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Those are some big guns!
#5726421
05/02/15 09:21 PM
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Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 41,230
J.G.
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USS Missouri, sixteen inch guns "Each projectile weighing in at 2700 pounds and were armor piercing in nature, able to fly some 20 to 22 miles to a target." I remember seeing this image a couple of years ago, and something made me think of it again today.
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Re: Those are some big guns!
[Re: J.G.]
#5726457
05/02/15 09:49 PM
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Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 34,109
Buzzsaw
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Still could hit that 2" steel KYL with one of those
SPACE FOR RENT
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Re: Those are some big guns!
[Re: Buzzsaw]
#5726459
05/02/15 09:50 PM
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Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 41,230
J.G.
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Last edited by FiremanJG; 05/02/15 09:52 PM.
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Re: Those are some big guns!
[Re: J.G.]
#5726464
05/02/15 09:52 PM
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Joined: Feb 2013
Posts: 1,389
BassCat'99
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Ask Chad to reload one for us?
22 Creedmoor
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Re: Those are some big guns!
[Re: J.G.]
#5726465
05/02/15 09:53 PM
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Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 22,630
Cast
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Those guns were very accurate as well.
Cast I have a short attention spa
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Re: Those are some big guns!
[Re: J.G.]
#5726471
05/02/15 09:58 PM
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Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 4,519
syncerus
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I met a guy who was on one of the marine FO teams in the early 80's. He told me that the danger close distance was 3k, as I recall. Significantly different than calling for fire from a 155 or even an 8" unit. The 8" guns were awesome; I never saw the 16" guns in action, but they must have been *amazing*.
NRA Patriot Benefactor & DSC Lifer
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Re: Those are some big guns!
[Re: J.G.]
#5726478
05/02/15 10:07 PM
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Joined: Jul 2013
Posts: 2,234
gusick
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Re: Those are some big guns!
[Re: gusick]
#5726483
05/02/15 10:13 PM
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Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 41,230
J.G.
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No. The article says the Missouri was so heavy and had so much ship under the water line that every turret could fire simultaneoulsy broadside and the ship would hold still. Also said the muzzle blast would boil the sea water below it. Bet no one could be on deck when they fired. I can't imagine how loud those were.
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Re: Those are some big guns!
[Re: J.G.]
#5726484
05/02/15 10:16 PM
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Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 41,230
J.G.
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Wish I could find the article that was in Outdoor life years ago. It compared the 16" to a .308 Win
Equal chamber pressure, and in equal ratio projectile weight to muzzle velocity, and effective range.
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Re: Those are some big guns!
[Re: J.G.]
#5726556
05/02/15 11:42 PM
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Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 21,373
Bullfrog
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Wow. That's just plain cool Fireman. Thanks for posting. It's amazing what humans can create now.
Man if I knew what Oxner knows I could throw away what I know
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Re: Those are some big guns!
[Re: J.G.]
#5726569
05/02/15 11:51 PM
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Joined: Sep 2012
Posts: 4,019
68A
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Took this picture of them 4 July last year. Got to watch fireworks from the bow deck. Coolest 4th of July ever.
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Re: Those are some big guns!
[Re: J.G.]
#5726600
05/03/15 12:21 AM
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Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 554
jdh78
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My dad was USMC in the 60's-he went to naval gunfire school and could call fire missions for those guns. Its amazing the capability they have to aim those cannons and deliver those big shells on target.
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Re: Those are some big guns!
[Re: J.G.]
#5726608
05/03/15 12:28 AM
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Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 554
jdh78
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No. The article says the Missouri was so heavy and had so much ship under the water line that every turret could fire simultaneoulsy broadside and the ship would hold still. Also said the muzzle blast would boil the sea water below it. Bet no one could be on deck when they fired. I can't imagine how loud those were. the barrels hold level as the sea swells and they have to calculate the curve of the earth into the elevation setting
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Re: Those are some big guns!
[Re: Bullfrog]
#5726642
05/03/15 01:06 AM
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Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 41,230
J.G.
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Wow. That's just plain cool Fireman. Thanks for posting. It's amazing what humans can create now. Those were created pre-WWII.
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Re: Those are some big guns!
[Re: J.G.]
#5726782
05/03/15 03:27 AM
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Joined: Feb 2015
Posts: 5,585
hetman
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These guns were 66.6 feet (20 m) long—50 times their 16-inch (406 mm) bore, or 50 calibers, from breechface to muzzle. Each gun weighed about 239,000 pounds (108,000 kg) without the breech, or 267,900 pounds (121,517 kg) with the breech.[1] They fired projectiles weighing from 1,900 to 2,700 pounds (850 to 1,200 kg) at a maximum speed of 2,690 feet per second (820 m/s) with a range of up to 24 miles (39 km). At maximum range the projectile spent almost 1½ minutes in flight.[1] Each turret required a crew of 79 men to operate.[1] The turrets themselves cost US$1.4 million each, to which the cost of the guns had to be added.[1]
The turrets were "three-gun", not "triple", because each barrel could be elevated and fired independently. The ships could fire any combination of their guns, including a broadside of all nine. The turret interiors were subdivided and so designed as to permit the independent loading, elevation and firing of each gun. Each turret was also installed with an optical range finder and ballistic analog computer. This permitted the turret’s gun captain and crew to locally engage targets, should battle damage disrupt communication with the ship’s primary or auxiliary fire control centers. Contrary to popular belief, the ships did not move sideways noticeably when a broadside was fired. With the damping effect of the water around the hull the pressure wave generated by the gunfire was felt much more than the slight change in lateral velocity.[2]The propellant consists of small cylindrical grains of smokeless powder with an extremely high burning rate. A maximum charge consists of six silk bags, each filled with 110 pounds of propellant.
