Hi there,

for a future "What-if-project" i'm looking for a GAU-19. Yeah, i mean that badass Cal. 50 gatling gun (photo found via Google picture search):




I've seen some photos of this beast mounted on Cayuses and Kiowas and also on some Humvees for demonstration but never on an armoured vehicle like the Abrams. Would be nice to know if there's an option to mount it on the M151 remote weapon station. I don't think so but it would also be nice to build it in such an impressive assembly.

But first i thought about the possibility of replacing the loader's M240 by a M134 by Legend Productions and the commander's M2 by a GAU-19. But where should i take the GAU-19?! Is there even a GAU-19 available on the market? Maybe a helicopter kit contains this gun? Online shops known to me and Google didn't show me useful results so far.

Yes, builing it scratch would also be an option (the last one) but i don't think that i ain't got enough skills for such a project yet. It also would require some instruments which i do not own.

Hope somebody can help me a little bit....


Greetings from Germany

Bernd



BTW: I would also be thankful for some more nice pictures 'cause i already got all found by Google.

In case you can't find a 1/35th scale GAU-19, what about a 25mm GAU-12 Equalizer as a Plan B option ?


Just like the one included in Trumpeter's LAV-AD kit...



HTH

Frenchy

Thanks for your reply. It seems to be a nice possibility but isn't the GAU-12 a little bit too heavy and large for a commander's gun or the M151? I mean it weights nearly twice as much as the GAU-19 and is about 60 centimeters longer...

Hey Bernd you need to see Toby's M2a4 Bradley Urban fist build in the what if I think that you might like it dave

Bernd

I must agree a GAU-12 would be a bit too big (even for a what-if project ) I should have kept in mind you were looking for a commander's weapon replacement...

Here's a GAU-19 close up :



and a video

+ some pics of the variants fitted to Columbian AH-60Ls :












Frenchy

Thank you Frenchy! Those are some very nice and useful pictures. Unfortunately the shapement and construction of the gun is definitely a little bit too complex for scratch building. The result would become more bad than good i think. It seems that i have to think about one more time...

@ david:

In fact, that's an interesting project.

Nice to see the barrel of the M-60D machine gun in that last photo. Sad to think such a reliable weapon was taken out of the inventory,,,,, and a nice caliber also, 7.62 mm vs the scrawny 5.56.

Bernd, Take a look at the FN M3 It is basically an M2 HMG modified to fire at a rate of around 1,1000 rpm.
Basically, you would have to take an air cooled barrel M2, add a flash supressor, a couple of small boxes on the sides of the reciever, and a soft recoil mount. It would be way easier to scratch build than a GAU 19.

Can't let a good "what if" weapons thread go by without suggesting taking a look at whatever pics and videos have popped up on Metal Storm's website at http://www.metalstorm.com - they definitely do some stuff that would make for a very nice close-up defense weapon mounted on an AFV.

Sites worth a look though - lots of variations on their theme and they're pretty generous both with photo galleries and video clips. They seem to have scaled things down a little from their early days though, when they were playing with stuff that would have required a 10t truck as a support vehicle just to give them a few seconds ammo supply.

I like the way their "Maul", bolt-on semi-automatic 12 gauge for the M4 is described as firing both lethal and "less lethal" munitions. What, slightly lethal? Moderately lethal? Leaves the enemy only mainly dead?

"Less Lethal" weapons / munitions used to be called "Non Lethal" It means that they are not supposed to kill the subject, just get him to run away, fall down, surrender, or whatever.
Older examples are rubber and plastic bullets. Modern examples are primarily but not always fired out of 12 gauge shotguns and include bean bags, rubber buckshot, paintballs, pepperballs, and TASER rounds.
The name change came about when users realized that these toys are still dangerous and misuse or a twist of fate (Murphy's Law) can occasionally cause serious injury or death.
I don't know what Military procedure is, but US Law Enforcement practice calls for seperate distinctively marked weapons. Mixing Lethal ammunition (Buckshot and Rifled Slugs) with Less Lethal ones can lead to tragic mistakes. Typically in US Police cars, black or wooden stocked shotguns will be loaded with lethal ammo. Orange stocked guns will typically be loaded with beanbag rounds, Yellow stocked ones with TASER rounds (just coming into use)