it is I...
Anyone got a close-up pic of the machineguns of the M1A1? I'm not happy with my (academy) guns and i'm thinking of replacing them->dunno what type or what they look like in close-up....
(did a google search but came up with nada...)
thanks in advance (again #:-) )
Jurgen

I have a number of pictures of the entire tank posted in my webshots accounts, however Kees van der Pols will be posting them on Tanxheaven.com in the next couple of days. I will give you the webshots urls but once Kees has them up, they will be much easier to navigate.

http://community.webshots.com/user/m1a1abrams
http://community.webshots.com/user/m1a1mbt

Just remember that the M2HB .50 caliber machine gun used on the M1 and M1A1 is not the same as the M2HB .50 caliber machine gun used on the ground mount, M113, M88 and just about any other Ma Deuce equipped vehicle.

Can't just grab any Academy, Skybow, AFV Club M2HB and add it to an M1 or M1A1.

yeah, saw that... has no handles does it? what about the other machinegun?

Jurgen,
The gunners machine gun is a 7.62 gun. It looks like the coax amchine gun of the Bradley. If you really must change your guns, Verlinden's M1A1 detail set has replacement 50 Cal and 7.62 with photo etch cradles.
Another not, DML's 50 cal and 7.62 are not that bad looking. See if you can get your hand on a set of those.

One of the most beautifull .50's are the one's from Legend. However the .50 from VP is OK too

http://www.www-legend.co.kr/bbs/zboard.php?id=Accessory&page=3&select_arrange=headnum&desc=asc&category=&sn=off&ss=on&sc=on&keyword=&sn1=&divpage=1

Marc

No handles at the rear, the side charging handle assembly is replaced by the M10 charging handle (a cable pulley system), and all sight apertures are omitted.

The loader's M240 is a 7.62mm machine gun, the same as the one inside the turret ("coax" or coaxial machine gun). The handles and brass catcher for that are part of the machine gun mount and not the M240 itself.

Just a side note, Eduards super set for the Abrams includes a feed chute and brass catcher for the coax. And IIRC there are a couple small tubes with cross hairs mounted under the TC's gun mount that take the place of the sighting appetures. They can be seen through the TC's main periscope. Can you confirm that Rob? I don't think I have a reference for that.

Rob

yes, a crude metal piece of tubing, about 2" long is welded under the .50 cal mount with a crude metal set of cross hairs. They are about 1" long pieces of flat metal. The sight is not used often, basically a quick point of aim if you are firing the .50 while looking out the FUP or peeking out the TC hatch in the protected open position. Main firing of the .50 cal is from the .50 cal sight which is boresighted out to 1200m. This sight has range markings and is dead on with the first burst. TC (or gunner) will laze the target, the TC will set his aim point based on the range and a burst of .50 cal rounds hit the target. Well trained TC/gunner can accomplish this in a split second.

wow. We used that freakin M-85 .50cal in my day. I remember it being a great "hip-shooter" literally. Used to stand in tc hatch with one hand on the cupola turning handle the other on the 50 elevation/trigger and going to town. Now lazer guided sights. Ain't technology grand

I don't know if this will be of any help but i have 2 pics of each MG mounted on the tank .
this is the M-2 .50 cal.

and the loaders M-240 7.62 mm

Sights aren't laser guided. The range finder is a laser and is part of the normal fire control system. When firing the .50, the TC must still set the aim point based on the range the laser determines. Or the TC and just guessimate the range, but why bother (unless it is a quick hip shoot) if you have a laser range finder that determines the range to plus or minus 10m.

I have plenty of time in the cupola of an M60A3 (and a CEV as well). I know the joys of dealing with that M85 and the daylight/passive night sight. What a pain that thing was to load, mount, reload, etc.

Amen, brother!
I was also the best at disassembling/reassembling the M85 in the battalion. Had all kinds of challengers, but the old LT would just kick their butts! But if I was going into combat, I'd rig a straight Ma Deuce mount on top of the cupola and abscond ewith one of the Suport Platoon's M2s.

Rob,
You forgot about having the Passive Elbow dropping into your lap for no apparent reason... The strange thing was that I had to shoot the CWS the same way as the cupola on the 60... One hand on the elevation handle and the othere on the skate rail... The M1 pure guys couldn't understand.
John

Jeeeez guys tanks 4 the info! Much more than I hoped for....

Another question, (nothing to do with my model,just curious) so you fire the .50 on top of a humvee for example, way much different than one mounted on the M1?
Anyway thanks again !!
Jurgen

Yes, the .50 cal on the M113, M88, M109, HMMWV, a ring mount, etc. is referred to as a "flexible mount".

With a flexible mount, you just grab onto the handles, charge the weapon and point the machine gun in the direction you want to shoot. The gun pivots on the mounting point and uses the gunner's motions to point up and down. The sights are a part of the machine gun and the gun can be dismounted onto a tripod. The gunner must be behind the gun in order to fire it.

The M1 and M1A1 use a fixed mount. The machine gun is attached to mount that is fixed to the cupola. The commander must traverse the cupola using either the electrical motor (thumb button on cupola control) or the manual slip ring. Elevation changes are made by turning the elevation knob. Pushing the trigger on the elevation knob fires the weapon via a solenoid on the cupola mount. The commander can fire the gun from inside the tank, without exposing himself to enemy fire. The sight system is also integrated into the cupola and the commander sights the weapon through a small periscope that is next to the mount and to the right. The graduated sight along with the use of the main gun's laser range finder make the M1/M1A1 .50 cal a fairly dead on weapon system.

The M1 and M1A1 can also mount the loader's M240 or coaxial M240 into the commander's cupola in case the .50 cal is inoperable. It uses the same periscope, but the sights must be adjusted to the replacement weapon.

Pete, Izzit just me or does the M2's feed cover and barrel shroud in the pic look a bit, um, rust covered, I mean, colored?

Gunk : this pic of the .50 cal was taken on the range just after T T 8 (as you can see i didn't take the time to cover it during the rain ). The weather was awfull , and that is a understatment . I had a can of WD-40 just to keep the MG s working (CLP is just too messey IMHO) the MG s were about the only thing that we didn't have trouble out of on the tank this year .