do tank barrels recoil?

John Arthur

Active member
Hello again,

I hoped I might get a few more questions answered, and apolotize for loading on so many new ones, and am very thankful for the answers received so far.

I've seen movies of artillery pieces firing, and the barrel moves back and returns quickly in a recoil action. Does this happen with a tank main gun barrel inside the turret?

In an M1A1 Abrams, does it reload automatically or by hand, and if automated must it return to straight and level and dead ahead to do so?

Also, do they have brass shell casings, or are they plastic or something else? When a hot shell casing is ejected, does it come out onto the floor of the turret?

Do they use positive ventilation to control the fumes from the opening of the breech to reload?

If you use abbreviations, please include an explanation, as they may otherwise be a little confusing to me.

How deep can an Abrams to into a river and not flood the motor?

Thank you and God bless.

John Arthur
 
Jogn, Im not a Tank Guy myself so I cant answer all yor questions, but if you want a short answer, yes Tank barrels do recoil.
 
eh I I'm no specialist but I know as much about tanks as the next guy.

Tank barrels do recoil. They recoil into the crew chamber, and you must be out of the way of you're in trouble.

In the M1A1 Abrams reloading is done by hand.

To cross rivers and shallow waters, the Abrams must be equipped with special fording systems. I don't know exactly how deep it can go.

Sorry but I dunno the answer to the third question.

Hope I helped.
 
My English teacher is an Armor officer, and my good friend was a tanker in Iraq. The shell casing is made out of cardboard so that it burns up when the propellant is igninited. The only brass part is the bottom cap. when ejected it comes out on the floor of the turret.
 
I think he's asking about all the fumes from opening the breech. My guess would be that they were all used to propel the round and there are none left, or not enough to pose a threat. Don't quote me though, I'm just speculating.
 
FutureRANGER said:
I think he's asking about all the fumes from opening the breech. My guess would be that they were all used to propel the round and there are none left, or not enough to pose a threat. Don't quite me though, I'm just speculating.

The bore evacuator takes care of that. It is the bulge on the middle of the M1's cannon.

EDIT: And if you got more tankrelated questions, i would suggest asking them here: http://www.tank-net.org/cgi-bin/ubbcgi/Ultimate.cgi
 
1.Yes, Tank barrels DO recoil. The M1-series Main battle tank has a Concentric Hydro-Spring Constant Recoil System. Basically, it uses a huge spring and Hydraulic fluid to absorb most of the recoil energy from the tank firing its main gun.

2. Yes, the breech (where you load the round) recoils back into the crew compartment. It ravels back approximately 12-18 inches. If you are in the way, it WILL kill or seriously injure you. The loader, Tank commander, and gunner all have guards to prevent them from getting injured by the breech.

3. The M1 tank has a crew of four. One of them is the loader. His job is to load the main gun with one of two types of ammunition, HEAT or APFSDS-T (SABOT). The standard for loading the main gun, according to TCGST (Tank Crew Gunnery Skills Test) is 7 seconds. I have had loaders in my tank that can reload in 2.9 seconds, on the move. All it takes is practice.

4. The M1A1 and M1A2 SEP use ammunition with combustable casings. This means the ammunition casing (the part that holds the propellant) burns up in the breech, along with the propellant. The only thing that comes out of the breech is the AFT CAP (the part that contains the electrical primer). They make great ash trays. The casing itself is made of Nitro-cellulose. It's nitroglycerine based.

5. The toxic gases from firing the main gun are addressed with the Bore Evacuator, which uses an air pressure system of the round leaving the barrel to move the gases out of the tank, following the round out of the tube.

6. And without a fording kit, the M1 series tank can cross water obstacles about as deep as the top of the ballistic skirts. Otherwise, water gets into the Vee Packs (3 large air filters), and cut airflow to the AGT 1500 Turbine Engine. The tank immediately aborts (shuts down). Turbines don't work without air.

7. The tank doesn't have a motor. It has an engine. Motors are electrical, engines are run by fuel. (Sorry, that's one of my pet peeves.)
 
