You're going to get a LOT of different answers to this question, because there's a lot of difference of opinion. Here's mine:
Convergence: I set my guns to 200yds. I do this for two reasons: First, at that range the .50cal are absolute buzz-saws. If you hit your target square at that range you're almost guaranteed to cause some major damage. Second, I find it makes hitting the target easier. You don't have to pull as much lead in a deflection shot, and if your saddled up the target is effectively filling your sights, anyway.
As far as which Hog's the best...
F4U-4 is far and away the best mark IF you have the perks for her. She's the best prop in the game PERIOD. The perk price, however makes her less attractive in a ground attack role. Otherwise, equal pilots she will pwn almost anything else in the air. She's one of the fastest props throughout the altitude range, and at LEAST in the Top 10 of pretty much every performance category, and whatever deficiency she may have against an opponent, she has at LEAST two or three other areas that she is superior. Most importantly, she takes the main shortcomings of the 1-series Hogs: average at best acceleration and vertical performance, and turns them into strengths.
F4U-1A is the best pure dogfighter of the unperked Hogs. She's the fastest (marginally so over the the -1 birdcage) and with acceleration and vertical performance roughly comparable to the 1D. She's also the best turner of ALL the Hogs. There's more gas because of the wing tanks, however when burned down to 1/8th in each wing (left, then right) the effect on performance is negligible, IMO. Additionally, it's a nice security blanket. I know every time I fly a -4 or any other Hog without the wing tanks I end up wishing I had them (like last night, when a Spixteen perforated my FORWARD-MOUNTED FUSELAGE TANK FROM DEAD 6 AT 1500 YARDS
). 1/8 in each wing will get you at least a sector with proper cruise settings. The chief knock many people originally had the 1A was that when first added the 1A loaded an equal amount of gas in all tanks (IE, take 50% fuel and 50% is loaded in all three tanks) however this was changed in one of the recent updates to use the same loadout as the -1 birdcage. Some people have begun flying her more since this change, however there are still a few who still consider her inferior.
F4U-1D is next for me. She's not as fast as the 1A because of the permanently-fixed pylons on the inner part of the wing, and she has more weight so doesn't turn quite as well. She's marginally superior in the vertical, though the difference is close enough as to be immaterial. I mostly use her as a bomb truck, and she's the best choice of the marks for ground attack. 2x1000lbers and 8xHVAR is enough to drop a hangar, and if you execute it properly you can loose all that ordinance on one pass so you don't have to go back through a second time.
F4U-1C I place fourth. Her speed is roughly on-par with the 1D, though she loses slightly in acceleration and the vertical. The key to the Charlie is raw firepower. The four Hispano 20mm pack a whallop, and have ballistics only marginally inferior to the Ma Deuce. As a result it takes very little time to switch between gunnery with the .50cal to the Hizookas. She also has a remarkably plentiful ammo load for a cannon-armed bird, and the sheer weight of fire makes kills in one sortie in the double-digits without rearming a clear possibility (though on a good day I could do the same with the .50cal). However IMO the cannon add just enough weight and reduction in performance that she's not my ideal choice for air-to-air. Granted the firepower makes her a good buff-hunter, but she's generally lacking compared to the rest of the lineup. Instead, I use her most often in a ground attack role. She lacks the extra two pairs of rockets in the 1D (4xHVAR, compared to the 1D's eight) however the cannon help to compensate, making her a very good strafer. She's the best choice for de-acking, strafing down town, and is one of the top vulchers.
Placing the F4U-1 at the bottom of the pack is probably going to earn me some flames, but I have my reasons. First and foremost, her acceleration and vertical performance are the poorest of all marks of the Hog, and in fact are near the bottom of the list for ANY fighter. The aircraft's sluggishness is VERY noticeable, especially if you spend time flying the 1A which is very close otherwise in performance. The 1A is slightly faster and a better turner, (although both are close enough as to not really have an effect in combat) and the 1A, C and D will all out-climb and accelerate the birdcage. Additionally, the low-set cockpit gives her about the worst forward view of any of the Hogs. I HATE trying to make deflection shots in the birdcage, because you're really shooting blind. Ironically, she does have the bet REAR view of all the Hogs, though the canopy frame blocks out a significant amount of the view from all other angles. That's not to say she's a bad ship, and there's some guys who can really make the birdcage dance, but the -1 really requires an experienced hand to be effective in Late War. She's much more competitive in the Mid War Arena.
Incidentally, VMF-251 is always on the lookout for other Hog fans so feel free to look us up.
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