Aces High Bulletin Board

General Forums => Aircraft and Vehicles => Topic started by: Rich46yo on October 21, 2008, 09:05:58 AM

Title: 0.50 cal convergance
Post by: Rich46yo on October 21, 2008, 09:05:58 AM
You Yank set specialists I was wondering what do you set convergance for with the 0.50s cals? What would be the best convergance for snap shots?

Thank you.
Title: Re: 0.50 cal convergance
Post by: NOT on October 21, 2008, 09:36:09 AM
i set mine at 400.




NOT
Title: Re: 0.50 cal convergance
Post by: morfiend on October 21, 2008, 09:46:00 AM
Rich: what distance do you shoot from the most?

 I tend to have my conv. set in close cuz if I'm not in close I dont have a hope in h... in hitting anything. :o
Title: Re: 0.50 cal convergance
Post by: Soulyss on October 21, 2008, 09:48:28 AM
You'll probably get a pretty wide response, I haven't flown birds with wing mounted .50's in awhile. If I remember correctly I think I set the guns around 300.  The best answer I can give you is to try different settings and see what works best for you.  The ballistics will be the same on most the US birds but how you fly them may dictate a different convergence.  I remember when I switched from the 51 to the F6F I brought the convergence in because I noticed that I was mixing it up it up a lot more than before so I set the guns to try and optimize the damage on a close in snap shot, like during rolling scissors.  Try paying attention to the ranges your firing at and where you're getting hits at, then set the convergence there.  
Title: Re: 0.50 cal convergence
Post by: Rich46yo on October 21, 2008, 10:04:33 AM
Rich: what distance do you shoot from the most?

 I tend to have my conv. set in close cuz if I'm not in close I dont have a hope in h... in hitting anything. :o

Probably like everyone else the longer I play, and the more skill I acquire, the shorter I'm starting to shoot at. I'd say I prefer 400 and in. However there are times I'd like to hit at 600, even times I need to, and like the occasional 800k Hail Mary.

I was just wondering if there was a happy medium? My current obsession is the Hellcat and I have those set at 400. But does a 400 convergence really take advantage of the ballistic qualities of the 0.50? :salute
Title: Re: 0.50 cal convergance
Post by: Saxman on October 21, 2008, 10:23:31 AM
It's not so much the ballistics properties but hitting power. Ballistics of the .50cal are superb throughout its range. The problem is unlike cannon with an explosive charge the Browning relies on force of impact to do damage. The farther out you shoot, the less power the round has when it gets there. Even if you hit your target exactly in convergence there's a big difference between the energy of the hit at 300yds vs 600yds.

I set my guns to 200yds and the Brownings are absolute buzzsaws at that range. Lethality is good at 400, but there's no comparison to getting your target right at convergence at 200yds. I'm talking half-second snapshots to de-wing P-47s.
Title: Re: 0.50 cal convergance
Post by: morfiend on October 21, 2008, 10:56:25 AM
 Read what saxman says!

 I'm not about to say that you should use this conv.or that,but 400 seems far to me.

 I use 275 or 300 max depending on plane and even 150 or 200 for noseguns.

 The F6f is pretty manuverable so I'd tend to move conv. in closer than 400.

 Of course YMMV.
Title: Re: 0.50 cal convergance
Post by: whels on October 21, 2008, 11:28:41 AM
Allied 50cal and hispano 20mm all guns 400

LW MGs 325 , 20 and 30mm  375.  why 375? cause the 3xtra 50  yards on cannon compensate
for the big drop LW cannons have. it ends up making the cannon round hit same spot as MGs.

all other guns 325


Whels
Title: Re: 0.50 cal convergance
Post by: SmokinLoon on October 21, 2008, 02:30:20 PM
Buff hunting = 600.

fighter v fighter = 350

air v ground OBJ = 600

air v gv (Hurri IID/IL-2) = 350

 
Title: Re: 0.50 cal convergance
Post by: VansCrew1 on October 21, 2008, 03:13:40 PM
Ive got all sets of .50cals set at 350. I dont shoot till im about 400 out on them or closer.
Title: Re: 0.50 cal convergance
Post by: Anaxogoras on October 21, 2008, 03:23:59 PM
LW MGs 325 , 20 and 30mm  375.  why 375? cause the 3xtra 50  yards on cannon compensate
for the big drop LW cannons have. it ends up making the cannon round hit same spot as MGs.

If you set your cannons and mg's to the same convergence point, they will hit at the same point.  This can be confirmed with the offline target.  Moreover, setting the 30mm Mk 108 out to 375 can actually cause you to shoot over your target if it's at 200 yards because the shells will lob too high.

