I have a set of extra 200 round ammo boxes like this:

I want to know if these could be used on a .50 Cal gun on the top of a Sherman.
I don't see why not, but I really haven't seen or heard of it before.
Thank You
Evan

The "cathedral" ammo boxes were designed specifically for AAA use. Someone probably has a photo of one on a tank, but I have never seen it. Internal stowage inside the tank would have been more difficult as these boxes were a different size, also the ammo feed on the gun itself would have had to be modified. You might have to modify the mount as well to get clearance, as the cathedral box extends lower as well as higher than the standard box. I also kind of wonder what the big advantage would have been, I don't know how many ground targets you would engage that required 200 rounds. I'm not saying that it was never done, or that it couldn't have been done, just that I am unaware of it.

John

Just a little clarification, yes, the stated purpose of the 50 on a Sherman was for use against aircraft but they were of course primarily used against ground targets, and that's sort of when the GI's ingenuity took over. Early in the war the 50s had a smaller box, increased quickly to the common size we know and love.

John

I get what you mean. I think the 200 Rd. can would look cool fitted to the .50 on my Sherman, but then again I don't know how practical that would be in real life. If I decide to go for it, I'm using a a late T23 turret with the tall gun mount so I don't think the clearance should be an issue. However, The mount would need some modification though. I could use some more help with that aspect of it.
Evan

The ammunition box size increased because that was the packing box size. The early 50-round feed box was a part of the mount and required belts to be loaded from the M1917 wooden packing box then into it. The M2 metal packing box was able to be fitted directly to a redesigned mount without intermediate handling.

The size of the metal box was rather arbitrarily picked to hold 100 rounds, which made a manageable weight when two were wood-wrapped together. The actual capacity was 100 to 110 rounds, depending on the belt.

KL