LA-7 3 gun package only weighs 5 pounds more than 2 gun loadout?

[icepac]

That's 3 guns and 450 total rounds vs 2 guns and 400 total rounds yet the weight difference is only 5 pounds.

Strange things are afoot at the circle K.

[BluBerry]

That's 3 guns and 450 total rounds vs 2 guns and 400 total rounds yet the weight difference is only 5 pounds.

Strange things are afoot at the circle K.

It's been that way for awhile now.

[Chalenge]

Should be 2x20mm ShVAK cannon w/ 200 rds each or 3x20mm Berezin B-20 cannon and 100 rds each.

Edit: The B-20 weighs 55 lbs versus 80 lbs for the ShVAK.

Would be nice if we could represent both gun packages through sounds. Right now it's one or the other I believe.

[icepac]

Isn't most of the weight in the ammo?

[GScholz]

400 rounds of 20mm would be around 100 lbs with belts/links.

[Chalenge]

Isn't most of the weight in the ammo?

Yes, so take the weight of the EXTRA ammunition it is carrying and it would be lighter with the extra gun. So right now the 3-gun La-7 is too heavy, unless there is extra weight added in mounting, ammunition trays or whatever (wouldn't think it would be that much).

[icepac]

So the 3 guns themselves weigh 5 pounds more than the 2 guns.

In game, the 3 gun loadout carries 450 rounds while the two gun loadout carries 400 rounds.

Sure, not a huge difference, but more than 5 pounds and every source I can find (none agree on how many bullets) has from 120 to 160 pounds more weight for the 3 gun plane.

[Chalenge]

Gordon Yefim writes more about Soviet air power than any other author I know of. That's where the 100 rds/gun figure comes from. 100 does not sound like a lot of ammunition, but I do not think you can discount his information based on that.

Yefim, G. (2008). Soviet air power in world war 2. Hinckley, UK: Midland.

[FLOOB]

So basically pilots themselves differed in weight more than the two types of LA-7s did in real life.

[save]

with have many things that go huh...
according to AH plane performance 190a8 and 190f8 have exact the same speed both Mil and Wep, also the 500kg heavier F8 climb with the A8

[Twizzty]

Still prefer the longer firing time of the 2 gun package.

[MrRiplEy[H]]

Still prefer the longer firing time of the 2 gun package.

You actually live long enough to empty the clip? 

[Tilt]

The three gun package carried  upto 150 rpg. (Indeed it was designed to carry 170 rpg).  This was not always carried but variations seem to have been from 125 to the maximum 150.

The net weight of 3 x B20's was actually lighter than 2 x Shvaks. 75kg to 84kg. So three B20's were some 9kg ( equivalent to approx 90 rounds) lighter than two Shvaks.

Sources

Lavochkin La7 - Milos Vestik
Rapid Fire - A.G.Williams
Flying Guns WWII - A.G. Williams & Dr E. Gustin

[GScholz]

with have many things that go huh...
according to AH plane performance 190a8 and 190f8 have exact the same speed both Mil and Wep, also the 500kg heavier F8 climb with the A8

Have you checked that the weight difference is that big in game?

[Reaper90]

Still prefer the longer firing time of the 2 gun package.

The much better ballistics and 50% greater hitting power of the 3-gun B-20 package more than make up for 50 fewer rounds per gun with the shVAKs. The only reason to prefer the 2-gun package is for the challenge.

That being said, I prefer the La-5FN and it's 2 shVAKs. They can do the job just fine.