Luftwaffe cannons only drop below the convergence point at ranges which exceed it.
Title: Re: 0.50 cal convergance
Post by: Shane on October 21, 2008, 03:30:59 PM
600yds for everything!!!  i hate getting in range for toolsheds to hit me back!!  plus i found it best for HO's since you can spray from 1k right down to the moment of impact!

 :noid

but seriously i've used between 250yds to 400yds for the .50's... usually a happy medium is a 300yd convergence which allows decent shots out to 600 and if u adjust slightly you can get pings out to 1k (but hard to do mch dmg).

Title: Re: 0.50 cal convergance
Post by: Rich46yo on October 21, 2008, 05:28:33 PM
Thanks fellas. Its nice to see highly respected sticks answer. Im going to settle on 400 for the Yank set and see how it goes.
Title: Re: 0.50 cal convergance
Post by: SectorNine50 on October 21, 2008, 05:58:52 PM
When you set convergence, it sets where the bullets will cross, and where they will cross on your crosshair center point as well.  So if you set the MG's and Cannons all to one distance, they will all hit dead center of your crosshair at that distance.
Title: Re: 0.50 cal convergance
Post by: Gooss on October 21, 2008, 06:31:49 PM
I fly Corsairs mostly.  My convergence is 275.  I shoot when the range goes from 400 to 200. 

Chicks dig gullwings.

HONK!
Gooss
Title: Re: 0.50 cal convergance
Post by: SmokinLoon on October 21, 2008, 07:55:58 PM
Convergence is really more of a factor the further out on the wings the guns are mounted and how far apart teh guns are mounted, too.

The closer to the axis the guns are the larger the "sweet spot" is.  I cant think of a worse plane when it comes to convergence than the Spitfire Mk I.  Some of that has to do with the caliber (.30cal), but most of it has to do with the extreme spread the MG's have between each other.
Title: Re: 0.50 cal convergance
Post by: CAP1 on October 21, 2008, 08:23:20 PM
You Yank set specialists I was wondering what do you set convergance for with the 0.50s cals? What would be the best convergance for snap shots?

Thank you.

i had mine at 350 in my hellkitty, but when i came upon buffs, i had a bit of trouble.

i tried a little experiment last night. i set them inner@400, middle@425, outter@450. i had a fair amooount of success, against a zeke, a hurri2c, and 3 b17's.
Title: Re: 0.50 cal convergance
Post by: Ack-Ack on October 22, 2008, 03:48:52 PM
Never have touched the convergence, don't really need to in the plane I fly.


ack-ack
Title: Re: 0.50 cal convergance
Post by: VansCrew1 on October 22, 2008, 03:50:39 PM
Anything from 250 to 350-375 area is good. They converge in one spot for the most part.
Title: Re: 0.50 cal convergance
Post by: Tony Williams on October 23, 2008, 12:16:29 AM
If you set your cannons and mg's to the same convergence point, they will hit at the same point. 

They will hit at the same point, but if their ballistics are very different they won't all reach that point at the same time. Which means that if shooting at a moving target (especially in deflection), by the time the slower shells arrive, the target may no longer be at the aiming point.

Tony Williams: Military gun and ammunition website (http://www.quarry.nildram.co.uk)
Title: Re: 0.50 cal convergance
Post by: Anaxogoras on October 23, 2008, 12:19:48 AM
They will hit at the same point, but if their ballistics are very different they won't all reach that point at the same time. Which means that if shooting at a moving target (especially in deflection), by the time the slower shells arrive, the target may no longer be at the aiming point.

Tony Williams: Military gun and ammunition website (http://www.quarry.nildram.co.uk)

Undoubtedly.
Title: Re: 0.50 cal convergance
Post by: Wingnutt on October 27, 2008, 03:26:24 PM
in the jug I stagger mine at 275, 300, 325, 350. for fighters
throws up a wall of ugly, dont get the instant death you get from point convergence, but insted a nice shotgun effect, which is easier to hit with at longer distances and difficult angles, wond kill instantly, but anything that passes through the "spray" will be coming out the other end lighter and rather poor shape.



all guns set at 400 for buffs/GVs
point convergence in a jug will deal pretty much instant catastropic damage, so setting them all to 400 is pretty ideal for attacking buffs.

this is just my opinion on on my plane btw.
Title: Re: 0.50 cal convergance
Post by: Jag34 on November 01, 2008, 10:09:43 AM
The Ballistics of a .50cal is the fastest and flatest shooting round of the WWII a/c guns. A .50cal can fly straight and flat out to 650 yards that I have seen. Being a tanker on M1A1's, We have a M2HB .50cal for the TC (tank commander). I know I can hit targets dead center with my M2 out to 650 yards using the top cross hair without adding any elevation. That is using ball, Tracer and API, and yes the tracer will drop about 2 inches at about 650 yards. So I set my guns at 600. I like it when a plane is running and he thinks when he is 600 yards out he is safe. That's when I lay my sights dead center of him and pull the trigger. :rofl
In my opinion the M2HB .50cal or any .50cal is a great around caliber to be mounted on a/c, GV's or ground use.

