You need to hold at least 3 seconds on the trigger for the *shredder* to take in effect
An exaggeration little too big, I'm afraid. IIRC the AH M2 .50 is modelled at 800 r/pm, which would equate to 13.3 rounds per second. A three second shot at perfect aim would land 240 rounds on a target plane - which is way over what it is now. Offline tests can easily show that on average 20~30 rounds of concentrated fire is enough to set the plane ablaze, or rip a wing off, or explode the plane - depending on where the rounds are landed.
In other words, indeed a "3-second shot" may be required sometimes - but that's assuming about 90% of fired rounds miss and only about 10% of them connect.
Not sure how more concentrated you can get when your 200 behind a 109 and see hits all over the plane. Like i said, i dont know if the modeling is off or what, but it sucks. Seemed to get worse after this last update. Hope HTC fixes it soon! The P-51D is my baby! And i dnt think it has anythign to do with the server because a lot of members of the 31st have noticed this as well. Even some of the other bish, so agian not sure whats going on but i hope its fixed soon!
Convergence distance is a huge issue with planes that have wing-mounted guns. Achieving a "perfectly aimed, perfectly concentrated" shot is always a difficult thing. Add in the fact that the target is usually actively trying to dodge the bullets, and the end result is usually hits spread all over the plane. Being at "200 distance" doesn't mean anything by itself, and it certainly does not mean that the shots are concentrated, just because the range is close.
Not to be blunt, but if anything "sucks", there is a serious chance that it might be your aim, and not the game. It's not very surprising, as through the years I've been at this forum, I haven't seen a single case where someone would come up with a complaint/inquiry which lay fault to themselves before they fault the system. Unless you are suffering a "rubber bullet" syndrome(which is only feasible with certain graphic settings), or severe internet problems(which the problem will manifest universally over all planes and all guns), the .50 "problem" is at best, a misconception.
I suggest you go offline and test what the .50s can do.
Record the material and count the shots landed to kill. And then, compare it with your actual/typical MA recording and count the shots there. 9 times out of 10, people land
A LOT LESS SHOTS than they are claiming to be, and that's a fact.