10 on: February 22, 2005, 08:57:47 PM »
Quote
Originally posted by bustr
And how many yards long was the average belt?????? Thats where the term I gave e'm the whole 9 yards came from.


Quite possibly a myth.
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Offline Halo

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Why Are P-47 Guns Staggered?
« Reply #11 on: February 22, 2005, 11:13:29 PM »
Supposedly true, i.e., each belt of .50 cal was 27 feet or 9 yards long.
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Offline Toad

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Why Are P-47 Guns Staggered?
« Reply #12 on: February 23, 2005, 12:24:06 AM »
Whole Nine Yards

Take yer pick.
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Offline Pyro

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Why Are P-47 Guns Staggered?
« Reply #13 on: February 23, 2005, 10:28:01 AM »


Looks like there's 13 rounds per foot in a belt of .50.  Therefore, 27 feet would equal about 350 rounds.  That's not a real common ammo loadout.  A couple of the guns in the P-51B used a 350 round belt, but that's all I can think of off the top of my head.
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Offline bustr

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Why Are P-47 Guns Staggered?
« Reply #14 on: February 23, 2005, 01:37:06 PM »
My apology,

I suckered myself into to that myth. I remembered from a hand book in one of the offline simms like Aces over the Pacific. It was a caption to a picture of an allied plane being rearmed. Sorry not the best source for historical data.
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