Yes and no Bolo6. Your convergence setting will have an affect on your bullets point of impact, yes. Setting it to 400, and shooting at 300 will show your bullets hitting high. How high? Without looking at ballistic charts I would say that for MG rounds I would expect no more than 12 inches of deviation at that range, and I would really expect it to be much less. My .270 only drops an additional 6 inches or so from 300-400 yards. The difference in trajectory between 100 and 200 yards is even less- only about 2.5 inches. The longer distances will show greater difference.
So it won't make you miss. If you're missing, it's due to your aim- not the arch of the bullet- at least at the ranges we're discussing.
Cannon rounds will show a more pronounced difference. And there will be some variation between different calibers of MG as well.
That said, you should set your convergence to hit at the distance you plan to kill your opponent. For example, when trying for a kill I hold fire until I see D200. Assuming I am closing on my victim I will see D200 at 299 yards, and allowing for a final aim, I will be slightly closer than that when I actually fire. So I set my convergence for 275. With the F4U's 6 .50's at that range and convergence, I slash through wings like I had a chainsaw. Or a very slight sprinkle into the cockpit...
The target gets larger the closer you are to it, and the bullets have more retained energy. Shooting at close range is best. You miss less, and waste less ammo. Stretching your convergence out doesn't make you deadlier at longer range, but it does neuter you for the close shots, where you are less likely to miss anyway. Nose mounted guns are different, I would stretch those out more.
Hitting targets at ranges greater or less than your convergence sprinkles holes over the wings and fuselage, but it really takes a lot of random holes to do any real damage. Best to have all your bullets slam into a small area. A few 3-4 inch holes are more effective than a bunch of 1/2 inch (or less) holes scattered all over.
Purposely staggering your convergence at different ranges (say 250, 275, and 300 yards for the 3 pairs of guns on the F4U) may make you better able to hit your target- but you've lowered the damage you'll inflict, requiring more firing time to get the same result. On a thin target like a wing, you could be hitting with only one pair of guns, while your other guns shot slightly above or below the wing. I'd rather adjust my aim and hit with all six together.
MtnMan
BTW Lusche- thanks for posting that distance info, I'd been wondering about the exact #'s...