The guns could be elevated from 5 degrees to +45 degrees, moving at up to 12 degrees per second. The turrets could rotate about 300 degrees at about 4 degrees per second and could even be fired back beyond the beam, which is sometimes called "over the shoulder". Within each turret, a red stripe on the wall of the turret, just inches from the railing, marked the boundary of the gun's recoil, providing the crew of each gun turret with a visual reference for the minimum safe distance range.[3]
Complementing the 16"/50 caliber Mark 7 gun was a fire control computer, in this case the Ford Instrument Company Mark 8 Range Keeper. This analog computer was used to direct the fire from the battleship's big guns, taking into account several factors such as the speed of the targeted ship, the time it takes for a projectile to travel, and air resistance to the shells fired at a target. At the time the Montana class was set to begin construction, the rangekeepers had gained the ability to use radar data to help target enemy ships and land-based targets. The results of this advance were telling: the rangekeeper was able to track and fire at targets at a greater range and with increased accuracy.[4] This gave the US Navy a major advantage in World War II, as the Japanese did not develop radar or automated fire control to the level of the US Navy.
Last edited by hetman; 05/03/15 03:35 AM.
"Lesser mortals are pitied for the misfortune in not being born Texan."
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Re: Those are some big guns!
[Re: J.G.]
#5726786
05/03/15 03:36 AM
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Joined: Feb 2015
Posts: 5,585
hetman
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660lb of powder for a max shot I think this qualifies as a "Magnum"
Last edited by hetman; 05/03/15 03:38 AM.
"Lesser mortals are pitied for the misfortune in not being born Texan."
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Re: Those are some big guns!
[Re: jdh78]
#5726841
05/03/15 05:39 AM
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Joined: Jul 2013
Posts: 2,234
gusick
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No. The article says the Missouri was so heavy and had so much ship under the water line that every turret could fire simultaneoulsy broadside and the ship would hold still. Also said the muzzle blast would boil the sea water below it. Bet no one could be on deck when they fired. I can't imagine how loud those were. the barrels hold level as the sea swells and they have to calculate the curve of the earth into the elevation setting That's mind-blowing. Regular rifles are affected by lead-sleds or even bypods. Imagine factoring in seas and the horizon as well.
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Re: Those are some big guns!
[Re: hetman]
#5726844
05/03/15 05:42 AM
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Joined: Jul 2013
Posts: 2,234
gusick
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660lb of powder for a max shot I think this qualifies as a "Magnum" Not a magnum. Relative to bore size and muzzle velocity, it's equivalent to 308 win.
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Re: Those are some big guns!
[Re: gusick]
#5727085
05/03/15 03:35 PM
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Joined: Feb 2015
Posts: 5,585
hetman
"Trash Master"
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660lb of powder for a max shot I think this qualifies as a "Magnum" Not a magnum. Relative to bore size and muzzle velocity, it's equivalent to 308 win. I understand the comparison. But anything that takes 660lb of powder per shot and can throw a VW weight object 24 miles is a magnum in my book. Dirty Harry only wished he had one of these!!
"Lesser mortals are pitied for the misfortune in not being born Texan."
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Re: Those are some big guns!
[Re: J.G.]
#5727231
05/03/15 06:10 PM
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Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 6,189
Tactical Cowboy
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The secret to a long life is to try not to shorten it.
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Re: Those are some big guns!
[Re: Tactical Cowboy]
#5727945
05/04/15 05:10 AM
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Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 303
bluesman
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My destroyer was on the gun line with the Jersey in Vietnam. Quite a show. Especially at night. You could feel the blast and vibration in our ship coming through the water.
What was really amazing though was the carpet bombing by the B52's Imagine 3 B52's dropping a full load of 500lb bombs in the same place at the same time. They were bombing 20 miles or more from our ship and it would shake like hell. You could feel the rumble through the water and air.
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Re: Those are some big guns!
[Re: J.G.]
#5728368
05/04/15 04:02 PM
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Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 14,768
jeh7mmmag
gramps
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gramps
Joined: Nov 2004
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They even calculate in the direction of fire and the rotation of the earth while projectile is in flight. Firing to the east POI will be short and to west it will be long. N & S correction are calculated also.
�Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul.� ~ John Muir
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Re: Those are some big guns!
[Re: J.G.]
#5728389
05/04/15 04:16 PM
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Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 1,499
charlesb
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Yes, but is it powerful enough for the large bears?
Can ammunition be readily obtained, if your handloads are lost by the airline?
Kind regards, charlesb
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Re: Those are some big guns!
[Re: jeh7mmmag]
#5728393
05/04/15 04:19 PM
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Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 367
BIGDOG1956
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The analog fire control was simply amazing for it day!
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Re: Those are some big guns!
[Re: J.G.]
#5728603
05/04/15 07:18 PM
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Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 856
shumpertdavid
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Very cool photo and info.
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