Comments by "mpetersen6" (@mpetersen6) on "The BIG bang behind Britain's iconic Spitfire \u0026 Hurricane, with firearms expert, Jonathan Ferguson" video.

  1. If eight were insufficient just think how bad four would have been. Granted one rifle caliber round in theright place will take down a single and possibly a twin engined bomber of the period. Specifically a hit on the engine coolant or oiling system. These fluids were being pumped at high volumes with a limited supply which would lead to engine failure. Radials are less susceptible to this being air cooled but also suffer from higher drag on the engine installation. That is until the FW-190 and a few other types proved otherwise.
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  2. Sometimes l wonder why the RAF didn't go with something in the .50"/12.7mm* range prior to jumping to the 20mm. One 20mm in the right spot can take down a WWll sircraft. Something in the .50 BMG range will normally take more but you also get more rounds per minute. The Japanese tor a 20mm simply enlarged the M2 .50 BMG *Either the .50 BMG or the Breda being used in British tanks.
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  3. ​ @builder396  The P-39 was designed with a single 37mm autocannon and a mix of two .30 and .50 MGs to start with. Fairly hard hitting but lower velocity. The P-400s built for the RAF were re-designed with to take the 20mm. They tried some Airacobras and said politely. Not only no, but bloody NO. The saga of the US production of 20mm Hipano cannon is a sad one. From what I understand the fault lay not with the manufacturer so much as the Board of Ordinance. They screwed up when converting the drawings to inches from metric. Not in the as print dimensions. But in the tolerancing system being used. When the British inspected some of the early ones they commented on just how beautifully made they were *. They just couldn't use them. Also the first US fighters equipped with cannon (P-38 and P-39) were also built with with a system to clear jams. The P-38 had 20mm right from the start. *Oldsmobile was the contractor iirc. The BoO also messed up with the drawings for the MG-42 when they tried to copy it. I'm not sure just what type of tolerancing system the that HS used but even so converting the values should not have been a problem. I guess the designer at BoO wasn't allowed to take his shoes off that day to do higher mathematics.
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