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Tank Barrel's with Smooth Bore?

serfserf Member Posts: 9,217 ✭✭✭✭
edited June 2015 in Ask the Experts
Is smooth bore barrels in Tanks because the ammunition has internal guidance? Just curious.

serf

Comments

  • babunbabun Member Posts: 11,054 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
  • 11b6r11b6r Member Posts: 16,588 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Tanks that have smoothbore guns (a) a firing a REALLY fast projectile (5700 fps) that (b) you do NOT want to spin.

    If the gun was rifled, the 120mm round would break apart from centrifugal force when fired. On impact, a spinning round would not penetrate as well.

    The Israelis were developing a laser guided munition (LAHAT), but the real tank busters are- as he said up there ^^^ the FIN stabilized DU round.
  • babunbabun Member Posts: 11,054 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    As 11b stated, too fast to be using a rifled barrel.
    I always thought the DU {depleted Uranium} rounds were stupid....

    Why waste all the trouble to make the depleted nuclear stuff into
    armor penetrating rounds? lets just send them it before it is depleted, in the form of a small nuke.[:D]

    Here's a M1A1 firing, you can NOT be in front or on the side of
    the muzzle blast, it is deadly strong.
    M1A1-Firing-07.jpg
  • US Military GuyUS Military Guy Member Posts: 3,617 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Since we are talking about the 120mm round, can I just put this out there?

    http://iaaforum.org/forum3/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=8352

    [:D]

    They know me as "GUNNUTinIowa" over there. [8D]
  • babunbabun Member Posts: 11,054 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    In response again, the shells DO rotate, but from the canted fins.
    Rifling would not work as the projectile is under bore size and just has some alignment rings to hold in the bore.
    See the front and rear bands around the missile...

    m830-4.jpg
  • spiritsspirits Member Posts: 363 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Just think about how much torque would be generated if the bore was rifled and how that torque would also affect the targeting.
  • babunbabun Member Posts: 11,054 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by spirits
    Just think about how much torque would be generated if the bore was rifled and how that torque would also affect the targeting.


    No effect at all. The M1A1 Abrams can accurately fire while
    even running 30 mph over uneven ground.[:D]
    That Rheinmetall gun is mounted in computer controlled cradles.
  • charliemeyer007charliemeyer007 Member Posts: 6,579 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I read once that 20% of the chemical energy in gunpowder goes to imparting the spin on a bullet, that how you get smoothbore to +5200 fps. I think the theoretical limit on burning gunpowder is 6800 fps.

    Nice varmint gun the 120,way better than the 88.
  • Hawk CarseHawk Carse Member Posts: 4,365 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Jeff Cooper wrote that when the 120 came out, some tankers were sorry to lose their rifled 105s for which they had more ammo and more types of ammo.
  • v35v35 Member Posts: 12,710 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Aren't they squeeze bored guns?
    Being anywhere the older 90mm HV tank guns was very dangerous from deflected muzzle brake blast.
    I can't imagine the effect on that tanker sitting up in that Abrams turret.
    There's a complete 88 with support caisson and searchlite in the Virginia Beach Air Museum. The 88 was used in antiaircraft, field artillery, tanks and submarines.
    This one is on a wheeled carriage with Afrika Korps markings.
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