Can the Centauro B1 fire the main gun 90 degrees to the left or right? I was courious about the high center of gravity and the recoil. Does it have limits on the angle of fire. Does the Stryker MGS have any issues with angle of fire?

That's a very interesting question.

I suppose the elaborate muzzle brake would help quite a lot. Muzzle brakes can reduce recoil felt by the recoil system by 70%

Now angle restrictions.

Live fire video of the Centauro 120, 30 seconds in footage of one firing to the side.
HERE

Thanks. I was wondering about any recoil problems knowing that rubber tires have a lot more give than track and it appears the gun sits higher than a tanks gun so I was courious about a broadside shot with a higher caliber gun.

The Stryker MGS uses the 105mm M68A1/E4 variant of the M68 105mm tank gun used on US M60, Leopard 1, earlier Merkava types, etc. The /E4 uses an auto-loader device married to the breach assembly in the MGS.

While technically capable of handling the full-charge AP/AT and discarding-sabot penetrator rounds used in tank main guns, the MGS gun is only loaded with lower-charge, lower projectile velocity rounds such as anti-thin-skin light penetrator and HP and fragmentary and canister anti-personnel rounds. The use of which substantially reduces the recoil energy compared to that generated by higher-velocity heavy penetrator AP rounds. As such, the MGS is NOT intended to be an effective anti-tank weapon-system.

This is in contrast to the Italian Centauro vehicles - which are equipped with a specially-designed Oto-Melara 105mm low-recoil high-pressure gun which is fully-capable of using ALL NATO 105mm ammo, including fin-stabilized discarding-sabot penetrator rounds for true AT use.

The specially-developed low-recoil aspect enables the Centauro to function 360 degrees with all ammo. In contrast, the Stryker MGS can only be used firing laterally with the lower-velocity lower-impulse ammo. It could conceivably fire full-charge heavy rounds when firing close ahead or to the rear along its long axis.

Cheers!

Bob

Normally guns firing discarding sabot ammunition can't use muzzle brakes, because the sabots can snag on the muzzle brake baffles. That's why modern tank guns don't have muzzle brakes.

So How did the gun on the centauroB1 get around that problem?

Watching that video makes it clear the Centauro is a "one shot" weapon! The fierce recoil (esp at 90 degrees traverse) precludes an accurate second shot for quite a few crucial seconds, which is dangerous on a battlefield. And I'd hate to do it on a steep side-slope! (Got to wonder what the life expectancy of suspension parts is...)

The muzzle brake (if it truly is one) on that big 120mm looks like a simple pepper-pot affair, so probably doesn't have the sabot-jamming issues of a true brake with big holes between the baffles. (See pic found here.) I doubt it has anywhere near the 70% recoil reduction of a big double-baffled WW2-style brake, hence the rocking seen in the video.

(Not sure about the slotted brake on the 105mm, but Wackypedia says it can fire the APFSDS rounds.)

The gun stabilization system probably allows it fire a second shot reasonably accurately even while the vehicle was still rocking from the first shot.

A good gunner and an accurate range allow for a high chance of a first round hit.