Master Gunner, what is the maximum rate of fire if your loaders can load in 2.9 seconds? How long does target accustion/ turrnet movement take?
 
On the SEP, best case scenario is 20 rounds per minute. Target acquisition is conducted seperate of firing. The Tank Commander can independently acquire targets, and upon firing, can designate the next target, causing the gun to automaticaly slew to the subsequent target. This significantly improves the target engaement time.
 
Deep fording preparedness was a big thing during the cold war because opposing forces were expecting a major river to cross every 2 kilometers on the European battlefield and had to assume bridges would be out.
That is why bridge layers were combined with floating pontons, river bank management teams and amphibious or deep-fording capable vehicles.
4 meters with a schnorkel tower was the standards. Air for the crew and the engine was provided byt this ten inches tube mounted on top of the turret. Seals were inflated and kept under pressure and leakage minimized by pumping out incoming water...
Low fording is up to 2 meters with no special preparation...turret was open (AMX30) + a door to the engine compartment. Exhaust and engine compartment were otherwise sealed.
Water could reach up to top to turret but air would come through cmmder's hatch to crew and engine.
As far as the topic goes, Dragon got it all...the gun recoils in a bracket mounted on the mantel that supports it. Usually, a couple hydraulic "shocks" slow its movement back and another similar system brings everything smoothly back in position. During the rear movement, mechanically, the breech opens and locks open, extractors kick the casing in a receiving bag, whether it is a copper or alloy full size case or an ash-tray looking piece (for combustable cases).
The Leclerc does not have a loader....the return position is such that the breech is accessible by an automatic loading arm. Electric moving rack and code bar lecture allows the presentation of the right shell behind the armored sliding door. Door opens, arm pushes pre-selected round, door and breech close, gun ready!!!
 
I know the A-10 uses depleted uranium shells to destroy tanks. I've heard rumors AH-64 uses them (I know we don't), but I just don't see a reason for tanks to use them, they can just use bigger shells.
 
dragon_master_gunner said:
1.Yes, Tank barrels DO recoil. The M1-series Main battle tank has a Concentric Hydro-Spring Constant Recoil System. Basically, it uses a huge spring and Hydraulic fluid to absorb most of the recoil energy from the tank firing its main gun.

2. Yes, the breech (where you load the round) recoils back into the crew compartment. It ravels back approximately 12-18 inches. If you are in the way, it WILL kill or seriously injure you. The loader, Tank commander, and gunner all have guards to prevent them from getting injured by the breech.

3. The M1 tank has a crew of four. One of them is the loader. His job is to load the main gun with one of two types of ammunition, HEAT or APFSDS-T (SABOT). The standard for loading the main gun, according to TCGST (Tank Crew Gunnery Skills Test) is 7 seconds. I have had loaders in my tank that can reload in 2.9 seconds, on the move. All it takes is practice.

4. The M1A1 and M1A2 SEP use ammunition with combustable casings. This means the ammunition casing (the part that holds the propellant) burns up in the breech, along with the propellant. The only thing that comes out of the breech is the AFT CAP (the part that contains the electrical primer). They make great ash trays. The casing itself is made of Nitro-cellulose. It's nitroglycerine based.

5. The toxic gases from firing the main gun are addressed with the Bore Evacuator, which uses an air pressure system of the round leaving the barrel to move the gases out of the tank, following the round out of the tube.

6. And without a fording kit, the M1 series tank can cross water obstacles about as deep as the top of the ballistic skirts. Otherwise, water gets into the Vee Packs (3 large air filters), and cut airflow to the AGT 1500 Turbine Engine. The tank immediately aborts (shuts down). Turbines don't work without air.

7. The tank doesn't have a motor. It has an engine. Motors are electrical, engines are run by fuel. (Sorry, that's one of my pet peeves.)

Actually the word "motor" can describe both electrical and combustion motor/engine, same with "engine", its both.
"Sorry, that's one of my pet peeves." ;)
 
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