Jag34T, The Fighting Tiger Squadron


 
Title: Re: 0.50 cal convergance
Post by: Jag34 on November 02, 2008, 03:43:44 AM
Quote
.50cal is a great around caliber to be mounted on a/c, GV's or ground use.

I meant to say," .50cal is a great all around caliber to be mounted on a/c, GV's or ground use".



Jag34T
Title: Re: 0.50 cal convergance
Post by: Wolfala on November 05, 2008, 08:32:01 AM
The JUG N and the 38 are my primary rides, with the A20 being a tie for 2nd. I have a compromise setup with my guns. The inside guns are out to 475 - and the outside guns are in to 400. Like many, that gives a nice shotgun pattern. Seems to work most of the time - don't have trouble landing 8+ kills in a 30 min hop on 50% gas.

BTW, never use tracers. Why advertise you are trying to kill the guy? By the time he knows whats up, he's dead anyway without them.



Title: Re: 0.50 cal convergance
Post by: BoilerDown on November 05, 2008, 12:14:05 PM
My theory is that the more 50cals I have, the further out I set the convergence (for wing-mounted guns).  So in the Jug I set em to 400, in the 6 gun US rides I set em to 325, in the 4 gun rides I set em to 250.  Its worked a lot better since I did that.
Title: Re: 0.50 cal convergance
Post by: uberslet on November 05, 2008, 09:43:47 PM
i set mine at 400.




NOT
same here, i tend to boom and zoom for the most part, get a convergance out thewre a few feet so i have a firing window, and in a fight it allows me to pull lead, i find 400 to be a good all around .50 convergance.  :salute
Title: Re: 0.50 cal convergance
Post by: whiteman on November 06, 2008, 08:14:14 AM
I fly mainly the F4U's and F6F.

Fighter V Fighter - 325

Attacking ground targets - 350-375

Buff hunting - 375-400
Title: Re: 0.50 cal convergance
Post by: uptown on November 10, 2008, 06:34:43 AM
I set mine at 300 and don't fire until that close. The closer in the better in turn fights and snap-shots. That's my experience anyway. :salute
Title: Re: 0.50 cal convergance
Post by: Rebel on November 10, 2008, 09:35:29 AM
Thanks fellas. Its nice to see highly respected sticks answer. Im going to settle on 400 for the Yank set and see how it goes.

If ya don't mind my saying, you're *really* limiting yourself by sticking to one range for all American iron. 

Keep in mind what you wanna do that mission- if you're de-acking in a Jug, you'll want that convergence out as far as possible.  But if you're going furballing in a Hellkitty, you'll want 'em somewhere between 200 and 300- that's where you're shots are gonna be (if you're patient enough). 

If you're in a Mustang, however, you're going to be doing a lot of high speed passes, so you'll want your .50's extended quite a bit- more distance means easier to pull out before trimming the bad guy's rudder with your prop ;)  I set mine at 400 on the 'stang.  Same with Normal fighter op sorties in the Jug. 

For the *REAL* close in work of the wildcats, I set mine to just about 200 even.  THAT'S a lot of fun.  You don't even need to lead all that much when you're that close.

Of course, P-38's are exempt, so just follow the Hartmann mantra of getting in close and tear 'em up.   

With the .50 cal planes, convergence is just as important as your fuel load, IMHO.  It affects their performance more then any other set.  Make sure you do it right. 

Just remember where it's set when you take off ;)  More then once I've lined up on a bad guy at d400 for a tracking shot, only to lose him because I forgot to reset the conv of my Jug's .50's from the de-ack run 1/2 an hour earlier.
Title: Re: 0.50 cal convergance
Post by: Bosco123 on November 10, 2008, 05:07:30 PM
I stagger mine 450 back. The furthest ones out are set at 450, the second ones out 425 and 400 for the final. The P47 is set at 450, 425, 400 and 375. Here is the reason you are going to get most shots, D400 more or less, you can rip someones wing off at that distance with a very quick burst. It gives you much better hit % also.
Title: Re: 0.50 cal convergance
Post by: RATTFINK on November 10, 2008, 05:11:47 PM
All my Naval planes are set at 400.

Play with it in the TA.  Use this dot command .target ###  "#" being the distance you want to shoot from.  Fly around and see what convergence gives you the best result.