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Just a thought . Why not many twin 50 pictures?


Willyslancs

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A single .50 fired from a jeep is not the most accurate of weapons , the recoil tends to push the jeep over on its springs so doubling the affect of the recoil that makes most machine guns creep upwards when fired.

Some pics of early jeeps so a kind of prop fitted to the side of the jeep to lessen this affect.

My jeep ( M38A1 ) was fitted with a .50 in Dutch service ... speaking to cloggies that used them they all said that after much use the floors on the jeeps would crack from the affects of the recoil and also it was only realy good for keeping enemy heads down as the jeep rocked about so much when the .50 was fired.

The affect on the centre of gravity is noticable with one .50 when driving the jeep

Imagine all the above doubled with twin .50s ...... perhaps a good set up for bling or "mines bigger than yours" but not realy an advantage in service , even today Wimiks and Hummers still only tend to have a single .50 mounted

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good point....not thought of the recoil effect :-\...

I know a .50 or .30 cal is a popular addition to the Jeeps about the rallies today but being honest..:-\

..were that many Jeeps actually fitted up like this during WW2?....I've not seen all that many real wartime photos of Jeeps thus fitted 'in action'...I wouldn't have thought you'd really wanna be stood up in the back of a Jeep hammering away with one when in contact with the enemy and besides the Jeep wasn't really designed nor intended for 'frontline combat' was it?.....a very useful recce and communications vehicle but surely not ever intended for actually getting 'stuck in' at the front ?that was more a job for halftracks and tanks and maybe armoured cars?.....I know the LRDG and the SAS used them like that but they were a bit unique weren't they??....not 'the norm' I would have thought?...

.......I've often thought something the same when you see some Jeeps absolutely loaded out at rallies with half a ton of paraphernalia hanging off them such as spades and picks and satchels and Thompsons in racks and water bottles etc etc etc...

....quite nice to look at on a rally field but....again, being honest...if they rolled off the landing craft with all that kit hanging on them, just how long would it have lasted once the Jeep was tearing through the hedges and lanes of Normandy or Italy or bumping and banging about in the jungles of a Pacific Island?.

I reckon at least half of the kit would have fell off in the first 10 minutes and the other half would have been nicked by every passing soldier short of water or ammo or with perhaps the stock smashed on his weapon or whatever .....:-D

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The LRDG palyed around with many different configurations on their jeeps and trucks and SAS seemed to follow whatever worked for the LRDG. .30's were the most common along with Brens, believe it or not.

.50s were, as previously mentioned, not the best addition due to recoil etc.. not to mention feeding the dam things. With twin .50's where do you put the ammo :wow:...

 

Firing Quad mount .50's is the most amazing experience i think i have ever had. It was an Anti Aircraft config on the back of an American Half Track.... ear plugs are a MUST with at least grade 5 earmuffs over the top... oh and the brass gets a little warm so do your buttons up :D

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......... ear plugs are a MUST with at least grade 5 earmuffs over the top... oh and the brass gets a little warm so do your buttons up :D

 

heheh modern Health and Safety :cool2:.....I wonder how many poor old fellas came home deaf as a post from combat in WW2? you very rarely ever see a soldier / ack ack gunner / waist gunner on a B17 etc wearing proper H&S ear defenders and ordinary flying helmets such as worn in Lancs etc can't have held much of the noise back ...

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heheh modern Health and Safety :cool2:.....I wonder how many poor old fellas came home deaf as a post from combat in WW2? you very rarely ever see a soldier / ack ack gunner / waist gunner on a B17 etc wearing proper H&S ear defenders and ordinary flying helmets such as worn in Lancs etc can't have held much of the noise back ...

 

Used to know a Lanc rear gunner.. and of the few times he actually spoke about the war he did confirm it was noisey and hot. Had a lot of respect for that man.

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It must have been......I've fired a few rifles and pistols and what always astounds me is the noise... and I've never ever seem a combat infantryman in WW2 wearing any manner of ear defenders ...( I don't guess they would have been very practical anyway in combat ?)...

..the noise in a fire fight must have been absolutely deafening with all your mates around you firing off like billyo and your own weapon banging away and grenades and mortars landing around you...frightening..:-|

..when I lived in the US for a while I did some shooting and hanguns in particular I found to be appallingly loud and I'm a musician well used to things being 'loud' ! :D

.....I used them out in the open so what one must be like when fired in an enclosed room or building must be shattering.....

Just out of interest..do our modern troops both Brit and US in Afghanistan use any manner of ear defender nowadays ?

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Yes, they are now issued with personal ones molded to their own ears, also a general issue pair that have double end, onside is green for combat/rifles and the other yellow for workshops etc.

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would love to fire a real 'live' .50cal.......especially a twin .....or even better :cool2:....a quad mount!!!!!!

...the firepower, especially when used on a ground target must have been absolutely devastating.... :-)

 

Yes, devestating about £1.50 a bang! :-D

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I doubt the M31C mount could take the beating of twin 50's for long on a jeep. The dash mount definitely would rip out.

 

The MGs along would be close to 200lbs... not counting whatever you had to weld up to support them.

 

Feeding them from left/right is not an issue.. they change over easily enough, but ejecting belts and links would be a bit problematic.

 

Also the sheer weight of BMG ammo would quickly add up. You can fit 250 rounds into a .30 cal can... but a 50BMG can only holds 100 rounds linked.

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