Aces High Bulletin Board

General Forums => Aircraft and Vehicles => Topic started by: RedTeck on February 25, 2009, 09:52:03 AM

Title: M-8 Main Gun Lethality
Post by: RedTeck on February 25, 2009, 09:52:03 AM
I know it's not the best tank vs tank weapon, but against an aircraft you would think it to be fairly effective. Yesterday 2 different occasions left me scratching my head. 2 main gun round hit a B-25 strafer (right in the cannon area of fuselage) and not only did it keep flying, but the cannon was still working. A second incident was a direct hit on the engine of an IL-2. It popped the oil, but it kept flying. You would think a direct hit with a 40mm (that's what it is right?) round to the engine would kill it. Just wondering if it sounds odd to anyone else.
Title: Re: M-8 Main Gun Lethality
Post by: frank3 on February 25, 2009, 09:59:31 AM
First of all, wtg on hitting the same plane two times with a main gun! (must've been a lousy strafer, hehe)
The main gun on the M-8 is a 37mm though, not 40. But I reckon it would surely ruin the day of any aircraft it might hit, not sure if the aircrafts you hit should still be flying.
Title: Re: M-8 Main Gun Lethality
Post by: moot on February 25, 2009, 10:01:47 AM
The M8's turret is 37mm. Were you using HE or AP? AP needs to hit to a load bearing part or something that disables flight for the plane.  You can't puncture skin over empty volume for any useful effect.  An AP through the cockpit will definitely be bad news for the pilot. An AP thru the nose but that doesn't hit anything or just disables a couple of guns is probably bad news for you.
An HE round might sometimes be soaked up by rugged models like the 25 or Il2, but a second HE round in the same spot (or even an AP follow-up) should almost guarantee a KO.
Title: Re: M-8 Main Gun Lethality
Post by: RedTeck on February 25, 2009, 11:13:23 AM
It was AP. But even with that, a shot the engine should destroy it. For the B-25. It was 2 shots on 1 of its strafing passes. Both AP's hit below the cockpit on the right side (it was coming at me head on) right where the cannon should be, yet it flew on to kill a T34 with its cannon.

*edited* typo

Title: Re: M-8 Main Gun Lethality
Post by: Karnak on February 25, 2009, 11:46:21 AM
The M-8's 37mm is less powerful than the Ostwind's and large or tough aircraft are quite capable of surviving hits from the Ostwind.
Title: Re: M-8 Main Gun Lethality
Post by: moot on February 25, 2009, 01:38:11 PM
An AP to the engine isn't guaranteed to be fatal.  An HE will do it pretty much everytime (http://dasmuppets.com/public/moot/film13_M8HO_0437.ahf), though.
Title: Re: M-8 Main Gun Lethality
Post by: Ghosth on February 26, 2009, 06:59:20 AM
I think thats the same 37mm in the P39, which is not near the cannon as the Russian 37mm in the iL2 or the Yak9t.

Couple that with ap vs he damage and I can believe they flew away with a hit or 2.
Title: Re: M-8 Main Gun Lethality
Post by: hlbly on February 26, 2009, 08:21:31 AM
It is ridiculous that you could hit it to begin with . Main guns on tanks and armored cars should be incapable of hitting a plane . Take a scoped rifle one of these days and try tracking a sparrow . That is childs play compared to doing what is routinely done here .
Title: Re: M-8 Main Gun Lethality
Post by: Anaxogoras on February 26, 2009, 08:25:22 AM
Hehe, the Il-2 might have been me (got my radiator, not my oil).  I got hit by an M8 that was hiding in a barn, so there was no way to safely approach.  Then again, I rarely attempt a safe approach in the Il-2 because I can reup again and attack the guy a minute later if I die. :devil

Edit, checked the scores pages, it wasn't me.
Title: Re: M-8 Main Gun Lethality
Post by: frank3 on February 26, 2009, 09:22:56 AM
It is ridiculous that you could hit it to begin with . Main guns on tanks and armored cars should be incapable of hitting a plane .

Then again, our AH pilots are blasphemously undertrained :)
Title: Re: M-8 Main Gun Lethality
Post by: ScatterFire on February 26, 2009, 11:29:49 AM
It is ridiculous that you could hit it to begin with . Main guns on tanks and armored cars should be incapable of hitting a plane . Take a scoped rifle one of these days and try tracking a sparrow . That is childs play compared to doing what is routinely done here .
Done that  :aok

I've also hit pheasants on the wing with open sighted muzzle loading muskets and Grouse , taking their heads off with my 270. 

It all depends on how the "pilot" is flying and whether I'm lined up/paying attention.  Fly straight away from me with your head sticking straight up and you are dead, just like if you fly right at the barrel of my tank at after spending 6k yards lining up on me  :rock
Title: Re: M-8 Main Gun Lethality
Post by: Larry on February 26, 2009, 12:26:08 PM
I just use a bigger gun.

http://www.fileden.com/files/2007/4/24/1013733/three110s.ahf



Next time use HE and aim for wings or the pilot for bombers. For fighters it really doesn't matter. AP or HE will take them down with one shot most of the time.
Title: Re: M-8 Main Gun Lethality
Post by: AWwrgwy on February 26, 2009, 05:37:46 PM
It is ridiculous that you could hit it to begin with . Main guns on tanks and armored cars should be incapable of hitting a plane . Take a scoped rifle one of these days and try tracking a sparrow . That is childs play compared to doing what is routinely done here .

maybe if the sparrow flew straight at the guy with the rifle... repeatedly.


wrongway
Title: Re: M-8 Main Gun Lethality
Post by: Anaxogoras on February 26, 2009, 05:49:22 PM
I've gunned down lots of planes with the main gun on a panzer.  Texasmom told us how to do it on the bbs, and it works like charm: first, fire with the pintle gun as a secondary weapon while in the scope, when you see strikes, fire the main gun.
Title: Re: M-8 Main Gun Lethality
Post by: Larry on February 26, 2009, 06:24:12 PM
I've gunned down lots of planes with the main gun on a panzer.  Texasmom told us how to do it on the bbs, and it works like charm: first, fire with the pintle gun as a secondary weapon while in the scope, when you see strikes, fire the main gun.


Or you can just look at the icon range and line it up with the distance counter on the tank sight.
Title: Re: M-8 Main Gun Lethality
Post by: RedTeck on February 26, 2009, 08:02:55 PM
The only time I get main guns hits vs planes is when they're flying very straight and very steady right at me, lining up for their shot. Just wait until about 600 and boom. M8 will even get 2, possibly 3 shot opportunities in this time. Other than M8, I prefer the T34 HVAP round. A nice flat initial trajectory makes plane killing easy.
Title: Re: M-8 Main Gun Lethality
Post by: BaDkaRmA158Th on February 27, 2009, 04:20:46 AM
37mm NS37 17.15

37mm M4 17.1

40mm Vickers S 14.0500

37mm HE Ostwind / 37mm AP 15.6

37mm HE 31.2

------------------------------------

With 2 rounds it should have damaged something.


BTW HTC im still waiting on my 37mm that blow up after the fuse burns out.  :salute
Title: Re: M-8 Main Gun Lethality
Post by: TheZohan on March 05, 2009, 07:24:05 AM
http://books.google.com/books?id=lTdVZBXragQC&printsec=frontcover&dq=Osprey+Publishing&lr=#PPP1,M1

some nice info on the m-8